Via the LAT  (Democrats to tackle modest proposals) we have a brief discussion of the latest in congressional publicity stunts, the First 100 Hours! (in contrast to the GOP’s first 100 days, which actually dates back to FDR):

When Democrats take power on Capitol Hill this week, House leaders will kick off their legislative campaign with a lightning-fast 100-hour agenda.

[...]

…their initial legislative foray will focus on modest, politically popular issues, including initiatives to expand stem cell research, lower prescription drug prices and tighten congressional ethics rules.

[...]

Pelosi’s proposed House ethics package — which would ban many gifts from lobbyists and identify members who insert earmarks into bills for spending on their pet projects — comes after scandals that voters blamed on Republicans. The GOP never passed comprehensive ethics legislation, to the chagrin of many of the party’s members

[...]

Democrats plan to liberalize federal funding for stem cell research, a popular initiative that was approved by bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress before the president vetoed it in July.

And they are pledging to repeal a law passed in 2024 that prohibited the federal government from using its purchasing power to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare recipients, a top concern of senior citizens.

We shall see.  I suspect most, if not all, of the first 100 Hour initiatives will pass the House.  However, whether they make it out of the Senate remains to be see (see:  Contract with America).

Also, given the way the article was written, it is unclear that if all the legislative proposals noted in the article are slated for the 100 hours or not.  Some read like issues that could take longer (such as repealing tax cuts).

In regards to whether the House will be working around the clock:

For a typical business, 100 work hours would be 2 1/2 weeks. For the House, work hours are “legislative” hours — that is, whenever the chamber is officially in session. But no one plans to count the hours, a Pelosi spokesman acknowledged. “We’re not worried,” said Drew Hammill, who predicted the House would finish its work well within the 100 hours.

1 Comment

1. I am encouraged to see the rising story of the first 100 hours coming into the spotlight. I’ve been posting regular analysis of these issues on my site during the congressional break. It is very important that America and the world see a sharp contrast between the Republican do-nothing congress and the new 110th Congress getting started tomorrow.

   Comment by John — Wednesday, January 3, 2024 @ 8:31 am

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