Welcome to Overnight Regulation, your daily rundown of new from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Wednesday evening here in Washington and it was a busy day, so let’s get right to it.
THE BIG STORY
Advocates for prison reform are urging Congress to swiftly pass a bill that would reduce some mandatory minimum sentences that is up for full consideration in the House and Senate.
“The federal prison population has skyrocketed by almost 800 percent over the past three decades and taxpayer spending is up almost 600 percent,” Holly Harris, executive director of the US Justice Action Network said in a statement on Wednesday. “We need real solutions to safely reduce our prison population, remove barriers for those leaving incarceration to ensure they don’t return and shrink our criminal code to address duplicative and inconsistent laws on the books.”
{mosads}On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee passed Chairman Bob Goodlatte’s (R-Va.) bill — the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 — by a voice vote.
The bill reduces mandatory minimum sentences for a second serious drug offense from 20 to 15 years and reduces mandatory sentences for a third drug trafficking offense or violent felony from life in prison to 25 years.
While the bill allows the reduced sentencing reforms to apply retroactively to offenders already serving time, Goodlatte said it does not do so blindly.
Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), the panel’s top Democrat, said the bill does not include everything he and some of his colleagues wanted in a sentencing reform bill, but called it a step in the right direction.
The committee did approve an amendment offered by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) to require the Justice Department and the sentencing commission to update its 2011 mandatory minimum sentencing report. The amendment also expresses the sense of Congress that mental health is a critical component of criminal justice reform.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/1PAfZk1
ON TAP FOR THURSDAY
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing examining the terrorist attacks in Paris and what steps could be taken to prevent similar strikes in the U.S. http://1.usa.gov/1X7JgBB
A House Small Business subcommittee will hold a hearing to discuss updating the standards for small farmers, who are exempted from many regulations. http://1.usa.gov/1POeWvd
A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will examine the ways in which businesses are using drones, which are facing upcoming regulations. http://1.usa.gov/1WUZqOI
TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY
The Obama administration will publish 165 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Thursday’s edition of the Federal Register.
–The Department of Energy (DOE) will propose new requirements for central air conditioners.
The Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is looking for ways to enforce regional standards for these air conditioners.
The rules could cost as much as $300 million to comply with, according to DOE estimates.
The public has 45 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1WZsqdp
–The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will consider new rules for decommissioning nuclear power reactors.
The NRC will issue an advance notice of proposed rulemaking as it considers changes to make the decommissioning process more efficient.
The public has 45 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1O3miLw
–The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will consolidate housing regulations from other government agencies.
Certain housing rules from the Federal Housing Finance Board and Department of Housing and Urban Development will now fall under the FHFA’s jurisdiction.
The housing rules relate to corporate practices and the responsibilities faced by boards of directors, according to the agency.
The changes go into effect in 30 days. http://bit.ly/1SYUuYH
–The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will consider approving new air quality regulations submitted by the city of Washington, D.C.
The proposed air quality rules would limit nitrogen oxides emissions in the city.
The public has 30 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1S4OHju
NEWS RIGHT NOW
Prison time doubles for federal inmates, report finds http://bit.ly/1SZ64mH
Dems pushing gun storage recommendations http://bit.ly/1SZ6klE
Bill to ban microbeads in soap advances in House http://bit.ly/1SEZmkS
Fed seize hundreds of tamales smuggled from Mexico http://bit.ly/1kFuExu
ISIS threat to ‘strike’ Washington causes concern but no panic – The Washington Post http://wapo.st/1Nb4gIc
Top VA official: Private doctors must be ‘part of the fabric of VA care’ – The Washington Post http://wapo.st/1POhXM9
Federal employees warned not to tweet political views on the job – National Journal http://bit.ly/1WZzLK7
Congress takes another try at rewriting No Child Left Behind – The AP http://bit.ly/1POifCE
BY THE NUMBERS
450: The number of Mexican tamales seized at the Los Angeles airport after they were smuggled into the country.
46: The number of people accidentally shot each day, according to Senate Democrats.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Not only does it open the door to the past, but it opens the door to the past with a legal shield that’s not merited,” Yana Miles, policy counsel at the Center for Responsible Lending, said about the Portfolio Lending & Mortgage Access Act. Consumer advocates are lashing back against a Republican-backed bill they say would open the door for the brand of reckless lending practices that led to the financial crisis of 2008. http://bit.ly/1WY1Am6
We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://digital-stage.thehill.com/regulation) early and often for the latest. And send any comments, complaints or regulatory news tips our way, tdevaney@digital-stage.thehill.com or lwheeler@digital-stage.thehill.com. And follow us at @timdevaney and @wheelerlydia.
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