Senate Judiciary Committee to consider assault weapons ban

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) will preside over a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on legislation to reinstate the ban on assault weapons next Wednesday.

Democratic lawmakers have been more actively calling to gun-control legislation since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in Newtown, Conn., where a gunman killed 20 children in December.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he will allow gun-control legislation to come to the Senate floor for a vote, but has not offered more specifics. Some centrist-Democrats up for reelection in 2014 have expressed concern over the possible tough vote. But Feinstein has insisted on bringing gun legislation up for debate in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). She has proposed several gun-control measures that would reinstate the assault weapons ban, strengthen background check requirements and ban high-capacity ammunitions clips.

On Tuesday, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee will hear from Federal Reserves Chairman Ben Bernanke. He will be delivering the semi-annual monetary policy report, giving lawmakers an update on the state of the economy and banking within the United States.

Details on these and other key Senate hearings follow:

Senate Agriculture

- Feb. 27. “Oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission”

 2:30 p.m., 328A Russell Senate Office Building

Senate Banking

- Feb. 26, “The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress”

10 a.m., 106 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Budget

- Feb. 26, “The Impact of Federal Investments on People, Communities, and Long-Term Economic Growth”

10:30 a.m., 608 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation

- Feb. 27, “The Power of Transparency: Giving Consumers the Information They Need to Make Smart Choices in the Health Insurance Market”

2:30 p.m., 253 Russell Senate Office Building

- Feb. 28, “The Future of Passenger Rail: What's Next for the Northeast Corridor?”

10: 30 a.m., 253 Russell Senate Office Building

Senate Finance

- Feb. 26, “The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2013 to 2023

10 a.m., 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

- Feb. 26, “State Leadership and Innovation in Disability Employment”

2:30 p.m., G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building

- Feb. 27, “Animal Drug User Fee Agreements: Advancing Animal Health for the Public Health”

10 a.m., 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Senate Judiciary 

- Feb. 27, “Hearing on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013”

10 a.m., 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building

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