Legislative research

Detail for "political" posts on Substack (Now More Than Ever).

Full disclosure: That Substack looks at legislation from a centrist Democratic viewpoint. If I were doing a similar project for your company, I would not include the snarky comments.

After a rough start trying to follow everything related to our four people in Congress, I now follow legislation on specific subjects only - topics I know a little about and therefore genuinely care about legislation that impacts those matters of business.

Topics: SaaS, cybersecurity, and AI; Taxes; DOGE; Small Business Administration; Our Safety Net (Rural healthcare, Medicaid, Medicare-Medicare Advantage, Social Security, SNAP, unemployment, and more); Agriculture and Rural Issues; ATF-DHS-Secret Service; Civil Rights; Immigration; EPA, National Park Service, and related; FCC, FTC, and infrastructure; Foreign Affairs; Human Rights.

I also write about legislation introduced or cosponsored by our four south central Pennsylvania legislators: Sen. John Fetterman; Sen. Dave McCormick; Rep. John Joyce; and, Rep. Lloyd Smucker.

These posts solely cover details. Summary and analyses are always posted on Now More Than Ever. (PS: You will notice an evolution in how these are put together...) If you subscribe to that Substack - free or paid - you will receive notices about new summary posts.

Newest to oldest.

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Legislation that affects our health: August 22, 2025 – October 9, 2025. Sincerest thanks to Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), Michael Lawler (NY), and Gus Bilirakis (FL) for setting an example I wish more of your GOP friends would follow.

Legislation affecting Social Security and Medicare: August 22, 2025 – October 9, 2025. Republicans continue to behave as if Social Security and Medicare are entitlements. Grrr. - Post in chronological order. Buildup to the shutdown.

SNAP, FMLA, and other safety nets: August 25, 2025 – October 9, 2025. None of these programs is “more important” than others. It depends on your personal circumstances as to how you would rank their importance. Once again, there’s a mighty gulf between the parties.

Legislation affecting Medicaid: August 25, 2025 – October 9, 2025. There's a clear divide between Democrats and Republicans on the topic of Medicaid. I don't know if the gulf between the two positions can be bridged.

Legislation regarding rural hospitals and clinics: August 25, 2025 – October 9, 2025. From telehealth options, to forcing specific definitions of "rural" for funding purposes, to allowing rural clinics to be staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants... bipartisan!

The looming crisis (and Republicans are fiddling while DC burns): June 12, 2025 - September 23, 2025. From the Web site of the House Budget Committee: "What We’re Lacking in Washington Is Courage to Do What Is Necessary." Posted by a clueless Republican.

House Ways and Means Committee activity: July 21, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation includes gun safety, Medicare, tax credits for teachers, local journalism, nonprofits, fentanyl, African diaspora, port cranes, Social Security, debt ceiling, IVF, and ICE.

House Energy and Commerce Committee activity, executive communications only: July 21, 2025 – August 22, 2025. If you worry about toxic waste or air quality or even which TV stations are approved where, this is where you'll find that information. Except...

House Energy and Commerce Committee activity: July 21, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation includes healthcare, climate change, Medicare, Fentanyl, price gouging, showerheads, porn, prescription drugs, reproductive rights, boxing, IVF, coal mining, and more.

House Budget Committee activity: July 21, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation considered: Debt ceiling, Texas flood emergency, Social Security, Pell Grants, loan forgiveness. And yes, Al Green, you're a national treasure.

House Agriculture Committee activity: July 21, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation considered by this committee includes farm ownership loans, the spotted lanternfly, drinking water, SNAP, biomanufacturing, wildfire prep, forest service, and seedlings.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee activity: July 18, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation referred to this committee includes strengthening the Quad, sanctions again China-Russia-Iran, Indo-Pacific cooperative work, human rights, support for Ukraine, and sex trafficking.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee activity: July 18, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation referred to this committee includes tons of land grabs by Trump Republicans, deregulation, but on the flip side, an attempt to remove Francis Newlands' name on a DC fountain.

Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry Committee activity: July 18, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation includes wildfires, pesticides, logging, custom slaughter facilities, healthy drinking water, organic dairy, SNAP, screwworms, forests, National Forest Service, broadband, USDA, seedlings.

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation activity: July 18, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation included Coast Guard, pipeline safety, AI, risk management, cruise ships, offshored workers, NOAA, NASA, NSF, NIST, broadband, robocalls, biotechnology, and the Mauna Loa Observatory.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Activity: July 18, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Legislation referred to committee includes ZIP code changes, addition of extreme heat to definition of major disaster, firefighters pay, risk assessment, AI. And lots affecting Washington, DC.

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation activity (ECs): July 18, 2025 – August 22, 2025. 179 executive communications for this single committee over 7 days. A great many written by interns or extremely junior individuals. Oh yea. Pipeline safety regs penned by interns.

Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee activity: July 18, 2025 – August 22, 2025. Topics of legislation referred to this committee include AI, affordable housing, "digital assets," China, real estate, manufactured and modular housing, and debt relief.

Committee alerts: July 18, 2025–July 25, 2025 (House Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Budget). Neither John Joyce nor Lloyd Smucker sits on the Agriculture Committee. South Central Pennsylvania has no representation on legislation that passes through that committee.

Pennsylvania politics: July 1, 2025 – July 17, 2025. If something doesn’t get out of committee, it’s dead in the water. If one of our four politicians sits on committees that are considering legislation or resolutions, they’re hearing from me.

Pennsylvania politics: June 13, 2025 – June 30, 2025. If I miss anything, get anything wrong, misspeak, mistype, please let me know. We can only take our country back if we have good facts.