This week: No Child Left Behind, Calif. drought

The Senate this week will plow onward with consideration of a No Child Left Behind rewrite, while the House will address the California drought.

The education bill, which transfers more decisionmaking authority back to the state and local governments, has garnered bipartisan support and managed to avoid any partisan land mines so far. 

Lawmakers have considered more than a dozen amendments to the bill, with more expected to be voted on this week. 

{mosads}On Monday, senators will vote on an amendment to the legislation from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on student privacy and a separate proposal, from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), related to college preparedness.

The Senate is expected to wrap up its work on the legislation this week, paving the way for lawmakers from the House and Senate to head to a conference committee. The House completed work on its version of the bill last week on a narrow 218-213 vote.

California drought

Republicans from the California House delegation will bring up a measure meant to alleviate the effects of the drought in their state. It is the only major bill on the schedule this week, though a notice from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) office warned that “additional items are possible.”

The House schedule is also remarkable for what’s missing: consideration of more 2016 spending bills. The House’s annual process for funding the entire federal government is stalled due to controversy over the display of the Confederate flag. Republicans fear that Democrats will force more votes on the Confederate symbol after last week’s debacle on an Interior Department appropriations measure.

The drought relief would increase the amount of water available to Californians by making changes to how the federal government releases water through the Central Valley Project.

It would require the government to pump maximum amounts of water through the project despite concerns from environmentalists about the effects on fish populations. However, the legislation includes provisions to protect the endangered fish species but sets a high bar for officials to clear before slowing water flow for the fish.

Hillary Clinton visit

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton will make an appearance on Capitol Hill this Tuesday for the first time since formally announcing her candidacy in April.

Clinton will meet with House and Senate Democrats, including members of the congressional caucuses representing African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American lawmakers. Her visit will include a stop at the weekly House Democratic Caucus meeting Tuesday morning.

A Clinton official said she will discuss “pressing foreign and domestic issues” facing each of the minority populations. The meetings reflect Clinton’s desire to rebuild the diverse coalition that launched President Obama to the White House.

Meanwhile, 2016 presidential contenders on the Republican side, such as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich have also visited Capitol Hill in recent months. But Clinton, who gave her first nationally televised interview last week since launching her campaign, is sure to draw a far larger media circus.

Below is a day-by-day breakdown of the week’s schedule:

Monday

The House will convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes on noncontroversial bills considered under suspension of the rules will be at 6:30 p.m.

Senators will convene at 3 p.m., with votes on amendments to the Every Child Achieves Act expected at 5:30 p.m. 

Tuesday

The House will take up 14 financial services policy bills under suspension of the rules. Tuesday will also mark Clinton’s visit to Capitol Hill. 

The Senate will continue its work on the education bill. Senators are expected to recess from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for weekly party policy lunches. 

Wednesday

The House is slated to consider the California drought relief measure, while the Senate will likely still be on the education bill.

Thursday

It’s unclear what will be on the House’s plate before members adjourn for the week, though a motion to go to conference on a trade enforcement bill is possible. 

Senators will aim to finish work on the education bill.

Timothy Cama contributed.