Responsibilities of u s senate

The Senate passed a compromise gun saefty bill on Thursday in a 65-33 vote, marking a rare time that lawmakers of both parties responded to a wave of mass shootings with legislation. But the bill still falls short of what many gun reform advocates want, like a ban on assault weapons and a restriction on firearms purchases to those under the age of 21. Those proposals enjoy widespread public support, based on recent polls, but were a non-starter as a bipartisan group of senators worked out a compromise. The legislation, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, would expand background checks for those 18 to 21, give incentives to states to pass “red flag” laws, and expand a federal law that bans domestic abusers from acquiring guns. The legislation also provides funds for school safety and for mental health. The bill now will go to the House, which is expected to vote on the legislation on Friday. President Joe Biden has indicated that he will sign it. The senators, … [Read more...] about Senate Passes Bipartisan Gun Violence Bill; Legislation Expands Safety Measures But Falls Short Of Ban On Assault Weapons

Almost a month after a gunman fatally shot 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, legislators are finally on the cusp of a gun reform agreement. In a vote of 64-34 the U.S. Senate advanced a bipartisan bill aimed at implementing new, extremely modest gun legislation. The bill would enhance background checks for gun purchasers under the age of 21 and remove guns from the possession of those who have committed domestic violence or pose an immediate danger to themselves and others. The bill does not in any way erode the existing rights of gun owners, nor does it prohibit 18-year-olds from purchasing high-powered rifles. It  instead focuses on curbing illegal gun sales and purchases, and providing funding for mental health and anti-violence programs. While the proposed legislation would provide important advancements in the need for stronger firearm regulation, it is still a far cry from the comprehensive reform needed to address … [Read more...] about Republicans Supporting Modest Gun Reform Are Under Fire From Trump and the Far Right

Robb Elementary, the school in Uvalde , Texas where a teenaged gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in May, will be razed, NBC News reports. Mayor Don McLaughlin said during a Uvalde Council meeting Tuesday that officials are planning to demolish the school. “My understanding — and I had this discussion with the superintendent — that school will be demolished,” he said. He added: “You can never ask a child to go back or a teacher to go back in that school ever.” McLaughlin did not specify when the demolition would take place. The news came the same day the Texas Department of Public Safety Director (DPS) Steve McCraw called the law enforcement response to the Uvalde school massacre an “abject failure.” His testimony during a state Senate committee hearing in Austin was the first time McCraw had publicly addressed the police response since a late May press conference . “There’s compelling evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary was … [Read more...] about Robb Elementary School to Be Demolished Following Uvalde Massacre

Who could have seen this coming? Not Senator Susan Collins . In a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade , Sen. Collins expressed her dismay that Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh misrepresented their alleged respect for precedent and private conversations with her and in their confirmation hearings. “This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and their meetings with me, where they both were insistent on the importance of supporting long-standing precedents,” she wrote. Rolling Stone reported last month that Collins was deliberately manipulated by Trump officials into voting for Kavanaugh despite his judicial history indicating a liability to strike down Roe . The White House correctly predicted that as long as they “let the Susan Collins-es of the world think what they needed to think and hear what they needed to hear,” as one ex-official put it, the fence-sitters … [Read more...] about Susan Collins Somehow Still Can’t Believe She Got Played for a Fool by Trump’s Justices