congress
State lawmakers to hold first public forum on redistricting in Monroe
In a process that will impact almost every election in Louisiana for the next decade, the state legislature will hold the first of nine regional public forums on Oct. 20 beginning in Monroe regarding how lawmakers will draw the state’s new political maps and choose which voters to include in which districts. Beginning in mid-October […]
U.S. House Democrats kick off reconciliation process with $30 billion Interior bill
The House Natural Resources Committee on Thursday inched toward approval of a $30 billion bill to fund climate, tribal and environmental programs. Thursday’s meeting marked the first time a congressional committee considered any piece of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending plan meant to fundamentally change U.S. health, climate, education and tax policy. Democrats plan to move […]
With Census figures in, Louisiana turns to redrawing political maps
With the legislature’s first redistricting meeting approaching, some lawmakers and interested citizens are hoping to make critical changes to the maps that define Louisiana’s political boundaries. Earlier this month, the U.S. Census Bureau released its long-awaited, updated population numbers from around the country, showing Louisiana experienced sluggish growth of just 2.5% over the last decade […]
DOJ civil rights official urges Congress to act soon on voting rights
WASHINGTON—A top Justice Department official on Monday stressed the need for Congress to pass legislation named after the late Georgia civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis in order to protect voting rights across the United States. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke told lawmakers that since a 2013 Supreme Court decision […]
House Dems to unveil revamped voting rights bill named for the late John Lewis
WASHINGTON—House Democrats plan to next week unveil a new version of legislation named after the late Georgia civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis that could protect voting rights across the U.S. During a Friday press conference, House Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn of South Carolina said that House Democrats are expected to introduce a revised H.R. […]
U.S. Senate Democrats push voting rights bills, lambast Georgia election law
If the rules in Georgia’s controversial 2021 voting overhaul were in place before last November’s historic U.S. Senate races were pushed to Jan. 5 runoffs, then 76,000 residents who cast their ballots would’ve been unable to register in time for the second round. A U.S. Senate committee gathered in downtown Atlanta Monday to hear how […]
‘Our democracy is in peril’: Women risk arrest in voting rights protest in D.C.
WASHINGTON—Diane Howard of Cleveland traveled to the nation’s capital with hundreds of other women to urge Congress to pass an elections overhaul and undo new state laws that restrict voting access. A community activist for half a century, Howard said that this is not the first time she’s seen voting rights under attack. “What we […]
U.S. House to vote on next week on expanding PFAS regulation, backers say
WASHINGTON—Members of Congress and Biden administration officials at a conference on Wednesday outlined how they’re attempting to regulate toxic chemicals found in drinking water—including an upcoming vote in the U.S. House. EPA Administrator Michael Regan, a former top environmental official in North Carolina, said the agency is currently in the process of regulating two of […]
Republicans and Democrats accuse each other of ‘defunding the police’ | Tammy C. Barney
“Defund the police”– a rallying cry during the 2020 protests following the unwarranted deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others at the hands of police – is now a congressional football that Democrats and Republicans keep throwing up as Hail Mary passes without anyone scoring a touchdown. First, Republicans accused Democrats of embracing “defund […]
How the new, expanded federal child tax credit will work
WASHINGTON — The most ambitious part of the pandemic stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year is about to hit the bank accounts of millions of U.S. parents. Starting this week and ending in December, the vast majority of U.S. households with children will begin receiving monthly payments as a result of changes […]
U.S. House votes to scuttle statues of Confederate leaders, bust of Dred Scott author
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Tuesday to remove from the Capitol a bust of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney, a Marylander who wrote the despised Dred Scott decision—as well as evict statues and busts of men who fought for the Confederacy or served in its government. The legislation passed on a vote […]
Republicans push back against federal approval for changes in state voting laws
WASHINGTON—Republicans during a U.S. House Judiciary panel hearing on Tuesday argued that a bill that would reinstate a preclearance section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is unnecessary because there is no discrimination in voting. The top Republican on the panel, Rep. Mike Johnson, (R-La.), said that the legislation is not needed and that the […]