Between finding a job, finding a place to live, paying bills, and generally being an adult for the first time in their lives, many recent college graduates face a slew of challenges. One thing they shouldn’t have to think about is automatically defaulting on a student loan when a co-signer dies or files for bankruptcy. Today, legislators proposed a bill to protect consumers from getting stuck in this trap. [More]
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Congress Wants To Restore Glory Days Of Misleading Airfares And Hidden Fees
By 4.28.14
Remember what it was like to book air travel way back in ye olden days of three years ago? You’d spot a really excellent online deal on a flight, only to discover at checkout that after the taxes and fees, it was $50 higher than you’d thought. The Dept. of Transportation changed all that in 2012 — but now, a bill rapidly moving through Congress could reverse that change entirely. [More]
Online State Sales Tax Solution Remains Elusive After Congress Declares ‘Fundamental Defects’ In Senate Bill
By 3.13.14
After years of attempts to craft a federal law that would affirm states’ rights to tax online purchases, the issue may still be far from being resolved. The House Judiciary Committee has put the brakes on the Marketplace Fairness Act passed by the Senate in May. [More]
Congressional Democrats Propose Legislation To Preserve Net Neutrality
By 2.3.14
Net neutrality may be dead since a court overturned it in January, but legislators are trying to resurrect it as quickly as possible. [More]
A Simple Guide For Contacting Your Local Lawmakers (And What To Say To Them)
By 1.23.14
There are a lot of proposed laws out there, making their way through–or stalling out in–the House and Senate. And a common refrain from concerned parties is for everyone to “Call your representatives about this issue!” But to some people, that’s a daunting task. [More]
Dimmer Switch On Enforcement Unlikely To Darken Lightbulb Efficiency Standards
By 1.15.14
Congress is all set to pass a $1.1 trillion budget this week. The massive spending bill, which has already cleared the House and is likely to pass in the Senate, affects every federal agency there is. Yet in the midst of a trillion-dollar omnibus law that reaches into every aspect of our government, there is controversy. And over what enormous issue might such controversy exist, you might ask? [More]
Your Guide To Proposed Laws & Regulation That Could Help Consumers In 2014
By 1.3.14
2013 is gone, a collection of memories never to be dealt with again. Next week, the 113th Congress returns for its second session, ideally to enact legislation throughout 2014, some of which could help consumers if they were to become law. [More]
Congress Gives The Go-Ahead To Student Loan Plan
By 8.1.13
Is it breezy in here or is the combined sighs of relief we’re feeling from college students and parents now that the Congress has reached a compromise on student loan rates? After weeks of the Senate trying to wangle a way to retroactively keep those rates down, the House voted yesterday to approve a compromise from the Senate, which will tie interest rates to the dips and dives of the financial markets. [More]
Rallies Supporting Saturday Mail Delivery Held Nationwide, But Are They Pointless?
By 3.25.13
Last week, Congress passed a budget bill that keeps the federal government going until the end of the federal budget year on September 30, and averts the scary and inconvenient consequences of a government shutdown. That’s good. There’s an interesting provision, though: like past budget bills, it specifically says that the U.S. Postal service can’t cut back on mail delivery, which it had planned to do in August. Oops. But while groups of letter carriers and supporters held rallies nationwide yesterday, has the crisis been averted? Yes. No. We’re not really sure. [More]
Report: House Of Representatives Apparently Can’t Get Enough Pirated Episodes Of ‘Dexter’
By 1.16.13
Pardon us, U.S. House of Representatives — is that… is that mud on your face? Don’t worry, you’re not the only government group to get caught allegedly downloading pirated content from the Internets. A new report claims that someone or multiple someones in the offices of the U.S. House of Representatives have been catching up on TV and movies by illegally downloading content recently. [More]
Stinky Drywall Legislation Passes Congress––After Construction Industry Watered It Down
By 1.9.13
The Drywall Safety Act of 2012 passed Congress on New Year’s Day 2013 and is currently waiting for President Obama’s signature. The purpose of the bill is to keep stinky and hazardous drywall out of American homes. Simple enough. Thanks to the miracle of democracy, the bill has been watered down and gives less power to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and more to the building industry to draw up its own voluntary standards. [More]
There Is Such A Thing As The Milk Cliff: If Congress Doesn’t Act Soon, Prices Could Double
By 12.21.12
For the apparently shrinking amount of milk drinkers out there, we’ve got some bad news: There’s a thing called the Milk Cliff, and we’re standing on it. If Congress doesn’t act on a new farm bill that amends a policy from 1949, the price of a gallon of milk could increase and possibly even double. Yes, a milk cliff. It’s a thing. [More]
Congress Lifts Ban On Funding Horse Meat Inspections, Slaughterhouses Could Open Soon
By 11.30.11
Modern Americans love our horses, and not for eating, so we’re betting the news that Congress has lifted a ban on funding horse meat inspections, potentially enabling slaughterhouses to open, will be met with a bit of outrage. It’s not a simple matter, however. [More]
2nd Air Traffic Controller Could Be Fired For Snoozing On The Job
By 4.7.11
The second air traffic controller in a month could lose his job for catching some z’s up in the tower. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt told Congress that the controller was “found intentionally sleeping.” What defines “intentional sleeping?” He had cushions and a blanket, meaning he brought materials to work with him to help him sleep. [More]
House Votes To Stop Funding NPR
By 3.18.11
Although it’s unclear whether the government will actually stop funding National Public Radio and place the public news source in jeopardy of shutting down, the U.S. House of Representatives took a step in that direction Thursday, voting to strip the organization of federal funding and forbidding radio stations from using public grants to pay NPR. [More]
Congress Issues Subpoena For Info On Countrywide's VIP Mortgage Program
By 2.17.11
Let’s look back to the summer of 2008, when it was revealed that Angelo Mozilo, the curiously orange former CEO of Countrywide, had the company offer below-market “VIP” mortgages to certain politicians and other influence peddlers. Fast forward to the present, where Congressman Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, has issued a subpoena to Bank of America, looking for related documents, e-mails and names. [More]
Congressman Dennis Kucinich Sues Capitol Cafeteria After Being Attacked By Rogue Olive Pit
By 1.27.11
It’s not just ordinary citizens who file big-ticket lawsuits against eateries. Ohio congressman and occasional presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is suing a cafeteria in the Capitol Complex for $150,000 after a particularly harrowing run-in with an olive pit. [More]
