Report from Governmental Affairs

Federal legislation aims to help students who are homeless or living in foster care

In the past, legislative efforts to improve the quality of elementary and secondary education generally overlooked the unique needs of children who are homeless or living in foster care.

Nov 1, 2016 12:40 AM CDT

Internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II offers cautionary message

The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II offers a cautionary message for current political debates

Sep 1, 2016 12:50 AM CDT

Bank account disclosure rule now incorporates ABA proposals to protect client confidentiality

Requiring law firms to disclose the identities of clients and when establishing trust accounts would be inconsistent with ABA Model Rule 1.6.

Aug 1, 2016 12:50 AM CDT

Record number of bar leaders participated in this year’s ABA Day lobbying event

The 20th annual ABA Day in Washington, the association's major grassroots lobbying event coordinated each year by the Governmental Affairs Office, brought a record number of state and local bar leaders to the nation's capital April 19-21 to meet with members of Congress on issues of importance to the legal…

Jul 1, 2016 1:00 AM CDT

ABA says the reauthorized Older Americans Act will give nation’s seniors a stronger safety net

A bipartisan effort paid off this spring when Congress reauthorized the Older Americans Act of 1965. The action means that the act will more effectively respond to the needs of a population of seniors that is both growing in numbers and becoming increasingly independent.

Jun 1, 2016 12:50 AM CDT

SCOTUS nominees get thorough review by ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary

The unexpected death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Feb. 13 triggered a wave of eulogies from throughout the legal profession and the political community. But the sudden vacancy on the nation's highest court also meant that the 15 members of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal…

May 1, 2016 12:45 AM CDT

ABA applauds a new FCC rule seeking to hold down telephone rates charged to prison inmates

At the urging of the ABA and numerous advocacy groups, the Federal Communications Commission has taken steps to bring down the rates and fees charged to inmates for making telephone calls from prisons and jails in the United States. Inmates rely on prison phone services to maintain contact with their…

Jan 1, 2016 1:00 AM CST

Bipartisan collaboration in the Senate increases chances for a major criminal justice reform act

Dec 1, 2015 1:10 AM CST

Congress should bolster jurisdiction of tribal courts over violence against children, ABA urges

The ABA is urging Congress to follow the recommendations of recent reports by the U.S. Justice Department and the Indian Law and Order Commission that call for giving American Indian and Alaska Native tribes more authority to exercise criminal jurisdiction and apply their own remedies in cases that occur on…

Nov 1, 2015 12:40 AM CDT

Reauthorization bill seeks to update a key juvenile justice law after more than 10 years

A bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, a 1974 law that provides crucial support for programs aimed at preventing juvenile delinquency. In the view of the ABA, it's time for an update, which hasn't occurred in more than a decade.

Sep 1, 2015 7:00 AM CDT