Tag: administrative state

  • Ballotpedia study shows that 25 state APAs and constitutions specify qualifications for administrative agency leaders

    Posted on

    Banner with the words "The Administrative State Project"

    A Ballotpedia survey of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) revealed that 25 state APAs and constitutions specify qualifications for administrative agency leaders and the other half of the states do not specify any required qualifications as of November 2020.  Administrative agency leaders are those who direct the activities of state agencies.…

  • U.S. Supreme Court agrees to hear Appointments Clause challenge to Social Security Administration ALJs

    Posted on

    Image of the front of the United States Supreme Court building.

    On November 9, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Carr v. Saul, a case involving the president’s appointment and removal power and whether people may raise Appointments Clause arguments in court that they did not make during administrative proceedings. The Social Security Administration (SSA) denied Willie Carr’s application for Social Security disability benefits and…

  • Union sues to block Trump executive order reclassifying civil service employees

    Posted on

    Image of the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C.

    The National Treasury Employee’s Union (NTEU) on October 26 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that aims to block the implementation of President Donald Trump’s (R) Executive Order 13957. The order, issued on October 21, reclassifies federal civil service employees in the competitive service who serve in policy-related roles as members of the the excepted…

  • Ballotpedia study shows that 12 state APAs define what qualifies as a guidance document

    Posted on

    Graphic with the five pillars of the

    A Ballotpedia survey of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) revealed that 12 state APAs include provisions that define what qualifies as a guidance document and the other 38 states do not have provisions in their APAs or constitutions defining guidance as of September 2020.  Guidance is a term used to describe…

  • Trump executive order aimed at increasing agency control of policy-related employees

    Posted on

    Banner with the words "The Administrative State Project"

    President Donald Trump (R) on October 21 issued an executive order, “Executive Order on Creating Schedule F in The Excepted Service,” that directs agencies to reclassify federal civil service employees in the competitive service who serve in policy-related roles as members of the excepted service. Supporters of the order claim that the change will increase…

  • Federal Register weekly update: 1,430 pages added

    Posted on

    Banner with the words "The Administrative State Project"

    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. From October 19 to October 23, the Federal Register grew by 1,430 pages for a year-to-date total of 67,630 pages. Over the same…

  • U.S. Senate rejects CRA resolution to block changes to the Community Reinvestment Act

    Posted on

    On October 19, the U.S. Senate rejected a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to block a new banking rule issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The resolution, passed by the U.S. House in June, failed on a procedural vote of 48 to 43 in the U.S. Senate. Democratic members of…

  • Ballotpedia study finds that 36 state APAs limit ex parte communications between hearing officers and the parties involved in agency adjudication

    Posted on

    A Ballotpedia survey of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) revealed that 36 state APAs limit ex parte communications between hearing officers and the parties involved in adjudication, as of October 2020. No state constitutions restrict contact between agency hearing officials and parties in a case. Ex parte communications are any form…

  • Checks and Balances: October 2020

    Posted on

    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 an order from the Federal Communications Commission that moves the agency…

  • Ballotpedia study shows that 29 state APAs require administrative agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before implementing rules

    Posted on

    Graphic with the five pillars of the

    A Ballotpedia study of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) showed that 29 state APAs require administrative agencies to conduct a cost-benefit analysis before implementing rules, as of September 2020. Cost-benefit analysis is an aspect of agency dynamics, one of the five pillars key to understanding the main areas of debate about…