Senate Homeland Security Committee Markup: PELOSI Act, Nominees, and Key Legislation

Legislative Markup Session

• 🗓️ The Senate Homeland Security Committee convened for a markup session to consider several pieces of legislation and pending nominees.
• 🏛️ Chairman Rand Paul presided over the session, which included votes on multiple Senate bills.

Key Legislation Discussed and Voted On

• 💡 Risky Research Review Act (S854): This bill aims to establish a high-risk life sciences panel to review research, prompted by concerns about potential lab leaks causing COVID-19. It passed with strong bipartisan support.
• 💰 Royalty Transparency Act (S855): This legislation seeks to expose potential conflicts of interest among government scientists by requiring reporting of royalty payments received. It passed unanimously.
• 💸 Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act (S269): A bill sponsored by Senator Peters focused on preventing erroneous payments to deceased individuals.
• 📊 Guidance Clarity Act (S81): Sponsored by Senator Langford, this bill aims to improve guidance clarity.
• 🆘 Disaster Assistance Simplification Act (S861): A bipartisan bill sponsored by Senators Peters, Paul, and Langford to simplify disaster assistance processes.
• 🛡️ Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act (S766): Introduced by Senator Ernst, this bill aims to increase transparency and accountability to prevent taxpayer waste on failed projects.
• 🤫 Stop Secret Spending Act (S872): Sponsored by Senators Ernst, Peters, Langford, and Moreno, this act addresses secret spending.
• 👮 US Customs and Border Protection Officer Retirement Technical Corrections Act (S727): A bill by Senators Peters and Holly to make technical corrections to retirement provisions.
• 📣 Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act (S874): Sponsored by Senator Peters, this bill aims to enhance whistleblower protections.
• 🤝 Help Response and Recovery Act (S594): Sponsored by Senators Peters and Kennedy.
• ⚖️ Lobbying Disclosure Improvement Act (S865): Sponsored by Senators Peters and Grassley.
• 🌐 Disclosing Foreign Influence and Lobbying Act (S856): Sponsored by Senators Grassley and Peters.
• 🚧 Northern Border Security Enhancement Review Act (S850): Sponsored by Senators Hassan and Kramer.
• 🚨 Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism Act of 2025 (S848): Sponsored by Senators Hassan and Lee.
• 🐺 Shadow Wolves Improvement Act (S572): Sponsored by Senator Ggo.

PELOSI Act Debate and Vote

• 🚫 Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investment Act (PELOSI Act): The committee debated a bill aimed at banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
• 📈 Concerns Raised: Senators discussed potential unintended consequences, including the impact on illiquid assets, small businesses, and discouraging private sector individuals from serving in Congress.
• ⚖️ Amendments and Substitutes: A significant portion of the debate focused on a substitute amendment, its implications for former President Trump, and various other proposed changes.
• 🗳️ Passage: The Holly substitute, as modified, was ultimately agreed to by a vote of 8-7, and the bill as modified passed by the same margin.

Nominee Votes

• 👤 The committee also voted on four nominations:
  • Pedro A. Aende
  • Sean Planky (Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)
  • Christopher Fox (Inspector General of the Intelligence Community)
  • Edward Okonnell (Associate Judge, Superior Court of the District of Columbia)
• ✅ All nominees were reported favorably by the committee.