Search Results for: filibuster

The French National Assembly passed a bill on Thursday banning discrimination over the texture, length, color or style of a person’s hair on first reading. The bill will now go to the Senate for further approval. The proposed bill aims to amend the wording of existing anti-discrimination measures adopted in the labor code, penal code and [...]

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill into law Thursday banning most abortions in the state after 6 weeks. The bill passed South Carolina’s Senate on Tuesday after defeating five senators’—all women—filibuster to block its passage. South Carolina joins a number of other US states who have passed similar bills into law, including Florida, [...]

The US Senate Sunday narrowly passed the Inflation Reduction Act, a bill that addresses climate change, drug pricing, and corporate taxes. The Inflation Reduction Act will make record investments in green energy, allow Medicare to negotiate more prescriptions, cap seniors’ prescription medicine costs, and increase the minimum corporate tax rate. The initial roll-call vote was [...]

Environmental groups Earthjustice and the Center for Biological Diversity Tuesday criticized the fossil-fuel concessions made in a deal among Senate Democrats in efforts to pass their proposed spending bill, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The groups highlight a portion of the Inflation Reduction Act that streamlines the approval of fossil fuel projects. The provision [...]

A bipartisan group of Senators Tuesday proposed legislation Tuesday to codify the right to abortion, formally established in Roe v. Wade, in federal law. The bill is sponsored by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and is the first senatorial proposal to have broad bipartisan support. The [...]

The Texas and Ohio Supreme Courts Friday denied motions by state abortion providers seeking relief from the states’ now-effective anti-abortion laws. Earlier this week, a Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing a century-old state law that criminalizes abortion from taking effect. On Friday, however, the Texas Supreme Court granted state Attorney General Ken [...]

The US House of Representatives Wednesday passed a bill restricting access to guns. The Protecting Our Children Act includes raising the minimum age for semi-automatic rifles, banning high-capacity magazines, and adding criminal offenses for those who buy guns through proxy after failing background checks. The bill now heads to the US Senate where it may [...]

US Senate Democrats failed Wednesday to change filibuster rules and pass voting rights legislation. HR 5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act narrowly passed in the House of Representatives last week by 220-203 votes, but the Senate defeat had been expected. The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would have made significant [...]

The US House of Representatives Friday approved H.R.5746, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, as President Biden made his way to Capitol Hill to push for progress on voting rights. The bill passed on a slim margin of 220-203 votes. The bill, initially the NASA Enhanced Use Leasing Extension Act of 2021, was amended [...]

I am a Democrat and a strong admirer and supporter of President Biden. I think his administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress have achieved some striking successes so far. But my deeper loyalty, as a citizen and scholar, is to the constitutional system that has made America a great national experiment for almost 250 [...]