legislation news stories on Newser

Senators Want 'Lunatic' Deleted From Federal Laws

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:24:01 CDT

Two senators have introduced a bill to erase the word "lunatic" from the federal code because the term is considered outdated and offensive, reports the Los Angeles Times . "Federal law should reflect the 21st century understanding of mental illness and disease," says Kent Conrad of North Dakota, who co-sponsored the...

Wyoming Bill Prepares for Doomsday

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:00:06 CST

Wyoming lawmakers are ready for anything—even the apocalypse. House legislators advanced a bill Friday to prepare for a possible nationwide economic or political meltdown, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. The legislation would create a task force to consider steps such as issuing a state currency, drafting a statewide army, and...

Paul's Record: Quiet Futility

Kevin Spak — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:58:44 CST

Ron Paul has sponsored 620 measures in his 11-and-a-half terms in Congress, but only one of them has become a law—a bill allowing the sale of a Galveston customhouse to a historical society. That tells you much of what you need to know about Paul’s congressional record, which according...

Herman Cain: If a Bill Is More Than 3 Pages, I Won't Sign

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:20:09 CDT

People who may want to consider supporting Herman Cain: lovers of trees, fans of brevity, Americans who like the idea of reading government bills while eating dinner. At an appearance in Pella, Iowa, yesterday, Cain took shots at Barack Obama's "failure of leadership," and said he decided to run after...

5 Common-Sense Bills We Need to Pass

John Johnson — Sun, 15 May 2011 05:13:19 CDT

Ezra Klein uses his Washington Post column to give a push to what he sees as logical bills languishing for lack of "partisan passion." Among his first No-Brainer Awards: Weekend voting: A bill from Rep. Steve Israel and outgoing Sen. Herb Kohl would end the outdated silliness of forcing people...

Nine Batty Tea Party Bills

Polly Davis Doig — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:41:00 CST

Tea Partiers are taking their fight to state halls around the country, and Justin Elliott over at Salon rounds up some of the more creative pieces of legislation they've put on the table. Without ado: Yay, global warming: Montana not only wants to proclaim that global warming is a natural...

Smoking in Bhutan? Cops Can Raid Your Home

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:43:56 CST

It’s not a good time to be a smoker in Bhutan: In an effort to become the world’s first smoke-free nation, the Buddhist country will now allow police to raid homes in an effort to smoke out illegal smokers. Bhutan banned sales of tobacco in 2005, but it's often smuggled...

Most Productive Congress Since 1960s Adjourns

Matt Cantor — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 07:37:19 CST

The 111th Congress adjourned last night, after passing more key legislation that affected more Americans than any since Lyndon Johnson’s 1960s “Great Society,” Bloomberg reports. That included $1.67 trillion spent to save the economy, health insurance for 32 million people, and new regulations on Wall Street; in the lame-duck...

Lawmaker: McCain Killed Soldier Counseling

Matt Cantor — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:39:52 CST

Prompted by the suicide of a young soldier, a Democratic representative tried to pass legislation to get more counseling and resources to Reserve members—and he blames John McCain for quashing it. “I know for a fact, because he told me, that Sen. McCain doesn't support it,” New Jersey's Rush...