In 1971, the Equal Rights Amendment passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 354 to 24. In 1972, the ERA passed the Senate with a vote of 84 to 8. Not being ratified by enough states, the Equal Rights Amendment failed to become part of the United States Constitution. In the 110th Congress [...]

The text of H.R. 875 is nominally neutral in preventing courts from ruling on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act: it prohibits courts from ruling that DOMA is constitutional or unconstitutional. This does not mean that H.R. 875 is neutral in its intent. The following is a list of Representatives who have cosponsored [...]

Seven county officials of the New York State Republican Party got together in a closed room last week and chose Jane Corwin as the Republican Party selectee for a special election to replace disgraced Republican Christopher Lee in the 26th District seat of the United States Congress. Just who is Jane Corwin? One way to [...]

The four members of the House of Representatives who have not yet introduced a single amendment or bill to the 112th Congress, or even cosponsored another member’s bill, are: John Carney [D-DE] Ed Perlmutter [D-CO-7] Nydia Velázquez [D-NY-12] Peter Visclosky [D-IN-1] All four are Democrats, and only one — John Carney of Delaware — is [...]

A number of political advocacy organizations need Americans to think of Congress in dire and extreme terms in order to attract donations and advance their particular causes. As Bill Nissim advises non-profit organizations: “The human mind can only attach one specific meaning or feeling to an item. Although the overall perception of that item represents [...]

In the wake of the passage of health care reform by both houses of Congress in March 2010, Republican legislators rushed for the title of The One who introduced repeal legislation. In the last days of March, representatives Michele Bachmann of Minnesota (H.R. 4903), Steve King of Iowa (H.R. 4972), Jerry Moran of Kansas (H.R. [...]

Last month, Senator John McCain introduced S. 3081, a bill giving the government power to imprison its own citizens without criminal charges or a trial. The sweeping new powers would apply anywhere in the world, even within the borders of the United States itself. On the say-so of a presidential administration, you and anyone else [...]

The habit of voting along with the Republican Party has not made Brad Ellsworth a more successful member of Congress.

The beginning of a new month marks a good time to look back at the old. And so, with an update of our LGBT Equality Caucus Report, let’s consider what members of one of the largest caucuses on Capitol Hill were up to in January of 2010. In the month of January, 3 new bills [...]

In February of 2009, second-term congressman Bruce Braley of Iowa announced the formation of a new Congressional Member Organization in the House of Representatives: the Populist Caucus. A year later, the Populist Caucus has grown from 23 to 30 members and has built a record through mission statements, advisory letters and a “Blueprint for Recovery” [...]