Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) has proposed an act that  would ban members of Congress, the vice president,  the president and their immediate family members from  owning or trading stocks, securities, commodities, futures, options, trusts and similar assets.  

The Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act (H.R. 7024), introduced by Rep. Jason Smith  (R-Mo.), passed the House with overwhelming support  Jan. 31.  

In December 2023, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) introduced the Disengaging Entirely From the United Nations Debacle (DEFUND) Act,  which proposes to withdraw the U.S. from the UN and  stop all U.S. funding to the organization.   Since then, Republicans have offered several other  proposals, both rhetorically and in 2025 budget proposals,  to defund the UN.  The U.S. was a key founder of the UN in 1945 and  has been a major financial contributor ever since. In 2022,  the most recent fiscal year with full data available, the  U.S. contributed over $18 billion to the UN, or…

On June 5, Senate Democrats forced a vote on the Right to Contraception Act, which would protect a  person’s right to access contraceptives and health care  providers’ ability to provide contraception, along with  related services and information…

On April 16, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) amended existing rules to better protect miners from health hazards associated with toxic rock dust. Silica dust or quartz dust, formally called respirable crystalline silica, is a carcinogen that causes serious diseases when inhaled, including black lung disease (also called silicosis), lung cancer, progressive massive fibrosis, chronic bronchitis and kidney disease. On June 27, House Republicans passed a budget provision prohibiting DOL from using funding to enforce the revised rule, drawing a rebuke from Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America. He called the provision “a direct attack…

On June 18, the Biden administration announced an executive action to allow certain noncitizen spouses and children of U.S. citizens to remain in the country while they apply for full citizenship. Before the administration took this action, noncitizens married to U.S. citizens could apply for citizenship,  but most were first required to leave the country and wait  to be processed abroad. Typically, this waiting period lasts  three to 10 years, unless undocumented immigrants obtain a “hardship waiver” that proves their families would  suffer extreme hardship without them, beyond typical  financial and emotional distress. This policy resulted in  a “prolonged, potentially…

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a new rule clarifying the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) that is sparking some controversy given its allowance of paid time off for medical procedures that could include abortion. The rule states that employees should be provided “reasonable accommodation” for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions,” which includes abortion. The statute was applauded by pro-choice and abortion advocates, but critics argued that it could force employers, who may object to abortion, to passively participate in employees’ abortion decisions as well as potentially promote a larger pro-abortion plan. After the rule was announced…

An ongoing debate considers whether or not the U.S. government can impose new restrictions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the country’s highways. Last fall, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a new rule that would require state and local transportation officials to set declining goals for greenhouse gas emissions stemming from road projects that are funded with federal money. The rule was a response to climate activists who have voiced concern that more federally funded transportation projects, without restrictions, could promote further dependence on cars for future generations. Climate advocates argued that the new rule could instead encourage state…

Amid growing immigration concerns in the U.S., some states are hoping to have more of a say in how they are able to handle immigration-related issues via state-based legislation. For example, in November 2023, Texas passed a bill, Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), that would allow police, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers to arrest individuals suspected of illegally crossing into the U.S. While the legislation passed and was set to go into effect on March 5, 2024, it is currently held up in an appeals court and has not been enacted yet. The bill received support from conservatives, including the…

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) is proposing cutting the standard 40-hour workweek down to 32 hours in the hopes of rebalancing worker productivity and stress. In March, Sanders introduced legislation that would require employers to pay employees overtime for any time worked over 32 hours in one week. Employers would also be prohibited from reducing employees’ pay and benefits as a result of the reduction in hours. Sanders argued that with advances in technology, worker productivity has increased, some studies suggest by as much as 400%, since the 40-hour workweek was set by the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1940. He…