Category: Federal
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Federal Register weekly update; 2020 page total passes 31,000 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 May 18 to May 22, the Federal Register grew by 1,766 pages for a year-to-date total of 31,356 pages. Over the same…
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Travel restrictions on Brazil go into effect Tuesday
The White House on Sunday fast-tracked a proclamation prohibiting travelers from Brazil from entering the United States, moving the date the restrictions take effect from Thursday, May 28, to Tuesday, May 26 at midnight. The proclamation prohibits foreign travelers who have been in Brazil in the last 14 days prior to trying to enter the…
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Jo Jorgensen wins Libertarian Party presidential nomination
The Libertarian Party selected Jo Jorgensen as its presidential nominee on Saturday, May 23, during the Libertarian National Convention. Party delegates nominated six candidates to be on the initial ballot. Candidates were eliminated on each subsequent ballot until one candidate received a majority of the vote. Jorgensen received 51% of the vote on the fourth…
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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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COVID-19 might allow 117th Congress to block more Trump administration regulations
The coronavirus pandemic might give opponents of the Trump administration more opportunities to fight agency actions taken in the remaining months of 2020. Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a new Congress has 75 legislative days to overturn agency rules issued in the last 60 days of a prior session of Congress. COVID-19 led congressional…
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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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RNC outraises DNC by nearly two-to-one, Republican Hill committees outraise Democratic counterparts
The Republican National Committee (RNC) outraised the Democratic National Committee (DNC) by nearly two-to-one in April, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on May 20. The DNC had reported its best fundraising totals of the campaign cycle in March 2020, outraising the RNC for the first time since October 2018.…
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Federal judge requires Ohio to accept electronic signatures from initiative campaigns seeking to place minimum wage and voting changes on the ballot
On May 19, U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus ordered Ohio to accept electronic signatures from the campaigns sponsoring the Minimum Wage Increase Initiative and the Voting Requirements Initiative. The judge also extended the signature deadline from July 1 to July 31. The judge’s order only applies to the ballot measure campaigns that sued the…
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Biden outraised Trump in April, Trump continues to lead in overall fundraising and cash on hand
Joe Biden outraised Donald Trump by more than two-to-one last month, while Trump had a nearly two-to-one advantage in cash on hand, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission on May 20. The Biden campaign raised $43.6 million in April, 88% more than the Trump campaign’s $16.9 million. Biden’s campaign spent…