Category: Uncategorized

  • The Daily Presidential News Briefing: Tester endorsed Bullock

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    June 10, 2019: Sen. Jon Tester endorsed Steve Bullock for president. Most Democrats spent the weekend campaigning in Iowa at party and Pride events. Share the latest from the campaign trail. There are eight new candidates running since last week, including three Democrats, three Republicans, and one Libertarian. Nineteen candidates are no longer running. In total, 733…

  • Federal Register weekly update; 2019 page total continues to trail 2018 page total

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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 June 3 to June 7, the number of pages in the Federal Register increased by 1,246 pages,…

  • Tracking redistricting, electoral system, and primary system bills in state legislative sessions

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    More than half of the states have wrapped up their legislative sessions for the year. Here’s a summary of what actions states have taken so far on election policy.   Redistricting legislation: We’ve tracked 221 bills regarding redistricting policy. Seventeen of them have become law. Examples of enacted legislation are: Mississippi JR202: Signed into law…

  • May 2019 OIRA review count; second-highest monthly review count of 2019

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    In May 2019, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) reviewed 36 significant regulatory actions issued by federal agencies. The agency approved the intent of 34 rules while recommending changes to their content. Agencies withdrew two rules from the review process.   OIRA reviewed 22 significant regulatory actions in May 2018—14 fewer…

  • U.S. Supreme Court clarifies Medicare rule change procedures

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    The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must follow informal rulemaking procedures when it changes Medicare policy. In Azar v. Allina Health Services, decided June 3, 2019, the court held that HHS had to give the public notice and an opportunity to make comments before changing the way…

  • Deceased consultant’s hard drive prompts new challenge in census citizenship question case

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    Attorneys for plaintiffs in Department of Commerce v. New York sent a letter to Judge Jesse Furman of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on May 30, 2019, to highlight new evidence allegedly demonstrating that the Trump administration approved the addition of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census…

  • Connecticut House of Representatives approves omnibus public-sector union bill

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    On May 29, 2019, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted 83-58 to approve HB06935, an omnibus public-sector union bill.   If approved, the bill would make several changes to the state’s public-sector labor laws: It would require public employers to furnish unions with information about newly hired and current employees. Employees would have to consent…

  • Trump administration files petition for U.S. Supreme Court to review 4th DACA case

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    The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to grant expedited review of four cases involving the 2017 decision to end an Obama-era program (DACA) that postponed deportation for children who entered the United States unlawfully. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Trump administration’s decision to end the DACA program on…

  • Unanimous U.S. Supreme Court declines to apply Chevron deference in Social Security case

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    A unanimous U.S. Supreme Court declined to apply Chevron deference to uphold an agency legal interpretation in a case decided on May 28, 2019. Smith v. Berryhill involved whether the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) dismissal of an appeal in a disability case counted as a final agency action, which would allow the person filing for…

  • Hogan won’t challenge Trump in 2020

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    June 3, 2019: Larry Hogan announced he will not challenge Donald Trump in the Republican primary in 2020. Kirsten Gillibrand released her LGBT policy platform. Here’s the latest from the campaign trail. There are six new candidates running since last week, including one Democrat and one Republican. In total, 744 individuals are currently filed with…