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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

House Democrats Tee Up "Democracy Reform" for First Vote

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Friday, January 22, 2021   

AUSTIN, Texas - In his inaugural address, President Joe Biden said democracy is fragile.

So now, good-government groups are asking Congress to bolster our system of elections.

The For the People Act, a package of democracy reforms, is the first numbered bill for consideration by the newly elected U.S. House and Senate.

Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of the group Public Citizen, said it would encourage more people to vote and would make political campaigns more transparent.

"There are provisions in the legislation like automatic voter registration, things that would make it easier to vote by mail, limit secret political spending," Gilbert outlined.

The bill would require same-day registration - currently prohibited in Texas, which requires voters to register a full month before Election Day.

Despite that obstacle, Texas saw record-breaking voter turnout in 2020, when nearly 68% of the state's 17 million registered voters cast ballots in the presidential election, the highest rate in decades.

Gilbert noted the bill also would end gerrymandered voting districts, giving voters a better overall chance to choose their representatives - and not the other way around.

"It would create independent commissions," Gilbert explained. "Taking away the politicization of this process to ensure that lines are drawn by how many people live in a place, not by letting politicians choose their own constituents."

The bill also would institute new ethics rules for the Executive Branch and Congress, and bolster election security.

The bill originally passed the U.S. House last year, but stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate.

Citing possible fraud, Texas Republicans want to tighten state voting laws during the current session, and restrict governors from changing election laws during disasters.


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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

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Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

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Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

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Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

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Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

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New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

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Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

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Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

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