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.

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.

South Central Pennsylvania Legislators

Senator John Fetterman - Contrary to media coverage, Fetterman is a progressive's progressive. He regularly introduces or cosponsors legislation featuring civil rights, women's health and women's rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, labor, and gun control. His primary cause: Labor and unions. Fetterman is also the only politician from south central Pennsylvania who sits on the agriculture committee.
Senator Dave McCormick - Some days, McCormick is a Romney Republican. Working through the legislation he introduces or cosponsors, I occasionally think there's hope. Then when Trump makes a big deal out of something, he backs down. Perhaps he is a Romney Republican after all...
Rep. John Joyce - Since John Joyce is an M.D., you would think he would be all over legislation affecting our health. Nope. Doesn't matter whether it's a Republican or a Democratic bill, Joyce is all but invisible on health matters. But if a bill is pro-Christian religion, he's front and center! He does not appear to believe in separation of church and state.
Rep. Lloyd Smucker - Not sure why we are paying this guy. His favorite pastime seems to be making Chamber of Commerce style "remarks" on the House floor, congratulating people in his district on job anniversaries. Very little legislation on his plate.

Topics

Links take you to new page with details.

Government shutdown (and debt ceiling) - Democrats worked through the last shutdown to initiate legislation to end it. They continue to work to put guardrails in place to prevent or shorten the next one.
Agricultural and rural - One of the few topic with a great deal of bipartisanship, both in the House and Senate. Nice to see!
AI, including SaaS, cybersecurity, and data privacy - The reach of this legislation should give us nightmares at night. Although the most egregious legislation tends to be Republican, even Democrats seem to be too enthusiastic about the use of artificial intelligence before we have guardrails in place.
ATF and gun control - Scarcity of legislation on this topic...
Civil rights: Race, ethnicity, religion - About the time I despair, a Democrat will come up with a well-thought-out piece of legislation that fights for minorities in this country.
FEMA and weather-related disasters, including climate change - See infrastructure topic. Same, with one exception: Flood control. Republicans in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina are all over flood control!
Fossil fuels and public utilities - Same as infrastructure, Republicans want to undo regulations protecting American communities from e.g., pipeline explosions or oil spills. Democrats are fighting to keep everything in place, if not ensure greater safety.
Health, includes Obamacare and non-Medicare health insurance - Reading Republican legislation, you'd think they don't believe Republicans ever get sick. Another topic with vast divide between the parties. There are a handful of Republicans in the House who are breaking ranks, thank goodness.
Immigration policy - With DHS at the forefront of current news cycles, you'd think immigration legislation would be high priority. Not so much.
Infrastructure: FAA, FCC, FTC, infrastructure projects, broadcast rights - Democrats and Republicans have vastly divergent views on this topic. Republicans want no regulation and seek to undo laws from the past fifty years. Democrats seek to hold corporations accountable.
International and human rights - On this topic, Republicans and Democrats are splintered into a million little pieces. There's little cohesive work here. That said, it is one of the few topics where Republicans seem more than willing to buck Trump, censuring Russia and supporting Ukraine.
Labor, unions, and NCAA-NIL - The only positive legislation in this topic comes from Democrats. And I am not sure when Congress was deemed competent to take up the NIL issue in sports, but they clearly think it's part of their job description.
LGBTQIA+ rights - Again, almost all Democratic legislation. I do not understand how anyone who is LGBTQIA+ could vote Republican.
Medicaid - I separated Medicaid from Social Security and Medicare once it became clear that even Republicans who support Medicare legislation may not necessarily want the Medicaid safety net in place. It's depressing.
National security, including DHS, ICE, Secret Service, and Coast Guard - This legislation scares me to death.
Other Green legislation (non-FEMA, non-weather related) - Similar to infrastructure, Republicans are busy dismantling guardrails, while Democrats work to keep them in place.
Public lands: National Park Service, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management - This topic deserves far more news coverage. Republicans are trying to steal our public lands right out from under our noses! Regular Republicans (not in Congress) should panic along with us Democrats. This impacts all of us regular Americans.
Rural health - As with agriculture in general, far more bipartisanship regarding rural health than with the broader scope of health legislation.
Safety net: ADA, Affordable Housing, Childcare, FMLA, Foster Care, SNAP, and Unemployment-Underemployment - Same song, fifteenth verse. Democrats pushing for greater safety net, while Republicans are trying to cut it down.
Separation of powers - Democrats are pushing back against the Executive and Judiciary branches' power grab. It's nice to see, but truly, this is newsworthy. I don't understand why MS NOW isn't giving this more air time.
SSA and Medicare - Sixteenth verse.
Taxes and tariffs - It's mindboggling how much legislation Republicans are generating on this topic!
Voting rights - Not a great deal of legislation, but what Democrats are doing is noble and should be praised.
Washington, DC - I am not sure what Republican end game is with the District of Columbia. They seem hell-bent on dismantling it.
Women's rights and women's health - Seventeenth verse.

NOT covered (because I don't know enough about the topics) - Banking, Science (including NASA, which I love), Securities and Exchange Commission.

If this post helped you in your research, please consider leaving a tip here: TIP JAR.

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Old way to handle this research project... Leaving the links because of Substack, but reorganized above.

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.