The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate both concluded their summer legislative work on Friday, July 28. The Senate will recess until Sept. 5 and the House until Sept. 12. Before leaving town, the Senate approved the annual defense authorization legislation, and the House approved appropriation legislation for military construction, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies.

The House-passed appropriations is the only funding bill to be approved by either of the bodies. With the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, there are only 12 scheduled legislative days left for House and Senate leadership to reach an agreement to approve a continuing resolution (holding funding at current levels) to prevent a government shutdown before Oct. 1.

The House and Senate also passed resolutions of disapproval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s designation of the lesser prairie chicken and the long-eared bat as endangered species. The designations, which could impact development projects in a large part of the United States, were of particular interest to NAIOP chapters in Midwestern states. President Joe Biden is expected to veto both resolutions later this week.