Category: Federal
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OIRA reviewed 53 significant rules in October
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed a total of 53 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies in October 2020. The agency approved two rules without changes and approved the intent of 48 rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew two rules from the review process. One rule…
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22 of Ballotpedia’s 57 federal battleground elections taking place in states with automatic recount procedures
This November, 22 of the 57 U.S. House and Senate races Ballotpedia identified as battlegrounds are taking place in states where a close vote could automatically trigger a recount under state law. An automatic recount occurs if election results meet certain criteria laid out in state law. The most common trigger for an automatic recount…
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Union sues to block Trump executive order reclassifying civil service employees
The National Treasury Employee’s Union (NTEU) on October 26 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that aims to block the implementation of President Donald Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13957. The order, issued on October 21, reclassifies federal civil service employees in the competitive service who serve in policy-related roles as members of the the excepted…
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Federal Register weekly update: Three new significant rules published
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 October 26 to October 30, the Federal Register grew by 1,488 pages for a year-to-date total of 69,118 pages. Over the same…
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Trump executive order aimed at increasing agency control of policy-related employees
President Donald Trump (R) on October 21 issued an executive order, “Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in The Excepted Service,” that directs agencies to reclassify federal civil service employees in the competitive service who serve in policy-related roles as members of the excepted service. Supporters of the order claim that the change will increase…
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How can I check the status of my ballot?
As of October 30, voters have cast at least 53.7 million absentee/mail-in ballots according to the New York Times. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia offer online ballot tracking for all voters. Texas and New York provide online ballot tracking only for military and overseas voters. Four states have no online ballot tracking at…
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The two battleground House races with electoral votes at stake
In addition to electing their next representative on Nov. 3, two battleground U.S. House districts will also decide which presidential candidate gets one of their state’s Electoral College votes. While 48 states give all their electoral votes to the statewide winner of the presidential contest, Maine and Nebraska distribute some of their electoral votes to…
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SCOTUS to hear arguments in five cases in first week of November
On November 2, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States will begin its November sitting. All arguments during its November and December sittings will be conducted via teleconference with live audio. The court made the decision to hold proceedings this way in accordance with public health guidance in response to COVID-19. In the first…
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Six national party committees raise combined $2 billion this cycle
Six party committees have raised a combined $2 billion since January 2019, according to pre-general election campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on October 22. The reports covered all fundraising and spending between October 1 and October 14. Democrats and Republicans each have three party committees: a national committee to coordinate…
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U.S. Senate confirms Newman to federal district court judgeship
The U.S. Senate confirmed Michael Newman to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio by a 67-30 vote on October 22, 2020. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. After…