Life in Congress last week wasn’t as entertaining as it was in Toronto.
That is, unless you love hearing about Obamacare all the time.
Assuming you don’t, there is actually a lot going on in Congress before everyone turns into a pumpkin and leaves town for Thanksgiving. Several of our amazing lobbyists and litigators will be speaking on panels this coming week, sharing their expertise on a whole slew of issues, including privacy, criminal justice, and NSA surveillance.
We’ll jump right in:
Monday, November 18th
First Amendment/Open Internet
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to examine the seized Silk Road website, focusing on the potential risks, threats and promises of virtual currencies.
Tuesday, November 19th
First Amendment/Open Internet
Senate subcommittees will hold joint hearings on virtual currency.
NSA Surveillance
Georgetown will co-host an event titled “Surveillance and Foreign Intelligence Gathering in the United States: The Current State of Play.” Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) will give the keynote address, and the ACLU’s Jameel Jaffer will speak on a panel along with Director of National Intelligence General Counsel Robert Litt, and National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen.
E-Verify
The ACLU is co-hosting a Hill briefing on E-Verify. The panel will include Alex Nowrasteh from CATO, Todd McCracken from the National Small Business Association, labor advocate Alison Reardon, and Legislative Counsel Chris Calabrese. It will cover a wide range of concerns with the E-Verify system including privacy, cost, and the burdens placed on small businesses and workers.
Electronic Privacy
Legislative Counsel Chris Calabrese will be on a panel hosted by the American Constitution Society titled “The Constitution and Privacy in a Time of Innovation.” The panel will discuss recent Supreme Court decisions and congressional efforts to bring our laws up to speed with current technologies including email, location services, and more controversial advances of domestic drone use and DNA testing.
Wednesday, November 20th
Voting
The National Commission on Voting Rights will hold a field hearing in Atlanta, Ga. Laughlin McDonald of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project is serving as a Commissioner.
Border
Border coalitions from the four Southwest border states, including ACLU affiliates, have created a 200-panel quilt to memorialize Customs and Border Protection-related fatalities and other abuses. ACLU of New Mexico’s Regional Center for Border Rights will participate in the National Mall unveiling of the Border Quilt on Wed., Nov. 20—as well as associated press and Hill events—to raise awareness of the “Revitalize Not Militarize” campaign.
Criminal Justice
Legislative Counsel Jennifer Bellamy will speak on a panel at American University Washington College of Law titled “Floyd v. City of New York: a Discussion of Stop-and-Frisks and Racial Profiling.”
Thursday, November 21st
Human Rights/Disability Rights
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold its second hearing on the ratification of the treaty, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)
The ACLU is co-hosting a Hill briefing on ECPA reform. The panel will include legislative counsel Chris Calabrese and representatives from the Heritage Foundation, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Sentencing Reform
The Senate Judiciary Committee may hold a markup of S. 619, the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013, S.1410, Smarter Sentencing Act of 2013 and S. 1675, the Recidivism Reduction and Public Safety Act of 2013.
Also Happening This Week
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014
The Senate will begin debate on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (S. 1197). The bill currently includes helpful transfer provisions of Guantanamo Bay detainees, as well as provisions concerning sexual assault in the military, and religious liberty.
School Discipline
On November 20-21, the Dignity in Schools Campaign will hold its annual Days at the Capitol lobbying event; bringing in parents, students, and teachers from at least fifteen states to raise awareness and end kids being pushed out of schools and into the criminal justice system.
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