This week the Senate takes up the House-passed Superstorm Sandy Disaster Relief bill. NEMWI's comparison between the recent House-passed bill in the 113th Congress and the Senate-passed bill (December 28, 2012) at the end of the 112th Congress can be accessed here. The overall amounts of approximately $50 billion are similar between the two bills, although the amounts appropriated to each agency and program, as well as the potential geographical impact of the funds, vary in important ways. Within the Senate bill, the funding direction is more general for portions of some accounts, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which would allow the supplemental appropriations to be used for multiple natural disasters, such as the drought or other hurricanes.

As part of the consideration of the House bill last week, NEMWI prepared a similar comparison of the amendments for the House debate, as noted in this Note to the Coalitions.

For more information, contact Danielle Chesky, Northeast-Midwest Institute, or Kate Ostrander, Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute and the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed are sponsoring a briefing in cooperation with Representative Carney (DE-At Large) and the House Delaware River Basin Task on the importance of coordinated restoration and conservation efforts in the Delaware River Basin. Representative Carney will personally announce the re-introduction of critical legislation to provide a coordinated conservation strategy: the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act. The briefing will occur on Wednesday, February 13 from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. in the Cannon House Office Building (122 CHOB). Speakers will include representatives of the business and environmental communities. The briefing will be open to the public and press.  Light breakfast will be provided, thanks to the generosity of the National Wildlife Federation and DuPont. 

For more information, contact Erik Hagen, Senior Policy Associate at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

Urged by Mississippi (MS) River Cities and Towns Initiative mayors from along the MS River, House members resolved to form a bi-partisan Mississippi River Caucus. Members chose the following from their ranks to chair the new caucus: Tim Waltz (MN), Ron Kind (WI), Stephen Fincher (TN), and Rick Crawford (AR). MS River Cities and Towns Initiative member mayors are in continued contact with the Senate side to form a similar caucus in that chamber. 

For more information, contact Colin Wellenkamp, Director of the MS River Cities and Towns Initiative at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

The Safe Routes to School National Partnership will host a webinar on February 7 from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EST) titled "Matching Funds for MAP-21: How states and communities are pulling together match funding for MAP-21 grant applications." Since MAP-21 (the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, which funds surface transportation programs) now requires a 20% match from local communities, this webinar will discuss the rules on matching funds and how local communities can raise them. Speakers include: Margo Pedroso, Safe Routes to School National Partnership; Julie Walcoff, Ohio Department of Transportation; and Jenna Berman, Bicycle Colorado. Register for the webinar here. 

For more information, contact Colleen Cain, Senior Policy Analyst at the Northeast-Midwest Institute.