House Accepts Senate Changes to HR 4188

This evening the House agreed to the Senate amendment to HR 4188, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 after only 14 minutes of debate and a voice vote. As I mentioned in my earlier post, there are no provisions in this bill that address hazardous chemical shipping, chemical security or cybersecurity. The President is expected to sign the bill.

HR 4188 Amended and Passed in Senate – CG Authorization

On Friday, in the closing hours of the first session of the 114^th Congress, the Senate amended and passed HR 4188, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015. There was no debate offered on the substitution of the Thune Amendment (CREC-2015-12-18, pg 8890) for the text of the House passed version of the bill. The bill passed by voice vote (in a nearly empty Senate chamber).

Like the House version of the bill, there are no provisions in the bill that address the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA), chemical safety, or chemical transportation issues.

When the House returns next year, they will have to decide whether they should accept the Senate amendment or request a conference. There appears to be a decent chance that they will just accept the Senate version.

Bills Introduced – 12-08-15

With both the House and Senate in session yesterday there were 27 bills introduced. Of those, three may be of specific interest to readers of this blog:

HR 4187 To require certain entities who collect and maintain personal information of individuals to secure such information and to provide notice to such individuals in the case of a breach of security involving such information, and for other purposes. Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]

HR 4188 Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015. Rep. Hunter, Duncan D. [R-CA-50]

S 2372 A bill to require reporting of terrorist activities and the unlawful distribution of information relating to explosives, and for other purposes. Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] 

HR 4187 is yet another breach notification bill. I’ll check it for any ICS references (unlikely) otherwise it probably will not get mentioned again.

The CG Authorization Act has already been published by the GAO (an indication that the House leadership intends to move forward with consideration sooner rather than later). A quick check of the section listings shows no specific mention of chemical safety, chemical security or MTSA so I will not be doing my normal analysis of the bill. I will, however, keep an eye on it as it meanders through the legislative process for any interesting amendments.

The Feinstein bill is not one that I would typically cover in this blog, but it does strike a personal cord as it looks like it is one of those knee jerk reactions to terrorist attacks that cause so many unforeseen problems down the line. The fact that Feinstein is the Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and her co-sponsor is the Chair means that this bill is likely to be going places.