Category: Newsletters

  • Staff favorites about state legislative committees

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    Fun facts and finds about state legislative committees   Our staff recently updated our extensive list of state legislative committee information and added current membership information for 2,083 committees. As you may expect, government structures vary widely among the states. For example, we added information for 14 committees in Nebraska and 87 committees in Mississippi. We…

  • Economy and Society: ESG references in federal lobbying reports on the rise

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    ESG developments this week In Washington, D.C. ESG references in federal lobbying reports on the rise On April 29, Roll Call reported that references to ESG in federal quarterly lobbying reports have grown over the last few months—coinciding with the start of the Biden administration. According to the paper, lobbying mentions of ESG had risen…

  • Bold Justice: SCOTUS holds May sitting

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    We #SCOTUS and you can, too! May sitting The Supreme Court will hold its May argument sitting on May 4, hearing one case in a one-hour session. In keeping with each sitting of this term, the court will hear arguments remotely and will provide live audio to the public. Terry v. United States concerns sentencing…

  • Supreme Court began hearing arguments by conference call one year ago this week

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    COVID-19 policy changes and events one year ago this week The U.S. Supreme Court wraps up arguments in its 2020-2021 term on May 4. One year ago that day, SCOTUS heard oral arguments by conference call for the first time in history. The court had postponed oral arguments starting in March of 2020 in response…

  • Ballotpedia’s Weekly Transition Tracker: April 24-30, 2021

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    Each week, Ballotpedia has tracked key presidential appointments, executive actions, and policy developments from the Biden administration. This is the final edition of the Weekly Transition Tracker to mark the final week of Biden’s first 100 days in office.  For future updates in your inbox on the Biden Administration, subscribe to Ballotpedia’s Daily Brew, where…

  • Union Station: Public-sector collective bargaining legal in Virginia as of May 1

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    Virginia to allow public-sector collective bargaining starting on May 1st A change in Virginia law allowing for public-sector collective bargaining goes into effect May 1. In anticipation, the city of Alexandria adopted an ordinance allowing public-sector collective bargaining in the city on April 17. About the law The Virginia General Assembly approved legislation in March…

  • 2021’s third congressional special election is tomorrow

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    Texas’ 6th Congressional District special election is tomorrow, May 1 A special election to fill the vacancy in Texas’ 6th Congressional District will be held tomorrow—May 1. Twenty-three candidates—11 Republicans, 10 Democrats, one Libertarian, and one independent—are running to represent this suburban Fort Worth district. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote,…

  • Documenting America’s Path to Recovery #236: April 29, 2021

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    Welcome to Documenting America’s Path to Recovery. Today we look at: The end of outdoor mask requirements in Maryland and North Carolina A plan in Michigan that links the removal of restrictions to COVID-19 vaccination rates Vaccine distribution School closures and reopenings Travel restrictions Federal responses COVID-19 policy changes from this time last year  We…

  • 4 facts about the Senate parliamentarian

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    4 facts about the Senate parliamentarian The U.S. Senate’s parliamentarian—Elizabeth MacDonough—has been in the news this year for rulings she made regarding federal budget reconciliation procedures. If you follow the legislative process in Congress, you may have come across a newsletter or a news story that has mentioned the parliamentarian or Elizabeth MacDonough.  Given this…

  • How the Census Bureau arrived at apportionment counts

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    Apportionment counts: Results and background On Monday—April 26—the U.S. Census Bureau released apportionment counts based on the 2020 census. Six states—Texas, Colorado, Florida, Montana, North Carolina, and Oregon—gained seats in the U.S. House. Texas gained two, and the rest gained one. Seven states—California, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia—each lost a seat.…