Happy Friday!

Congress Members are back and super productive in this lame duck session after being away for the midterm elections! Below are important congressional and federal updates.

Hill Headline

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Steps Down As Top House Democrat

After leading the Democrats for the last 15 years, Pelosi announced that she will step down next year. The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House and is charged with numerous duties and responsibilities by law and by the House rules, including maintaining order, managing its proceedings and administration. Pelosi will remain a member of Congress for the term to which she was just re-elected. Learn more about Pelosi's impactful legacy here.

Image: CNBC

Legislative Updates

 

House requires thorough investigation on the death of American-Palestinian journalist. This week, Rep. Carson (D-IN-07) introduced the Justice for Shireen Act, which would require an investigation and report on the death of American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Akleh was killed by an Israeli soldier while reporting on a military raid in the Jenin Refugee Camp on May 11, 2022. The bill seeks a thorough investigation and answers to how U.S. defense materials or services could be involved in the killing of Americans on foreign soil.

Lawmakers passed the Safe Connections Act of 2022. Supported by the House in July, this bill unanimously passed the Senate this week. It establishes requirements concerning access to communication services for survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and related harms. At a survivor's request, a mobile service provider must separate from a shared mobile service contract the survivor's line from the abuser's line unless separation is infeasible. 

Lawmakers passed the FEMA Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency Act of 2022. This bill addresses the federal government's approach to wildfires. Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is not inclusive of post-wildfire recovery needs, and this bill would help close some of those gaps. For example, if passed, FEMA would be able to pre-deploy resources during red flag warnings like they already do in advance of hurricane warnings.

Advocacy for House Resolution 662: Honoring Victims of Post-9/11 Hate Crimes. Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), World Without Hate, and Rev. Paul Raushenbush advocated for House Resolution 662 on Capitol Hill this Wednesday. They discussed what it means to the families of the victims of the post-9/11 hate crimes. This resolution would recognize the victims of Islamophobic hate crimes that have occurred since September 11, 2001, and would condemn racism, xenophobia, discrimination, Islamophobic sentiment, scapegoating, and ethnic or religious intolerance.