Author: Caitlin Styrsky
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FEC regains quorum to enforce campaign finance laws
The Federal Election Commission’s (FEC) nearly nine-month period without a functioning quorum came to a close on Tuesday when the United States Senate voted 49-43 along party lines to confirm Republican attorney Trey Trainor as the commission’s newest member. Trainor’s confirmation created the quorum of members necessary for the FEC to oversee campaign finance disclosures,…
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EPA proposal aims to increase public engagement with agency guidance documents
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on May 19 announced a proposed rule that intends to facilitate public engagement in the development and review of the agency’s guidance documents. The proposed rule aims to bring the agency in line with President Donald Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13891, which seeks to prohibit https://ballotpedia.org/Executive_agencyfederal administrative agencies> from…
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Order highlights role of federal agencies in preemption decisions
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)— the federal agency tasked with regulating the transportation of oil and other hazardous materials—issued an order on May 11 that blocked a Washington state law that would have placed restrictions on crude oil transportation beyond those required by federal law. The Federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Law (HMTA)…
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Federal Register weekly update; lowest weekly final rule total since January
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. From May 11 to May 15, the Federal Register grew by 1,946 pages for a year-to-date total of 29,590 pages. Over the same…
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Checks and Balances: May 2020
The Checks and Balances Letter delivers news and information from Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Project, including pivotal actions at the federal and state levels related to the separation of powers, due process and the rule of law. This edition: In this month’s edition of Checks and Balances, we review a new dissent from Justice Clarence Thomas…
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Federal Register weekly update; highest weekly presidential document total of 2020 to date
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. From May 4 to May 8, the Federal Register grew by 1,326 pages for a year-to-date total of 27,644 pages. Over the same…
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NYT highlights federal law allowing for the repeal of administrative agency regulations
The New York Times in its May 7 morning briefing discussed the use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) during the Trump administration to reverse certain regulations issued by the Obama administration. Trump administration officials, according to the Times, are working to ensure that the administration’s own regulations are not similarly vulnerable to reversal under…
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Federal Register weekly update; Trump administration’s largest weekly page total tops 3,100 pages
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. From April 27 to May 1, the Federal Register grew by 3,144 pages for a year-to-date total of 26,318 pages. Over the same…
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OIRA reviewed 43 significant rules in April
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed a total of 43 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies in April 2020. The agency approved eight rules without changes and approved the intent of 31 rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew two rules from the review process. One rule…
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Federal Register weekly update; highest weekly page total since mid-March
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. From April 20 to April 24, the Federal Register grew by 1,466 pages for a year-to-date total of 23,204 pages. Over the same…