Priority Level: H = High; M = Medium; L = Low; O = Ongoing

Please visit JBS.org and read the recommendations found under "Action" for more current news. Be sure also to visit the JBS Legislative Action Center. Activists who want to engage their representatives should also make our Letters From Congress page a regular stop.  You can also search for any bill in the 111th Congress.

The 111th Congress
As relevant legislation is introduced in the new Congress, we will step up our emphasis on our ongoing campaigns, such as Block the North American Union (NAU), Repeal NAFTA, and Stop Illegal Immigration and Amnesty. In the meantime, let's see what Congress is up to. The new Congress was sworn in on January 6, and two days later we found that 287 bills had been introduced in the House and 156 in the Senate! Here's an early-bird summary of some of this legislation (good and bad) of interest to constitutionalists:

Update:  S. 181  / H.R. 12 (the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act), was passed by the House on January 27 by a vote of 250-177. A White House spokesman said President Obama is scheduled to sign the bill into law on January 29.

Senate Majority Leader  Harry Reid (D-Nev.) wasted no time in introducing S. 7 to "expand educational opportunities for all Americans by increasing access to high-quality early childhood education and after school programs, advancing reform in elementary and secondary education," and more. Such legislation would increase federal involvement in education and also increase the amount of time federally controlled government educators have access to our children. S. 7 should be opposed.

Homeschoolers will welcome S. 83 and S. 101 to amend the IRS Code to expand the Coverdell education savings accounts to allow home school education expenses, introduced by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

H.R. 15 would provide a program of national health insurance. When one looks at the colossal failure of the Social Security program, the idea of creating another federal program to mismanage something as critical as health insurance should scare off anyone. Urge your rep. to reject any such program.

H.R. 17 would "protect the right to obtain firearms for security, and to use firearms in defense of self, family, or home, and to provide for the enforcement of such right." Supporters of the Second Amendment (which should include your representative) should agree and support this measure.

H.R. 45, in contrast, would "provide for the implementation of a system of licensing for purchasers of certain firearms and for a record of sale system for those firearms." Naturally, any federal restriction on firearms should be opposed.

Don't be fooled by measures such as H.R. 25: "To promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national sales tax to be administered primarily by the States." While the goal of abolishing the federal income tax and IRS is a worthy one, establishing a national sales tax (such as the VAT tax found in Europe) would just shift the burden and do nothing to restrict the size of government.  Educate your representative to oppose such measures.

H.R. 39 would "preserve the Arctic coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, as wilderness in recognition of its extraordinary natural ecosystems and for the permanent good of present and future generations of Americans." Gov. Sarah Palin and her fellow Alaskans seem capable of taking care of Alaska's resources without interference from Washington. Such federal intervention should be opposed.

H.R. 121 would "authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to first responders, and for other purposes." Remember the maxim that what the federal government subsidizes, it controls. We certainly do not want our local police, fire, and EMT forces to be beholden to (and dictated to) by Homeland Security. Such grants should be opposed.

Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) has introduced several bills to combat illegal immigration including H.R. 125 to eliminate the exceptions to the prohibition on adjustment of status of aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States; H.R. 126 to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to limit citizenship at birth, merely by virtue of birth in the United States, to persons with citizen or legal resident mothers; H.R. 128 to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to strengthen the criminal consequences for certain violations; and H.R. 139 to prohibit a Federal agency from accepting a form of individual identification issued by a foreign government, except a passport that is accepted on the date of enactment. All seem worthy of support.

H.R. 157 would treat the District of Columbia as a Congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives. Article I, Section  2 of the Constitution states that members of the House shall be chosen by the people of "the several states." Since the District of Columbia is not a state, it is not entitled to a representative. A similar bill introduced by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.),  S. 160, would provide the District of Columbia a voting seat and the state of Utah an additional seat in the House of Representatives. The inclusion of Utah is basically a bribe to get Republican support. Utah's representation will change in time with its population, while D.C.'s will remain a safe Democratic seat indefinitely. Both bills should be opposed.

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced several bills to amend the Internal Revenue Code, including: H.R. 161 to repeal the 1993 increase in taxes on Social Security benefits; H.R. 162 to repeal the inclusion in gross income of Social Security benefits; H.R. 163 to give tax benefits for retired individuals to purchase prescription drugs (and to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to facilitate the importation of prescription drugs and the sale of such drugs through Internet sites); and H.R. 164 to provide greater health care freedom for seniors. He also introduced H.R. 219 to ensure that surplus Social Security trust funds be invested in marketable interest-bearing obligations of the United States and certificates of deposit in financial institutions insured by the FDIC; H.R. 220 to protect the integrity and confidentiality of Social Security account numbers and also to prohibit the establishment of any federal uniform national identifying number, and to prohibit federal agencies from imposing standards for identification of individuals on other agencies or persons. Until such time as the income tax can be repealed and Social Security privatized, these bills would ease the burden imposed by current federal laws.

Pro-lifers will be glad that the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) has not been introduced as we write, but that Rep. Paul C. Broun (R-Ga.) introduced  H.R. 227 "To provide that human life shall be deemed to begin with fertilization." Furthermore, it already has 47 cosponsors!  Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) also introduced  S. 85 to amend title X of the Public Health Service Act to prohibit family planning grants from being awarded to any entity that performs abortions.

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced H.R. 232 to provide for the creation of a federal greenhouse gas registry. Federal funds should not be allocated to perpetuate global-warming fear mongering.

Champions of a true interpretation of the First Amendment will welcome Rep. Walter Jones' (R-N.C.) introduction of H.R. 268 to ensure that every military chaplain has the prerogative to close a prayer outside of a religious service according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience (e.g., "in Jesus' name").

Action Summary —

Priority: Ongoing to High

Contact your representatives in Congress about one or more issues.