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MUNICIPAL government, COMMISSIONERS, and STATEHOOD (American politics)

Delegates, representing territories that had not yet achieved statehood, have served in the House since the late 1700s. In the 20th century, the concept of delegate grew to include representation of territories where the United States exercises some degree of control but were not expected to become states. In the 117th Congress (2021-2022), the U.S. insular areas of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and the federal municipality of the District of Columbia are each represented in Congress by a delegate to the House of Representatives. In addition, Puerto Rico is represented by a resident commissioner, whose position is treated the same as a delegate. This report provides historical background on the development of the position of delegate to Congress and on the rights of a delegate once seated. The Constitution makes no provision for territorial representation, and early laws providing for territorial delegates to Congress did not specify the duties, privileges, and obligations of these representatives. It was left to the House and the delegates themselves to define their role. On January 13, 1795, the House took an important step toward establishing the functions of delegates when it appointed James White, the first territorial representative, to membership on a select committee. In subsequent years, delegates continued to serve on select committees as well as on conference committees. The first assignment of a delegate to a standing committee occurred under a House rule in 1871, which gave delegates places as additional members on two standing committees. In these committees, the delegates exercised the same powers and privileges as they did in the House; that is, they could debate but not vote. In the 1970s, delegates gained the right to be elected to standing committees (in the same manner as Members of the House) and to exercise in those committees the same powers and privileges as Members of the House, including the right to vote. Today, delegates enjoy powers, rights, and responsibilities identical, in most respects, to those of House Members from the states. Like these Members, delegates can speak, introduce bills and resolutions, and offer amendments on the House floor; they can speak, offer amendments, and vote in House committees. Under the rules of the 117th Congress (2021-2022), delegates may not vote in House floor sessions or preside over them. However, they may preside over the Committee of the Whole and vote in those sessions. This report will be updated as events warrant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HOUSING, AMERICAN Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (U.S.), COVID-19 pandemic, and HOMELESSNESS

The article discusses the housing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic continued to be a primary concern in the U.S. 117th Congress. It mentions Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a wide-ranging pandemic relief and response law that included funding for several new and existing housing programs to help address the effects of the pandemic, including funding for rental assistance, homeowner assistance, and homelessness assistance.

COVID-19 pandemic, FEDERAL aid to public health, SOCIAL services, and CORONAVIRUS Aid, Relief, & Economic Security Act (U.S.)

The article discusses the U.S. Congressional Research Service report which summarizes COVID-19 supplemental funding for the public health service agencies and to Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund in the 116th Congress.. It mentions that supplemental spending provides supplemental appropriations measures including Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

UNITED States senators, UNITED States legislators, LEGISLATION, and COMMUNICATION

The article provides an overview of roles and duties of the U.S. Member of Congress. It mentions the U.S. Constitution establishes qualifications for Representatives and Senators, but it is silent about the roles and duties of an individual Member of Congress, and the roles and duties carried out by a Member of Congress are understood to include representation, legislation, and constituent service and communication, as well as electoral activities.

JUDICIAL selection & appointment, CIRCUIT courts, DISTRICT courts, UNITED States appellate courts, and LEGISLATIVE power

The article presents the recommendations by the 117th Congress' Judicial Conference of the U.S. for new circuit and district court judgeships as of March 2021. Topics include the congressional authority to authorize permanent and temporary judgeships, the increase in the number of judgeships due to population growth and geographic boundary expansions, and the recommended addition of two permanent judgeships for the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

MILITARY modernization (Equipment), MILITARY supplies, ARMS race, SEA power (Military science), and CHINA-United States relations

In an era of renewed great power competition, China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has become the top focus of U.S. defense planning and budgeting. China's navy, which China has been steadily modernizing for more than 25 years, since the early to mid-1990s, has become a formidable military force within China's near-seas region, and it is conducting a growing number of operations in more-distant waters, including the broader waters of the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and waters around Europe. China's navy is viewed as posing a major challenge to the U.S. Navy's ability to achieve and maintain wartime control of blue-water ocean areas in the Western Pacific-the first such challenge the U.S. Navy has faced since the end of the Cold War. China's navy forms a key element of a Chinese challenge to the long-standing status of the United States as the leading military power in the Western Pacific. Some U.S. observers are expressing concern or alarm regarding the pace of China's naval shipbuilding effort and resulting trend lines regarding the relative sizes and capabilities of China's navy and the U.S. Navy. China's naval modernization effort encompasses a wide array of ship, aircraft, and weapon acquisition programs, as well as improvements in maintenance and logistics, doctrine, personnel quality, education and training, and exercises. China's navy has currently has certain limitations and weaknesses, and is working to overcome them. China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, is assessed as being aimed at developing capabilities for addressing the situation with Taiwan militarily, if need be; for achieving a greater degree of control or domination over China's near-seas region, particularly the South China Sea; for enforcing China's view that it has the right to regulate foreign military activities in its 200-mile maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ); for defending China's commercial sea lines of communication (SLOCs), particularly those linking China to the Persian Gulf; for displacing U.S. influence in the Western Pacific; and for asserting China's status as the leading regional power and a major world power. Consistent with these goals, observers believe China wants its navy to be capable of acting as part of a Chinese anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) force-a force that can deter U.S. intervention in a conflict in China's near-seas region over Taiwan or some other issue, or failing that, delay the arrival or reduce the effectiveness of intervening U.S. forces. Additional missions for China's navy include conducting maritime security (including antipiracy) operations, evacuating Chinese nationals from foreign countries when necessary, and conducting humanitarian assistance/disaster response (HA/DR) operations. The U.S. Navy in recent years has taken a number of actions to counter China's naval modernization effort. Among other things, the U.S. Navy has shifted a greater percentage of its fleet to the Pacific; assigned its most-capable new ships and aircraft and its best personnel to the Pacific; maintained or increased general presence operations, training and developmental exercises, and engagement and cooperation with allied and other navies in the Indo-Pacific; increased the planned future size of the Navy; initiated, increased, or accelerated numerous programs for developing new military technologies and acquiring new ships, aircraft, unmanned vehicles, and weapons; begun development of new operational concepts (i.e., new ways to employ Navy and Marine Corps forces) for countering Chinese maritime A2/AD forces; and signaled that the Navy in coming years will shift to a more-distributed fleet architecture that will feature a smaller portion of larger ships, a larger portion of smaller ships, and a substantially greater use of unmanned vehicles. The issue for Congress is whether the U.S. Navy is responding appropriately to China's naval modernization effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]