In the News
HR 4444 would establish the Office of Young Americans to address progressive issues related to American youth. The bill is a brainchild of the Future Forum Caucus, a group of younger Democrat lawmakers who are seeking to increase youth engagement in government.
US Rep. Anthony Brindisi, D-Utica, is walking on broken glass in his quest to develop responsible policy for social media.
But it's a quest he must pursue.
Brindisi met with other members of Congress and representatives of social media companies earlier this month to address the "Pandora's box" of graphic content, abuse and harassment on social media. It's a mission he began last year following the brutal slaying of Utica teenager Bianca Devins.
U. S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi met with other members of Congress and representatives of social media companies Wednesday to address the "Pandora's box" of graphic content, abuse and harassment on social media, he told reporters Thursday.
Brindisi became involved with the issue last year when he met with the family of Bianca Devins. On Monday, Brandon Clark pleaded guilty to killing the Utica teen and posting photos of her remains on Instagram. The Devins family have said they later were sent harassing messages, sometimes including these photos.
It's the latest sign of the times in an evolving Congress: stacks of black garment bags, stuffed with blazers, gowns and dresses, deposited in piles at UPS drop-off spots on Capitol Hill.
"This is an example of a law that would be easy to pass if we got money out of politics," Rep. Seth Moulton told Cheddar as his baby daughter tried to climb out of his arms.
Moulton (D-Mass.) is one of several lawmakers attempting to expand the federal Family and Medical Leave Act to, as he says, "mandate providing paid family leave. And this is important to moms, it's important to dads, but really it's important to kids."
They call themselves "Dadvocates," men who say paid family leave is not just crucial for moms, but for dads who want to bond with their newborn and create more equity when it comes to child care expectations within the home.
Alexis Ohanian, venture capitalist, founder of Reddit and proud "business dad," said it will be strange when he one day explains to his daughter that paid family leave was not always the law.
The black bags pile up at the UPS drop-off spots across the Capitol's campus, whether it's the weekend after the White House Correspondents Dinner or the Monday that Congress is set to return from a long recess.