OVERNIGHT REGULATION: Obama vows to veto ‘ambush election’ bill

Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of rules from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Tuesday evening here in Washington, and the nation’s Capitol is still shaking from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial speech and the reaction from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

So without further adieu, here’s the latest news from Capitol Hill and the federal agencies.

THE BIG STORY

The new Republican majority in the Senate is mounting a formidable challenge to a cornerstone of the Obama administration’s labor policy. 

The Senate will vote on a disapproval resolution Wednesday that could roll back a controversial rule from the National Labor Relations Board that speeds up union elections.

{mosads}The GOP is employing the scarcely-used Congressional Review Act in a bid to block what Republicans refer to as the “ambush election” rule.  

But President Obama is threatening to veto the legislation, setting up a showdown between business and labor groups on Capitol Hill.

Republicans say the rule could speed up union elections to as few as 10 days after a petition is filed, which would not give businesses enough time to prepare.

But Democrats argue the rule would reduce unnecessary delay tactics employed by businesses to prevent workers from organizing.

The Senate is currently debating the issue and could vote as early as Wednesday.

Here’s what lawmakers are saying:

“Why the rush? Why the push for an ambush election?” — Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), one of the lawmakers who introduced the disapproval resolution. 

“By law, workers have a right to join a union. That’s not an ambush. It’s their right,” — Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.)

“They’re using their new majority in the Senate to find a way to keep the rules rigged against workers,” — Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

“Congress needs to tell the National Labor Relations Board that this rule is out of bounds,” — Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.).

ON TAP FOR WEDNESDAY

The Senate Judiciary Committee will have a hearing to discuss improving protections and oversight when it comes to retaliation against whistleblowers at the FBI. http://1.usa.gov/1GOp1T3

The House Appropriations Committee will meet to discuss the Food and Drug Administration budget. http://1.usa.gov/1vv8X7a

The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing to discuss industry perspectives on the President’s Cybersecurity Information Sharing Proposal. http://1.usa.gov/1a4T0v0

The Securities and Exchange Commission will hold a meeting to discuss rules and regulations affecting small and emerging companies under the federal securities laws. http://1.usa.gov/1ADOAjZ

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

The Obama administration will publish 136 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Wednesday’s edition of the Federal Register.

Here’s what to watch: 

–The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will issue new maintenance regulations for certain airlines.

Airlines will be required to develop policies, procedures, and instructions for contractors performing maintenance work on their planes, the agency says.

The new rules will apply to airlines with more than 10 seats that hire contractors to perform maintenance.

“These changes are needed because contract maintenance has increased to over 70 percent of all air carrier maintenance, and numerous investigations have shown deficiencies in maintenance performed by contract maintenance providers,” the agency wrote.

The rules will go into effect in 60 days. http://bit.ly/1B5uZwP

–The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will hit gamblers with proposed tax rules.

Gamblers would face new procedures for reporting winnings from bingo, keno, and slot machines under the proposed rules from the IRS.

The public will have 90 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1AWTX2w

–The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will issue new rules to help 911 emergency responders better locate callers.

The location accuracy requirements will help emergency responders identify where people are calling from when they are indoors or outdoors, the agency says.

The rule will go into effect in 30 days. http://bit.ly/1F6jINv

–The General Services Administration (GSA) will propose new acquisition regulations. 

The new regulations would require vendors to report transactional data from orders and prices, according to the agency.

The public will have until May 4 to comment. http://bit.ly/1ADZhD6

NEWS RIGHT NOW

Pregnant women: Democrats are asking the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve women’s access to heathcare by instituting a special open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act for pregnant women. http://bit.ly/1M59aSW

Ferguson: A Justice Department report found the police department in Ferguson, Mo., routinely discriminated against black citizens. http://bit.ly/1F6eAsS

Veto: President Obama will veto a Republican attempt to overturn a controversial labor regulation, the White House said Tuesday. http://bit.ly/1vZmDrp

Guns: Lawmakers introduce new gun safety legislation, which will expand background checks to prevent criminals and people who are mentally ill from buying guns.http://bit.ly/1FSLOfn

Truck drivers: A failure to use seat belts is the main reason why crashes are the leading cause of on-the-job deaths for truck drivers in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://bit.ly/1wHjmgY

Beef: An Indian state has banned the slaughter, sale and consumption of beef, NPR reports. http://n.pr/1FSZkj1

Bribes: About 1.6 billion people pay bribes for public service, according to a new book, NPR reports. http://n.pr/1DHi42v

Plastic bags: Health groups are lobbying hard for laws to limit the use of plastic bags, The Washington Post reported. http://wapo.st/1wHiJUL

BY THE NUMBERS

37: the number of senators who signed a letter to the Health and Human Services Secretary calling for a special open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act for pregnant women.

$10,000 – $20,000: The cost of maternity care and delivery without complications.

700: The number of truck drivers and their passengers who were killed in 2012 in crashes.

1 in 6: The number of truck drivers who don’t wear a seat belt.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There is no doubt expanded background checks save lives,” said Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Lawmakers Tuesday introduced new legislation to expand background checks to prevent criminals and the mentally ill from buying firearms.

We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com/regulation) early and often for the latest. And send any comments, complaints or regulatory news tips our way, tdevaney@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com or lwheeler@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com. And follow us at @timdevaney and@wheelerlydia.