The POPVOX Blog

Articles Tagged POPVOX

1. Q&A: What does "and for other purposes" mean in legislation?

   by marci on March 25, 2013

   We at POPVOX get lots of questions! About POPVOX, about startups.. but mostly about Congress and the legislative process. Our team loves hearing from users. We respond to every question and add the most frequent questions to our FAQ.  In a new "POPVOX Q&A" series, we will share these questions from our users -- and hope you will send more!

   What does "and for other purposes" mean?

   Q: "and for other purposes." This phrase scares the [] out of me. Yet is seems to be embedded in all bills I look at. I have yet to find out what any of these purposes are. It's almost like having to vote for it before we find out what's in it.

   

   A. You're right -- the phrase "and for other purposes" appears in a LOT of bills (in 845 currently pending bills, by our count.) But don't worry -- that phrase is very standard in the "long title" section of a bill. It does not create an open-ended law -- it is simply a way to shorten the description of what the bill does.

   As described in the House Legislative Counsel's Manual on Drafting Style, "if the bill covers multiple items, 'and other purposes' may be used at the end of the title instead of describing each item." (p. 25). 

   More questions? Please add them in the comments or email info@popvox.com.

   IRONY ALERT:

   Rachna points out that the "One Subject at a Time Act", introduced last Congress, was described as:

   To end the practice of including more than one subject in a single bill by requiring that each bill enacted by Congress be limited to only one subject, and for other purposes.

   UPDATE: Our Twitter followers are awesome:

   Why *not* to be against a bill simply be cause it has "for other purposes" in its "long title" twitter.com/POPVOX/status/… via @popvox — MerlinYoda (@MerlinYoda) March 26, 2013

   The Seinfield "yada yada" in Congress bills is called "and for other purposes". It's in 845 current bills. bit.ly/YB2bdc @popvox

   — Daniele Sobrini (@DanieleSobrini) March 26, 2013

    

2. POPVOX Advances to Final Round in SxSW Accelerator Competition

   by annalee on March 14, 2011

   March 14, 2011, Austin, TX ― POPVOX, Inc., a Silicon Valley and Washington, DC startup designed by Washington insiders advances to the final round of the 3rd Annual Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW.

   On Tuesday, May 14 the final twelve early stage companies will have five minutes to showcase their companies in front of influential industry judges and a live audience. Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, IBM, .CO, and Turner Broadcasting System, the Microsoft BizSpark Accelerator at SXSW honors four of the web's most exciting new innovations in four categories: Innovative Web Technologies, Social Media and Social Networking Technologies, Entertainment Technologies, and News Related Technologies.

   “Advancing to the final round is an enormous honor,” said Marci Harris, POPVOX Founder and CEO. “We are not a typical tech startup. Our expertise is in the world of legislation and advocacy and how technology can improve information flow. Yesterday s selection shows that the SxSW BizSpark Accelerator stage can be a great leveler on the start-up playing field for companies that don t fit established patterns. Our model is to empower individuals and improve the quality of information coming into Congress. It is heartening to see that recognized at SxSW.”

   About POPVOX

   POPVOX is a disruptive advocacy platform that meshes legislative data with individuals personal stories and sentiment. POPVOX delivers public input to Congress in a format tailored to actionable policy decisions and empowers users to leverage their expertise and numbers. POPVOX provides a legislative dashboard for Congress and government affairs professionals with bill status information, customized tracking, bill-specific advocacy information, and real-time constituent sentiment and comments. For more information, visit: popvox.com

   About the SXSW Interactive Festival

   The 18th annual SXSW Interactive festival will take place March 11-15, 2011 in Austin, Texas. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the event features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology. Join us March 2011 for the panels, the parties, the 14th Annual Interactive Awards, ScreenBurn at SXSW, the SXSW Expo, Accelerator at SXSW and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. SXSW Interactive 2011 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Chevrolet, AOL, IFC, Pepsi, PepsiMax, Freecreditscore.com, Monster Energy, Microsoft, Samsung, AT&T and The Austin Chronicle. For more information, visit http://www.sxsw.com.