After an August recess, Congress returns to Washington D.C. next week

Today’s daily Brew covers must-pass legislation deadlines for Congress, a temporary injunction on a Texas sanctuary jurisdiction bill, and legislative [View this email in your browser]( [Ballotpedia](   [Facebook](   [Twitter](   [The Daily Brew]( Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill on Tuesday with must-pass legislation deadlines approaching On Tuesday, lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill after the August recess and are expected to address three critical issues: relief aid for Hurricane Harvey, raising the debt ceiling, and passing spending legislation to avoid a partial government shutdown on October 1, 2017. - Relief aid for Hurricane Harvey: President Donald Trump said that he expects Congress to quickly pass a relief bill to fund the Hurricane Harvey cleanup and rebuilding efforts, but that effort could be complicated if members of Congress try to add unrelated spending to the bill or require that the disaster funding is offset by spending cuts. Additionally, the National Flood Insurance Program expires on September 30, 2017, and will need to be reapproved in a larger government funding package. - Raising the debt ceiling: The U.S. will reach its limit of authorized borrowing and will be unable to pay its bills by September 29, 2017, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Failure to raise the debt limit could result in a possible downgrade of the country's credit rating and the government’s failure to pay federal employees or issue Social Security checks. According to the Department of the Treasury, "Since 1960, Congress has acted 78 separate times to permanently raise, temporarily extend, or revise the definition of the debt limit – 49 times under Republican presidents and 29 times under Democratic presidents." The last time Congress raised the debt limit was in October 2015. Federal spending was increased above limits established in 2011 for a two-year period set to expire in September 2017. - Passing a budget: The government’s fiscal year ends on September 30, 2017, and Congress must pass legislation to keep the government funded to avoid a partial shutdown. President Donald Trump said that he is willing to risk a government shutdown if Congress declines to appropriate money for his proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. Democrats oppose funding the wall, and most Republicans are not willing to shut down the government over the issue. [Read more about federal budget policy]( [Texas political news] Federal judge Orlando Garcia issued a temporary injunction Wednesday blocking implementation of Texas Senate Bill 4 on September 1. SB 4, which was signed into law on May 7, 2017, would allow any resident of a Texas city or county to ask the state attorney general to investigate the lack of compliance with immigration laws. The legislation also includes fines up to $1,500 for first violations, $25,000 for additional violations, and misdemeanors and possible removal from office for law enforcement officials accused of breaking the law.   San Antonio and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a lawsuit to block the bill's implementation on June 1, 2017. Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Laredo later joined the suit, which claims that SB 4 violates constitutional protections by empowering local law enforcement to enforce federal law without specific guidance. Garcia's order temporarily blocks implementation as the cities' lawsuit proceeds. Abbott responded by saying, "Because of this ruling, gang members and dangerous criminals, like those who have been released by the Travis County Sheriff, will be set free to prey upon our communities." [Read more about the sanctuary jurisdiction bill]( → [State legislatures political news] A public campaign finance bill was rejected by courts in California this week based on a law that requires voter approval for changes to citizen-initiated statutes. California and Arizona are the only states that have that type of law. Eight states restrict how soon or with what majority the legislature can repeal or amend citizen-initiated statutes, while 12 states have no restrictions on legislators changing or repealing citizen initiatives. In South Dakota, which has no restrictions, legislators repealed campaign finance- and election-related Measure 22 earlier this year.   Voters in Missouri and South Dakota could vote in 2018 on initiatives to enact restrictions like those in California and Arizona. Another initiative that could also be on the ballot in South Dakota seeks to enact a time restriction and a supermajority vote requirement for the legislature to change initiatives. In 2017, six initiated statutes that were approved by voters in 2016 were amended or repealed by lawmakers in Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, and South Dakota. [Learn more about legislative tampering]( →   [Read about 2016 initiatives that were affected after approval]( → Friday Fact When was the last time an incumbent U.S. Senator lost an election in Alabama? Take a guess, then... [Find the answer]( →   [The Ballot Bulletin] Ballotpedia is tracking developments in election policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Follow along through our new monthly email, The Ballot Bulletin. [Subscribe and stay informed](   Ballotpedia depends on the support of our readers. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns. [Donate Securely Online]( Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia. 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