Category: Uncategorized

  • Federal Register weekly update; highest weekly final rule total since September

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    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.   During the week of November 25 to November 29, the Federal Register increased by 1,204 pages, bringing the year-to-date total to 65,906…

  • Who may return a voter’s mail ballot? A state-by-state summary

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    Most states have laws permitting someone besides a voter to return the voter’s mail ballot. These laws vary by state.   A central argument made by those who support restrictions on who may return a voter’s mail ballot is that elections are more susceptible to fraud without them. One of opponents’ central arguments is that…

  • Federal Register weekly update; 2019 page total approaching 65,000 pages

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    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.   During the week of November 18 to November 22, the Federal Register increased by 1,138 pages, bringing the year-to-date total to 64,702…

  • Checking in on Trump’s 2-for-1 regulatory policy

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    President Donald Trump (R) in January 2017 issued Executive Order 13771, which requires federal agencies to eliminate two old regulations for each new regulation issued.   Have agencies complied with the 2-for-1 requirement?   E.O. 13771 only applies to economically significant regulatory actions—those with an economic impact of $100 million or more. In the 2017…

  • U.S. Supreme Court case asks whether courts may review certain Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions

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    On December 9, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument in the case Thryv, Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP. The case will determine whether people may challenge certain Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) decisions in court. A decision that restricts judicial review would make it harder for those who lose patent fights at…

  • RNC outraises DNC by more than two-to-one for a sixth consecutive month, Democrats retain House committee fundraising lead

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    The Republican National Committee (RNC) has outraised its Democratic counterpart by more than two-to-one for a sixth consecutive month, while the Democratic House committee outraised its Republican counterpart, according to November 2019 campaign finance reports filed with the FEC Wednesday.   The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised $6.7 million and spent $4.8 million last…

  • Ballotpedia’s review of the top 10 races in 2019

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    Here’s what happened in the top 10 races we watched in November 2019, including races for state executive and legislative offices, municipal elections, and statewide ballot measures.   Governors:   Kentucky: Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear (D) defeated Gov. Matt Bevin (R) and John Hicks (L) in Kentucky’s gubernatorial election. Beshear’s victory meant that Kentucky…

  • Joe Biden leads in Ballotpedia pageviews for fourth consecutive week; Tom Steyer has largest week-over-week increase

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    Each week, we report the number of pageviews received by 2020 presidential campaigns on Ballotpedia. These numbers show which candidates are getting our readers’ attention.   Joe Biden’s campaign page on Ballotpedia received 2,448 views for the week of November 10-16. Biden’s pageview figure represents 9.4% of the pageviews for the week. Andrew Yang had…

  • What are state legislators paid in your state?

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    State legislators in California earn the highest base salary among legislators in all 50 states, making $110,459 per year. State legislators in New Mexico do not earn a base salary.   As of March 2019, the states with the highest legislative base salaries were: California: $110,459 New York: $110,000 Pennsylvania: $87,180 Michigan: $71,685 Illinois: $67,836…

  • No 2020 Congressional retirements announced last week; 1,932 major party candidates filed for 2020 Congressional races

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    Four Senators (three Republicans and one Democrat) and 28 Representatives (20 Republicans and eight Democrats) are not running for re-election in 2020. In 2018, 55 total members of Congress—18 Democrats and 37 Republicans—did not seek re-election. In the past week, no members of Congress announced 2020 retirements.   As of November 18, 2019, 290 candidates…