Legislative Affairs
Legislative links, information and advocacy from federal to state and now including the District of Columbia.
Student Loan Forgiveness Deadlines:
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November 2022 Updates
Headlines to Know
- America has voted in the 2022 midterm elections, and Republicans are positioned to retake the House of Representatives while the race for the Senate is locked in a dead heat.
- Profits of the largest global law firms have plummeted as merger and acquisition activity across borders slows. The plunge has led to hiring freezes and scaling back major activities.
ADDITIONAL HEADLINES
Economy
- China’s exports contracted in October for the first time since 2020, another sign that the zero-COVID policy has added to the global slowdown. Concurrently, China became the largest goods exporter to Russia as EU trade sanctions against Moscow take effect.
- Apple warned holiday iPhone shipments may be delayed as zero-COVID policies wreak havoc with global supply chains.
- In the latest episode of chip wars, Chinese firms Alibaba and Biren have recalibrated their designs and slowed down processing speeds to avoid U.S. sanctions.
- Meta announced layoffs impacting thousands of staff. This news comes as technology companies continue to miss earnings and devalue on stock exchanges.
- The U.S. and Canada have imposed sanctions on two top Haitian politicians over their alleged role in the drug trade, which has contributed to the violence in the Caribbean nation over recent weeks. As gangs continue to hold disruptive roadblocks, the U.S. is rallying neighboring countries for international intervention to ensure that humanitarian aid passes to victims suffering from acute hunger and cholera.
- U.S. Congress
- Executive Branch
- Maryland General Assembly
- Advocacy Affiliate Relationship - NCDA, ACA, MCA
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Jockeying for leadership and committee positions in both parties and chambers is expected to occur after recess, with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and now-Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) expected to become the next speaker and majority leader.
- The tepid midterm results have added a question mark to the hotly contested battle for majority whip between Republican Reps. Jim Banks (IN-03) and Tom Emmer (MN-06). Several Republicans have expressed that Emmer is unlikely to win due to the mediocre midterm results. Current chief deputy whip Rep. Drew Ferguson of Georgia is also expected to quickly jump in after months of jockeying for the role behind the scenes.
- Meanwhile, there are indications that a Democratic minority may mean a major overhaul in the party’s upper echelons.
Proposed Legislation
- When Congress returns, the Senate will likely consider the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) alongside pursuing key nominations and legislation to reform the Electoral Count Act and codify same-sex marriage in federal law.
- Both the Senate and House will have to agree to a budget deal to fund the federal government beyond the current December 16th deadline.
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Contenders for the 2024 presidential election will likely make moves soon following the midterm elections. During an Ohio rally for GOP candidates, former President Trump all but indicated he will make an announcement in the coming days, and other potential candidates could make their intentions known soon. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) has already ruled himself out of the 2024 field.
COP27
- President Biden will attend the COP27 climate summit in Egypt on November 11 and the G20 summit in Indonesia from November 13-16. The war in Ukraine and the state of U.S.-China relations will surely cast a long shadow over the two high-level summits.
- U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry has already faced criticism over his voluntary scheme for large corporations to fund decarbonization measures in developing countries through carbon credits.
SCOTUS
- This week the Supreme Court considers arguments on limiting administrative powers. At question are the internal enforcement procedures of the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities Exchange Commission. Regulators will retain enforcement authority should the Court rule against them, but dispute settlement will move to federal courts.
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Maryland General Assembly (444th session)
The executive cabinet of the Women's Legislative Caucus of Maryland renounced the U.S. Supreme Court's majority opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, clearing the way for states to mandate forced pregnancies. The Caucus members reiterated their support for women's rights to bodily autonomy.
- For a general overview and information on the 2022 session, visit the General Assembly's Tutorial page
- Contact & More Information
Advocacy Affiliates
MCDA is an affiliate of NCDA, ACA, and MCA and its advocacy work is linked to these organizations. Your MCDA membership automatically links you to the advocacy efforts of all four groups. However, all MCDA members are eligible to join these groups.
Top Issues - policy provisions, program developments or spending cuts impacting career practitioners nationwide:
For additional information:
- 11/10/22 Weekly Washington Update
- 09/13/22 Weekly Washington Update
- 09/21/22 Weekly Washington Update
- 09/13/22 Weekly Washington Update
- NCDA Stands in Solidarity
- NCDA Supports our Asian American and Pacific Islander Community
- NCDA Support for Counseling Compacts
- U.S. Congressional Apprenticeship Act Support
- U.S. Congressional Relaunching Workforce Act Support
- NCDA Legislative page
ACA Federal Advocacy
The ACA Power Hour is next scheduled for October 20, 2022 at 3:00 PM, Eastern.
- To Join Meeting click on Link.
- Meeting ID: 829 8643 7652
- Passcode: 301659
Schedule & Agenda
The APH will serve primarily as a way for our state advocacy leaders, regional leaders, and public policy minded members to connect on policy work happening in their state, region and with ACA national. It will serve as another resource for conversations on the Counseling Compact, state policy, and our national ACA policy agenda. (Reminder: Advocacy trainings occur separately from this program on an "as needed" basis and recorded trainings will be available online as a resource to members.)
Going forward, the APH agenda will remain consistently the same as a needed space for our members to gather and check-in with each other on policy in their state and region, as well as to receive policy updates from the national ACA team.
FY 2022-2023 Agenda:
- Introduction of attendees and ACA staff
- State updates – ACA staff
- Federal updates – ACA staff
- State & regional updates – ACA members
- Final call(s) to action – ACA staff
- Q&A, wrap up, and important ACA administrative updates – ACA staff
FY 2022-2023 Schedule:
- October 20, 2022 - 3:00 PM ET
- December 15, 2022 - 3:00 PM ET
- February 16, 2023 - 3:00 PM ET
- April 20, 2023 - 3:00 PM ET
- June 15, 2023 - 3:00 PM ET
(The August 2023 APH will not occur due to summer recess for our members and staff. Meetings and an updated schedule for the 2024 FY will resume in September 2023.)
- More ways to take advocacy action.
- ACA's Statement on the Conflict in Ukraine.
- Contact the ACA Government Affairs and Public Policy Team.
- Click here for further information on ACA's federal advocacy work.
MCA Advocacy
- Click here to access the MCA Advocacy Committee web page.
For any questions or to get involved in legislative advocacy at the local, state, or national level,
please contact MCDA’s Legislative Co-Chairs MCDA.Legislative@MDCareers.org.