Category: Federal
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U.S. Senate to reconvene May 4, House cancels plans to return to session
House Majority leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) canceled previously announced plans for the House to return to session on May 4. Hoyer said that he and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.) changed the chamber’s plans after consultation with the House physician. The U.S. Senate will reconvene as scheduled on May 4. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell…
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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…
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U.S. Supreme Court limits judicial review in patent cases
On April 20, the U.S. Supreme Court limited when people may challenge in court certain agency decisions related to patents. In _Thryv, Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP_ the court ruled 7-2 that judges may not review decisions made by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) about whether the time limit had passed for challenging…
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HHS will not penalize telehealth providers for HIPAA violations during coronavirus emergency
On April 21, the Office of Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule announcing that it would not penalize health care providers using telehealth services in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), some…
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2,810 major party candidates filed for 2020 Congress elections
As of April 27, 2,810 major party candidates have filed to run for the Senate and House of Representatives in 2020. So far, 417 candidates are filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to run for U.S. Senate in 2020. Of those, 340—174 Democrats and 166 Republicans—are from one of the two major political parties.…
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New York cancels Democratic presidential preference primary
On April 27, 2020, the New York State Board of Elections canceled the Democratic presidential preference primary, which had been scheduled to take place on June 23, 2020. The Republican presidential preference primary had already been canceled. The statewide primary election is scheduled to proceed as planned on June 23, 2020. Earlier in April, the…
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SCOTUS issues opinions in cases concerning immigration, trademark use, and the Clean Water Act (CWA)
On April 23, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued rulings in three cases argued during its October Term 2019-2020. 1. Barton v. Barr, a case that concerned immigration law, originated from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit and was argued on November 4, 2019. The issue: “Whether a lawfully admitted…
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SCOTUS issues opinions in three cases
The U.S. Supreme Court issued decisions in three cases on April 20 during its October 2019 term. 1. Ramos v. Louisiana originated from the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal and was argued on October 7, 2019. It concerned the right to a unanimous verdict in a jury trial. The issue: “Whether the Fourteenth Amendment…
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Candidate filing period passes for congressional races in Florida
The filing deadline to run for congressional office in Florida is April 24. Neither of Florida’s two U.S. Senate seats are up for election in 2020. All 27 of Florida’s U.S. House seats are up for election. The incumbents filed for re-election in 25 of those 27 districts, leaving two seats open. The incumbents who…
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Special election for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District to be held April 28
The special general election for Maryland’s 7th Congressional District is on April 28, 2020. The election will be conducted primarily via mail. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Maryland Board of Elections sent mail-in ballots to all eligible active voters. Three polling places will be open on April 28 for those who cannot vote by…