May 2023 FBA Government Relations Update
May 2023
ADVOCACY UPDATE
FBA members who participated in Capitol Hill Day have been engaged in follow-up contacts with the Members of Congress and staffers they met in March, and outside counsel have been guiding those efforts, as well as making additional contacts with Members of Congress and other stakeholder groups including the Federal Judges’ Association, the Federal Magistrate Judges’ Association, the National Council of Bankruptcy Judges, the Clerks of the Article I courts, and the Consumer Data Industry Association. Thanks in part to the FBA’s post-CHD efforts, 17 House Members joined a bipartisan letter led by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) to the House Appropriations Committee urging full funding for implementation of the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, and 13 Democrats signed Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-NJ) similar letter to Senate appropriators. Also, at the FBA’s request, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL) submitted a written question to the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs in connection with a recent budget hearing, asking for information about the DOJ’s plans for establishing and funding the grant program for state and local government database managers authorized by the Anderl Act.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
1. Article I Immigration Court Legislation
FBA members have made requests to several Republicans in the House and Senate seeking cosponsors for the immigration courts bills led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), but there is no progress to report at this time. Both Rep. Lofgren and Sen. Gillibrand are waiting to find Republican partners before introducing their bills.