By George H. Friedman, SAA Publisher & Editor-in-Chief

We have covered in the Alert the status of several arbitration-related bills in Congress. This prompted a reader to ask about the shelf life of a bill.

A congressional term runs two years from noon January 3 of odd numbered years. For example, the current 117th Congress runs until January 3, 2023. Any bills not enacted by that date expire and must be reintroduced to be considered by the 118th (and any future) Congress.

New House Committee Chairs

With the GOP in control of the new House of Representatives, there will be a slew of new committee chairs. For example, Congressman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) will replace Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) as Chair of the Financial Services Committee.

(ed: *We think it is unlikely that any reintroduced anti-arbitration bills will pass in the House during the coming Congress. **For more details see https://ballotpedia.org/117th_United_States_Congress.)