This week in Congress: February 22, 2016

The House of Representatives is in session Tuesday through Friday next week. On Tuesday and Wednesday the House will consider bills under suspension of the rules.

Among the bills considered under suspension are HR 3584, a bill to “authorize, streamline, and identify inefficiencies within the Transportation Security Administration…” because we need a more efficient tyranny.

One of the ways this bill “streamlines” the TSA is a pilot project establishing  “a secure, automated, biometric-based system at airports to verify the identity of passengers who are members of TSA PreCheck.”  Now TSA pre-check is voluntarily but if a biometric ID system is implemented for pre-check how long before a biometric ID system is imposed for the whole TSA system?

Congress will also consider HR 4408, the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act. This bill instructs the President to provide Congress with a report on how to combat terrorist travel. I am sure the President’s report will not recommend anything that would threaten our liberties (for example by requiring biometric IDs).

The House will also consider two rules bills next week. The first one, the Fraudulent Joiner Prevention Act (HR 3624). This bill amends the process to “remind” (send back) cases that have been moved from federal to state courts. Under this bill, “a motion to remind” would have to demonstrate that those making the motion intended to ensure that defendants from states other than the state the case is being sent to will still be defendants if the case is moved to state court unless there is no plausible case against the out-of-state defendants.

The second bill is The Share Act (HR 3624), which makes it easier for individuals to hunt, fish, and engage in recreational shooting on public lands. This is a good bill, but Congress’ time would be better spent privatizing federal lands.

The Senate will vote on a new Health and Human Services director. They may also make another attempt to pass the Energy Policy Modernization Act.