U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt recently blocked an Indiana state law requiring women to get an ultrasound 18 hours before getting an abortion. The judge found the measure to be overly burdensome for low income women. Judge Pratt’s ruling, which was issued on Friday March 31st, came after a lawsuit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of Planned … [Read more...]
Leaked Memo Offers Insight Into Proposed EPA Budget Cuts
In late March that a newly uncovered document reveals serious cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including 25 percent of the workforce and 56 programs. The leaked document, obtained by the Washington Post, contains the most detailed budget plan to date and entails slashing programs such as water runoff control, pesticide safety and … [Read more...]
OIG Will Review Administration’s Decision to Halt ACA Advertisements
Following a request from Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Pat Murray (D-Wash), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) will investigate the Administration’s decision to halt paid outreach advertisements and to suspend other related efforts aimed at informing the public of Marketplace enrollment in … [Read more...]
Pence’s Tie-Breaking Vote Leads to Nullification of Obama-era Rule
Mike Pence cast a tie breaking vote on March 29th, rescinding an Obama-era regulation pertaining to the funding of healthcare providers that offer abortion services. With a vote of 51 to 50 in favor of nullifying the rule, the bill will now go to President Trump who is expected to sign it. A tie breaking vote was necessary after Senators Lisa … [Read more...]
Resolution Repealing Drilling Regulation Gets Stuck in the Senate
A resolution aiming to repeal an Obama-era rule that limits the environmental impact of the oil and gas industry has hit a road bump in the Senate, as several Republicans and moderate Democrats have not fully committed to a yes vote. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulation requires drillers to implement methane mitigation technologies to … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Rejects Texas Standard for Determining Inmates’ Mental Ability
The Supreme Court rejected Texas standards for determining which mentally disabled people are exempt from death row. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote for the majority opinion saying, “Texas cannot satisfactorily explain why it applies current medical standards for diagnosing intellectual disability in other contexts, yet clings to superseded … [Read more...]
Trump Proposes the Elimination of Essential Funding for Appalachia
Of the 19 federal programs that Trump would like to eliminate, there are a few that would sever lifelines to regions that helped put him in the Oval Office. One of the key programs on the chopping block is the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), created during Lyndon B. Johnson’s “war on poverty.” Cutting these programs amounts to a bitter … [Read more...]
Senate Rescinds Rule Protecting Predators in Alaskan Wildlife Refuges
The U.S. Senate passed a “resolution of disapproval” last week, overturning an Obama-era rule that protected wolves, grizzly bears and coyotes from extreme hunting practices including aerial spotting, baiting, and killing animals who are with their cubs in their dens. The regulation, which was rescinded with a party-line vote of 52-47, specifically … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Raises Standards for Education of Students With Disabilities
The Supreme Court recently raised the standards for educational benefits given to the (approximately) six million students with disabilities. The unanimous decision rejected the ruling of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals which found that non-trivial progress was sufficient to satisfy requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities in … [Read more...]
Internet Privacy Rules Rescinded
The Senate voted last week in favor of a resolution repealing a set of Obama-era rules that promised to protect internet privacy for consumers. This comes not long after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) stayed the enactment of the rules in February. The bill passed mostly along party lines with a vote of 50 to 48. President Trump signed … [Read more...]
