OVERNIGHT REGULATION: New push to expand gun background checks
March 4, 2015
March 4, 2015
Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of rules from Capitol Hill and beyond. It's Wednesday evening here in Washington and we're taking bets on whether Congress will call a snow day tomorrow with 4 to 8 inches expected to blanket D.C. Go ahead and laugh, Boston.
But before the flurries start to fly, here's the latest news from Capitol Hill and the federal agencies.
THE BIG STORY
Republican gun reformers aren't expecting any support from leadership on legislation to expand background checks for all commercial gun sales reintroduced in the House on Wednesday.
Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) who co-authored the Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2015 with Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), said he hasn't spoken with GOP leaders about his bill, but he acknowledged they will almost certainly oppose it.
"I don't expect to get their support," he said.
King said the response he gets from the Republican critics boils down to one thing: "The Second Amendment, which doesn't answer the question at all.
"I mean, why you'd want criminals and psychos to have guns is beyond me."
Under current law, federally licensed gun dealers are required to screen all potential buyers through an FBI database to weed out felons, fugitives, spousal abusers, the severely mentally ill and other groups barred from buying or owning firearms. Unlicensed gun sellers, however, are not required to perform the same background checks – an enormous loophole that allows most anyone to buy weapons in the United States.
Unveiled Wednesday, the Thompson-King bill would expand the screening requirement to most private sellers, including those operating at gun shows and online.
But Republicans say expanded screenings would create new burdens on gun owners and threaten Second Amendment rights -- a charge rejected by Thompson and other supporters of his bill.
"If this bill violated the Second Amendment, my name wouldn't be on it," Thompson said.
When introduced last session, Thompson said the bill had 189 co-sponsors, but never made it to the floor for a vote. A companion bill in the Senate only gained support from 55 lawmakers – five shy of the 60 needed to defeat a Republican filibuster.
But Thompson said the bill would have passed if it received a House vote. He pointed to an amendment he introduced to increase funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which passed with 260 votes last session.
"It makes no sense to fully fund the program and then be unwilling to vote to use that program," he said. "We need to get a vote on the bill and when we do we'll get it passed. "
The bill now has six original co-sponsors including Reps. Bob Dold (R-Ill.), Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Pat Meehan (R-Pa.), Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) and Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.)
The National Rifle Association last Congress opposed an even less stringent proposal expanding background checks from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.).
"It is telling that this legislation was reintroduced with only 8 co-sponsors," NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said in response to the King-Thompson legislation. "The fact is that the majority of Americans do not support more gun control and they made their voices heard last November."
Mike Lillis contributed to this report.
ON TAP FOR THURSDAY
Due to the snowstorm expected tomorrow, a number of hearings have been postponed, including the House Agriculture Committee's Conservation and Forestry panel on the waters of the United States rule and the House Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Restoration of America's Wire Act. That measure would restore a long-standing policy prohibiting all forms of Internet gambling under the Wire Act.
TOMORROW'S REGS TODAY
The Obama administration will publish 151 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Thursday's edition of the Federal Register.
Here's what to watch:
--The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will issue guidance to industry for new tobacco products.
The guidance advises tobacco companies how to demonstrate the "substantial equivalence" of a new tobacco product, which would include when changes are made to the label. http://bit.ly/18QP298
--The National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) will propose new measures aimed at providing regulatory relief to small financial institutions.
The NCUA will consider increasing the number of credit unions that are considered small financial institutions by raising the threshold to $100 million in assets from the current $50 million.
This would allow more credit unions to qualify as small institutions for regulatory relief, the agency says.
The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1CxSamP
--The Department of Energy (DOE) will correct a mistake it made in an efficiency rule it issued several years ago.
The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy published new energy conservation standards and test procedures for some commercial heating, water-heating, and air-conditioning equipment in May 2012. But the DOE is going back to correct a minor error made in those rules.
The changes go into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/
--The Labor Department will issue new corporate whistleblower protections.
The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will establish new procedures for handling workplace retaliation complaints. The changes include time frames for agency investigations, appeals, hearings, and more.
The rule goes into effect immediately. http://bit.ly/
NEWS RIGHT NOW
Snowstorm: Who wants to go sledding down Capitol Hill with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton? http://bit.ly/18Q4IJS
Gun control: Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is backing a new push on Capitol Hill to expand background checks, just four years after surviving a gunshot wound to the head. http://bit.ly/1DNPcpr
Ammo ban: Second Amendment supporters in Congress are rallying against a controversial ammunition ban from the Obama administration. http://bit.ly/
Keystone: Republicans failed to override President Obama's veto of legislation approving the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. http://bit.ly/
Unions: The Senate voted to roll back a controversial Obama administration labor policy that speeds up union elections. http://bit.ly/
Climate: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is advising states to disobey the Obama administration's signature climate rule. http://bit.ly/1M5MPme
Net neutrality: Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation that would block the Federal Communications Commission's new Internet rules. http://bit.ly/1DNPooF
BY THE NUMBERS
40 percent: The number of gun sales that take place without a background check.
80 percent: The number of criminal inmates who said they got their guns through private means without any background check.
(Source: Americans for Responsible Solutions)
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Now is the time to come together and be responsible. Democrats, Republicans, everyone. We must never stop fighting. Fight! Fight! Fight!," former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to require background checks for all commercial gun sales.
We'll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill's Regulation page (http://thehill.com/regulation
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