Situational Awareness
The House and Senate return to Washington this week after the Memorial Day break. The Senate will process The House and Senate are both in session this week. The Senate will be considering legislation to expand benefits to veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service. The House will consider a number of bills including legislation that would reform ocean shipping laws with a goal of improving supply chain delays..
Deal Reached on Gun Restrictions
Following a series of shootings in recent weeks, pressure for Congress to address gun violence has resulted in an agreement in principle on gun safety legislation. The agreement would provide grants to states to enact “red flag” laws, more funding for mental health services and school safety as well as better access to records available for background checks on younger gun buyers. The proposal was agreed to in principle by a group of 20 senators, including 10 Republicans, who are needed to ensure the measure will pass procedural hurdles in the Senate that have frustrated previous attempts at addressing gun violence. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) issued a statement indicating guarded support for the agreement.
House Begins Appropriations Markups
On Friday, May 13, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a Notice of Appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth CThe annual appropriations process kicks off in earnest this week with six of the 12 funding bills scheduled for markup this week. Of particular importance to the club community is the markup for the Department of Homeland Security, which could include provisions related to the H-2B program providing visas for seasonal workers. Last week, the H-2B Workforce Coalition, of which NCA is a member, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alexandro Mayorkas urging the administration to support permanently instituting the “returning worker exemption” (RWE). NCA will continue working with the coalition to make improvements to the program. You can read the coalition letter here.
Primary Races in Four States This Week
Primary races will be held in four states this week with many observers watching two House races in South Carolina and the Republican nomination for Senate in Nevada. South Carolina Republican Representatives Nancy Mace and Tom Rice have been in the crosshairs of former President Trump, who has backed primary opponents against both incumbents. Representative Mace spoke at the NCA’s National Club Conference on May 16 and provided attendees with her assessment of the state of American politics, legislation before Congress, and a brief update on her primary race. I saw Congresswoman Mace last Thursday and she is upbeat about her prospects of prevailing in her hotly contested race, which increasingly became personal as the primary date neared. She anticipates garnering roughly 55% of the vote, though her goal is 58%.
The primary for the Republican nomination for Senate in Nevada features four candidates with former Nevada Attorney General, Adam Laxalt, leading the pack in recent polls.
NCA Joins With US Chamber on NLRB Case
NCA has signed a letter with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce urging the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to reject a recommendation from the board’s general counsel (GC) to institute a doctrine that would effectively impose card check and restrict employer speech rights currently protected under the National Labor Relations Act. The GC has asked the board to reinstitute a decision that would require employers to prove why a card-check campaign is invalid or be compelled to recognize the cards and engage in collective bargaining. The case also could lead to mandatory staff meetings to discuss union issues being declared inherently coercive and thus prohibited. NCA has taken the position in its policy agenda that recognizes secret ballot elections as the preferred method of union recognition and the importance of the free flow of information about organizing. The U.S. Chamber is still in the process of adding organizations to the letter and will send it to the NLRB in the coming days.
New Webcast on Thursday: Retaining the GM
Join us on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET for a critical webcast on retaining one of the club’s most important assets—the GM. Kurt Kuebler, CCM and Tom Wallace, CCM, CCE, ECM of KOPPLIN, KUEBER & WALLACE will lead the discussion on preserving the connection between the GM and the club. Don’t miss this important webcast. Register here.