This Week in Research: April 1st - April 5th, 2024

Highlights from the Week

1. On March 21, 2024, the United States House of Representatives passed the Ocean Shipping Reform Implementation Act of 2023. The bill passed by a 393 to 24 vote and is responsible for expanding the Federal Maritime Commission’s authority to regulate technology and anticompetitive practices that are part of the international ocean transportation system. Further, the bill requires the commission to investigate and accept complaints regarding potential anticompetitive practices by registered shipping exchanges. Additionally, it indicates that the commission shall establish standards of price indexes for containerized ocean freight published by shipping exchanges. To read more about the bill and to see how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from Representative and Bill Sponsor Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, click here. To read a statement from Rob Menendez of New Jersey, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from John Garamendi of California, click here.

2. On March 22nd, 2024, the United States House of Representatives passed HR 1023, repealing section 134 of the Clean Air Act, relating to the greenhouse gas reduction fund. The bill also repeals the natural gas tax as it relates to the waste reduction incentive program and methane emissions. Additionally, highlighting financial and technical support for states and eligible recipients, enabling low-income and disadvantaged communities to work towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. To read more about the bill and to see how your representatives voted, click here. To read a statement from Representative and bill sponsor Gary Palmer of Alabama, click here.  To read a statement from Representative August Pfluger of Texas, click here. To read a statement from Representative Brett Gruthrie of Kentucky, click here. To read a statement from Representative Buddy Carter of Georgia, click here. To read a statement from Representative Sean Casten of Illinois, click here. To read a statement from Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Katy Castor of Florida, click here. 

3. On April 1st, 2024, seven members of the nonprofit World Central Kitchen were killed in a drone attack by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) while en route to delivering food aid in Gaza. Despite the Israeli military knowing beforehand that the aid would be coming into the warzone, the strike killed workers from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Palestine, and one American. In the wake of this event, the IDF will be conducting an investigation to figure out how this happened and why. To read a statement from President Biden, click here. To read a statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, click here. To read a statement from Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, click here. To read a statement from Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, click here.

Elections

By the Elections Research team: Nick, Zachary, Monica, Caleb, Seth, Jessica, Max, and interns Isabella, Guiselle, Elsie, Jun, Stephen, Deonte, Sierra, Braden, Ashlyn, and Maddie

Biographies & Elections:

Here are the results from the Super Tuesday elections. Click on the state below to view the results for the presidential contests from Tuesday:

• Connecticut Presidential Primary

• Delaware Presidential Primary

• New York Presidential Primary

• Rhode Island Presidential Primary

• Wisconsin Presidential Primary

Click on the state below to view the results for down-ballot (non-presidential) races:

• Mississippi Congressional Primary Runoff Election

• South Carolina State Legislative Special Election

• Wisconsin Ballot Measures

Want to learn more about candidates running for elected office in 2024? Click on the states below to see the full list:

• Indiana Gubernatorial Candidates

• Maryland State Judicial Candidates

• Pennsylvania Statewide Candidates

Want to learn more about elected officials in your state? You can see the full list here:

• Congressional Officials

Want to learn more about the leadership in each state legislature? You can see the full leadership rosters here:

• Legislative Leadership

Want to learn more about which committees elected officials are a part of? You can see the full list of committees for each state here:

• State Legislative Committees

Officials

By the Officials Research team: Sam, Johanan, Neal, Thomas, and Quinn. Interns: Deaja, Luiza, Deyab, Tina, Nicholas, Elizabeth, Dev, Ethan, and Sabrina. 

Public Statements: 302 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.

Key Votes: 

States: 67 new votes were added. 

• Maine Senate passed LD 2283 - Establishes Various Red Flag Gun Purchase Provisions

• Mississippi House passed HB 1609 - Authorizes Voter Registration for Individuals Previously Convicted of Non-Violent Felonies

• New Hampshire House passed HB 1711 - Requires Closure of the State Gun Purchase Loophole

• Oregon House passed SB 1581 - Requires Electric Companies to Report Each Year on the Steps Being Taken to be Part of an Energy Market

• Wisconsin House passed AB 552 - Establishes an Age Limit of 75 for State Judges

• U.S. Congress: 0 new votes were added.

   Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

• This year to date, the SIGs team has entered 51,248 ratings and 9,155 endorsements for candidates.