Pew: “Partisan divide on whether shutdown is ‘very serious’ problem. With the partial shutdown of the federal government in its third week, both opponents and supporters of expanding the U.S.-Mexico border wall overwhelmingly oppose making concessions to end the stalemate. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that majority of Americans (58%) continue to oppose… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
Redefining Representation: The Women of the 116th Congress
The New York Times – photographs of all but one (Liz Cheney of Wyoming) of the women (80% of them are Democrats) of the 116th Congress of the United States of America. “Just over a century ago, Jeannette Rankin of Montana won a seat in the House of Representatives, becoming the first woman ever elected… Continue Reading
Website Accessibility & the Law: Why Your Website Must Be Compliant
Search Engine Journal – “In the U.S., apart from federal, state, and local government websites which must meet Section 508 regulations, there are no enforceable ADA legal standards to follow for website accessibility. However, just because there is no straightforward set of legal requirements for website accessibility does not mean that your business will not… Continue Reading
United States Congress elections, 2020
Ballotpedia – The encyclopedia of American politics: “A total of 468 seats in the U.S. Congress (33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats) are up for election on November 3, 2020. U.S. Senate – There are 11 Democratic seats, 20 Republican seats, and two seats currently waiting to be filled via special election on… Continue Reading
Congress’s Authority to Influence and Control Executive Branch Agencies
EveryCRSReport.com – CRS report – Congress’s Authority to Influence and Control Executive Branch Agencies, Updated December 19, 2018. “The Constitution neither establishes administrative agencies nor explicitly prescribes the manner by which they may be created. Even so, the Supreme Court has generally recognized that Congress has broad constitutional authority to establish and shape the federal… Continue Reading
The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction
EveryCRSReport.com – The Legislative Process on the House Floor: An Introduction, December 13, 2018. “The daily order of business on the floor of the House of Representatives is governed by standing rules that make certain matters and actions privileged for consideration. On a day-to-day basis, however, the House usually decides to grant individual bills privileged… Continue Reading
A Guide To Who’s Who In House Leadership For The 116th Congress
NPR: “The 116th Congress officially convened on Thursday with Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives for the first time in eight years. And with Democrats’ newfound power and Republicans’ first time in the minority in nearly a decade, both parties saw a shuffle in their leadership teams. The Democratic leadership is a diverse… Continue Reading
New Online: Congressional Web Archive Adds Content
The Library of Congress Blog: “The Library of Congress Web Archiving Program is dedicated to providing reliable access to historical web content from the legislative branch. To that end, the Library has just released an update to the United States Congressional Web Archive. The archive, which includes member sites from the House and Senate, as well as… Continue Reading
A day of historic firsts in Congress – don’t miss the photos!
NBC News: “The 116th Congress is the most diverse in U.S. history, with new House members breaking ground for women as well as for minority and LGBTQ representation…” Washington Post – The new Congress is known for its youthful, digital-savvy members. The last Congress? Not so much. “In hearings with Mark Zuckerberg and other tech… Continue Reading
Restoring Congress for the People
Restoring Congress for the People: New Congress New Rules H. Res. 6 – Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, and for other purposes. :: Section by Section Summary Axios – “THE NEW MAJORITY — PELOSI and JIM MCGOVERN (D-MASS.), incoming House Rules Committee chairman, rolled out House… Continue Reading
OPM Pay & Leave Furlough Guidance
The Washington Post – Everything you need to know about a government shutdown Office of Personnel Management (OPM) human resources guidance for agencies and employees on furloughs. There are two types of furloughs: An administrative furlough is a planned event by an agency which is designed to absorb reductions necessitated by downsizing, reduced funding, lack… Continue Reading
An Elephant’s Personhood on Trial
The Atlantic: “A legal case involving a famous solitary elephant poses a fundamental question about animals’ rights…Until recently, the idea of elephant personhood would have struck legal observers as a joke. Just a few decades ago, most states still treated animal cruelty as a misdemeanor, like public intoxication or driving without insurance. But an increasing… Continue Reading
