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Homeless students slipping through the cracks during the pandemic, congressional panel told
WASHINGTON — Witnesses advised a U.S. House panel on how federal relief aid can help bridge educational gaps among children who are homeless and in foster care during the pandemic. James Lane, Virginia’s state superintendent of public instruction, told the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee that that because the American Rescue Plan provided $800 […]
Virginia’s GOP congressmen largely silent on Cheney’s ouster for rejecting Trump’s ‘big lie’
WASHINGTON — House Republicans voted Wednesday to remove U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position after her continued pushback against former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud in the presidential election. Virginia’s Republican House members kept mostly quiet about the vote. Saying they want to unite the party in an attempt to […]
Senators deadlock on major U.S. elections bill in committee vote
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats on Tuesday tackled a massive voting reforms bill in committee in a heated daylong debate. But the final vote on the bill by the Senate Rules Committee was a 9-9 tie, which means Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer likely would have to use a Senate procedure to bring the legislation to […]
Biden to order $15-an-hour minimum wage for federal contract workers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order Tuesday to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $15 an hour, according to senior administration officials. The order will go into effect Jan. 30 of next year, according to a fact sheet provided by the administration. Once in place through new […]
Federal background checks on ammunition sales pushed by Democrats
WASHINGTON — Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Tuesday reintroduced legislation that would require instant background checks to prevent individuals with a criminal record from illegally purchasing ammunition. The measure backed by the Democrats, known as Jaime’s Law, is named in honor of Jaime Guttenberg, a student who […]
Biden administration to suggest model ‘red flag’ gun laws for states
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice will distribute model “red flag” legislation to states so they can enact laws that would allow courts to temporarily remove a firearm from an individual who is distressed, according to senior Biden administration officials. “The president will not wait for Congress to act before the administration takes our own […]
Police officer dead after suspect rams car into barricade outside U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON—One U.S. Capitol Police officer was dead and another injured Friday after a driver slammed a car into a barricade outside the Capitol and struck the officers, according to law enforcement. The suspect in the vehicle was shot and killed, said Yogananda Pittman, the acting chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, during a press conference. Police […]
Voting rights advocates air worries about onslaught of new state election laws
WASHINGTON — A U.S. House elections panel on Thursday heard from witnesses about the need to craft a new formula that identifies which states or jurisdictions have problematic histories of racial discrimination when it comes to access to the ballot box. The hearing in the House Administration Committee’s elections subcommittee also served as a way […]
Special report: Dozens of members of Congress are vaccinated against COVID-19, but some still hesitate
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress were among the first people in the U.S. to have access to the sought-after COVID-19 vaccine when the initial doses became available in December. Three months later, a States Newsroom survey across 22 states — making up a large swath of Congress — found at least 155 members of the U.S. House […]
House Agriculture panel probes ‘systemic’ USDA discrimination against Black farmers
WASHINGTON — The House Agriculture Committee on Thursday took testimony on decades of racial discrimination faced by Black farmers in their dealings with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The committee’s chairman, Rep. David Scott, (D-Ga.), said the testimony at the virtual hearing would help the panel craft legislation that aims to increase the number of […]
Biden calls on Senate to act on background checks after mass shooting in Colorado
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged the U.S. Senate to immediately pass legislation to close loopholes on background checks for guns and to ban assault weapons, following a mass shooting that killed 10 at a Colorado supermarket. “This should not be a partisan issue,” Biden said. “This is an American issue.” Biden’s remarks […]
Senate passes coronavirus relief aid; bill now returns to the House
The U.S. Senate passed President Joe Biden’s nearly $2 trillion stimulus plan Saturday afternoon after wrangling over an amendment to trim unemployment benefits derailed the bill’s passage for nearly an entire day. The Senate version, which does not include a federal minimum wage hike and puts limits on the funding for state and local governments, […]