When President Trump was elected into office, there was speculation that not much would get done due to clashing beliefs. While some would contribute the synergy of Congress and Trump to their common political party, others would say that the year has been successful due to the positive content of the bills passed. Congress has passed 122 laws and acts within the last year, 28 of which were introduced by democratic senators and representatives.

Some examples of Congress’ activeness include:

• Promoting women in Entrepreneurship Act
  • This law encourages women to take a more prominent role in the business world and not just in the lab. This law also was the first law proposed and passed by a democratic Representative of the house. This is a big deal because the majority of Congress is ruled by republicans, meaning that more conservative agendas will be the norm. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/255?r=1

• Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017
  • This act enables Meteorologists to intentionally prioritize their studies of the weather. This legislature allows scientists who study the weather to directly benefit from their data-gathering techniques because the government will be managing the funds that are granted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/353?r=14

• American Law Enforcement Heroes Act of 2017
  • The sacrifice of veterans are often forgotten in cities, but this law pushes communities to honor veterans by hiring them as law enforcement officers. This is an amendment to a law that is already in place, yet amplifies the reasons why veterans NEED to be honored in this way. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/583?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22American+Law+Enforcement+Heroes+Act+of+2017%22%5D%7D&r=1

• No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act of 2017
  • Proposed by our own senator, John Thune, this law outlaws truckers from continuing in their profession if they have commited sex-trafficking crimes. This also means that OUR state specifically will benefit as we have the highest human trafficking rates of any state in the nation. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/1532?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22S.1532%22%5D%7D&r=1

• United States Fire Administration, AFG, and SAFER Program Reauthorization Act of 2017
  • This program influences communities to educate citizens and firefighters on how to use fire-safety equipment, such as a fire truck and fire hydrant. This too is a re-enactment of an already passed law, yet it amplifies the importance of being educated on how to prevent house fires. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4661?r=121

The action within the last year has proven impressive. Congress has shown itself to be capable of completing much, and begs to ask what will happen in the next year. Perhaps the only thing to do is to maintain a positive attitude and to continue being an informative citizen of a global community.

To find out more about our government in action, check out https://www.congress.gov/