The Vote Smart Research Team worked hard this month along side their new
members to bring you (the best) Facts For All! Check out some of the key
highlights below!

VOTES

COVID National Emergency Status Repealed

On March 29, 2023, the United States House of Representatives and the
United States Senate both passed a joint resolution relating to a national
emergency declared by the president on March 13, 2020. This bill, which
passed by a vote of 228 to 197 in the House and 68-23 in the Senate,
repeals the COVID-19 national emergency declared by President Donald Trump
on March 13, 2020. To read more about the bill and how your representatives
and senators voted, click [1]here.

Lower Energy Costs Act

On March 30, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted on the
Lower Energy Costs Act. Passed on a vote of 225 to 204, this bill would
appropriate funding for exploration, development, importation, and
exportation of energy resources, such as oil and gas. Click [2]here to read
our summary of the legislation.

Protect Women and Girls in Sports Act 2023

On April 20, 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protection
of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023. This bill, which passed on a
party-line vote of 219-203, would prohibit school athletic programs from
allowing individuals whose biological sex at birth was male to participate
in programs that are for women or girls. It additionally establishes this
as a violation of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of
sex in federally funded education programs or activities, including in
public schools and colleges and universities. It will now move on to the
U.S. Senate for consideration. To learn more about this bill, as well as
how your representatives voted, please click [3]here.

Fire Grants and Safety Act Amendment

On April 20, 2023, the U.S. Senate passed the Fire Grants and Safety Act.
This bill, which passed by a vote of 95-2, would amend the Federal Fire
Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize $95 million in total
appropriations for the United States Fire Administration and firefighter
assistance grant programs. It additionally requires the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct an audit of and issue a publicly
available report on the United States Fire Administration. To read more
about the bill and how your senators voted, click [4]here.

Statements

Tennessee Expulsion Vote

On April 6, 2023, the Tennessee State House of Representatives voted to
expel two of three members. The three members in question, Gloria Johnson,
Justin Jones, and Justin J. Pearson, were accused of breaking the House’s
rules of decorum by leading protests for gun reform in the wake of the mass
shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville. Each member faced an
expulsion vote, and only Representatives Jones and Pearson were expelled
from the chamber, both on largely party-line votes. To read a statement
from President Joe Biden, click [5]here.

Mifepristone Hold

On April 7, 2023, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of Texas ordered a
hold on federal approval of the drug mifepristone, which is used to end a
pregnancy early. This hold on mifepristone, which was approved by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000 and used by millions of pregnant
people, could severely limit access to the drug. Click [6]here to read a
statement from President Biden on the matter.

Kentucky Bank Shooting

On April 10, 2023, there was a mass shooting at the Old National Bank in
Louisville, Kentucky. The shooter, a 25-year old former employee of the
bank, killed six people (including himself) and injured nine others. There
have been over 140 mass shootings this year, and led to more calls for
federal legislation to ban assault weapons. To read a statement from
President Joe Biden, click [7]here. To read a statement from Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, click [8]here.

Suspect in US Intelligence Leak Arrested

This month, two sets of classified documents were leaked from the
Department of Defense by a 21-year old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman
named Jack Teixeira. The documents, which included classified information
about the Ukraine war and other national security issues, showed up on
social media first before investigators tracked the leaks back to a Discord
server. On April 13th, Teixeira was arrested by federal law enforcement. To
read a statement from Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed of Rhode
Island, click [9]here.

President Biden Announces 2024 Campaign

On April 25, 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he was running
for the Democratic Party’s nomination for reelection as president. In a
video announcing his campaign, Biden stressed his record over the past two
years in office and highlighted protecting democracy and growing the
economy as the main themes of his campaign. To read a statement from Biden,
click [10]here. To read a statement from one of Biden’s potential
opponents, former President Donald Trump, click [11]here. To read a
statement from Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, click [12]here. Lastly,
to read a statement from the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2016
and Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, click [13]here.

ELECTIONS

State Legislative Elections:

[14]Mississippi Elections

[15]New Jersey Elections

State Judicial Elections:

[16]Pennsylvania State Judicial Candidates

2023 Special Elections:

[17]Wisconsin State Judicial Elections

[18]Wisconsin State Senate Special Elections

[19]Wisconsin Ballot Measures

Want to learn more about the leadership in each state legislature? You can
see the full leadership rosters here: [20]All States

Thanks for following along and for your support!

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[28]Vote Smart is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides
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legislation. By providing information in an easy and accessible manner,
Vote Smart believes that citizens can better defend themselves from the
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