Sean Trambley

Reps. Donna Shalala, D-Fla., and Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., introduced the Expanding Cannabis Research and Information Act, bipartisan legislation that would facilitate research into the potential medical benefits and public health impacts of marijuana.  The bill would develop a national cannabis research agenda, direct the U.S.... Read More

Freshman U.S. Representative Deb Haaland, D-N.M., joined U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., in introducing a climate change bill focused on voluntary farm and ranch conservation practices, massive reforestation, and wetlands restoration.  The lawmakers say the Climate Stewardship Act of 2019 was inspired by measures implemented in... Read More

Freshman Rep. Anthony Brindisi, a member of the bipartisan Women Veterans Task Force, has introduced legislation to mandate accessibility for women at the VA’s healthcare call center. Brindisi’s legislation, H.R. 2972, would statutorily require the Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Call Center be accessible via text and... Read More

In July, freshman Representative Deb Haaland, D-N.M., was joined by a dozen colleagues to introduce important legislation aimed at supporting family-friendly workplaces and incentivizing businesses to implement family-friendly policies for their workers.  H.R. 3838, the Honoring Family Friendly Workplaces Act, would create a Department of Labor... Read More

In July, freshman Representative Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., introduced the Personal Needs Allowance Modernization Act to improve the financial security of Medicaid beneficiaries living in nursing facilities.  Currently, Medicaid beneficiaries who are eligible for nursing care must contribute almost their entire personal income to the cost of... Read More

Representatives Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Peter King, R-N.Y., have introduced H.J. Res. 72 to overturn U.S. Treasury Department regulations that bar the deduction of charitable contributions from federal taxes.  The bipartisan action comes after the Treasury, in June, barred municipalities from creating work... Read More

Freshman Representative Chrissy Houlahan, D-Penn., was joined by Representative Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, to introduce bipartisan and bicameral legislation to enhance commercialization services for federally funded research and development.  Introduced in the House on July 18, H.R. 3839, the Research Advancing to Market Production (RAMP) for Innovators... Read More

WASHINGTON - Earlier this month, freshman Rep. Jason Crow, D-Col., had the pleasure of seeing one of his first pieces of legislation passed unanimously in the House by a voice vote. Crow’s SBA Cyber Awareness Act requires the Small Business Administration to issue a report assessing... Read More

Last week, a bipartisan, bicameral coalition led by freshman Representative Sean Casten D-Ill., introduced legislation aimed at encouraging innovation that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources. Casten and his counterparts in the Senate, Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., believe their... Read More

In the wake of a scathing, bipartisan letter from lawmakers, the Department of Veterans Affairs says it will refund $100 million in fees erroneously charged to thousands of exempted veterans who participated in the VA Home Loan Program. In June, the department’s Office of Inspector General... Read More

Legislation intended to make it easier for small businesses to comply with federal regulations passed the House with bipartisan support last week. Introduced by freshman Representative Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., the bill requires the Small Business Administration to create a centralized website providing compliance guidelines for federal... Read More

First-term Representatives Lucy McBath, D-Ga., and Greg Steube, R-Fla., have introduced legislation aimed at protecting disabled veterans and their families who are experiencing financial hardship. Introduced in May, the bipartisan Honoring American Veterans in Extreme Need (HAVEN) Act, H.R. 2938, would amend current bankruptcy law to... Read More

New legislation passed the House last week to help small businesses gain access to capital, expand, and hire workers.  H.R. 3050, the Expanding Investment in Small Businesses Act of 2019, was introduced by Freshman GOP Representative Bryan Steil, R-Wis., and passed the U.S. House of Representatives... Read More

In our new series, Freshmen Get it Done, The Well News will be highlighting legislative accomplishments by freshman Members of Congress from both parties. *** In June, legislation passed the House to expand veterans’ access to the Edith Nourse Rogers Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)... Read More

Last week, U.S. Senators Todd Young, R-Ind., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, introduced the Investing in Main Street Act to increase investment in small businesses by permitting banks to invest up to 15 percent of their capital in Small Business Investment Companies.  The dramatic... Read More

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 20 veterans and military members die by suicide every day across the United States, and suicide rates are nearly two times higher for veterans than for non-veteran adults.  These tragic statistics have spurred a bipartisan coalition in... Read More

As the opioid crisis continues to devastate families and communities across the country, a new bipartisan bill, the Fentanyl Sanctions Act, promises to put more teeth in efforts to curb the activities of Chinese and other traffickers of Fentanyl and synthetic opioids. Included in the Senate... Read More

The Federal Communications Commission and Congress have long sought to map specific regions’ access to broadband services in order to help policymakers identify unserved areas. The Broadband Data Improvement Act of 2019, introduced last week in the House of Representatives by Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.,... Read More

On Tuesday, the House passed a much-needed disaster aid bill that was blocked by three Republican congressmen leading to a two week delay for the $19.1 billion relief package to Puerto Rico, Texas, California, and other states. Following the bill’s passage in the Senate, the House... Read More

In a stunning move Friday, a solitary House Republican from the Freedom Caucus blocked the passage of a $19.1 billion disaster aid package providing aid to Americans hit by wildfires, floods, and hurricanes, including $1.4 billion for Puerto Rico. The funding passed the Senate on Thursday... Read More

This week, U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider, D-Ill., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., announced the introduction of new bipartisan legislation to improve primary care options for individuals with high-deductible health insurance plans. H.R. 2774, the Primary Care Patient Protection Act of 2019, would create a primary care benefit... Read More

This week, U.S. Representative Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and U.S. Representative David McKinley, R-W.V., introduced the Clean Up Our Neighborhoods Act of 2019, authorizing the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make grants to states to eliminate residential and commercial blight and assist in neighborhood revitalization.... Read More

An important bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week protecting senior citizens from financial fraud and scams. The bipartisan Senior Security Act, introduced by Representatives Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Trey Hollingsworth R-Ind., creates a Senior Investor Task Force at the Securities and Exchange Commission... Read More

On Thursday, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and U.S. Senator Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced the Portable Certification of Spouses Act, legislation to improve the portability of occupational licenses from state to state for military spouses. The bill will also help alleviate the burden military spouses endure... Read More

This week, U.S. Representatives Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., and Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased Individuals Act, legislation that would allow all federal agencies access to the Death Master File, a registry maintained by the Social Security Administration that contains the... Read More

New legislation in the California state house is seeking to end surprise hospital bills that catch unwitting patients with expensive out-of-network insurance costs for emergency care. Earlier this year, Vox’s Sarah Kliff reported on San Francisco woman Nina Dang and Austin man Scott Kohan, who suffered... Read More

This week, U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider D-Ill., Susan W. Brooks R-Ind., Jennifer Wexton D-Va., and Brian Fitzpatrick R-Penn. introduced legislation to extend clear and consistent non-discrimination housing protections to LGBTQ individuals. H.R. 2402, the Fair and Equal Housing Act of 2019 would include “sexual orientation” and... Read More

Two months after being introduced by a coalition led by Senators Doug Jones, D-Ala., Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, bipartisan and bicameral support for the Military Widow’s Tax Elimination Act of 2019 continues to grow. The bill, now supported by 57... Read More

Seven years ago, Republicans took over nearly every lever of power in North Carolina in a political takeover that seemed destined to transform the state into a conservative stronghold. North Carolina, once considered a moderate state, was now in Republican hands for the first time since... Read More

This week, Representatives Terri Sewell, D-Ala., and Adrian Smith, R-Neb., introduced the Revitalizing Underdeveloped Rural Areas and Lands (RURAL) Act, legislation to help preserve jobs and encourage infrastructure development by expanding access for tax-exempt cooperative organizations to a variety of government grants and assistance, including FEMA... Read More

Tax season is upon us, and this year it seems many Americans are frustrated with smaller refund checks after the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has failed to live up to the hype for most working families. But in a major boon to tax preparation... Read More

This week, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Pat Toomey R-Pa., announced the introduction of the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups (HALOS) Act, legislation that would support small businesses by removing burdensome restrictions from individuals who want to invest in startups and help create jobs. In... Read More

This week, a bipartisan group of Senators led by Senator Bob Menendez, D-N.J., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced new comprehensive legislation to help restore democracy and address the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. The most comprehensive effort to... Read More

A robust and important health policy discussion occurred on Capitol Hill yesterday with lawmakers on both sides of aisle appearing to reach a rare consensus on the problems of countless Americans who have been surprised with expensive out-of-network medical bills. The House Education and Labor Subcommittee... Read More