Situational Awareness
Both the House of Representatives and Senate are in session this week. The Senate will continue to dedicate floor time to confirming President Trump’s cabinet nominees. Across Capitol Hill, the House will consider legislation that would allow lawmakers to expedite their authority under the 1996 Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn “midnight rules” issued by an outgoing administration.
As the mid-March deadline on federal funding continues to draw closer, lawmakers in both chambers have their sights set on completing their respective plans for budget reconciliation packages. Reconciliation is a legislative procedure that allows the Senate to circumvent the 60-vote threshold that is typically necessary to pass legislation. These bills will serve as the vehicles for enacting President Trump’s domestic policy agenda, including strengthening border security, opening federal lands for domestic energy production and extending the 2017 tax cuts. While the Senate Budget Committee Chair is moving forward with marking-up their own budget resolution this week—the first step in passing a reconciliation bill—Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) has struggled to resolve differences within his own conference over total cost savings.
Senate Begins Consideration of Chavez-DeRemer DOL Nomination
On Wednesday, February 12, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will consider former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination as Secretary of the Department of Labor (DOL). Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination by President Trump came as a surprise to many business groups and conservative lawmakers due to her support for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would expand worker protections for collective bargaining activities in the workplace. President Trump’s choice for DOL secretary could be interpreted as a party-wide tactic to further appeal to unions—a key demographic that contributed to his election in November. It’s expected that Chavez-DeRemer will be advanced out of the committee on a bipartisan basis.
Maryland Legislature Re-Introduces Bill Targeting Clubs & Golf Courses
Delegates in the Maryland General Assembly have re-introduced legislation that would repeal the proposed special use assessment of country clubs and golf courses for property tax purposes. The bill is aimed at providing the state with additional tax revenue that would be re-directed to public services. The original proposal introduced in 2021 was expected to provide an additional $4.8 million in local property tax revenues across Maryland, according to a Department of Legislative Services analysis of the bill. A hearing on the bill is scheduled for February 18th. The National Club Association will monitor this bill and provide updates to its Maryland members.
Amanda Laihow Set to Be OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary Pick
Bloomberg is reporting, and NCA has confirmed, that the Trump administration will appoint Amanda Laihow as the political deputy assistant secretary at OSHA. She previously served as a commissioner for the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) from 2020-2023. Her renomination to OSHRC for a second term, which was paired with several others, stalled in the Senate. Prior to working for the OSHRC, Laihow also worked as director of labor and employment policy for the National Association of Manufacturers. On the labor side, NAM has asked President Trump to pause OSHA’s rulemaking on a federal heat standard in addition to rescinding the walkaround rule.
ICYMI
DOL Delays Oral Arguments on Independent Contractor Lawsuit: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a request from the Department of Labor (DOL) to delay oral arguments scheduled for next month in a lawsuit challenging the agency’s independent contractor rule.
North Carolina WOTUS Litigation Paused for DOJ Transition: A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Northern Carolina granted a DOJ motion to stay two key waters and wetlands lawsuits involving a North Carolina landowner.