The U.S. House of Representatives returned to work Tuesday and McClatchy DC offers this look ahead at Congress’ agenda, including health care, Syrian refugees, gun control and criminal justice reform. “Revamping the nation’s criminal justice system may be one of the few areas where the political parties and differing ideologies find common ground. And it will be difficult,” the author writes.

Several Tennessee lawmakers and officials have responded to President Barack Obama’s proposed executive action on gun control. Obama's proposal would require those selling guns at gun shows and online to be licensed and would close a loophole that allows buyers of some dangerous weapons to obtain them without going through a background check, The Tennessean reports. “Additional gun laws would not have stopped the violence in California, Chattanooga or Charleston," Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey said. "Instead of focusing on those who commit the violence, the President wants to make it harder for the law-abiding to obtain the firearms they need to defend themselves.” Nashville mayor Megan Barry praised the president’s actions, saying, “The proposals (Obama) has put forward are common sense approaches focused on promoting public safety and reducing the proliferation of illegal guns on our streets.”

The Tennessean reports Senate Minority Leader Lee Harris, D-Memphis, may challenge U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen in the Ninth Congressional District Democratic primary in August. Cohen has held the seat since 2006. “The question becomes whether it is time to pull the curtain back,” Harris said.

State auditors and top Human Resources Department officials are sparring over the application of Gov. Bill Haslam's new merit-pay system, The Times Free Press reports. The system replaced across-the-board pay raises for 40,000-plus executive-branch employees. Auditors question if managers and supervisors were adequately trained to deliver objective evaluations. "We feel very confident that our learning initiatives are competent and effective," Human Resources Commissioner Rebecca Hunter said during hearing on the audit in December.

President Barack Obama is expected to announce executive action on guns soon with the goal of increasing background checks, CNN reports. Following deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School and an Oregon community college, NPR reports Obama has become increasingly frustrated by his inability to pass gun safety legislation. "The president has made clear he's not satisfied with where we are and expects that work to be completed soon," said White House spokesman Eric Schultz.

Memphis mayor-elect Jim Strickland says city government financial problems are behind his decision to eliminate the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission when he takes office tomorrow. “…We must fund core, basic services, and we do that two ways — cuts in the budget or a tax increase, and I prefer cuts,” Strickland said. He added there was no evidence the commission was performing services worth a quarter-million dollars per year. Read more from The Commercial Appeal.

Tennessee is “now one of the biggest hubs for GOP political activity in the country,” according to Politico. The state’s large amount of delegates available (58) in the upcoming March primary and expansive media markets are gaining Republican attention in the primary season. “I’m trying to remember the last time we were seeing this much attention in a Republican primary, this many people paying attention to Tennessee and Southern states,” said Tre Hargett, the secretary of state. “I can’t think of a time.”

The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury announced today that the department uncovered more than $1.1 million in confirmed thefts, questionable costs and shortages in public funds statewide from July 2014 to June 2015, the Nashville Business Journal reports. The comptroller credits anonymous tips to its online and telephone hotline for identifying the misused taxpayer dollars.

President Barack Obama today signed a $1.8 trillion funding package that funds federal agencies through next fall, Reuters reports. According to the American Bar Association, the package includes $385 million for the Legal Services Corporation and $2 million for the John R. Justice Prosecutor and Defender loan repayment programs. As previously reported, the package also includes funding for a new federal courthouse in Nashville. 

The Governor’s Highway Safety Office will use $9 million in federal funds over five years to pay for a new media campaign, The Tennessean reports. The announcement comes after the department’s previous anti-DUI campaign was criticized as being sexist. “We’ve strengthened our internal review process and are happy with it now and will move forward,” Amanda Brown, a spokeswoman for the Governor's Highway Safety Office, said.