Debate, Motions, and Other Actions in the Committee of the Whole
The House of Representatives resolves into the Committee of the Whole, a parliamentary device designed to allow greater participation by Members in debate, to consider major measures. Various rules an...
Forest Service: FY2023 Appropriations
The Forest Service (FS) is responsible for managing 193 million acres of land in the National Forest System (NFS), conducting forestry research, and providing assistance to state, local, private, and ...
The Department of Education’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Improving Income-Driven Repayment for the Direct Loan Program: Frequently Asked Questions
On January 11, 2023, the Department of Education (ED) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to make a number of substantial amendments to the federal student loan income-driven repayment (I...
The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5; Division HH, Title VI of P.L. 117-328): Authority to Collect Fees
The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5; Division HH, Title VI of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, P.L. 117-328) reauthorized the collection and use of two types of fees...
Supreme Court Considers Preemption Under the National Labor Relations Act
On January 10, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174, a case involving the National Labor Relations Act (N...
The Black Lung Program, the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and the Excise Tax on Coal
The federal government pays benefits to coal miners affected by coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP, commonly referred to as black lung disease) and other lung diseases linked to coal mining in cases wh...
Third Circuit Dismisses Johnson & Johnson Bankruptcy and Novel Mass-Tort Approach
Introduction
On January 30, 2023, the Third Circuit denied the efforts of Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Inc. (Old Consumer), a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson (J&J), to use the bankruptcy system as a fo...
House Voting Procedures: Forms and Requirements
In the House, there are four forms of votes: voice vote, division vote, yea and nay vote, and recorded vote. In the Committee of the Whole, where much of the chamber’s business is conducted, the forms...
Commemorative Commissions: Overview, Structure, and Funding
Congress statutorily establishes commemorative commissions to oversee and coordinate the federal government’s commemoration of a person or event. Typically, commemorative commissions coordinate celebr...
Immigration Relief for Noncitizen Crime Victims
Noncitizens (referred to as aliens in immigration law), like citizens, may be victims of crime in the United States. Noncitizen crime victims can be temporary nonimmigrants (e.g., tourists, students, ...
The “Quad”: Cooperation Among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia
Overview
The Biden Administration has boosted the profile of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, aka “the Quad,” as a centerpiece of its Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at strengthening the United States...