Update, January 7, 2022 – McCarthy elected House speaker after historic battle with GOP rebels “The House has a webpage devoted to its history titled History, Art & Archives. “This site is a collaborative project between the Office of the Historian and the Clerk of the House’s Office of Art and Archives. Together, the offices… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
How much money will you get with the Inflation Reduction Act?
This savings calculator from Rewiring of America [in English and Spanish] allows homeowners to calculate how the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will permit them to save thousands of dollars on the upfront costs of electric machines (how we power our cars, heat our air and water, cook our food, dry our clothes and get our… Continue Reading
Subpoenaed Fossil Fuel Documents Reveal an Industry Stuck in the Past
The Intercept: “…As part of its investigation into climate disinformation, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed documents in November 2021 from four of the world’s largest oil companies; their U.S. trade association, the American Petroleum Institute; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The chamber did not comply with the subpoena, but the rest submitted a variety… Continue Reading
New Biden administration guidance closes ‘ghost guns’ loophole in federal rule
Yahoo News: “The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued an open letter to federal firearms dealers on Tuesday saying a rule that went into effect in August applies to certain partially completed pistol frames and parts kits, subjecting them to regulation. The August rule from the Department of Justice subjected gun kits to regulation and provided… Continue Reading
Disability as Metaphor in American Law
Dorfman, Doron, Disability as Metaphor in American Law (April 26, 2022). 170 University of Pennsylvania Law Review 1757 (2022), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4094398 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4094398 In recent decades, the term disability has become associated with the legally protected minority group of people living with impairments and the social oppression directed at this group. Yet in… Continue Reading
Bipartisan bill awards Congressional Gold Medal to last living Nuremberg prosecutor
JNS: “U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) on Thursday were joined by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in announcing their bipartisan bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Benjamin Ferencz, the last living Nuremberg trials prosecutor. Over the course of his life, Ferencz has advocated… Continue Reading
No free PACER as U.S. lawmakers exclude proposal from spending bill
Reuters: “U.S. lawmakers have left a proposal to make the federal judiciary’s PACER online court records system free out of a sprawling, $1.66 trillion spending measure unveiled on Tuesday, a setback for advocates as the current Congress nears its end. Supporters of the Open Courts Act had been pushing to get the stalled, bipartisan legislation… Continue Reading
New Senate Appropriations Bill Includes Reform to Electoral Count Act
$75 Million for Election Security: Brennan Center Reacts – “The Senate just released an appropriations bill for fiscal year 2023. It includes the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act and $75 million in funding for election security and infrastructure. Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, had the following reaction:… Continue Reading
Conservative Activist Poured Millions Into Groups Seeking to Influence Supreme Court on Elections and Discrimination
ProPublica – “Newly obtained records show how Leonard Leo, an architect of the right-wing takeover of the courts, has been funding groups pushing to change elections and anti-discrimination laws. Flush with money after receiving the largest-known political advocacy donation in U.S. history, conservative activist Leonard Leo and his associates are spending millions of dollars to… Continue Reading
3 Takeaways About Abortion Litigation Since Dobbs
Brennan Center: “In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade and held that there is no federal constitutional right to an abortion. This shifted the battle for reproductive rights primarily to the states. Dozens of lawsuits have since been filed under state constitutions and statutes challenging abortion bans, many… Continue Reading
CRS Video Seminars on Disruptive Technologies
CRS Seminars on Disruptive Technologies: Videos – Updated December 8, 2022: CRS Seminars on Disruptive Technologies: Videos – “New technologies, and those that represent an evolutionary improvement of an existing tool or process, that exhibit the potential to have large-scale effects on social and economic activity are often referred to as “disruptive” technologies. They can… Continue Reading
Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act: Data Integration and Individual Rights
CRS Report – Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act: Data Integration and Individual Rights, December 6, 2022: “Computers and information technologies have increased the amount of data that can be collected, stored, and processed. Computers make it easier to exchange, share, and match data on individuals across programmatic and agency boundaries, enabling the use of… Continue Reading
