congress
A handy guide to all Congress happenings on both sides of the aisle. Thank goodness for this political body that keeps Presidential power in check.
Bryan Watch June 1
We have a first this week on Bryan Watch. Representative Steil’s first extreme vote, Roll Call #232 (June 3). Steil was one of 58 Republicans to vote against HR 2157, the supplemental appropriations bill for FY 2019. The bill would provide $17 billion in relief for victims of hurricanes in the Carolinas and Georgia, typhoons in the Pacific, and flooding in the Midwest.
By John Heckenlively7 years ago in The Swamp
Bryan Watch: May Week 3
There were two major issues this week in the House: Equality for LGBTQ citizens, and expanding access to health care. The week closed with the House passing HR 5, The Equality Act, just in time for Gay Pride month in June. Steil joined with most Republicans in voting against it (RC 217, May 17).
By John Heckenlively7 years ago in The Swamp
Bryan Watch: May Week 1
Bryan Watch: May Week 1 Congress is back in session, so it's time to take a look at what they’ve been up to. The big issue of the week for the House was HR 9, the Climate Action Now Act. The bill would require the Trump Administration to come up with a plan to implement the carbon emission reduction standards created by the 2015 Paris Convention on Climate Change.
By John Heckenlively7 years ago in The Swamp
The 17th Amendment
This Amendment was passed by Congress, May 13, 1912 and ratified on April 18th, 1913. As such, the Constitutional Amendment declares that Congressional Senators can serve a six-year term in Congress. This came out of the fact that late in the 19th century, some state legislatures were in a deadlock over the election of a senator if different parties controlled different houses. This Amendment was designed to alleviate the deadlock by making sure that Senate vacancies were able to last months or years. It was also built to prevent special interest groups or other political situations to gain control over the state legislature.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
The 15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment was about giving black men the right to vote, seeing as it stated that the United States cannot deny the vote based on race, color, or whether one had been a slave or not. The 15th Amendment was the beginning of a step out of class struggle, and into radical social equality when it granted black men the right to vote. The government could not be allowed to vote based on race, color, or “previous condition of servitude.” The Southern states, however, used intimidation tactics such as a poll tax, literacy tests and more to scare black voters out of casting their vote. Black men, many of whom had been slaves, were ruled to have the right to vote, because, by 1869, amendments were passed to abolish slavery as Republicans of the time felt that it was crucial to the survival of their party to be against slavery.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
The 14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment is a heavy situation to write about. You see, natural citizens are born in the United States. To take away birthright citizenship is to destroy a huge cornerstone of what American law is about. In 1868, a historic decision was made to allow all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves, to have “equal protection of the laws.” This was the first of three amendments to abolish slavery or so we are told in history class. The Reconstruction era was a time of establishing civil and legal rights for black Americans, as well as becoming the ultimate cornerstone of Supreme Court decisions.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
Reason First: Has the Government Broken Mark Zuckerberg?
It’s a shame to see one of the youngest, brightest minds in charge stoop to a level of a pushover. Residue from the pressure that Congress issued out against Mr. Mark Zuckerberg drove him to pen his latest missive outlining why the government needs to regulate the Internet.
By Skyler Saunders7 years ago in The Swamp
The 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment had passed on April 8th, 1864, and then by the House on April 8th, 1865. The 13th Amendment then became about the abolition of forced slavery or labor regarding involuntary servitude except as a punishment for a crime. On December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment was ratified. By December 18th, 1865, this amendment had been adopted into the Constitution overall by the states who agreed with the basic weight behind this amendment, to abolish slavery or indentured servitude. After the American Revolution, states had divisions on whether they allowed slavery or not.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
The FDA Wants to Ban Flavored E-Juice, Endangering Millions of Americans
Imagine this. The government or some other higher authority banned something that you enjoyed; whether it be sweets, television, video games, etc. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “That could never happen, right? We live in the land of the free, the United States of America. Surely they couldn’t take away something we enjoy on a daily basis cause that would just be evil. It could never happen.”
By Christina Scanlon7 years ago in The Swamp
