This Week in Research: October 9th - October 13th, 2023

Highlights from the Week

1. On October 7th, 2023 Hamas, a militant Palestinian group, invaded Israel through the Gaza Strip (which they currently govern). Initially a barrage of rockets from Hamas that killed over a thousand Israelis, the conflict quickly escalated, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly declaring war on Hamas. In the days following, thousands of Israelis and Palestinians have been killed, hundreds have been taken hostage by Hamas, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced. Israel has cut off food, water, and electricity to Gaza. For its part, the United States has condemned Hamas and pledged support for Israel in the wake of this attack. To read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, click here. To read a statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, click here. To read a statement from Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from House Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York, click here.

2. In the aftermath of last week’s successful vote to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican Conference met in private on Wednesday, October 11th, to nominate a new candidate for Speaker of the House. By a vote of 113 to 99, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana narrowly defeated House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio and is now the Republican Party’s choice for Speaker. As of this writing, there is no set date for the vote on Speaker, but it will come down to Scalise and the Democratic Caucus’ choice for Speaker, current Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. To read a statement from Majority Leader Scalise, click here. To read a statement from Minority Leader Jeffries, click here. To read a statement from Representative Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, click here. To read a statement from Representative Bob Good of Virginia, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, click here.

3. On October 11th, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule to ban junk fees–hidden fees that might inflate the price of a hotel or flight reservation or some payment that isn’t charged up front. This new rule would require businesses that rely on junk fees to provide refunds to consumers or face a monetary penalty of up to $50,000. Like all agency rules, it will be published in the Federal Register, and Americans will be able to submit comments online for up to 60 days. To read a statement from President Joe Biden, click here. To read a statement from Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, click here. To read a statement from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, click here. To read a statement from Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington State, click here. Lastly, to read a statement from Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer of Missouri, click here.

Elections

By the Elections Research team: Nick, Zachary, Caleb, Seth, Jessica, and Max and Elections Research interns Ionut, Spencer, Molly, Rachel, Emma, Kaia, and Brenda

Biographies & Elections:

Want to learn more about the results of elections happening around the country? You can see the list of elections that happened this week here:

• Massachusetts Special State Legislative Primary Election

• Oklahoma Special State Legislative Primary Election

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

• Congressional Officials

• Arizona State Legislative Officials

• Idaho State Legislative 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

Want to learn more about the candidates who are currently being tested and their responses to the Political Courage Test ahead of the general election? You can see the full list of candidates, their responses, and response rates running in various states by office below:

• Kentucky Gubernatorial Candidates

• Louisiana Gubernatorial Candidates

• Louisiana Statewide Candidates

• Louisiana State Legislative Candidates

• Mississippi Gubernatorial Candidates

• Mississippi Statewide Candidates

• Mississippi State Legislative Candidates

• New Jersey State Legislative Candidates

• Virginia State Legislative Candidates

Officials

By the Officials Research team: Sam, Johanan, Neal, Thomas, Quinn and Interns: Justin, Skylar, Jami, Abby, Claire, Heather, Kaitlin, Sophia, Tristen, Arola and Nischay.

Public Statements: 462 statements were added this week. See highlights from the week for notable statements.

Key Votes:

States: 42 new votes were added.

• Nevada Governor signed SB 35 - Increases criminal penalties for fentanyl trafficking and possession

• Michigan Senate passed SB 483 - Establishes the prescription drug affordability board to review prescription costs

• Michigan Senate passed SB 485 - Requires the Social Welfare Act to comply with the Prescription Drug Cost and Affordability Review Act

• Michigan House passed HB 4568 - Authorizes motor vehicle hiring to transport voters to polls

• New Jersey Governor signed A 4151 - Amends certain restrictions on cannabis establishment owners

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

Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

• This year to date, the SIGs team has entered 38,047 ratings and 11,581 endorsements for candidates.