Category: Uncategorized

Offices of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are formulating rules to clarify how they weigh the costs and benefits of potential regulations. These rules follow a May 13, 2019, memo from EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler saying that cost-benefit analyses have varied across the agency in the past and that new rules will promote more transparent…

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on May 16 canceled nearly $1 billion in high-speed rail grants issued to the California High Speed Rail Authority. The federal government canceled the grants in response to the state’s failure to comply with the terms of the original 2010 agreement and failure to make reasonable progress on the…

A fight between UPS and Amazon over how a federal agency determines shipping costs will not proceed to the U.S. Supreme Court. On May 20, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case that challenged giving Chevron deference to the way the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) sets package delivery prices. UPS argued that…

On May 17, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) signed SB19-078 into law, which prohibits internet service providers from throttling or blocking otherwise legal content, services, and apps, and from establishing internet fast lanes. Providers violating the law would be required to repay the state for any funding received for rural broadband initiatives.   Colorado is…

A proposed bill would require agencies to request written feedback from interested people regarding new major rules earlier in the regulatory process. Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) introduced Senate Bill 1419, the Early Participation in Regulations Act, on May 13, 2019. The act requires agencies to issue advance notices that they will…

A new bill aims to help administrative agencies meet regulatory goals by requiring them to assess the effectiveness of new major rules. Senate Bill 1420, The SMART Act of 2019, would require agencies to publish ideas about how to measure the anticipated benefits of new major rules, including how to collect the necessary data to…

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 May 13 to May 17, the number of pages in the Federal Register increased by 1,928 pages, bringing…

On May 21, voters will decide on the next representative from Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District and party nominees for Kentucky’s November gubernatorial election. Ballotpedia will have live results from all three races available once polls close.   In Pennsylvania, Marc Friedenberg (D), a professor, and state Rep. Fred Keller (R) are running in a special…

President Donald Trump made 104 Article III federal judicial appointments through May 15, 2019. How does that figure compare to other modern presidents at this stage of their terms?   We looked at the numbers from the last 13 presidents, dating back to Harry Truman.   Article III judges are lifetime appointments to the U.S.…

A new bill restructuring the way small business regulations are considered was introduced in the Senate on May 7, 2019. The Prove It Act (PIA), introduced by U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), would allow the Small Business Administration (SBA) to require agencies to reconsider findings claiming new regulations would not affect…