Senators Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, and Robert Menendez D-New Jersey, yesterday introduced bipartisan legislation to help eliminate modern slavery around the globe. The End Modern Slavery Initiative Act of 2015 would establish a private, non-profit grant-making institution to reduce forced labor and sexual servitude around the world. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote on the bill tomorrow. The Chattanoogan has more.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, this week re-introduced the State Marriage Defense Act, which would prevent the federal government from asserting its own definition of marriage on the states. It would effectively nullify the marriages of same-sex couples who married in one state and moved to another state where such unions were illegal. Currently, the federal government recognizes and provides many benefits for same-sex couples married in a state where gay marriage is legal, no matter where they move. The bill comes as the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case this year that will decide whether same-sex marriages are constitutionally protected. WCYB has more.

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner announced today that Pope Francis will become the first pope to address Congress on Sept. 24, RollCall reports. Francis will be in Philadelphia in late September for a global conference on Roman Catholic family values. The speech to a joint session will be the day after Yom Kippur, even though the House is scheduled to be in recess surrounding the Jewish High Holy Day.

Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Mike Lee of Utah have introduced a resolution to change U.S. Senate rules governing the approval of presidential nominations, Chattanoogan.com reports. According to a joint statement, the resolution “would establish by rule the Senate tradition of approving presidential nominations of Cabinet members and judges by a simple majority vote, which existed from the time Thomas Jefferson wrote the rules in 1789 until 2003, when Democrats began filibustering federal circuit court of appeals nominees.”

The Republican-led House of Representatives yesterday passed legislation to roll back the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, a measure that the Obama administration already vowed to veto. The vote was 239-186, with no House Democrat supporting the measure and three House GOP freshmen opposing it. This latest vote marked the 67th time the House has voted to entirely repeal, defund or change some provisions of President Barack Obama's signature health care law. WCYB reports from CNN.

Expectations are growing that Pope Francis will ascend the House rostrum this fall, becoming the first pontiff ever to visit the Capitol and speak before a joint meeting of Congress, Roll Call reports. The pope has already committed to being in Philadelphia the last weekend of September for a global conference on Roman Catholic family values. Vatican officials have signaled strongly in recent days that Francis’ first papal trip to the United States would begin the previous week, with stops in Washington as well as New York. A final itinerary is expected at the end of February.

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, is pushing for a way to keep track of deadly encounters with police, Action News 5 reports. Cohen spoke on MSNBC last night about a bill he is proposing to “close a federal loophole in national statistics.” The legislation would require all police departments to provide the Justice Department with demographic information for both victims and police officers every time deadly force is used. It also would require agencies to report a justification for the use of deadly force. Current law requires the attorney general to keep track of excessive force incidents, but does not adequately define “excessive force” or provide an enforcement mechanism, Cohen said. Read more from the congressman’s press release.

Sen. Bob Corker yesterday announced his support for Travis McDonough, President Barack Obama’s nominee to replace Judge Curtis Collier on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Times Free Press reports. “Travis McDonough is well-respected in Chattanooga, and I look forward to supporting his nomination,” Corker said in an email. Tennessee’s senior senator Lamar Alexander said he was looking “forward to learning more about…McDonough and his interest in serving.” The White House says that McDonough’s fate now lies with the Senate as his name has officially been submitted.

U.S. Senate Republicans, now in charge of the chamber, have named two Tennessee senators to key committee posts. Sen. Lamar Alexander today was elected chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Chattanoogan.com reports. Sen. Bob Corker was elected as chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. He has served for many years as the ranking member of that committee, News Channel 9 reports.

When the 114th Congress convenes in January, the U.S. Capitol will be a little less lawyerly, but not by a lot, National Journal reports. Members of the House of Representatives holding law degrees will be down from 169 to 160, while lawyers in the Senate will be down from 57 to 53. Of those newly elected, 20 hold law degrees. The Senate’s incoming class will include four lawyers, while the House freshman class will include 16. Read more about the group.