Photo credit: iStock.com/Alejo Vazquez The U.S. House of Representatives agreed to H. Res. 5, the rules package to govern the 118th Congress, 220–213 on January 9, 2023. Under the rules, a single member of the House majority can force a vote on deposing the speaker. The change was agreed upon during negotiations to secure support [...]
Photo credit: iStock.com/winyuu Despite having been widely observed in the United States since at least the 19th century, state legislatures are continuing to make tweaks to laws affecting Halloween, celebrated every year on October 31. Here are some legislative updates for Halloween 2022. Halloween 2022: Reflective Costumes In New Jersey, S3097 and A806, sponsored by [...]
On August 24, 2022, President Joe Biden announced a sweeping package of federal student loan relief that forgives as much as $20,000 in loans, a move Biden said would help a generation “saddled with unsustainable debt.” President Biden, along with Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, also announced another student loan repayment moratorium extension through December 2022 [...]
Photo credit: iStock.com/Darren415 On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (H.R. 5376) into law after the U.S. House and Senate passed the package in the first weeks of August. After over a year of negotiations, Senate Democrats agreed to a narrow bill to invest in energy initiatives, curb drug prices and [...]
Photo credit: iStock.com/Darren415 On August 7, 2022, the U.S. Senate passed a landmark tax, climate, and healthcare bill, setting up the legislation for House approval and President Joe Biden’s signature. After over a year of negotiations, Senate Democrats agreed to a narrow bill to invest in energy initiatives, curb drug prices and reduce the deficit, paid [...]
Photo credit: iStock.com/dkfielding After months of negotiations, on the evening of July 27, 2022, Senator Joe Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that they had reached an agreement on parts of President Biden’s domestic agenda (Build Back Better) to be included in a package to be passed under the Senate’s reconciliation procedure. The [...]
Photo credit: iStock.com/FabrikaCr On Friday, June 25, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938), which bolstered gun safety measures through expanded background checks, restrictions on certain individuals owning firearms, and incentives for states to enact “red-flag” programs. The measure also criminalized “straw purchases” and provided funding for mental health [...]
Photo credit: iStock.com/lucky-photographer On March 15, 2022, President Joe Biden signed H.R. 2471, the Omnibus Appropriations Package for Fiscal 2022, into law, funding the federal government through September 30, 2022. The $1.5 trillion government funding measure passed boosts non-defense spending by 6.7%, defense funds by 5.6%, and includes earmarks for the first time since their [...]
Digital collage by Ryan Stevens; image source by 12019 from Pixabay In 2021—the 1st Session of the 117th Congress—Congressional leaders in the U.S. House and Senate managed to pass several significant legislative accomplishments, including a historic infrastructure bill, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP), and a new federal holiday honoring the freedom of all [...]
Digital collage by Ryan Stevens; image sources by 10302144 and herbalhemp from Pixabay Forty-seven states, four U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia–representing 97.7 % of the U.S. population–have legalized some form of recreational or medical marijuana, including cannabidiol (CBD). However, marijuana products are still prohibited under the federal Controlled Substances Act. With most states [...]
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
© All rights reserved. • Duane Morris Government Strategies
Stay In Touch