VoteSmart.org

The Vote Smart Research team has been hard at work this past month. Check
out some key highlights below!

VOTES

SHOW UP Act of 2023

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the SHOW UP Act of 2023 on
February 1 in a 221–206 vote. The bill requires each executive agency
reinstate the telework policies that were in place on December 31, 2019.
Click [1]here to read our summary of the legislation.

To terminate the requirement imposed by the Director of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention for proof of COVID-19 vaccination for
foreign travelers, and for other purposes.

On February 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to repeals
the order issued by the CDC restricting the entry of non-citizens who are
not immigrants into the United States by air travel unless they are fully
vaccinated against COVID-19 or otherwise attest that they will take public
health measures to prevent the spread of the disease. Click [2]here to read
our summary of the legislation.

Condemning the Chinese Communist Party's use of a high-altitude
surveillance balloon over United States territory as a brazen violation of
United States sovereignty

On February 9, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to
condemn China's violation of U.S. sovereignty and denounce the Chinese
Communist Party's efforts to deceive through false claims about its
intelligence collection campaigns in violation of U.S. sovereignty.
Click [3]here to read our summary of the legislation.

ELECTIONS

Special Elections

Several states held state legislative special elections in February. Click
each state to see the results: [4]Pennsylvania, [5]Louisiana, [6]Kentucky,
[7]New Hampshire, and [8]Wisconsin. Wisconsin also held a primary election
for a state judicial seat, which you can find the results for [9]here.

On February 21, voters in Virginia’s fourth congressional district elected
State Senator Jennifer McClellan to represent them in the House of
Representatives in a special election to fill the seat vacated by former
Representative Donald McEachin, who passed away in November of last year.
Click [10]here to view McClellan’s biography and [11]here to see the
results of the election.

Connecticut held special elections for three districts of the state House
yesterday. See the results by clicking [12]here.

STATEMENTS

Russia and Ukraine

On February 20, U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine,
the first since the war with Russia began. During the visit, which was
timed around the first anniversary of the war, Biden announced bipartisan
support for Ukraine’s effort as well as a half-million dollars in military
assistance. Click [13]here to read a statement from the White House on the
visit. View statements from members of Congress on the ongoing conflict[14]
[15]here.

East Palestine, Ohio

On February 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous
materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, starting a fire that sent
poisonous gases into the air for several days and forced an evacuation of
the area. This crisis has led to debates over the role of state and federal
governments in environmental and health incidents. Read a statement from
President Biden on the situation [16]here and statements from members of
Congress [17]here.

Chinese Surveillance Balloon

Earlier this month, a Chinese-operated balloon was seen in the airspace
over the United States and Canada before being shot down over the Atlantic
Ocean near South Carolina. In the aftermath, Secretary of State Antony
Blinken canceled an upcoming trip to China, the first such visit since
2018. Additionally, it led to the House of Representatives passing a
resolution to condemn the use of the surveillance balloon over American
airspace. Click [18]here to read the text of the resolution and the vote
breakdown. View statements from members on Congress on China [19]here.

Jimmy Carter

On February 18, former President Jimmy Carter entered hospice care and is
forgoing any further treatment, choosing instead to spend his remaining
time with his family. The former president, who is 98 years old and a
founding board member of Project Vote Smart, is the longest living
president and former president in American history. Read a statement from
President Biden [20]here and a statement from Representative Nikema
Williams of Georgia [21]here.

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[31]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
questionable rhetoric and misrepresentation that characterizes present-day
political campaigns.

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