The Senate voted 64-34 Tuesday on a motion to proceed to consider the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act as an amendment to shell bill S-2938. The measure includes language requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance and issue guidance to state governments on “improving access to telehealth for services covered under Medicaid” and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Senate’s Tuesday vote set up potential votes later this week on S-2938.

Congress should be able to pass its chips package in July, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday (see 2206150075). They issued a joint statement after a bipartisan, bicameral four corners meeting on Congress’ China bill. “We expressed our belief that there is no reason that we should not pass this bill through Congress in July,” they said. “Democrats have already made accommodations in the name of reaching an agreement, which we are optimistic can happen soon.”

The House planned votes as soon as Tuesday night under suspension of the rules on two communications-oriented bills: the Promoting U.S. International Leadership in 5G Act (HR-1934) and Active Shooter Alert Act (HR-6538). HR-1934, first filed during the last Congress (see 2001030049), would direct the secretary of state to assist in enhancing U.S. leadership at international standards-setting bodies that handle 5G and other telecom issues. HR-6538 would direct DOJ to create a national active shooter alert system. The measure directs DOJ to coordinate with the FCC, Transportation Department and FEMA to use the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to issue active shooter alerts.

If TikTok continues to refuse to testify, the House Commerce Committee will be forced to consider compelling the company’s appearance before the panel, ranking member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said Friday. TikTok knowingly allows the Chinese Communist Party to access Americans' data, which is "unacceptable and a complete betrayal of our trust,” she said. “TikTok has gone on record numerous times claiming that they do not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government, CCP, or any Chinese state-owned entities.”

Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., urged the Commerce Department to develop “a comprehensive strategy to address unnecessary consumer costs, mitigate e-waste, and restore sanity and certainty to the process of purchasing new electronics.” Such a move would “follow the EU’s lead” after the European Commission’s recent ruling “obligating electronics manufacturers to adopt a common charger for mobile devices” by 2024 (see 2206090048), the senators said in a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo released Friday. “Consumers frequently must pay for new specialized charging equipment and accessories for their different devices. This is not merely an annoyance; it can be a financial burden.” As “specialized chargers become obsolete with the introduction of new products, or as consumers change the brand of phone or device that they use, their outdated chargers are usually just thrown away,” the senators said: “When electronics are not disposed of properly, e-waste can spread toxins in water, pollute soil, and degrade the air we breathe.” The EU “has wisely acted in the public interest by taking on powerful technology companies over this consumer and environmental issue,” the senators said: The U.S. “should do the same.”

FCC nominee Gigi Sohn “gave us the state of play” on her stalled Senate confirmation process (see 2206070046) during an off-the-record June 10 Movement Labs webinar, “but it was a pretty small part of the call,” liberal campaign firm Movement Labs CEO Yoni Landau told us Friday. The webinar last week drew the attention of Breitbart, which published invitation details that said Sohn’s confirmation “would fill out a 3-2 progressive majority” at the FCC “capable of breaking up Sinclair’s right-wing propaganda machine.” Sohn said during a December confirmation her past social media posts critical of conservative media outlets would have no bearing on how she would behave as a policymaker (see 2112010043). The Movement Labs invitation touted the June 10 event as an opportunity to hear from Sohn “about why she is right for this role, ask her tough questions about text, and get involved in pushing” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., “and a few scared Democrats to grow a spine and put this woman in power.” Movement Labs wanted to get Sohn’s “take on the future of texting technology” and robocalls given the group’s frequent use of text messaging as part of its work, Landau told us: “We had a staffer on our team who was really excited” Sohn agreed to appear “and then wrote this invitation with contents that didn’t have anything to do with” the actual event. Sohn “didn’t see that or approve of it” before Movement Labs sent the invitation out, he said. Sohn didn’t comment.

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would ban large online platforms from using deceptive designs “to trick consumers” into sharing personal data got additional support, sponsors said Wednesday. Introduced by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va.; Sens. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and John Thune, R-S.D.; and Reps. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., the Deceptive Experiences to Online Users Reduction (Detour) Act (see 2112080043) attempts to address dark patterns, or interfaces used to “manipulate users into taking actions they would otherwise not.” Fairplay, the American Psychological Association and the Center for Countering Digital Hate support the bill. Mozilla, Common Sense and the Center for Digital Democracy previously announced support.

Google parent Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and leaders of 122 other entities with stakes in increasing semiconductor manufacturing wrote House and Senate leaders Wednesday urging Congress to “act urgently to achieve a bipartisan, bicameral compromise on competitiveness legislation and send a bill to” President Joe Biden. A conference committee has been negotiating how to marry elements of the House-passed America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology and Economic Strength Act (HR-4521) and Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (S-1260). Both measures include $52 billion in subsidies to encourage U.S.-based semiconductor manufacturing (see 2201260062) but differ in other areas. “The rest of the world is not waiting for the U.S. to act. Our global competitors are investing in their industry, their workers, and their economies, and it is imperative that Congress act to enhance U.S. competitiveness,” the executives said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and their GOP counterparts. “We call on Congress to act promptly to achieve a bipartisan agreement that can be passed and signed into law. Now is the time for Congress to complete its work on this important bill.” The Semiconductor Industry Association “joins U.S. business leaders in calling on Congress to swiftly pass competitiveness legislation that includes critical funding and incentives for domestic semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing,” said President John Neuffer. “Federal investment in the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem will ensure the U.S. continues to lead in the critical sectors of tomorrow, while also creating hundreds of thousands of high-paying American jobs, strengthening our economy, and securing our supply chains for decades to come.”

The Senate passed the State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act by unanimous consent Tuesday. Introduced by Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chair Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and ranking member Mike Lee, R-Utah, S-1787 would strengthen the right of state attorneys general to litigate antitrust cases in courts of their choosing. Sponsors in the House are expecting passage in the lower chamber (see 2202090066). Senate passage is “the beginning of a new era of antitrust reform and proof-of-concept for a bipartisan reform coalition of conservatives and progressives,” House Antitrust Subcommittee ranking member Ken Buck, R-Colo., said in a statement.

The Senate should hold another hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to discuss his “misleading” testimony about DHS’ Disinformation Governance Board (see 2205230046), Senate Republicans wrote Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., Tuesday. Documents reviewed by Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., contradict testimony from Mayorkas about the nature and scope of the board, Republicans wrote. Grassley and Hawley sent the letter with ranking member Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; James Lankford, R-Okla.; Mitt Romney, R-Utah; and Rick Scott, R-Fla. Talking points prepared by the board’s former executive director Nina Jankowicz show that despite testimony to the contrary, DHS monitors U.S. citizens and the board’s work is “concentrated on domestic threats,” they wrote.