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On December 1st, 2023, Representative George Santos of New York was expelled by his colleagues, making him the sixth member of the United States House of Representatives to be expelled in history, and the first since 2002. By a vote of 311-114, the House voted to remove Santos after he was indicted on 23 felony charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of public funds. In addition, an investigation by the House Ethics Committee implicated him in any of these crimes, and is widely seen as the reason for the expulsion vote. Per law in New York State, Governor Kathy Hochul has scheduled a special election to be held on February 13th, 2024. The Democratic and Republican Parties of Nassau and Queens counties, where Santos represented in the House, will choose the nominees to compete in the election to succeed Santos. To read more about the expulsion vote and how your representative voted, click here. To read a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, click here. To read a statement from Representative Michael Guest of Mississippi, who led the ethics investigation into Santos, click here. To read a statement from Representative Michael Lawler of New York, click here. To read a statement from Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, click here. To read a statement from Representative Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Glenn Ivey of Maryland, click here.
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From November 28th to December 12th, 2023, the United Nations Climate Change Conference–the 28th Conference of Parties, otherwise known as COP 28–is meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to agree on ways to address the climate crisis. This annual meeting brings together world leaders in government, business, scientists, journalism, activism, and other institutions to discuss the problems of climate change and how to best come together and resolve and adapt to them. Some goals of this particular conference include curbing methane emissions and committing more funds to climate health and climate finance. To read a statement from Vice President Kamala Harris, click here. To read a statement from Representative Bill Johnson of Ohio, click here. To read a statement from Representative John Curtis of Utah, click here. To read a statement from Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Nanette Barragan of California, click here.
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On December 6th, 2023, the United States House of Representatives passed the “Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023.” This bill, which passed on a vote of 221-197, would limit the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate emissions standards for new motor vehicles. It also specifies that the EPA is not prohibited from prescribing regulations related to new motor vehicle standards that mandate the use of any specific technology or results in limited availability of new motor vehicles based on the type of new motor vehicle engine. To read more about the bill, as well as how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from the bill sponsor, Representative Tim Walberg from Michigan, click here. To read a statement from Representative Debbie Lesko of Arizona, click here. To read a statement from Representative Rick Allen of Georgia, click here. To read a statement from Representative Doris Matsui of California click here. To read a statement from Representative Kathy Castor of Florida, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan, click here.
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On September 30, 2023, Representative Jamaal Bowman of the 16th Congressional District of New York pulled a fire alarm during the time that the House of Representatives were considering legislation to prevent Federal agencies and departments from shutting down. On October 26, 2023, Representative Bowman was placed on probation, wrote a letter to the United States Capitol Police apologizing for his act, and was required to pay a $1,000 fine following his guilty plea. The House of Representatives passed a resolution on December 7, 2023, censuring Representative Bowman, and passed on a vote of 214 to 191. To read more about the bill and how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from Representative and bill sponsor Lisa McClain of Michigan, click here. To read a statement from Representative Mark Alford of Missouri, click here. To read a statement from Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, click here. To read a statement from Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, click here. To read a statement from Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Katie Porter of California, click here.
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On December 11, 2023, the House passed HR 5378 which is a bill pertaining to the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, and passed on a vote of 320 to 71. This bill requires health care providers and insurers to disclose certain information about health care costs and its role is to promote the transparency of pricing in the healthcare industry. The specifics of these changes and further transparencies include hospital pricing, imaging, pharmaceutical benefits, health coverage and more. Reports on the implementation in Medicare and the prevention of spread pricing in Medicaid are part of the bill details. To read more about the bill and how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers of Washington, click here. To read a statement from Representative John Joyce of Pennsylvania, click here. To read a statement from Representative Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, click here. To read a statement from Representative Lloyd Dogget of Texas, click here. To read a statement from Representative Bobby Scott of Virginia, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, click here.
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On December 13th, 2023, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution to begin an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. Passed by a vote of 221-212 party-line vote, this resolution effectively puts on record the House’s support for three congressional committees to begin an investigation into potential wrongdoing by the president related to business dealings with his son, Hunter Biden, in what they claim is an influence-peddling scheme. To read more about the resolution, as well as how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from President Biden, click here. To read a statement from House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, click here. To read a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, click here. To read a statement from Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, Representative Jason Smith of Missouri, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Frank Mrvan of Indiana, click here.
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On December 12th, 2023, the United States House of Representatives passed the Ensuring Accountability in Agency Rulemaking Act. This bill, which passed by a vote of 218-203 would require, with limited exceptions, that any agency rule promulgated under notice and comment procedures must be issued and signed by an individual who was appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. It will now likely move on to the United States Senate for consideration. To read more about the bill, as well as how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from the sponsor of the bill, Representative Ben Cline of Virginia, click here. To read a statement from Representative Frank Mrvan of Indiana, click here. To read a statement from Representative Jared Golden of Maine, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Greg Murphy of North Carolina, click here.
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On December 13th, 2023, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass a resolution condemning antisemitism on University campuses and the testimony of university presidents in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Passed by a vote of 303-126, this bill comes in response to statements made by presidents from Harvard, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania in a hearing about antisemitism on college campuses. When asked if calls for the genocide of Jewish people would violate their schools’ codes of conduct, the presidents gave answers that did not necessarily answer the question. To read more about this bill, as well as how your representatives voted for it, click here. To read a statement from Representative Zoe Lofgren of California, click here. To read a statement from Representatives Betty McCollum of Minnesota and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, click here. To read a statement from Representative Tim Walberg of Michigan, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, who leads the House Education Committee, click here.
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On December 13th, 2023, the House passed HR 1147 on a vote of 330-99, and is a bill pertaining to the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2023. This bill amends requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), allowing schools who participate in this program to serve whole milk. Additional components include, offering students a variety of milk: flavored, unflavored, organic, non-organic whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, fat-free fluid milk, and lactose-free fluid milk. The secretary prohibits schools who are part of the program from purchasing milk from China state-owned organizations. For students whose disability creates dietary restrictions, the school shall provide a fluid milk substitute when provided written confirmation from a licensed physician. To read more about the bill and how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from Cory Mills of Florida, click here. To read a statement from Jim Costa of California, click here. To read a statement from Mary Miller of Illinois, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Bobby Scott of Virginia, click here.
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