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The article discusses the challenges governing in the 113th U.S. Congress. Several legislative issues that will see ideological divisions are the farm bill, reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, and the 2013 defense authorization bill. It considers a supplemental appropriations bill for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies after the damages brought by Superstorm Sandy. Other issues to be debated are the fiscal cliff, tax cuts and jobless benefit. INSET: An Agenda for the Lame Duck.

The article offers information on completing and naming a new highway bill by the U.S. Congress. It discusses providing short titles to legislation bills including Civil Rights Act, Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2001 as Tree-ah and Violence Against Women Act as Vah-wah. It also mentions that development of transit and highway bill for economy and replacement of the enacted law Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act.

The article reports that Washington veteran Ron LeGrand was inspired to fight domestic violence when he worked as the lead Democratic counsel in reauthorizing the U.S. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which was signed into law in March 2013.

The article discusses an effort by Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2014 to repeal a provision in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that rendered Alaska's tribal courts powerless to prosecute sexual crimes if the attacker is not a member of a native tribe.

The article presents highlights of the bills signed by U.S. President Barack Obama during the first session of the 113th Congress. These include the adoption of two short-term increases in the limit on Treasury borrowing authority, expanding and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act, and overhauling agriculture subsidies and nutrition assistance programs.

The article focuses on the decision of the U.S. Republican-led House to clear the Democrat-supported version of S 47, the bill that would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, on February 28, 2013, after rejecting an alternative backed by Republican conservatives. The law is said to be aimed at reducing domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, as well as helping victims of these crimes. It notes that a 2000 anti-human trafficking law would also be reauthorized by the bill.

The article discusses whether the so-called Hastert rule is at risk in the 113th U.S. Congress as of March 2013. It cites recent Republican votes that have raised this question, including the passage of the Violence Aganst Women Act (VAWA) by the House without a majority of Republican support in February. The rule, named after former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, serving from 1999 to 2007, is said to set the unofficial standard for floor consideration of legislation.

The article offers an outlook on the leadership changes on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and the issues the panel will address in the 113th Congress. It sees the likelihood of the committee to tackle immigration policy revisions and to revisit of the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. There will be one retirement in the Immigration Policy Enforcement Subcommittee and a number of membership changes among Democrats.