Year: 2022
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Three candidates running in Nebraska's 1st Congressional District's first contested Republican primary since 2014
Incumbent Jeff Fortenberry, Mike Flood, and John Weaver are running in the Republican primary for Nebraska's 1st Congressional District on May 10, 2022. This is the first contested Republican primary in the district since 2014 and the first for Fortenberry after a 2021 federal indictment stemming from a 2016 campaign finance investigation. A federal grand…
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New Mexico legislature sends constitutional amendments on household service infrastructure and judicial vacancies to the ballot, three bond measures to the governor's desk
The New Mexico legislature adjourned on Thursday. During the 2022 session, the legislature referred two additional constitutional amendments to the Nov. 8 ballot to join one put there during the 2021 session. The legislature also approved three bond questions that the governor must sign before they also go before voters. One constitutional amendment would provide…
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Congressman Jim Hagedorn (R) passes away
Congressman Jim Hagedorn (R-Minn.) passed away on Feb. 17 at the age of 59. He was battling kidney cancer. Hagedorn's wife Jennifer wrote, "Jim loved our country and loved representing the people of southern Minnesota. Every moment of every day he lived his dream by serving others. There was no stronger conservative in our state…
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Congressional Review Act resolution would block Head Start vaccine and mask mandates
A Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution introduced in the U.S. Senate aims to block an interim final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that requires all Head Start staff and volunteers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear a mask. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) sponsored the resolution in the…
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U.S. Department of Labor announces grants to help workers apply for unemployment insurance benefits
U.S. Department of Labor announced the allocation of $15 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pilot a program to help workers apply for unemployment insurance benefits. The Department will select five states for the UI Navigator pilot, each receiving $3 million. The states will use that money to partner with labor unions…
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Kentucky unemployment insurance audit identifies problems with system
Kentucky Auditor Mike Harmon’s office released a report identifying nine issues with Kentucky's unemployment insurance program, including problems with security and the state's auto-pay system. The report also found that the state paid over $195 million to over 28,000 out-of-state claimants between June 2020 and June 2021. Unemployment insurance refers to a joint federal and…
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Pennsylvania labor secretary reports $570 million in unemployment insurance fraud during pandemic
In testimony before the House Labor and Industry Committee on Feb. 10, 2022, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Jennifer Berrier estimated that the state paid $570 million of fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits from March 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021. The fraudulent payments represented about 6.3% of the total unemployment insurance payments made during…
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Alabama allocates American Rescue Plan Act funds to replenish unemployment trust fund
The Alabama Legislature passed a plan for spending American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on Jan. 27, 2022, directing $79.5 million of the state's $2.1 billion ARPA allocation to replenish the state's unemployment trust fund. Following the bill's passage, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington announced the state dropped to a lower tax schedule…
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Federal Register weekly update: Five significant documents added
The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions. From Feb. 14 through Feb. 18, the Federal Register grew by 1,286 pages for a year-to-date…