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On the Agenda: May 5-9

Meghan Groob,
Media Strategist,
ACLU Washington Legislative Office
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May 5, 2014

Ladies and gentleman, the tinsel has left the town. Last Saturday was the one event in D.C. that is guaranteed to bring the stars to our fair nation’s capital: the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, a.k.a. Nerd Prom.

This year’s fete was hosted by Joel McHale, the lanky star of Community and The Soup. He oversaw an evening of bipartisan laughs both at the President’s jokes and at his expense. If nothing else, Nerd Prom is a nice reminder that, even though it sometimes seems like politicians do nothing but bicker, most of them have good senses of humor.

But now that the stars have left town, it’s time to get back to work. Here’s what’s up in the world of civil liberties this week:

Monday, May 5th

Women’s Rights
The congressionally mandated “Department of Defense Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel” will hold an all-day meeting where military officials and panel members will discuss issues surrounding sexual assault in the armed forces.

Tuesday, May 6th

Education
The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing to examine the President’s proposed budget request for fiscal 2015 for education. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will testify.

Wednesday, May 7th

National Defense Authorization Act
The House Armed Services Committee will mark up the Fiscal Year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act.

Immigration
The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing titled “Preventing Waste, Fraud, Abuse and Mismanagement in Homeland Security – A GAO [Government Accountability Office] High-Risk List Review.”

Thursday, May 8th

Disability Rights
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

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