Appropriations— On July 19, the House passed, 217-199, H.R. 6147, a “minibus” bill containing the FY2019 Financial Services and General Government spending bill. The House Appropriations Committee approved the Financial Services spending bill on June 13 (see The Source, 6/15/18).
International— On July 17, the House passed, by voice vote, H.R. 5480, the Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act. The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the bill on April 17 (see The Source, 4/20/18).
Violence Against Women— On July 17, the House approved, by voice vote, S. 717, the Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent (POWER) Act. The Senate passed the bill in August 2017. The legislation would require the chief judge in each federal judicial district to promote pro bono legal services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Small Business— On July 18, the House Small Business Committee approved H.R. 6369, the Expanding Contracting Opportunities for Small Business Act, and H.R. 6382, the Clarity on Small Business Participation in Category Management Act. Among other provisions important to women, the bills seek to increase opportunities for women-owned and other minority-owned businesses.
Crime— On July 18, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing, “Promoting Justice for Victims of Crime: Examining the Federal Investment in DNA Analysis”. The hearing focused on three bills: S. 2266, the Abby Honold Act, S. 2345, the Justice Served Act, and S. 2577, the Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act.
