[JURIST] The US House of Representatives [official website] passed its first piece of legislation for the 110th Congress late Tuesday, a bill [HR 1 text] to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission [official website] remaining after the enactment of the Intelligence Reform bill [JURIST report] in 2004. The bill provides for additional intelligence oversight and sets out an ambitious screening program for shipping cargo coming into the US. HR 1 [Pelosi backgrounder] passed with bipartisan support by a vote of 299-128 [roll call], though several Congressional Republicans assailed the bill's passage as a Democratic effort to appear tough on terrorism without considering the financial implications.

Tuesday's passage of HR 1 marks the first of several key votes [calendar, PDF] scheduled [JURIST report] by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) [official website] and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) [official website] to occur during the Democrats first 100 hours [Pelosi schedule] in office. Later this week the House will vote on legislation to raise the federal minimum wage and expand embryonic stem cell research [JURIST news archive]. AP has more.