Middle school social studies textbooks and Schoolhouse Rock songs paint a stereotypical portrait of how congressional legislation gets passed. But in real life, the story of how federal laws actually get enacted usually proves far more complex. To examine how, GovTrack Insider browsed through all the laws enacted by Congress in 2019–20, looking for one that seemed both particularly interesting and undercovered by national media.
Read the story of The Emancipation National Historic Trail Study Act »H.R. 8810: No Fencing at the United States Supreme Court Act
Should the Supreme Court building have permanent fencing? Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton says no and we went out on a ...
Oct 20, 2022 7:56 p.m.
One year after Taliban takeover, Republican bill would add Afghanistan to State Department’s state…
Afghanistan would be the fifth country on the list, but would adding it inadvertently serve to legitimize the Taliban regime as the…
Oct 19, 2022 4:26 p.m.
Student Loan Reform Act would fine colleges 25% value of their students’ defaulted loans, add 20%…
Some of the bill’s provisions would particularly affect Sen. Cotton’s own alma mater: Harvard undergraduate and Harvard Law School.
Oct 18, 2022 10:55 a.m.
With midterm election next month, Vote Without Fear Act would ban most firearms within 300 feet of…
Voter intimidation is illegal under federal law. Does openly carrying a legal gun at an election site count?
Oct 14, 2022 1:10 p.m.
Resolutions to rename the Robert E. Lee National Memorial to Arlington House
In 1955 Congress named the house on the grounds of the Arlington National Cemetery the Robert E. Lee National Memorial to ...
Aug 31, 2022 4:17 p.m.
RAP Act: H.R. 8531: Restoring Artistic Protection Act of 2022
In this GovTrack #aBillaMinute, we discuss the RAP act (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/117/hr8531) with a little inspiration ...
Aug 22, 2022 7:12 p.m.