D.C. Daily: June 22, 2012

Senate
Yesterday's Action:
During business yesterday, the Senate took the following actions:

• Passed S. 3240, the "Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act", by a vote of 64 yeas to 35 nays.
• Passed H.R. 33, the "Church Plan Investment Clarification Act".
• Passed S. Res. 471, commending the efforts of the women of the American Red Cross Clubmobiles for exemplary service during the Second World War.
• Approved the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to consideration of S. 1940, the "Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act", by a vote of 96 yeas to 2 nays. An agreement was then reached that the motion to proceed to consideration be agreed to no later than 5:30 PM on Monday, June 25.
• Began consideration of the House amendment to S. 3187, the "Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act".

Today's Schedule:
The Senate will not meet today. The next meeting of the Senate is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Monday, June 25.



House
Yesterday's Action:
During business yesterday, the House took the following actions:

• Passed H.R. 4480, the "Strategic Energy Production Act of 2012", by a vote of 248 yeas to 163 nays.
• Agreed to the McKinley motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 4348, by a vote of 260 yeas to 138 nays.
• Debated the Hoyer motion and the Black motion to instruct conferees on H.R. 4348, but postponed further proceeding on both motions.

Today's Schedule:
The House will not meet today. The next meeting of the House is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Monday, June 25.


Executive Agencies
Significant Proposed Rules:
There were no significant proposed rules printed today.

Significant Final Rules:

• Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: governing the calculation of the maximum obligation limitation (“MOL”), as specified in the Dodd-Frank Act. (Effective 7/23/12)
• Environmental Protection Agency: adding trans-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (also known as HFO-1234ze) to the list of compounds excluded from the definition of VOC on the basis that this compound makes a negligible contribution to tropospheric ozone formation. (Effective 7/23/12)

Presidential Documents:

• Determination No. 2012-08: determining that it is necessary, in order to protect the national security interests of the United States, to suspend for a period of 6 months the limitations set forth in sections 3(b) and 7(b) of the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995.
• Memorandum: delegating the functions conferred upon the President by section 405(c) of the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008, title IV of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008.

Supreme Court
The court has concluded scheduled oral arguments for the October 2011 term. However, the court is still meeting to finalize decisions on cases it heard during the preceeding term. The court's next session of oral arguments is scheduled to begin on Monday, October 1, 2012.

Yesterday, the court issued decisions in the following cases:

• Southern Union Company v. United States: The court ruled that the decision in Apprendi v. New Jersey, which said that facts that increase a maximum sentence must be proven to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt, applies to criminal fines. (Justice Sotomayor wrote for the majority; Justice Breyer was joined by Justices Kennedy and Alito in his dissenting opinion.)
• Knox v. Service Employees Int’l Union, Local 1000: The court ruled that a public-sector union cannot impose a special assessment on its members without the affirmative consent of the members upon which the assessment will be imposed. (Justice Alito wrote for the majority; Justice Sotomayor was joined by Justice Ginsburg in a concurring opinion; and Justice Breyer was joined by Justice Kagan in his dissenting opinion.)
• Dorsey v. United States: The court ruled that mandatory minimum sentences prescribed by the Fair Sentencing Act can be applied to defendants who committed an offense before the law was in effect but who were sentenced after the law was in effect. (Justice Breyer wrote for the majority; Justice Scalia was joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas and Alito in his dissenting opinion.)
• Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations, Inc.: The court ruled that the FCC failed to give FOX and ABC proper notice of what constituted indecent conduct. (Justice Kennedy wrote for the unanimous majority (excluding Justice Sotomayor, who recused from the case); Justice Ginsburg filed a concurring opinion.)

The next meeting of the court to release decisions will be Monday, June 25 at 10:00 AM.