*** In his weekly press conference, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced that Democrats are planning to pass a slate of at least 10 of 12 appropriations bills in June and pass the House version of National Defense Authorization Act for 2021 in May of this year, giving more time for a House-Senate conference.
*** Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) was confirmed Jan. 7 as chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Moran replaces former Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) who retired recently for health reasons. "There is no group of people I hold in higher regard than our veterans, & I take seriously the responsibility of providing our veterans with the best our country has to offer," Moran tweeted on Tuesday.
*** The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking for feedback on a challenge to spur design solutions that allow persons with physical, sensory and/or cognitive disabilities to take advantage of automated vehicles and reduce the cost of retrofitting AVs for use by persons with disabilities. DOT expects the $5 million challenge to address the vehicles themselves and how AV users with disabilities use the technology, including locating an AV, entering and exiting the vehicle, exchanging identity, payment and destination data along with a number of other safety considerations.