McCarthy lays out weekly agenda

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced Thursday that the House will consider bills regarding cybersecurity and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau next week. 

The House will vote on H.R. 1560 and H.R. 1731, which would authorize sharing of information about cyber threats between the federal government and private sector. Companies would be granted liability protection while sharing such data with agencies.

“These bipartisan bills will improve cyber threat information sharing between the private sector and the government, and ensure that America can meet cyber challenges now and into the future,” McCarthy said.

{mosads}Members will also consider H.R. 1195, which would require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director to establish a Small Business Advisory board to consult the agency on small business practices.

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) tried to prod McCarthy into providing insight on details of a potential House-Senate conference agreement on the fiscal 2016 budget resolution. Negotiators from each chamber were appointed this week.  But McCarthy declined to say when the final product would hit the floor or if it would include reconciliation instructions beyond repealing ObamaCare.

“As the gentleman knows, I do not like to get ahead of the conferees. I will let them work forward and see what comes back,” McCarthy said, though he said he is hopeful an agreement will be ironed out “quickly.”

In concluding the weekly colloquy, Hoyer noted McCarthy’s brief remarks on the floor Wednesday afternoon commemorating the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Hoyer argued that the House should vote on the legislation authored by Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and John Conyers (D-Mich.) to revise the provision of the Voting Rights Act struck down by the Supreme Court in 2013 that required federal preclearance of certain states’ voting laws.

“I would ask respectfully that the legislation co-sponsored by Mr. Sensenbrenner and Mr. Conyers and John Lewis be brought to this floor so that we can, in fact, ensure that every American, every American has the right to register to vote and is protected by their federal government from the discrimination and exclusion that we know historically has happened too often. And I urge my friend, the majority leader, to bring that bill, that bipartisan bill, to the floor for debate open to amendment and discussion and a vote,” Hoyer said.

McCarthy expressed support for the measure, but offered no timeframe for if and when it might hit the floor. The California Republican was the only top House GOP leader to attend the 50th anniversary of the voting rights march in Selma, Ala. last month.

“The bill is before the committee. It is not scheduled for the floor next week. We will watch as the committee continues to work. And the gentleman and I can continue to work on the issue to make sure we get this done,” McCarthy said.