Category: Legislation

In honor of Tax Day

The Wall Street Journal, April 13, 1935, p. 1.

UPDATE: 5/28/22

In the “nothing new under the sun” department, President Biden has been arguing since last summer that his multi-trillion-dollar spending proposals will reduce inflation and budget deficits. See Biden Argues Massive Government Spending Will Help Fend Off Inflation, Not Exacerbate It (July 19, 2021); and Biden Emphasizes Deficit Reduction in Bid to Pass Economic Agenda (March 18, 2022).

Only yesterday—text of the coronavirus bills

It seems like only yesterday that I was posting links to the financial crisis legislation of 2008-9. Here we go again.

So far, we’ve had three bills to deal with the coronavirus epidemic and its economic consequences:

  • HR 7048, the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” (a/k/a the “CARES Act”), March 27, 2020. Wikipedia summary, full text PDF.
  • HR 6201, the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act,” March 18, 2020. Wikipedia summary, full text PDF.
  • HR 6074, the “Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act,” March 3, 2020. Wikipedia summary, full text PDF.

Careful printing the CARES Act—it’s over 300 pages.

Update 5/17/20:

And then there were four:

  • HR 266, the “Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act,” April 24, 2020, full text PDF.

update 6/8/20:

  • HR 7010, the “Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act,” June 5, 2020, full text PDF.

UpdaTE 3/15/21

  • HR 1319, the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, March 11, 2021, full text PDF.

Text of the health care bills

Here are links to the official versions of the health care bills, as signed into law:

  • The main health care bill—which is officially titled the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010” (enacted March 23, 2010):
  • The reconciliation bill—which is officially titled the “Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010” (enacted March 27, 2010):

Text of the bailout and stimulus bills

Here are links to the official versions of the bailout and stimulus bills, as signed into law:

  • The bailout bill—which is officially titled the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008” (enacted October 3, 2008):
  • The stimulus bill—which is officially titled the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009” (enacted February 17, 2009):