X-Nico

32 unusual facts about United States Congress


Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act

The act required the Secretary of the Interior, to deliver to Congress a report within three years of the bill’s passage.

Andy Wyant

Wyant was the brother of Adam Martin Wyant, who became the first professional football player elected to the United States Congress.

Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey

(a) political deliberation, particularly in monetary policy making settings (e.g., the United States Congress, the Federal Open Market Committee);

Cohort default rate

In 1998, the United States Congress decided to extend the amount of time (from 180 to 270 days) before loans were considered to be in default.

Commercial Internet eXchange

The focus of this group was either military/government or research and education communications, especially support for the separately funded NSF supercomputing initiatives that started after Nobel laureate Ken Wilson's testimony to Congress in the 1980s.

Director of National Intelligence

After considerable debate on the scope of the DNI's powers and authorities, the United States Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 by votes of 336–75 in the House of Representatives, and 89–2 in the Senate.

Disability in children's literature

Beginning in the 1970s, the United States Congress passed several Acts to legally protect the right of children and adults with disabilities to be included in schools and the workforce, first with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and then the Education for All Handicapped Children Act in 1975.

Farm Credit Council

The Farm Credit Council represents the Farm Credit System in legislative and regulatory lobbying before the United States Congress government and state legislatures.

General Education Board

The board was founded in New York City in February 1902 and chartered by the United States Congress on 12 January 1903, its object being the promotion of education throughout the United States, without distinction as to race, sex or creed.

Ginery Twichell

In 1867 Twichell was elected to Congress where he served as a Republican Representative for Massachusetts.

Heat of the Moment

In a 2001 episode of South Park titled "Kenny Dies", Eric Cartman sings the song to the United States Congress to convince them to reverse a ban on stem cell research (telling them that he wanted to save his 8-year-old friend Kenny McCormick from muscular dystrophy), eventually leading members of Congress in a sing-along.

Lloyd Dangle

He also lobbied the United States Congress in favor of the unsuccessful Freelance Artists and Writers Self Protection Act, introduced by Michigan Senator John Conyers in 2002, which intended to extend collective bargaining rights to freelance artists and writers negotiating with large media companies.

Mr. Dugan

Dugan is an American sitcom about a black Congressman that was scheduled to air in March 1979 on CBS, but was pulled at the last minute and never shown.

Lear, however, still believed in the concept, and filmed a new pilot tilted Onward and Upward, with essentially the same script and cast—except with John Amos (as a black former pro football star running for the United States Congress) replacing Arthur.

Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

The federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the audit, evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress.

Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act

The Omnibus Foreign Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 is an act passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

Oslo-class frigate

Half of the project expenses were funded by the United States as a part of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP) (a program that ran from when it was passed by the Congress in October 1949 until 1967–68).

Pavement life-cycle cost analysis

Since 1995, United States Congress has been expressing an interest in LCCA and it is now required for projects exceeding $25 million.

Philippine constitutional plebiscite, 1935

The Hare–Hawes–Cutting Act, which provided for the independence of the Philippines, was passed by the United States Congress, but was rejected by the Philippine Congress.

Renminbi currency value

New tariffs aimed at retaliating the undervalued yuan are possible in the new United States Congress, as the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would impose economic sanctions on China.

Richard Kovacevich

Kovacevich believes that Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance should be privatized, and that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should have no government backing in the event of a failure (quite the opposite of the course actually pursued by the United States Congress and the White House when the two lenders became insolvent in September 2008).

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

In January 2004, the United States Congress passed legislation that provided for the establishment of a federally operated Nixon Presidential Library.

Alarmed that Nixon's tapes may be lost, Congress abrogated the Nixon-Sampson Agreement by passing S.4016, signed into law by President Gerald Ford in December 1974 as the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act.

Seaman status in United States admiralty law

The court codified the maintenance and cure and unseaworthiness remedies, but their ruling on remedies involving negligence did not go over well with Congress.

Seduction of the Innocent

At the same time, a U.S. Congressional inquiry was launched into the comic book industry.

Special Purpose Individual Weapon

However, the program came under attack by the United States Congress as a waste of money, and was forced to scale back.

The Great Compromise

The Connecticut Compromise, an agreement reached at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 that largely decided the structure of the United States Congress.

Theodore Roosevelt Cyclopedia

The Association was formally chartered by special Act of Congress, May 31, 1920,

Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel

The state legislature and the Massachusetts delegation to Congress (all of whom were Democrats) opposed the choice, and it was officially named after O'Neill (a longtime Speaker of the United States House of Representatives) by Section 1930 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which was passed by Congress and signed by then-President George W. Bush in 2005.

Wendover, Utah

Movements to unite Wendover with West Wendover, which is located across the border in Nevada and allows gambling operations, have taken place but require the approval of the U.S. Congress and the Nevada and Utah legislators.

WJAG

The newspaper's city editor in 1922, Karl Stefan, anchored the station's first news report and served as chief announcer until his election to Congress in 1935.

Zombie Strippers

The United States Congress has been disbanded; public nudity is banned; the United States is embroiled in wars with France, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Venezuela, Canada, and Alaska.


1880 United States Census

The results from the census were used to determine the apportionment for the 48th, 49th, 50th, 51st, and 52nd sessions of the United States Congress.

A More Perfect Constitution

The twenty-three proposals run the gamut from changing the length of the U.S. President's term in office and the number and terms of Supreme Court justices to altering the structure of Congress, modifying the Electoral College, and introducing universal national service.

Abrogation doctrine

The Abrogation doctrine is a constitutional law doctrine expounding when and how the Congress may waive a state's sovereign immunity and subject it to lawsuits to which the state has not consented (i.e., to "abrogate" their immunity to such suits).

Access 5

The cancellation of the program led members of the UAV National Industry Team (UNITE) alliance, which includes Boeing, General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, AeroVironment, and Aurora Flight Sciences to advocate for a new national plan in testimony before the United States Congress.

American Jobs

It also contains interviews with a number of members of Congress, including: Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), Robin Hayes (R-North Carolina), Donald Manzullo (R-Illinois), and Hilda Solis (D-California), and includes an extended section of clips from the 1993 congressional debate on NAFTA.

Antiquities Act

The Antiquities Act is referenced in The West Wing season one episode "Enemies", where President Bartlet uses it to counter an amendment attached to a bill by Congress that would allow an area of the Montanan wilderness to be strip-mined.

Bingham County, Idaho

Bingham County was created January 13, 1885, and named after Henry H. Bingham, a congressman from Pennsylvania and friend of William Bunn, Idaho's Territorial Governor.

Bolling Hall

He was elected as a Republican to the 12th, 13th and 14th United States Congresses serving from March 4, 1811, until March 3, 1817.

Bradhurst Schieffelin

With Charles O'Conor and Horace Greeley, he formulated a petition introduced into the United States Congress by Roscoe Conkling for the prevention of the appropriation for the use of religious corporations of public moneys or property.

Charles W. Cathcart

Cathcart was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1849; he was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of James Whitcomb and served from December 6, 1852, to January 18, 1853.

ClearPlay

The United States Congress passed the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act that explicitly clarified the copyright laws explaining that someone can personalize the playback of movies, skipping or muting content from playback of a DVD or digital download.

Congressional Black Caucus

Only six black Republicans have been elected to Congress since the caucus was founded: Senator Edward W. Brooke of Massachusetts, Representative Gary Franks of Connecticut, Delegate Melvin H. Evans of the Virgin Islands, Representative J. C. Watts of Oklahoma, Representative Allen West of Florida, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Daniel Siebert

In 2002, Siebert wrote a letter to the United States Congress in which he objected to bill H.R. 5607 introduced by Rep. Joe Baca (D-California) which sought to place Salvia divinorum in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

E. T. Kingsley

Born in the United States, he had previously been a member of DeLeon's Socialist Labor Party of America and had been a candidate for the United States Congress several times including in the Fourth Congressional District of California in 1896 and the Fifth Congressional District of California in 1898.

Edward Aloysius Kenney

Kenney was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-third, Seventy-fourth, and Seventy-fifth Congresses and served from March 4, 1933, until his death in Washington, D.C. due to an accidental fall from a window on January 27, 1938.

Edward Fenwick Tattnall

He was reelected to the 18th, 19th and 20th United States Congresses and served from March 4, 1821, until his resignation in 1827 before the start of the 20th Congress.

Floride Calhoun

Soon after their marriage, her husband was elected to Congress, leaving his wife in charge of his plantation, "Fort Hill," in present-day Clemson, South Carolina.

Frederick J. Horne

As head of naval logistics, Horne was the Navy's principal point of contact for the Truman Committee, a special Senate committee headed by Senator Harry S. Truman that was charged with investigating waste, corruption, and profiteering in the wartime defense industry.

Frequency coordinator

In 1982, the United States Congress provided the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the statutory authority to use frequency coordinators to assist in developing and managing the Private Land Mobile Radio (PLMR) spectrum.

George A. Hirsch

George Aaron Hirsch (born June 21, 1934), is a magazine publisher, a founder of the New York City Marathon, a candidate for United States Congress and a television commentator.

J. Richardson Dilworth

In 1974 he came into public prominence when he appeared before the United States Congress during the confirmation hearings for Nelson Rockefeller's nomination by Gerald Ford for the vice-presidency; during his presentation to Congressmen he outlined the overall wealth of Nelson's family.

James T. Molloy

James Thomas Molloy (June 3, 1936 – July 19, 2011) was elected Doorkeeper of the House of Representatives during the 94th Congress in 1974 and served through the 103rd Congress.

Jay Goldberg

On September 22, 2011, he was honored by members of the United States Congress for his dedication and study of the principles of the United States Constitution.

KSUA

Due to the efforts in Congress by then-Senator Ted Stevens, this had changed by 1987, and radio stations began appearing on that portion of the dial.

KUAM-TV

Madeleine Bordallo — Former TV host; now serving as the territory's Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lloyd Nolan

The gathering, which was hosted by Anthony Eisley, a star of ABC's Hawaiian Eye series, sought to flood the United States Congress with letters in support of school prayer, following two decisions in 1962 and 1963 of the United States Supreme Court which struck down the practice as in conflict with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Miriam Sharpe

In the weeks following the Stamford disaster she managed to create a support base that would gather hundreds to march on the White House, influence super-humans and eventually convince congress and the president to pass the superhuman registration act.

Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation

The Foundation was established by the Congress in 1992 to honor Morris Udall’s thirty years of service in the House of Representatives.

Naval Clemency and Parole Board

In certain other cases, the NC&PB only makes recommendations to the Secretary, specifically issues where (1) any offense carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years or more; (2) any offense involving a victim under 16 years of age or the offender's spouse; and (3) cases where a release might lead to Congressional or media interest.

New York City Coalition Against Hunger

The alliance lobbied Congress to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act in order to maintain the School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, WIC, and CACFP for another 5 years.

Raker Act

The Raker Act was an act of the United States Congress that permitted building of the O'Shaughnessy Dam and flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, California.

Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building

In 1998, the United States Congress passed a bill naming the building for former mayor and Congressman Ronald V. Dellums.

Silver Falls State Park

In January 2008, during the 2008 supplemental legislative session, Fred Girod of the Oregon House of Representatives sought federal designation of the area as a national park via a house joint memorial to the United States Congress, but the bill died in committee.

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

The primary campaign of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance is to build public support for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, which was first introduced in Congress in 1989 by Utah Congressman Wayne Owens.

Thomas M. Green, Jr.

(February 26, 1758 – February 7, 1813) was a Mississippi Territorial politician, plantation owner, and Delegate to the United States House of Representatives during the 7th United States Congress representing the Mississippi Territory.

Thomas Telfair

Telfair was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the 13th and 14th United States Congresses, serving from March 4, 1813, to March 3, 1817.

United States Capitol Historical Society

The United States Capitol Historical Society is an organization chartered by the United States Congress, beginning in 1962, to educate the public on the heritage and history of the United States Capitol, as well as its institutions and those individuals who have served them over time.

Wally Bruner

Natalie co-starred on Wally's Workshop, and in the early 1990s, ran unsuccessfully for the United States Congress on the Democratic ticket against Dan Burton of Indiana.

WEUP-FM

The Garretts made history when they testified before a congressional committee in 1963, the outcome of which resulted in the change of a Federal Communications Commission law regulating 24-hour broadcasts in the 1960s.

William Samuel Booze

Booze practiced his profession in Baltimore until 1896, when he was elected to Congress, he previously unsuccessfully contested the election of Harry Welles Rusk to the Fifty-fourth Congress, as a Republican to the Fifty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1897 - March 3, 1899).

Wonkette

The blog gained further national media attention after Cox publicized the story of Jessica Cutler aka "Washingtonienne", a former Hill staffer who blogged about her affair with a member of former Senator Mike DeWine's staff.