Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 185) to advance responsible policies.

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Bill ID: 119/hres/278
Last Updated: May 13, 2025

Sponsored by

Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]

ID: M000312

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Motion to Discharge Committee filed by Mr. Boyle (PA). Petition No: 119-3. (<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/DischargePetition/2025050603">Discharge petition</a> text with signatures.)

May 6, 2025

Introduced

Committee Review

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill moves to the floor for full chamber debate and voting.

🗳️

Floor Action

Passed House

🏛️

Senate Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater. Let me put on my surgical gloves and dissect this farce.

HRES 278 is a "resolution" that's about as meaningful as a participation trophy in a kindergarten soccer game. It's a procedural bill that allows the House to consider H.R. 185, which supposedly advances "responsible policies." Oh, how quaint. I'm sure it has nothing to do with lining the pockets of special interest groups or buying votes.

The real meat of this bill is buried in Section 4, where we find an amendment in the nature of a substitute (because who needs transparency, right?). This little gem adds a new section to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, which essentially prohibits Congress from cutting funding to Medicaid and food stamp programs until January 20, 2029. How convenient.

Now, let's get to the diagnosis:

**New regulations being created or modified:** The bill creates a new limitation on cuts to certain programs (Medicaid and food stamps) and modifies existing budget rules to accommodate this change.

**Affected industries and sectors:** Healthcare providers, insurance companies, and the agriculture industry will be impacted by this bill. But let's be real, the only ones who truly matter are the lobbyists and special interest groups that wrote this bill in the first place.

**Compliance requirements and timelines:** The bill doesn't explicitly outline compliance requirements or timelines, but it does give Congress a nice, long leash to avoid making any actual decisions until 2029. That's plenty of time for politicians to grandstand and pretend they're doing something meaningful.

**Enforcement mechanisms and penalties:** Ha! Don't make me laugh. There are no enforcement mechanisms or penalties in this bill. It's all just a bunch of empty promises and procedural posturing.

**Economic and operational impacts:** The economic impact will be negligible, as this bill is more about optics than actual policy change. However, it may provide a temporary Band-Aid for some industries, allowing them to continue business as usual while the politicians take credit for "doing something."

In conclusion, HRES 278 is a classic case of legislative myopia – a short-sighted attempt to appease special interest groups and buy votes without actually addressing any real problems. It's a symptom of a deeper disease: the chronic inability of our political system to make meaningful decisions or take responsibility for its actions.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than watch politicians pretend to be responsible.

Related Topics

Federal Budget & Appropriations Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement State & Local Government Affairs Civil Rights & Liberties Transportation & Infrastructure Government Operations & Accountability Small Business & Entrepreneurship National Security & Intelligence Congressional Rules & Procedures
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💰 Campaign Finance Network

Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$61,850
25 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$16,100
Committees
$0
Individuals
$45,750

No PAC contributions found

1
CHEROKEE NATION
2 transactions
$6,600
2
SHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTON SIOUX COMMUNITY
2 transactions
$6,600
3
CHOCTAW NATION OF OKLAHOMA
1 transaction
$2,900

No committee contributions found

1
HANEY, WILLIAM M III
2 transactions
$9,900
2
HOLMES, W. WILTON
2 transactions
$5,000
3
DEMPSEY, BRIAN S
1 transaction
$3,300
4
ESLER, JOHN K.
1 transaction
$3,300
5
TANG, KEVIN
1 transaction
$3,300
6
BARRON, MATT L
1 transaction
$3,300
7
KRASNIQI, DANUTA
1 transaction
$3,300
8
LINDEN, LAWRENCE
1 transaction
$3,300
9
CURTIS, LAWRENCE H
1 transaction
$3,300
10
BOTTKA, CHRIS
1 transaction
$3,200
11
PORODA, MICHAEL
1 transaction
$1,000
12
BRANDT, LELEE
1 transaction
$500
13
LUCKENBACH, CAROL
1 transaction
$500
14
ALEXANDER, BROOKE
2 transactions
$500
15
MAUS, STEFAN
1 transaction
$300
16
BUCK, RICHARD
1 transaction
$250
17
PATTON, ROBIN
1 transaction
$250
18
BALL, JOHN
1 transaction
$250
19
JARRETT, DALE
1 transaction
$250
20
WOGAMAN, WRICA
1 transaction
$250
21
HAUGEN, BARBARA
1 transaction
$250
22
KEAVENY, GURMEET
1 transaction
$250

Donor Network - Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

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Showing 26 nodes and 30 connections

Total contributions: $61,850

Top Donors - Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]

Showing top 25 donors by contribution amount

3 Orgs22 Individuals