General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed “Memorial Day” on May 5, 1868 in his General Order No. 11. In this order, he designated May 30, 1868 to strewn flowers or decorate the graves of solders who died in defense of their country during the Civil War, whose bodies, he noted, “now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land.” General Logan left it to the posts and surviving comrades to arrange fitting services and testimonials. The first state to officially recognize Memorial Day was New York in 1873. The northern states recognized it by 1890. Eventually, ... Read More >
May 23
Senate passes Stolen Valor Act 2013, H.R. 258
Rep. Joseph Heck of Nevada, as lead author of a long list of co-authors from the House, introduced H.R. 258, the Stolen Valor Act 2013, to amend Title 18, section 704 of the United States Code. As passed in the House on May 20th and now in the Senate on May 22nd, the Stolen Valor Act 2013 amends the federal criminal code to rewrite provisions relating to fraudulent claims about military service to subject to a fine, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both an individual who, with intent to obtain money, property, or other tangible benefit, fraudulently holds himself or herself out to be a recipient of medals or honor authorized by ... Read More >
May 21
Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013
Public Law 113-9, was signed into law on May 1, 2013 to enact The Reducing Flight Delays Act of 2013, which was introduced by Rep. Tom Latham on April 26th and signed into law five days later. H.R. 1765 responds to the sequester and provides the Secretary of Transportation with the flexibility to transfer certain funds to prevent reduced operations and staffing of the Federal Aviation Administration. The bill provides this transfer authority to restore reliable and safe service in the commercial air traffic system by reducing or eliminating employee furlough days. ... Read More >
May 21
Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013
Public Law 113-6 was signed into law on March 26, 2013, enacting the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013 – carried by Rep. Harold Rogers. To lock in sequestration for 2013, provide funding for most federal agencies at 2012 levels, and result in grants funded via formula to be reduced by at least 5% due to sequestration, among other, expansive changes. A “constitutional authority statement” accompanying this 241-page public law was published in the Congressional Record, which stated: "The principal constitutional authority for this legislation is clause 7 of section 9 of article I of the Constitution of the ... Read More >
May 21
Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013
Public Law 113-4, signed on March 7, 2013 enacted the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 – carried by Senator Patrick Leahy, who stated in the Congressional Record on February 7, 2013: ". . . The bottom line is this: While we have made great strides in reducing domestic and sexual violence, there is more to be done and it is incumbent upon us to act now. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act has been carefully considered and debated for more than 2 years. . . . Let us not undermine the provisions to help protect Indian women and other particularly vulnerable victims from the serious problems they face. ". . ... Read More >