FY20 Spending Measures

With government spending authorities scheduled to expire on November 21, bipartisan, bicameral Appropriations Committee leadership will meet next week to chart a path for FY20 spending measures, including another likely continuing resolution through mid to late December. The White House said this week that the President would support such an extension.

Fourth Hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power

The House Antitrust Subcommittee will hold the fourth in its series of hearings on online platforms and market power next Wednesday, this one focused on “Perspectives of the Antitrust Agencies.” Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Simons and Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim will testify.

H.R. 3

House Democratic leadership had planned a vote on H.R. 3, the prescription drug pricing legislation spearheaded by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), this month, but now do not expect to bring it to the floor until December as lawmakers continue to wait for a full Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score. There also remain differences to reconcile as a result of markups in three committees of jurisdiction.

STELAR Reauthorization

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced legislation this week; a clean STELAR reauthorization bill to extend for five years the satellite television law that is set to expire at the end of the year. No House companion reauthorization, clean or otherwise, has been offered. The Committee will also consider nearly two dozen bills and a handful of nominations next week.

Read more in McGuireWoods Consulting’s Emerging Technologies Washington Update.