About the resolution
One of the most controversial bills in this Congress split the two parties so much that the Senate vote produced no Republicans opposed and no Democrats in favor. And it could potentially kick a large number of people around the country off of unemployment insurance or food stamps.
The context and what the law does
Existing federal law barred states from drug testing anybody claiming food stamps as a means of screening those people out. A 1960s Democrat-led Department of Labor ruling similarly banned states from drug testing those claiming unemployment insurance until 2012.
Then, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 — passed by a Republican House compromising with President Obama — allowed states to drug test unemployment claimants under specific narrow circumstances. At least …
Sponsor and status
115th Congress (2017–2019)
Enacted — Signed by the President on Mar 31, 2017
This resolution was enacted after being signed by the President on March 31, 2017.
35 Cosponsors (35 Republicans)
Position statements
What legislators are saying
“Rep. Kelly Releases Annual Report for 2017”
—
Rep. Mike Kelly [R-PA16]
(Co-sponsor)
on Jan 8, 2018
“Providing More Relief from Obama Regulations”
—
Rep. Bill Flores [R-TX17, 2011-2020]
(Co-sponsor)
on Feb 16, 2017
“Van Hollen Statement in Opposition to the Resolution to Disapprove of the DOL Drug Testing Rule”
—
Sen. Chris Van Hollen [D-MD]
on Mar 15, 2017
Incorporated legislation
This resolution incorporates provisions from:
S.J.Res. 23: A joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to drug testing of unemployment compensation applicants.
Introduced on Feb 16, 2017. 100% incorporated. (compare text)
History
H.J.Res. 42 (115th) was a joint resolution in the United States Congress.
A joint resolution is often used in the same manner as a bill. If passed by both the House and Senate in identical form and signed by the President, it becomes a law. Joint resolutions are also used to propose amendments to the Constitution.
Resolutions numbers restart every two years. That means there are other resolutions with the number H.J.Res. 42. This is the one from the 115th Congress.
This joint resolution was introduced in the 115th Congress, which met from Jan 3, 2017 to Jan 3, 2019. Legislation not passed by the end of a Congress is cleared from the books.
How to cite this information.
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“H.J.Res. 42 — 115th Congress: Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to drug testing of unemployment ….” www.GovTrack.us. 2017. October 2, 2023 <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hjres42>
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Where is this information from?
GovTrack automatically collects legislative information from a variety of governmental and non-governmental sources. This page is sourced primarily from Congress.gov, the official portal of the United States Congress. Congress.gov is generally updated one day after events occur, and so legislative activity shown here may be one day behind. Data via the congress project.
