Category: Newsletters

  • Raimondo appears before Senate committee on commerce

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    January 26, 2021: Gina Raimondo will appear before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Tuesday. President Joe Biden (D) and his team have been preparing for the transition between presidential administrations since the election, including selecting senior White House staff and appointees to top government positions. In 2020, there were 1,472 government…

  • Ballotpedia’s Daily Brew: 80% of local ballot measures were approved in 2020

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    80% of measures in top 100 cities were approved in 2020 Last week, we gave you a summary of our annual report on California local ballot measures. Today, we’re back with an analysis of the approval rates, notable topics and measures, and more in the top 100 largest cities last year. Ballotpedia covered 314 local…

  • Documenting America’s Path to Recovery: January 25, 2021

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    The next 24 hours What is changing in the next 24 hours? New Hampshire (Republican trifecta): The next phase of the state’s vaccine distribution plan, 1B, will begin Jan. 26. On that day, people 65 and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine, as well as medically vulnerable people, the caregivers of medically vulnerable…

  • Yellen confirmation vote for Treasury secretary set for Monday

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    January 25, 2021: The Senate will vote on Janet Yellen’s nomination for secretary of the Treasury on Monday. President Joe Biden (D) and his team have been preparing for the transition between presidential administrations since the election, including selecting senior White House staff and appointees to top government positions. In 2020, there were 1,472 government…

  • Ballotpedia’s Daily Brew: 30 state legislative races decided by < 100 votes in 2020

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    30 state legislative races were decided by fewer than 100 votes in 2020 The saying goes, “every vote counts.” For these races, fewer than 100 votes decided the winner.  Out of the 5,875 total state legislative elections in 2020, 30 (0.5%) races were decided by fewer than 100 votes. Twenty-nine of the races were for…

  • Documenting America’s Path to Recovery: January 22, 2021

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    The next 72 hours What is changing in the next 72 hours? Georgia (Republican trifecta): On Thursday, Jan. 21, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced that, starting next week, all 120,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine allocated to the state by the federal government would go to local health departments. Previously, the state had allocated at…

  • Supreme Court hears case about presidential control of independent agencies

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    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 U.S. Supreme Court cases concerning Medicaid work…

  • Ballotpedia’s Union Station: Third Circuit rejects challenge to class action suit over union fees

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    Third Circuit rejects challenge to class action suit over union fees On Jan. 15, 2021, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania’s decision in Bethany LaSpina v. SEIU Pennsylvania State Council et al. The lower court had dismissed…

  • Ballotpedia’s Weekly Transition Tracker: January 16-22, 2021

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    President Joe Biden (D) and his team have been preparing for the transition between presidential administrations since the election, including selecting senior White House staff and appointees to top government positions. In 2020, there were 1,472 government positions subject to presidential appointment: 1,118 positions required Senate confirmation and 354 did not. The new administration is…

  • House, Senate approve waiver for ret. Gen. Lloyd Austin for secretary of defense

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    January 22, 2021:The House and Senate approved a waiver that would allow retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as secretary of defense before a seven-year cooldown period for former service members. President Joe Biden (D) and his team have been preparing for the transition between presidential administrations since the election, including selecting senior White House…