Congress' lame duck agenda is becoming more pressing as 2010 winds down, and the public appears to be taking notice. The 10 most-searched bills last week on THOMAS.gov, the Library of Congress website dedicated to tracking legislation, include five bills new to the list that have either been passed during the lame duck congressional session or are hot topics on Capitol Hill as the 111th Congress winds down. An extension of the tax cuts for the middle class (No. 1), a food safety overhaul (No. 8), and legislation to help young immigrants attain resident status (No. 10) all received fresh attention from online legislation browsers last week.
Below are last week's 10 most-searched bills, according to data compiled on December 5.
1. Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 4853)
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-MN)
In its original form, the Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010 would have permanently extended the so-called 2001 "Bush tax cuts" for Americans making less than $200,000 per year and couples making less than $250,000 annually, and would also have permanently extended tax relief provisions like the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, and education tax incentives like the deduction of student loan interest. But on Monday, President Obama announced that he had reached a compromise with congressional Republicans to institute tax cuts across the board as well as numerous other forms of tax relief, in exchange for the extension of unemployment benefits. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced an amendment containing these provisions on December 9. Both Obama and both parties in Congress agree that the issue needs to be addressed, as the Bush-era tax cuts expire on January 1, 2011. [Check out our editorial cartoons on the GOP.]
2. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590)
Previous ranking: 1
Sponsor: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
More commonly known as the healthcare reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law on March 23, 2010. Among the many changes it makes to the existing healthcare system, the law requires that all individuals have health insurance--a provision known as the "individual mandate"--and prohibits insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, two provisions that both go into effect in 2014. More than a dozen provisions are scheduled to take effect in 2010, with the rest to be phased in through 2018. Fourteen states are currently challenging the law in federal courts, and a Virginia judge has said that he would rule by the end of the year on whether the individual mandate is constitutional.
3. Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (H.R. 4783)
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI)
This bill provides for $3.4 billion in settlements for a class-action lawsuit filed against the U.S. government by Native Americans charging that the government mismanaged Indian Trust accounts, cheating them out of royalties for natural resources. The bill also allocates $1.2 billion to settle a lawsuit filed in 1997 alleging that the USDA was discriminating against black farmers in its farm loans and assistance programs. The bill was presented to the president on December 3 and awaits his signature.
4. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173)
Previous ranking: 3
Sponsor: Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
Also known as the "Restoring American Financial Stability Act," or more commonly as the "financial regulatory reform bill," this legislation was signed by President Obama on July 21, six months after its initial introduction. This law is intended to address the causes of the 2008 economic crisis. To that end, the bill seeks to provide a way to liquidate failed firms and has also created a watchdog council at the Federal Reserve, the Financial Stability Oversight Council. [See a list of the finance and credit industry's favorite lawmakers.]
5. Debt Free America Act (H.R. 4646)
Previous ranking: 2
Sponsor: Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
This bill has been among THOMAS's top 10 since August 30, despite having received little attention in Congress. The Debt Free America Act aims to eliminate the $13 trillion national debt within seven years by levying a 1 percent tax on all financial and retail transactions, except for those involving stock. The bill would also repeal the individual income tax as of December 31, 2017, and create a bipartisan task force that would make recommendations about how to limit federal spending. Fattah's legislation was introduced in February 2010 and immediately referred to committee, with no action taken on it since. However, the proposal has generated outrage in the blogosphere at the idea of a tax on transactions. The bill has been discussed on a wide range of websites, from minor political blogs to the popular myth-debunking site Snopes.com
6. Physician Payment and Therapy Relief Act of 2010 (H.R. 5712)
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI)
Congress passed this bill to extend until the end of December the existing Medicare physician payment rates, which would have expired on November 30. If not passed, doctors would have faced the scheduled 23 percent cut in their reimbursements from Medicare. Lawmakers are currently working on a deal to further extend these rates.
7. Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (H.R. 3081)
Previous ranking: 7
Sponsor: Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
Congress hasn't yet passed spending bills to fund the government for the new fiscal year, which began on October 1. So they passed this temporary appropriations bill before they went on recess so that federal programs and offices could operate until they pass the full spending bills. Passing a FY 2011 budget, or at least another appropriations bill to fund the government until the 112th Congress can address the budget, is one of the chief tasks of the lame-duck Congress. [See who contributes the most to Lowey.]
8. Safe FEAST Act of 2009 (H.R. 1332)
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)
The Safe FEAST Act is the House food safety overhaul bill. In the wake of recent massive recalls of food items like peanuts, spinach, and eggs, Congress is pushing for greater government power and oversight authority in the area of food safety. The Safe FEAST Act would give the Health and Human Services Department the authority to suspend food facilities' registrations and order recalls. It would also allow the Secretary to allocate resources for the inspection of domestic food production facilities, as well as ports of entry for foreign food. Though this particular bill has seen little action since its March 2009 introduction, a similar bill passed the Senate on November 30.
9. Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 (H.R. 45)
Previous ranking: 4
Sponsor: Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL)
Named after a Chicago teen who was gunned down in 2007 on a public bus, this act would tighten gun ownership provisions in the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, a 1993 law that mandated background checks on gun buyers. The Blair Holt act would require anyone possessing a firearm to first obtain a firearm license. The bill was introduced at the start of 2009 and has remained in the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security since February of that year. [See who in Congress gets the most from gun control groups.]
10. American Dream Act (H.R. 1751)
Not on list last week
Sponsor: Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA)
The American Dream Act would allow the Homeland Security Department to grant conditional permanent residency to aliens who entered the U.S. before they were sixteen and have been here for five or more years, provided that they have been admitted to institutions of higher education or have earned a high school diploma or GED. The American Dream act is similar to the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, better known as the "DREAM Act." The White House has been pushing Congress to pass the DREAM Act. [Check out a roundup of editorial cartoons on immigration.]
- See who is donating to your member of Congress.
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- See a slide show of new faces in the Senate.
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