X-Nico

35 unusual facts about United States Congress


1912 in radio

13 August – The United States Congress passes the 1912 Radio Act, "An Act to regulate radio communication", requiring that all radio stations be licensed.

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.

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.

Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia

In the United States an organization with a similar name, the American Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia, was founded in the late 1940s, and became known for their CIA-run and later Congress-funded propaganda broadcaster Radio Liberty, which operated from Munich, in West Germany.

Dean McHenry

During his time at UCLA, he ran for several political campaigns, including mayor of Los Angeles and for the United States Congress; he also authored numerous books.

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.

District of Columbia Organic Act

The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, an act by the United States Congress, which incorporated the District of Columbia and placed it under the exclusive control of Congress

Droit

American law does not recognize any such droits, and the disposition of captured property is regulated by various acts of Congress.

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.

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.

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.

Leonardo Mascheroni

Since then, he has been critical of Los Alamos and has attempted to lobby the United States Congress to fund his idea.

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.

M. Brewster Smith

Smith was the vice president of the Joint Commission on Mental Illness and Health, an independent organization created by the United States Congress in 1955 to study the care of the nation's mentally ill.

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.

Museum of Government Waste

Museum of Government Waste is an upcoming documentary produced by American Film Renaissance that follows Florida resident Greg Knapp on his mission to obtain an earmark from Congress to construct a museum dedicated to careless government spending.

National Association of Personal Financial Advisors

NAPFA, the Financial Planning Association, and the CFP Board of Standards formed the Financial Planning Coalition to work with Congress and federal agencies to strengthen the rules on financial advisors' fiduciary conduct, fee disclosures, and conflicts of interest.

National Collegiate women's ice hockey championship

In 1978, American universities became subject to the law often known as Title IX, approved by the United States Congress in 1972.

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.

Oregon State Senate

Oregon, along with Arizona, Maine, and Wyoming, is one of the four U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, a position which for most upper houses of state legislatures and indeed for the U.S. Congress (with the Vice President) is the head of the legislative body and holder of the casting vote in the event of a tie.

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).

President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992

The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, or the JFK Records Act, is a public law passed by the United States Congress, effective October 26, 1992.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Who Would Have Thought It?

At the beginning of the novel, Dr. Norval is a prominent figure in New England; his influence and financial support provide positions in Congress for his brother-in-law Isaac.

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.


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.

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.

Albert F. Canwell

He is best remembered as the namesake of the legislature's Canwell Committee to investigate communist influence in Washington state, patterned after the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) of the United States Congress.

Antarctica Service Medal

The Antarctica Service Medal (ASM) was established by the United States Congress on July 7, 1960 under Public Law 600 of the 86th Congress.

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.

Charles Follen McKim

McKim was a member of the Congressional commission for the improvement of the Washington park system, the New York Art Commission, the Accademia di San Lucca (Rome, 1899), the American Academy in Rome and the Architectural League.

Charles Valentine Riley

He convinced the United States Congress to establish the United States Entomological Commission, which included a Grasshopper Commission, to which Riley was appointed chairman.

Children of the American Revolution

After the idea for a children’s branch was proposed at the Daughters of the American Revolution Continental Congress, the organization was promptly chartered by the United States Congress.

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.

Cumberland Parkway

In the case of the Nunn, toll booths were removed in 2003 because of a bill in the United States Congress sponsored by Hal Rogers (R-KY), which included an appropriation to pay off the bonds on the parkway as well as the Daniel Boone Parkway in eastern Kentucky.

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.

Dave Crooks

In May 2011 Dave Crooks announced his candidacy to represent Indiana's 8th Congressional District in the United States Congress.

Doug Cloud

In addition to his frequent campaigns for a seat in the United States Congress, Cloud sought appointment to the Washington House of Representatives in 2013 to fill a vacancy created by the election of Jan Angel to the Washington Senate.

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.

Erland and the Carnival

The track "Everything Came Too Easy" was inspired by a speech by Charles Van Doren to the House Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight, a United States Congress subcommittee, investigating a rigging scandal on the quiz show Twenty One.

Fernand St. Germain

St. Germain was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-seventh and to the thirteen succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1989).

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.

George G. Sadowski

He was elected as a Democrat from Michigan's first congressional district to the 73rd, 74th, and 75th Congresses, serving from March 4, 1933 to January 3, 1939.

Helmut Christoferus Calabrese

His song, "The Most Beautiful Lady in the World: Statue of Liberty Anthem", was the subject of two bills in the New Jersey Legislature calling on the United States Congress to designate it as the official anthem of the Statue of Liberty.

Honorary citizen of the United States

A person of exceptional merit, generally a non-United States citizen, may be declared an Honorary Citizen of the United States by an Act of Congress or by a proclamation issued by the President of the United States, pursuant to authorization granted by Congress.

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.

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.

John L. McMillan

Born on a farm near Mullins, he was educated at Mullins High School, the University of North Carolina, as well as the University of South Carolina Law School and National Law School in Washington, D.C. He was selected to represent the United States Congress at the Interparliamentary Union in London in 1960, and in Tokyo in 1961.

Joseph Bryan

Bryan was elected as a Republican to the 8th and 9th United States Congresses and served from March 4, 1803, until his resignation in 1806.

Kathleen A. McGrath

In the spring of 2000, during her command of the Jarrett,and just six years after Congress revoked rules prohibiting women from serving on combat aircraft and warships, the ship deployed to the northern reaches of the Persian Gulf, hunting boats suspected of smuggling Iraqi oil in violation of United Nations sanctions.

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.

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.

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.

Peng-Peng Gong

He was invited twice, on personal request, by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to perform for the United States Congress.

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.

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.

Stanley A. Prokop

Following the war, he served on the North Pococno Joint Board of Education for 10 years, and following this was elected to the United States Congress in 1958, defeating incumbent Republican Congressman Joseph L. Carrigg.

The American Ireland Fund

In 2008, the chair of the gala dinner was former United States Congress Member Jack Quinn.

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.

Unified Smart Grid

President Barack Obama asked the United States Congress "to act without delay" to pass legislation that included doubling renewable energy production in the next three years and building a new electricity "smart grid".

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.

Walt Horan

Walter Franklin "Walt" Horan (October 15, 1898 – December 19, 1966) was an American politician, a congressman from eastern Washington for 22 years.

Walt Rogers

On October 1, 2013, Rogers announced his candidacy for United States Congress in Iowa's 1st congressional district in the 2014 election cycle.

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.

Yehuda Bacon

His art is shown in several museums and collections around the world, among the Israel Museum and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, the United States Congress in Washington D.C., in the homes of Theodore Roosevelt, John D. Rockefeller, Martin Buber and Chaim Weizmann as well as in London.