Highlights from the Week
1. On February 28, President Joe Biden nominated Deputy Secretary of Labor Julie Su to be the next secretary of labor. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Su would succeed retiring Secretary Marty Walsh, who is leaving the department this month to head the National Hockey League Players Association. If confirmed, Su would also be the first Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) cabinet secretary in the Biden administration. Click here to read a statement from President Biden, here for a statement from Vice President Harris, here for a statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, here for a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and here for a statement from Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is the ranking member of the committee that will first vote to confirm Julie Su, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). Additionally, you can click here to learn more about Julie Su.
2. On February 28, the Supreme Court heard arguments in a case over President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan that was released back in August. This plan would cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for those making under $125,000 per year and up to $20,000 for those with Pell Grants. It would affect an estimated 43 million borrowers. In the aftermath of the announcement, several states sued the federal government over the plan, arguing that it is unconstitutional. The administration argued that, under the 2001 Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Student (HEROES) Act, the president has the authority to forgive loan debt. To read a statement by President Biden, click here. To read a statement by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, click here. To read a statement by Senate HELP committee ranking member Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, click here. Lastly, to read a statement by Senator Ted Budd of North Carolina, click here.
3. On February 28, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution that would express disapproval over a Labor Department rule relating to “Prudence and Loyalty in Selecting Plan Investments and Exercising Shareholder rights.” This bill, which passed the House by a vote of 216–204, repeals the Department of Labor rule that concerns fiduciary duties with respect to employee benefit plans, which states that fiduciaries could consider climate change and the environment, social, and governance (ESG) factors when making investment decisions. On March 1, the United State Senate voted 50–46 to approve the resolution. To view the bill text and the vote breakdown, please click here. To read a statement from the sponsor of the resolution, Representative Andy Barr of Kentucky, click here. To read a statement from Senator Jon Tester of Montana, click here.
Elections
By the Elections Research team: Nick, Zachary, Courtney, Seth, and Caleb, and Elections interns Reid, Hunter, and George
Biographies: Want to learn more about officials who have been sworn in at the federal level? You can see the full list of officials here:
Want to learn more about the leadership in each state legislature? You can see the full leadership rosters here:
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:
Want to learn more about some special elections happening in 2023? You can see the elections that have been held so far this year here:
Officials
By the Officials Research team: Noah, Johanan, Neal, Thomas, Bibi, Craig, and Israel and Officials interns: Brittany, Caroline, and Morgen
Public Statements: 496 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.
Key Votes:
States: 31 new votes were added.
Missouri’s House passed HB 184, which seeks to prohibit local governments from requiring more than 5 electric vehicle charging stations per parking lot. Click here to see the highlights and vote breakdown.
North Dakota's House passed HB 1286, which seeks to repeal the higher tax rate on oil producers when their commodity prices rise. Click here to see the highlights and vote breakdown.
North Dakota’s Senate passed SB 2089, which seeks to appropriate $7.5 million to oil companies to reduce natural gas flaring. Click here to see the full highlights and vote breakdown.
Special Interest Groups:
This year to date, the SIGS team has entered 4,144 ratings and 745 endorsements for candidates.