logout

Store Research

Legislative Intent Service, Inc. News & Notes

Some bill research does not include the Governor's file because at the time we researched the bill, the sitting Governor had not released his chaptered bill file. If the Governor's file is not included with this particular research, please contact our office (1-530-666-1917 or quote@legintent.com) and we will be happy to provide this file at no charge if it is available. Please Note: Governor files did not exist prior to 1943.

LEGISLATIVE INTENT SERVICE, INC.

Your partner in legislative history research

(800) 666‑1917 • www.legintent.com     

 

 NEWS AND NOTES

 

Happy New Year and New Congress!  Today begins the 113th Congress, with newly elected legislators taking their seats in the House and Senate.  There were approximately 150 federal bills signed into law in 2012 during the 112th Congress’ second session, reaching approximately 230 bills enacted during 2011 and 2012.  These 2012 federal bills included numerous measures that renamed post offices, courthouses and wildlife refuges, as well as substantive legislation, such as the following bills:

  • American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 – HR 8 of 2012 by Rep. Dave Camp, passed and signed into law on January 2, 2013 to avoid falling over the “fiscal cliff” by averting scheduled income tax rate increases and spending reductions required by the sequestration process. 
  • Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 – HR 3630 by Rep. Dave Camp, enacted as Public Law 112-96 to extend the payroll tax reduction through the remainder of 2012 and extend unemployment benefits, among other purposes.
  • Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act – HR 3606 by Rep. Stephen Fincher, enacted as Public Law 112-106 relating to reopening American capital markets to emerging growth companies and access to capital for job creators, among other provisions in the public law.   
  • Veteran Skills to Jobs Act – HR 4155 by Rep. Jeff Denham, enacted as Public Law 112-147 to direct the head of each federal licensing authority to consider, and authorize such official to accept, any relevant training received by an individual while serving as a member of the Armed Forces for the purpose of satisfying the license requirements.
  • HEARTH Act of 2012 – HR 205 by Rep. Martin Heinrich, enacted as Public Law 112-151 to extend to any Indian tribe the discretion granted under current law only to the Navajo Nation to lease restricted lands for business, agricultural, public, religious, educational, recreational, or residential purposes without approval of the Secretary of the Interior.

 

Comparing the 112th Congress with Prior Congresses. The 112th Congress was a less-active Congress compared to previous modern Congresses over the last 40 years, such as the 111th Congress (2009-2010) which enacted 383 bills, the 108th Congress (2003-2004) which enacted 498 bills, the 103rd Congress (1993-1994) which enacted 465 bills, the 100th Congress (1987-1988) which enacted 713 bills, the 95th Congress (1977-1978) which enacted 633 bills, and the 93rd Congress (1973-1974) which enacted 649 bills. There's no way to predict, but the flurry of necessary legislative actions greeting the 113th Congress may result in a higher number of enactments over the next two years.

 

2012 Compendium Posted:  On another Happy New Year note, you can review the new California laws taking effect in 2013 in our Compendium of 2012 Notable Legislation. Governor Jerry Brown signed 876 bills in 2012 and we have provided descriptions of the more interesting bills in our Compendium, which is now posted and ready for your review at our website .  Please let us know if you have any questions about any of these bills.

 

MCLE:  California attorneys whose last names begin with the letters A through G have a deadline of February 1, 2013 to meet their MCLE requirements.  LIS offers two free self-study exams that are approved by the California State Bar – one regular hour on the subject of legislative process , and one hour of ethics on the subject of ethics and evidence of legislative intent .  Both exams are available 24/7 for your convenience at legintent.com . One of our attorneys will grade and email your certificate to you quickly.

 

 

WWW.LEGINTENT.COM

  • Free Quotes :  Call toll-free 1-800-666-1917 or email your request and one of our attorneys will provide you with a free quote for legislative history research.
  • Free MCLEs :  1 hr. legislative history and 1 hr. ethics. 
  • Yes, We Scan!   Read about our progress scanning millions of pages of legislative history documents in our collection.
  • Working in History – Read about our historical building and work environment here at LIS.

 

 

 If you received this email from a current subscriber and wish to be included in future News and Notes, you can subscribe here! There is no charge.