This week in the House

With DC having dug itself out of the snowstorm, the House of Representatives has returned to DC. The “marquee” item on the House agenda next week is a vote to override President Obama’s veto of the “reconciliation” bill that repealed large parts of Obamacare.

The House will also vote on theIran Terror Finance Transparency Act (HR 3662). This Act requires the President to certify that financial institutions are not involved in supporting the Iranian government or other terrorist activities before lifting sanctions on them. While it may seem harmless, the purpose of this bill is to make it more difficult for the US to pursue peaceful relations with Iran.

The House will also consider the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015 (HR 3700). As the name suggests, the bill makes various changes to the Housing and Urban Development program, including giving HUD the authority to establish a “Multifamily Housing Revitalization Program.” While some of the bill’s reforms appear to be improvements, the bill does not appear to do anything to reduce the federal government’s role in housing.

Monday, the House considers bills under the “suspension”calendar. One of the bills they will considered (HR 3784) creates a “advocate for small business” and a “small business capital formation advisory committee” in the Securities Exchange Commission  (SEC). This is a well-intentioned effort to make the SEC responsive to the needs of small businesses. The problem is it is based on the premise that government bureaucracies like the SEC can somehow be made efficient.

The House will also consider legislation creating a new Electricity for Africa Act. I have written about previous attempts to create this type of program here and here.

Campaign for Liberty members are encouraged to call their Representatives to ask them to oppose the Electrify for Africa Act, the Iran Terror Financing Transparency Act, and to vote to override President Obama’s veto of the reconciliation bill.