Washington Weekly - May 11

This Week:

The House and Senate are in session.    

Federal:

The Big Meeting:  President Biden was to meet with Congressional Leadership at the White House to discuss the next steps on the debt limit.  House Republicans have already passed a bill that is connected to budgetary spending cuts, something the White House and Senate Democrats say is a no-go.  Historically, the debt limit has been connected to some budgetary measure, so the likelihood of a ‘clean bill’ is slim to none, unless it’s a short-term extension.  Both parties have drawn their respective lines in the sand and the expectations for the meeting itself have been kept low. 

What Next: Republicans have shown their unity in both chambers on this issue, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) throwing his full support to Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on the issue.  Wild cards in the Senate including Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), who are both locked in intense re-election campaigns, could provide additional pressure in the Senate.  In the end, a short-term agreement is a likely path, even though Republicans want to paint Democrats as not doing anything and refusing to negotiate, while Democrats would love the opportunity to place blame on Republicans, should social security and debt payments not go out.   Defaulting on the debt is not an option and it remains to be seen which side will blink first.  Stay tuned. 

State: 

California:  Last week, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued new regulations for fleet trucks.  The regulations will go into effect January 2024 (h/t California Strategies):

• December 2023: registration required for legacy trucks.
• Jan 2024: newly added drayage trucks must be ZEVs.
• Jan 2025: must annually report mileage for trucks over 12 years.
• By 2036, all class 2b-8 vehicles sold into CA must be ZEVs
• By Jan 2035, all drayage trucks must be ZEVs
• Jan 2024 for high priority fleets (fleets with 50+ vehicles, fleets with >$50m in annual revenue, federal gov fleets, entities that hire or dispatch fleets): registration must be required for “legacy trucks” and all newly added trucks must be ZEV or NZEV.
• Legacy trucks may operate until the end of their useful life.

 PowerPoint Presentation: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/barcu/board/books/2023/042723/23-4-2pres.pdf

Water Quality: ASA has continued to work with its water quality partners in advocating for existing industry standards in state school water quality legislation.  Bills still making their way through the legislative process include New Jersey SB 3683 and Texas HB 1123. HB 1138 was signed into law and included our recommendations.   

Politics:

President Biden Job Approval (RCP Average): 43% Approve – 53% Disapprove. The House currently has a composition of 222 Republicans to 213 Democrats. The Senate is comprised of 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans. Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) will retire from the House on June 1.