Hi all! Defined as a “rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law,” Executive Orders (EOs) direct the actions of Federal agencies and the employees that work for a Federal agency.  This is why President Biden’s latest EO (signed 3/7/2021) is troubling, to say the least!  Read the following and tell me what you think! The Democrats know that their efforts to get H.R. 1 – For the People Act of 2021 -- passed through the Senate will fail because the chamber is evenly split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans.  They will need 60 votes to pass.  On March 7, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order # _(not assigned yet)__, “Promoting Access to Voting”.  This EO touts that – Continue reading

Please note that another bill--# HR 8, “The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021”—will be considered by the House in the next couple of weeks along with HR 1446 addressed in the post below.  HR 8  also proposes to amend 18 USC Sec 922 to require universal background checks.

The “Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021” introduced by Representative Clyburn (D-SC), #HR 1446, on March 1, 2021, purports to “strengthen background check procedures to be followed before a Federal firearms licensee may transfer a firearm to a person who is not a licensee.” By way of additional background, 18 United States Code (USC) Sec. 922, Unlawful acts, provides, among other things, that it shall be unlawful for any person, except a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer, to engage in the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing in firearms, or in the course of such business to ship, transport, or receive any firearm in interstate or foreign commerce. 18 USC Sec. 922, subsection (t), requires licensees to query the national instant criminal background check system prior to the transfer of a firearm to any other person to determine if the transfer would be legal. Continue reading

The House of Representatives’ Parliamentarian and the Senate Parliamentarian have both determined that the wage increase provisions (to $15.00 an hour over a 4-5 year period)  in the American Rescue Plan cannot be legislated through the reconciliation process, which requires only a simple majority to legislate spending bills.  Therefore, these wage increase provisions must be deleted from the bill if Congress wants to move forward with the reconciliation effort. 

Prohibition of Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identify and Religious Preferences On February 18, 2021, House of Representatives (HR) bill #5--a bill to “prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes” was introduced.  Known as the “Equality Act,” the bill purports to: “…clarify, confirm, and create greater consistency in the protections and remedies against discrimination on the basis of all covered characteristics and to provide guidance and notice to individuals, organizations, corporations, and agencies regarding their obligations under the law.” Continue reading

In opposition to the Biden Administration’s proposal to increase the Federal minimum wage to $15.00 an hour over a five-year period, Senators Tom Cotton and Mitt Romney introduced a bill, titled the “Higher Wages for American Workers Act”, which proposes to increase the Federal minimum wage only to $10.00 an hour over the same period of time.  The press release provides: Continue reading

It is getting a little tiresome using words like, “an abomination,” “radical,” and “tyrannical” when describing pieces of new legislation being introduced in Congress since President Biden took office.  However, it would be remiss not to use the words “most radical” – as the “Heritage Foundation” does – in describing the provisions within “The U.S. Citizenship Act (USCA) of 2021”: Continue reading

This witticism is often attributed to Everett Dirksen, former Senator from the State of Illinois: “A billion here, a billion there; pretty soon, we’re talking about real money!” I know we have gone way past that point, but I think it paints a stark picture of the thinking of Democrats in Congress. This COVID-19 relief bill, titled “The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, is being legislated through the budget reconciliation process, which only requires a simple majority voting for it in both Houses of Congress.  Otherwise, the bill would require a 2/3rds majority to pass.  So, Republicans are in no position to defeat the bill. President Biden expects the bill to be on his desk by mid-March 2021 and has indicated he will sign it. Continue reading

For your information: Based on a press release, and titled “The Family Security Act,” Senator Romney has proposed a monthly cash benefit of $350 to families for each child under the age of six—starting four months before birth—and $250 for each school aged child over six.  Continue reading

This bill was first introduced in the 116th Congress in May 2019 as House of Representatives (H.R.) Bill #2474.  It passed the House in February 2020, and was referred to the Senate.  Nothing appears to have been done with it since then.  Notwithstanding this, many people are now talking about this bill, and President Biden has indicated he will sign the bill into law if it ever reaches his desk. Continue reading