LEGISLATIVE amendments and COMMUNICATIONS Decency Act, 1996 (United States)
Abstract
An excerpt from the U.S. Congressional Research Service report "Section 230: An Overview," is presented, which focuses on measures passed by the U.S. Congress to amend the Communications Decency Act, a brief history of the law, and its two provisions that create immunity from suit for social media platforms.
VOTING Rights Act of 1965 (U.S.) and SHELBY County v. Holder
Abstract
The article discusses the directives of Congress to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights to annually examine the access of voting rights to minorities according to the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965. The 2006 VRA Reauthorization and the Shelby County decision in 2013 led voter registration procedures to adopt changes including requirement of discriminatory forms of documentary proof of citizenship, challenges to voter eligibility, and aggressive types of voter list maintenance.
SOCIOCULTURAL factors, UNITED States presidential election, 2016, POLITICAL campaigns, and UNITED States politics & government, 2017-2021
Abstract
Objectives: The political discourse surrounding the 2016 U.S. presidential election highlighted discontent with both Congress and corporations, a reality corroborated in recent scholarship highlighting declines in institutional confidence among U.S. citizens. Here we test theories of institutional confidence to understand the social and cultural determinants of confidence in Congress and corporations prior to the start of the 2016 presidential campaigns. Methods: We draw on data from the Religious Understandings of Science Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted in 2013–2014 (N = 9,416). Results: We find that political ideology largely explained confidence in corporations while social location (particularly racial‐ethnic identity and gender) strongly related to confidence in Congress. Seemingly opposing factors converged to predict trust in both institutions. Conclusions: Institutional confidence is shaped not only by social and cultural factors but also by the symbolic functions of institutions themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ENVIRONMENTAL policy, UNITED States elections, VOTING, and LEGISLATORS
Abstract
Do elections affect legislators' voting patterns? We investigate this question in the context of environmental policy in the U.S. Congress. We theorize that since the general public is generally in favor of legislation protecting the environment, legislators have an incentive to favor the public over industry and vote for pro‐environment legislation at election time. The argument is supported by analyses of data on environmental roll call votes for the U.S. Congress from 1970 to 2013 where we estimate the likelihood of casting a pro‐environment vote as a function of the time to an election. While Democrats are generally more likely to cast a pro‐environment vote before an election, this effect is much stronger for Republicans when the legislator won the previous election by a thinner margin. The election effect is maximized for candidates receiving substantial campaign contributions from the (anti‐environment) oil and gas industry. Analysis of Twitter data confirms that Congressmembers make pro‐environmental statements and highlight their roll call voting behavior during the election season. These results show that legislators do strategically adjust their voting behavior to favor the public immediate prior to an election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Maher, Thomas V., Seguin, Charles, Zhang, Yongjun, and Davis, Andrew P.
PLoS ONE. 3/25/2020, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p1-13. 13p.
Subjects
SOCIAL scientists, POLITICAL scientists, CIVIL service positions, CONGRESSIONAL hearings (U.S.), and RESEARCH institutes
Abstract
Congressional hearings are a venue in which social scientists present their views and analyses before lawmakers in the United States, however quantitative data on their representation has been lacking. We present new, publicly available, data on the rates at which anthropologists, economists, political scientists, psychologists, and sociologists appeared before United States congressional hearings from 1946 through 2016. We show that social scientists were present at some 10,347 hearings and testified 15,506 times. Economists testify before the US Congress far more often than other social scientists, and constitute a larger proportion of the social scientists testifying in industry and government positions. We find that social scientists' testimony is increasingly on behalf of think tanks; political scientists, in particular, have gained much more representation through think tanks. Sociology, and psychology's representation before Congress has declined considerably beginning in the 1980s. Anthropologists were the least represented. These findings show that academics are representing a more diverse set of organizations, but economists continue to be far more represented than other disciplines before the US Congress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Vital Speeches of the Day. Jun2021, Vol. 87 Issue 6, p122-130. 9p.
Subjects
COVID-19 pandemic, DEMOCRACY, and PUBLIC investments
Abstract
The article presents a speech delivered by U.S. President Joe Biden at a joint session of the U.S. Congress at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on April 28, 2021. Topics included crisis and opportunity caused by COVID-19 pandemic, revitalization of U.S. democracy, rebuilding strategy for the nation and public investment and infrastructure in the U.S.
UNITED States. Congress. House, AMAZON.COM Inc., APPLE Inc., and GOOGLE Inc.
Abstract
The article informs about investigation into ‘Big Tech' by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives reached unambiguous conclusions with the sector's leading companies Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook. Topics include advancing society toward new frontiers of freedom and prosperity; and the late 19th century, an epoch associated with the corporate corruption and the untrammelled power of big business.
GENDER, WOMEN legislators, WOMEN'S rights, VIOLENCE against women, and ABORTION laws
Abstract
As critical mass theorists have argued, the number of female legislators is important in the enactment of gender-status laws. Female legislators share strong beliefs on women's rights and have easily coordinated their legislative activities on gender issues. In addition, their strong coordination and consequent political influence have often allowed them to form a legislative majority by influencing male legislators. Gender policies, however, are frequently associated with non-gender policy dimensions on which female legislators tend to have different ideas. Thus, when a gender issue is interpreted in terms of a conspicuous non-gender policy dimension, critical mass theory may not work properly; the heterogeneity of female legislators regarding non-gender policy dimensions can weaken their legislative coordination, thereby hampering gender-status lawmaking. This article examines these propositions by reviewing the legislative histories of violence against women and the legality of abortion in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
U.S. News & World Report - The Report. 6/3/2022, pC1-C4. 4p. 2 Color Photographs.
Subjects
DEMOCRATS (United States), VOTER turnout, ELECTIONS, VOTING, CORRUPT practices in elections, SOCIAL science research, and YOUNG adults
Abstract
The article offers information on the U.S., President Joe Biden who can thank record voter turnout, women, Black and Latino Americans, young people and voters eager to get Donald Trump out of office for the Democratic president's 2020 victory. It discusses that those historical voting patterns are a big reason why Democrats face such daunting challenges this fall as they struggle to hang onto razor-thin majorities in Congress.
QUANTITATIVE research, LEGISLATION, ACTIVISM, GOVERNMENTALITY, and CHINA-United States relations
Abstract
Through a quantitative analysis of Taiwan–related legislation between 1979 and 2020, the article finds that the degree of Taiwan–related legislation is significantly correlated with the degree of tension in U.S.—China relations. While a deteriorating cross–Taiwan Strait relationship is clearly associated with the increasing legislative activities for the sake of Taiwan, an improving relationship from the state of fair to good cannot guarantee a decrease of such activities. A unified government and the extent of the Taiwan lobby are both helpful in passing pro–Taiwan acts but statistically insignificant. A content analysis of pro–Taiwan bills approved by the Trump administration suggests a creeping movement to "normalize" U.S–Taiwan relations with congressional activism and the less-restrained White House as a co–engine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
American Politics Research. Jul2022, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p479-487. 9p.
Subjects
YOUNG women, CRITICAL theory, BABY boom generation, and ELECTIONS
Abstract
Critical mass theories predict that women in government will sponsor and vote for more women and feminist bills as their numbers increase. Using Voteview.com data of roll-call votes measuring left–right ideology from 1977 to 2019 this paper shows that ideological divides among women in the U.S. House of Representatives have deepened rather than veered in a liberal direction. Republican women have moved rightward over time and more conservative ones are winning elections. Belonging to a politicized generation, older Silent Generation and Boomer women are more ideologically extreme than younger women. Parties are also elevating their more ideological female members. As their numbers increase, female House members are expected to remain ideologically diverse in a polarized legislative environment. Critical mass theories are deficient in failing to place female political actors in a dynamic workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
UNDOCUMENTED immigrants, IMMIGRATION detention centers, BORDER crossing, and WORLD War II concentration camps
Abstract
An excerpt is presented of the author's testimony at the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship hearing "The Expansion and Troubling Use of ICE Detention" held on September 26, 2019. The author states that detainment of undocumented immigrants is required to stop illegal border crossings. He comments on comparisons of detention facilities run by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Nazi death camps and calls it a false narrative pushed by people on the Left.
IMMIGRANTS, BIPARTISANSHIP, DEFERRED Action for Childhood Arrivals (U.S.), and LEGAL status of undocumented immigrants
Abstract
The article discusses the bipartisan agreement on protecting undocumented children immigrants in the United States under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy. It states that Congress can protect the future of the policy by codifying it into law. American Dream and Promise Act was passed in 2021 after passing its version in 2019, which would help the immigrants and people living with temporary protected status to earn permanent resident status and citizenship.
AFRICAN American civil rights, PROCESSIONS, and VOTING Rights Act of 1965 (U.S.)
Abstract
The article discusses the series of events, including the civil rights march in Selma to Montgomery in Alabama over several weeks in March 1965 over the voting rights. Despite the efforts of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the civil rights movement, and the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, the African Americans in the United States were given the right to vote after the adoption of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.
PATENT law, MAYO Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories, and PATENTABILITY -- Lawsuits & claims
Abstract
In this article, the author argues that the U.S. Congress should abolish the Supreme Court promulgated, non-statutory exceptions to 35 U.S.C. section 101 of the Patent Act. It mentions about the U.S. Supreme Court case Mayo Collaborative Sers. v. Prometheus Labs., Inc. in which the court held that claims directed to a method of giving a drug to a patient, measuring metabolites of that drug, deciding whether to increase or decrease the dosage of the drug, were not patent-eligible subject matter.
WORKERS' compensation, EMPLOYEE benefits, and POSTAL service
Abstract
The article reports on the roll of the U.S. Congress in broadening the restructuring of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS.) It mentions that USPS's compensation and benefits costs for current employees have been increasing since 2014, despite USPS's efforts to control these costs. It also mentions about annual appropriations received by the U.S. Post Office Department.
UNITED States senators, LEGISLATIVE amendments, VOTER suppression, and VOTING Rights Act of 1965 (U.S.)
Abstract
The article presents the views of various Senate members on Congress' efforts to protect and strengthen voting rights by reforming the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by proposing The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021. Members sharing the pros of the reform feel that the people of the United States should be given the right to vote. However, some members consider claims of voter suppression in the country false, hence do not feel the need for reform.
The article discusses about a Republican who became speaker of the house of Representatives for the first time in forty years in 1995 and GOP found itself in control of the senate for this time after 1955. The right media infrastructure was also built around this time. Conservative factionalism was barely evident in early days of 1995. The group of ex-leftists & ex-Democrats known as neoconservative had been integrated into the border conservative movement.
PAY equity, GENDER wage gap, LEGISLATIVE bills, and EQUAL Pay Act of 1963 (U.S.)
Abstract
The article informs on the efforts of the Congress in addressing gender pay gap in the U.S. It mentions about the bill Paycheck Fairness Act to strengthen enforcement of the Equal Pay Act. It also mentions about the bill Wage Equity Act which would require that differences in pay be based on legitimate business reasons, offer businesses voluntary pay analysis to spot disparities and allow employees to voluntarily discuss compensation with certain restrictions set by employers.
FLOOD damage, AMERICAN Civil War, 1861-1865, DYNAMIC loads, and NAVAL architecture
Abstract
The submarine H. L. Hunley conducted the first successful submarine attack on an enemy vessel, USS Housatonic, during the American Civil War but was lost with all hands because of unknown circumstances. The submarine has been recovered, and recent archeological findings have uncovered that a spar torpedo was used as opposed to a standoff torpedo that was commonly assumed to have been used. As a result, the submarine would have been in close proximity to the weapon when it exploded than previously thought. A multipart investigation has been conducted with the goal of determining if this reduced standoff distance could explain the mysterious loss of the vessel in the minutes or hours after the attack. Here, the results of a bottom-up naval architectural and weapons-effects analysis are reported. Together, the experimental, computational, and analytical results provide new insight to the vessel's stability characteristics, propulsion, and dynamic loading environment during the attack. In addition, a discussion of possible loss scenarios, informed by both calculation results and inspections of vessel's hull, is presented. Although the story of what happened to H. L. Hunley that night remains shrouded in mystery after this work, several important new research questions emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Algara, Carlos, Hale, Isaac, and Struthers, Cory L.
American Politics Research. Jul2022, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p443-463. 21p.
Subjects
RUNOFF elections, ELECTIONS, PARTISANSHIP, DEMOCRATS (United States), VOTING, PRESIDENTIAL elections, and FEDERAL government
Abstract
Recent work on American presidential elections suggests that voters engage in anticipatory balancing, which occurs when voters split their ticket in order to moderate collective policy outcomes by forcing agreement among institutions controlled by opposing parties. We use the 2021 Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs, which determined whether Democrats would have unified control of the federal government given preceding November victories by President-elect Biden and House Democrats, to evaluate support for anticipatory balancing. Leveraging an original survey of Georgia voters, we find no evidence of balancing within the general electorate and among partisans across differing model specifications. We use qualitative content analysis of voter electoral runoff intentions to support our findings and contextualize the lack of evidence for balancing withan original analysis showing the unprecedented partisan nature of contemporary Senate elections since direct-election began in 1914. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents. 4/14/2022, p1-4. 4p.
Subjects
UNEMPLOYMENT statistics, ECONOMIC recovery, and GROSS domestic product
Abstract
The article discusses the message of U.S. President Joseph R. Biden to the U.S. Congress regarding the economic report. It mentions Congressional Budget Office and private sector forecasters predicted a slow decrease in the unemployment rate throughout 2021. It also mentions U.S. economic recovery has been strong, marked by dramatic increases in employment and gross domestic products (GDP).
IMMIGRANTS -- Government policy, IMMIGRANTS, STAKEHOLDERS, and DETENTION of persons
Abstract
The author argues against suggestions that the U.S. Congress should increase oversight of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and reform existing immigration detention policies. He states that the detention facilities are done in accordance with national detention standards by ICE which were developed in cooperation with the American Correctional Association, nongovernmental organization representatives, and ICE stakeholders.
Washington Monthly. Apr-Jun2022, Vol. 54 Issue 4-6, p17-23. 7p. 1 Color Photograph.
Subjects
LAND tenure, CHILD welfare, and ALASKA Native Claims Settlement Act (U.S.)
Abstract
The article focuses on the U.S. Congress adopted the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) signed by the U.S. President Richard Nixon in 1971 to provide clear ownership of the land to Alaska Native people. It mentions that cases about child welfare and the extent of Native legal jurisdiction on Native lands threaten to end policies of Native self-determination launched by the Nixon administration following the settlement act.
Objective: This article explores whether voters evaluate candidates' ideology, partisanship, and quality independently or exhibit behavior consistent with motivating reasoning, rating co‐partisans and candidates ideologically similar to themselves as more competent. Methods: Using a survey of voters and experts from 2010 U.S. House elections, I estimate a model predicting an individual's rating of incumbent candidate competence for office and challenger candidate competence for office. Results: Individuals ideologically distant from a candidate rate the candidate as less competent, yet rate co‐partisan candidates as more competent. For incumbents, opposing partisanship amplifies the negative effect of ideological distance on candidate quality ratings, and shared partisanship mitigates the negative effect of ideological distance. Conclusion: Only incumbents rated as the most competent can overcome the ideological and partisan biases of voters. Consistent with theories of affective polarization, these results imply that polarization runs deeper than partisan or ideological differences–it is personal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
VIOLENCE against women -- Law & legislation, BIPARTISANSHIP, and WOMEN'S programs
Abstract
The article discusses what the U.S. Congress is doing on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), an area of bipartisan agreement since it was first passed in 1994. Topics include the passage of the VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2021 by the House in March 2021, provisions of the law, and statement by President Joe Biden on the passage of the House reauthorization.
Chinese American Forum. Apr2022, Vol. 37 Issue 4, p40-46. 7p.
Subjects
CITIZENSHIP, IMMIGRANTS, UNSKILLED labor, and CHINESE Exclusion Act of 1882
Abstract
The article focuses on ill treatment towards Chinese immigrant who entered United States during 19th century. Topics discusses include open ones mind to learn about different cultures and ideas, passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, by Congress, which prohibited unskilled Chinese laborers from entering the United States and denied citizenship to all Chinese already in the country, even those born here.
Vital Speeches of the Day. Jun2021, Vol. 87 Issue 6, p130-132. 3p.
Subjects
COVID-19 pandemic, SMALL business, VACCINATION, FAMILY planning, and RACE discrimination
Abstract
The article presents a speech delivered by U.S. Senator of North Carolina Tim Scott at a joint session of the U.S. Congress at U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on April 18, 2021. Topics included the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses in the U.S., bipartisan COVID packages and the funding of the Operation Warp Speed vaccination drive, family planning and racial discrimination.
Forum (2194-6183). Feb2022, Vol. 19 Issue 4, p629-647. 19p.
Subjects
BUDGET reconciliation, RECONCILIATION, and CHICKENS
Abstract
Since its early uses in the early 1980s, the budget reconciliation process has played an important role in how the U.S. Congress legislates. Because the procedures protect certain legislation from a filibuster in the Senate, the reconciliation rules both shape, and are shaped by, the upper chamber in significant ways. After providing a brief overview of the process, I discuss first how partisanship in the Senate has affected the use of the reconciliation procedures. Next, I describe two sets of consequences of the contemporary reconciliation process, on negotiation and on policy design. I conclude with some observations about the relationship of reconciliation to the prospects for broader procedural change in the Senate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
U.S. News & World Report - The Report. 6/10/2022, pC16-C18. 3p. 1 Color Photograph.
Subjects
GUN control, MASS shootings, SHOOTINGS (Crime), and SANDY Hook Elementary School Massacre, Newtown, Conn., 2012
Abstract
The article reports that the U.S. Congress' Democrats have plans to pass legislation to reduce gun violence in the U.S. Topics include the Protecting Our Kids Act includes banning of magazines, and raising the age limit from 18 to 21 for certain semi arms and orders that restrict bump stocks devices.
LEGISLATIVE reform, REPUBLICANS, and COMMUNICATIONS Decency Act, 1996 (United States)
Abstract
The article focuses on disagreements between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress over the reform of Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Topics discussed include objective of Section 230, the growth in misinformation and harmful online content as a result of the immunity granted to Internet platforms under Section 230, the goals of proposed reforms by Democrats and Republicans, and a proposed reform addressing justice against the abuse of algorithms.
Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. Mar2022, Vol. 42 Issue 1, p1-10. 10p.
Subjects
UNITED States senators, SELF-defense, ARCHIVES, and INTERNATIONAL relations
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of former Arizona senator Dennis DeConcini during the Bosnian War. DeConcini, along with other congressional Bosnia hawks, supported the newly independent country in its self-defense during the 1992–1995 war. DeConcini's activism was mainly through the U.S. Helsinki Commission but he also undertook a number of steps with a view to legislative American foreign policy towards Bosnia in the early 1990s. Based on the congressional archive and DeConcini's papers at the University of Arizona, this article will piece together the story of how an Arizona senator became a champion of Bosnia on Capitol Hill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
BIPARTISANSHIP, SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, COVID-19 vaccines, RUSSIAN invasion of Ukraine, 2022, and PUBLIC health
Abstract
The article reports that bipartisan measures in the U.S. Senate to provide unprecedented investments in vaccines, therapeutics, and testing with concerns and efforts of the U.S. President Joe Biden. Topics include Covid-19 variant come along the protection of vaccines and prior infections with antiviral medications and vaccines for all; and Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated news after which scientists, doctors and public health experts lays out possible scenarios for the next one year.
The dramatic Democratic victories in the 2021 Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs handed Democrats their first majority since 2015 and, with this, unified Democratic control of Washington for the first time since 2011. While Democratic Leaders and President Joe Biden crafted their agenda, any hope of policy passage rested on complete unity in a 50–50 Senate and a narrow majority in the U.S. House. Against this backdrop, the 117th Senate is the most polarized since direct-election began in 1914 and, by popular accounts, the least deliberative in a generation. In this article, we examine the implications of partisan polarization for policymaking in the U.S. Senate throughout the direct-election era. First, we show that greater polarization coincides with more partisan Senate election outcomes, congruent with recent trends in the House. Today, over 90% of Senators represent states carried by their party's presidential nominee. Secondly, we show that polarization coincides with higher levels of observable obstruction, conflict, partisan unity, and narrower majorities. Lastly, we show that this polarization coincides with lower levels of deliberation in the form of consideration of floor amendments and committee meetings. Taken together, we paint a picture of a polarized Senate that is more partisan, more obstructionist, and less deliberative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
The article presents the discussion on office of territorial delegate predating the Constitution created by the Continental Congress through the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 including Congress using the office of resident commissioner for permitting representation in the House.
CLIMATE change laws, ENVIRONMENTAL law, CLEAN energy investment, and TAX incentives
Abstract
The article discusses the legislative actions of the U.S. Congress to address climate change. Topics explored include the carbon-free economy under the Green New Deal proposed by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Senator Ed Markey, the tax incentives for clean energy initiatives under the Build Back Better legislative framework, and the climate investments of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
IMMIGRANTS, DEFERRED Action for Childhood Arrivals (U.S.), DEPORTATION, and PERMANENT residents (Immigrants) -- Legal status, laws, etc.
Abstract
The article presents the author's views on passing legislation by Congress to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients from deportation. He believes that Immigrants have contributed a lot to the economy of the United States, who should be given a chance to live without fear of deportation and family separation. The American Dream and Promise Act, with bipartisan support, has been initiated by Congress to provide a pathway to permanent legal status for immigrants.
Political Research Quarterly. Sep2021, Vol. 74 Issue 3, p599-614. 16p.
Subjects
INCOME distribution, PARTISANSHIP, and UNITED States legislators
Abstract
Over the past twenty years, there has been much discussion about two of the most important recent trends in American politics: the increase in income inequality in the United States and the increase in ideological and partisan polarization, particularly in the U.S. House. These two national-level trends are commonly thought to be positively related. But, there are few tested theoretical connections between them, and it is potentially problematic to infer individual-level behavior from these aggregate-level trends. In fact, an examination of the literature reveals, at least, three different theoretical outcomes for district-level income inequality on voter and congressional ideological positions. I explore these district-level theoretical and empirical possibilities as well as test them over decades with three different measures of income inequality. I argue and demonstrate that higher district levels of income inequality are related to higher levels of ideological liberalism in the U.S. House. This stands in contrast to the national-level trends, but it tracks closely to traditional understandings of congressional behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Emory Law Journal. 2020, Vol. 70 Issue 2, p417-463. 47p.
Subjects
ELECTION law, CLAUSES (Law), CYBERTERRORISM, INTERNET security, and VOTING Rights Act of 1975 (U.S.)
Abstract
While foreign adversaries continue to launch cyberattacks aimed at disrupting elections in the United States, Congress has been reluctant to take action. After Russia interfered in the 2016 election, cybersecurity experts articulated clear measures that must be taken to secure U.S. election systems against foreign interference. Yet the federal government has failed to act. Congress's reticence is based on a misguided notion that greater federal involvement in the conduct of elections unconstitutionally infringes on states' rights. Both state election officials and certain congressional leaders operate under the assumption that federalism principles grant states primacy in conducting federal elections. This Comment dispels the myth that Congress must defer to states to regulate federal elections. The text of the Elections Clause in Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution confers to Congress final authority in determining the "Times, Places and Manner" of federal elections. Therefore, the system of administering federal elections is based on decentralization rather than federalism. The risk of foreign interference in U.S. elections was a precise reason the founders bestowed on Congress ultimate control over federal elections. States and municipalities lack the capacity to effectively combat foreign cyber invasion. This Comment makes the case that Congress has a responsibility to exercise its power under the Elections Clause to create a federal plan to secure voter registration databases and voting mechanisms against cyberattacks in order to protect the integrity of American democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ACTIONS & defenses (Law), INTELLIGENCE service, NATIONAL security, and UNITED States. National Security Act of 1947
Abstract
This Note explores how Congress can respond to a president who withholds non-covert intelligence operations from the congressional intelligence committees in violation of the National Security Act. This Note proposes a novel solution for Congress: the elevation of the Gang of Eight into a joint permanent select committee that is authorized to file suit on behalf of Congress. Congressional lawsuits are likely to be challenged on the basis of standing. Gang of Eight lawsuits could empower congressionalleaders to meet a court's standing analysis, allowing Congress to reassert its role in overseeing the intelligence community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
FEDERAL government, PUBLIC lands, and FORESTS & forestry
Abstract
Senator Barrasso was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2008 and won a special election in 2008. He served in the Wyoming Senate from 2003 to 2007. He chairs the Environment and Public Works Committee and sits on the following committees: Energy and Natural Resources, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests; Indian Affairs; and Foreign Relations. The following is from a February 12, 2019, press release titled "Green New Deal: We Need Solutions, Not Socialism." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Texas Law Review. Feb2021, Vol. 99 Issue 3, p491-579. 89p.
Subjects
CONSTITUTIONAL law, PUBLIC administration, ARMED Forces, and UNITED States armed forces
Abstract
Although scholars have explored at length the constitutional law of office-holding with respect to civil and administrative offices, parallel questions regarding military office-holding have received insufficient attention. Even scholars who defend broad congressional authority to structure civil administration typically presume that the President, as Commander in Chief, holds greater authority over the military. For its part, the executive branch has claimed plenary authority over assignment of military duties and control of military officers. This pro-presidential consensus is mistaken. Although the President, as Commander in Chief, must have some form of directive authority over U.S. military forces in the field, the constitutional text and structure, read in light of longstanding historical practice, give Congress extensive power to structure the offices, chains of command, and disciplinary mechanisms through which the President's authority is exercised. In particular, much as in the administrative context. Congress may vest particular powers and duties--authority to launch nuclear weapons or a cyber operation, for example, or command over particular units--in particular statutorily created offices. In addition, although the Constitution affords presidents removal authority as a default means of command discipline. Congress may supplant and limit this authority by replacing it with alternative disciplinary mechanisms, such as criminal penalties for disobeying lawful orders. By defining duties, command relationships, and disciplinary mechanisms in this way. Congress may establish structures of executive branch accountability that promote key values, protect military professionalism, and even encourage or discourage particular results, all without infringing upon the President's ultimate authority to direct the nation's armed forces. These conclusions bear directly on recent legislative proposals to vest authority over cyber weapons, force withdrawals, or nuclear weapons in officers other than the President. They also enable a potent critique of the Supreme Court's recent insistence on a "unitary" executive branch in Seila Law LLC v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and they shed new light on broader separation-of-powers debates over executive-branch structure, conventions of governmental behavior, the civil service's constitutionality, and Reconstruction's historical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
PUBLIC officers, ACTIONS & defenses (Law), PROBLEM solving, and MENTAL representation
Abstract
This article examines the relationship between demand for expert information from members of the US Congress and increased issue salience in the public. As problems become salient, policymakers should seek out expert information to define problems and identify effective policy solutions to address those problems. Previous work on elite mass public representation and government problem solving has relied on public actions by elected officials to evaluate this relationship. We rely instead on new data on the policy content of privately requested reports from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) from 1997 to 2017. We find strong evidence that members consult experts when issues become salient, even when controlling for legislative agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Mar/Apr2021, Vol. 40 Issue 2, p18-25. 8p. 1 Color Photograph.
Subjects
ISRAELIS, PEACE, INTERNATIONAL relations, ISRAEL-United States relations, and UNITED States politics & government
Abstract
The article reports on what the new members of the U.S. Congress reveal about pro-Israel politics in the U.S., as of April 2021. Representative Byron Donalds said that Israel is the one standing country that comports with the values of U.S. citizens. Representative Marie Newman acknowledged the legitimacy of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Representative Jamaal Bowman said that he believes in the right of Israelis to live in safety and peace.
Bishin, Benjamin G., Freebourn, Justin, and Teten, Paul
Political Research Quarterly. Dec2021, Vol. 74 Issue 4, p1009-1023. 15p.
Subjects
GAY rights, EQUALITY, POLARIZATION (Social sciences), DEMOCRATS' attitudes, REPUBLICANS, and LGBTQ+ people
Abstract
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent application of employment protections to gays and lesbians in Bostock v. Clayton County highlights the striking absence of policy produced by the U.S. Congress despite two decades of increased public support for gay rights. With the notable exceptions of allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military, and passing hate crimes legislation, every other federal policy advancing gay rights over the last three decades has been the product of a Supreme Court ruling or Executive Order. To better understand the reasons for this inaction, we examine the changing preferences of members of Congress on LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) issues. Examining scores from the Human Rights Campaign from 1989 to 2019, we find a striking polarization by the parties on LGBTQ issues, as Democrats have become much more supportive and Republicans even more opposed to gay rights. This change has been driven not by gerrymandering, mass opinion polarization, or elite backlash, but among Republicans by a mix of both conversion and replacement, and among Democrats primarily of replacement of more moderate members. The result is a striking lack of collective representation that leaves members of the LGBTQ community at risk to the whims of presidents and jurists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
DECLARATION of war, SEPTEMBER 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001, and UNITED States armed forces
Abstract
The article discusses the authorizations of military force use the declarations of war in the U.S., and mentions the roles of the Congress and Executive Branch to the initiatives. Topics include the formal declarations of war enacted by the Congress against foreign nations under the administration of former President George Washington, the key statutory authorizations for the use of military force, and the terrorism in the U.S. in 2001.
Public Integrity. Jan/Feb 2022, Vol. 24 Issue 1, p105-109. 5p.
Subjects
CORRUPT practices in elections, POLITICAL leadership, VOTE buying, POLITICAL campaigns, and HUMAN beings
Abstract
The Republic faces three existential threats: domestic White nationalism, global tyranny, and global warming. Threat #1: Trump-Inspired White Nationalism In 2020, as his reelection campaign faltered due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a cratering economy, Trump responded by proactively undermining confidence in the election. MAGA Republicans think that if they retain the filibuster, block Senate approval of the Voting Rights Act, and retake the Senate in 2022, the U.S. will remain a White nationalist state rather than continuing to evolve as a multi-cultural democracy (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/06/republican-party-donald-trump-american-democracy-elections). [Extracted from the article]
PRESIDENTIAL candidates, PANEL analysis, ELECTIONS, POLITICAL knowledge, POLITICAL campaigns, and SEASONS
Abstract
How do citizens' preferences for candidates change during a campaign season? For the first time, this panel study examines how citizens' preferences for candidates change during the general election campaign season for House, Senate, and presidential elections, which vary widely in their salience and contestedness. House races exhibit the greatest mean change in candidate evaluations and presidential races exhibit the least. At the individual level, there is considerable variation across the three types of contest in the presence of a candidate preference and in change over the campaign season. We investigate differences across the three types of races in initial familiarity with candidates and estimate transition models to evaluate the effect of race contestedness, partisanship, presidential approval, political sophistication and knowledge on change in candidate preferences in each type of race. Change in knowledge of the candidates during the campaign season has the greatest effect in House contests, where initial familiarity with the candidates is the most limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Ecology Law Quarterly. 2020, Vol. 47 Issue 2, p743-750. 8p.
Subjects
TAX credits, CORPORATE taxes, UNITED States tax laws, and TAX Cuts & Jobs Act (U.S.)
Abstract
The article discusses two major legislative acts passed by Congress to change tax law in the U.S., including the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) and the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA). Topics covered include BBA's elimination of the production tax credit and the investment tax credit, and TCJA's creation of the base erosion anti-abuse tax (BEAT) and its elimination of the corporate alternative minimum tax.
IMMIGRANTS, MEDICAL care of prisoners, DETENTION of persons, and UNITED States immigration policy
Abstract
The authors argue on the need for the U.S. Congress to increase its oversight of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and initiate reforms of U.S. immigrant detention policy. They comment on abuse in holding centers run by Customs and Border Protection and mention ICE can hold people in detention for months or even years. They discuss the human cost of ICE detention where they cannot gain access to prescribed medications or medical treatment and the abuse of solitary confinement.