Government Policy

DoorFrame

[Update] Okay, NOW What The Heck Is Going On With Senate Obamacare Replacement Bill?

By 7.24.17 — Updated: 7.25.17

Healthcare is the shambling zombie bill that simply will not stay dead. First the Senate was going to have a vote on a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act; then it wasn’t. Then the Senate was considering a new proposal; then it wasn’t. Now, there is a vote on a bill tentatively planned for tomorrow, July 25 — but if it seems like nobody actually knows what’s in it, or who supports it, or what’s going on, well, that’s because basically nobody does.

So here’s what we do know. [More]

11 States Accuse Trump Administration Of Illegally Delaying Safety Regulations For Chemical Plants

11 States Accuse Trump Administration Of Illegally Delaying Safety Regulations For Chemical Plants

By 7.24.17

The Environmental Protection Agency recently decided to put a nearly two-year delay on new rules intended to reduce the number and damage resulting from accidents at U.S. chemical plants that can result in deadly explosions, fires, and the release of poisonous gas. But the attorneys general for 11 states say the Trump administration has overstepped its authority with this decision. [More]

(SarahMcGowen)

Don’t Strip Consumers Of Their Right To A Day In Court, Say Advocates, Senators

By 7.24.17

Last week, bank-backed lawmakers revealed their plans to pass fast-track legislation that would undo the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s recently finalized rules that prevent banks and other financial institutions from stripping customers of their constitutional right to a day in court. Now, consumer advocates are urging the rejection of the legislation, expected to be voted on this week.  [More]

Rachel

Frontier, American & Delta Fined $850,000 For Involuntary Bumping, Damaged Bag Violations, Delayed Refunds

By 7.24.17

Frontier Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after the Department of Transportation found the carriers violated consumer protection rules related to refunds, disability assistance, and other issues.  [More]

Michael Kappel

Senate Parliamentarian Says GOP Obamacare Replacement Goes Too Far, Rules Against Planned Parenthood Defunding

By 7.21.17

As you may be aware, the Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is being pushed through Congress as a budget resolution, meaning it only needs a simple majority in the Senate (as opposed to 60 votes) to pass. However, budget resolutions are also very limited in what they can do, and today the Senate Parliamentarian issued her opinion that several key measures of the Senate replacement bill go beyond the scope of what’s allowed. [More]

Mike Mozart

You Still Can’t Fire Up An E-Cigarette On Your Flight

By 7.21.17

If you were hoping to fire up that electronic cigarette on your next flight, you better think again: The use of e-cigarettes is still prohibited on commercial flights, an appeals court ruled Friday.  [More]

damian613

U.S. Banning Travel To North Korea Because Getting Arrested There Can Be Very Dangerous

By 7.21.17

If you were planning to visit North Korea sometime in the near future, you’ll probably need to cancel that hotel reservation in Pyongyang: The U.S. State Department has issued a ban on travel to the country, citing concerns that American could be in danger while there. [More]

Adam Fagen

The Supreme Court’s Newest Justice Must Help Run The Cafeteria

By 7.21.17

The junior person in a workplace often gets stuck with tasks that no one else wants to do, in a form of occupational hazing. In the U.S. Supreme Court, one hallowed tradition is that the newest addition to the bench must take on a task that nothing in law school or in a Senate confirmation hearing has prepared them for: He or she must serve on the committee in charge of the building’s cafeteria. [More]

Ride-Hailing Apps In NYC One Step Away From In-App Tipping

Ride-Hailing Apps In NYC One Step Away From In-App Tipping

By 7.20.17

A month ago, Uber rolled out optional in-app tipping nationwide, which made it look a little more driver-friendly while stuck in a traffic jam of terrible publicity. We’re sure that change had nothing to do with what happened in New York’s City Council today: A bill that would require ride-hailing apps to let customers tip within the app passed the transportation committee and is on its way to the mayor’s desk. [More]

photographynatalia

Lawmakers Who Want To Hand ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ Card To Banks Made Millions From Financial Sector Last Year

By 7.20.17

As expected, Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced legislation that would overturn new rules intended to make sure that bank and credit card customers aren’t stripped of their right to file lawsuits in a court of law. Not surprisingly, many of the politicians pushing this pro-bank bill recently received significant financial support from the financial sector. [More]

George Redgrave

Reminder: Studies Posted On ClinicalTrials.gov Are Not Government-Approved Or Screened

By 7.20.17

When facing an illness, you might turn to a clinical trial for treatment that isn’t available eleswhere. The best place for patients to find trials is the site ClinicalTrials.gov, which is a site administered by the National Institutes of Health and is exactly what it sounds like. The site has trials where researchers are testing experimental drugs or procedures that may help them. The problem is that not all “clinical trials” are exactly what they seem. [More]

frankieleon

What Is Going On With The GOP Effort To Repeal Obamacare?

By 7.20.17

The Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has been dealt a number of potentially lethal blows in recent days, but some supporters of the effort — including President Trump — continue to push their colleagues to move forward with repeal. Will a vote happen? Will it succeed? And how does the news of Sen. John McCain’s brain tumor affect the numbers? [More]

Xavier J. Peg

Budget Office: Repeal Of Obamacare Would Double Premiums, Leave Additional 32 Million Without Insurance

By 7.19.17

Though it was effectively declared dead on arrival earlier this week, the latest Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act is still technically on life support, with President Trump pushing for lawmakers to continue working on the measure. However, the Congressional Budget Office has once again confirmed that simply repealing Obamacare without a replacement would result in a huge number of additional Americans losing or going without health insurance, and significantly higher costs for those who remained on their policies. [More]

inajeep

GOP Moving Forward With Plan To Block New Legal Protections For Bank, Credit Card Customers

By 7.19.17

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently finalized new rules that prevent banks and other financial institutions from stripping customers of their constitutional right to a day in court. As expected, bank-backed lawmakers in both the House and Senate are now planning to pass fast-track legislation that would undo these protections and make sure banks retain their “get out of jail free” card. [More]

Lawmakers Call For Removal Of Education Dept. Civil Rights Chief After College Rape Claims

Lawmakers Call For Removal Of Education Dept. Civil Rights Chief After College Rape Claims

By 7.19.17

A week after the head of the Department of Education’s Civil Rights division publicly apologized for making an unsubstantiated and unsourced claim that nine in 10 sexual assault and harassment allegations are baseless and can be tied back to nothing more than too much drinking and bad breakups, lawmakers are calling for the her removal. [More]

Steve

Here’s What Comcast, Verizon, Netflix, And Everyone Else Has To Say About Net Neutrality

By 7.18.17

The initial comment deadline in the FCC’s proceeding to kill off the 2015 Open Internet Rule — that’s net neutrality, to most of us — has now come and gone. More than 8.9 million comments have already come in since May, blowing away the 4 million comment record set by the last time net neutrality came before the Commission in 2014. [More]

(Misfit Photographer)

Sen. Cory Booker Concerned Over Hefty Overdraft Fees, Seeks Info From Top Banks

By 7.18.17

Each year, banking customers spend an estimated $32 billion on overdraft fees. While many banks have modified their policies regarding the costly fees, recent reports found those changes aren’t enough to protect most consumers. Now, in an effort to add to those protections, one lawmaker is pressing banks for more information on their policies. [More]

Brad Clinesmith

Update: Senate Plan To Vote On Repeal-Only For Obamacare Is Also Dead

By 7.18.17

In the weirdness that is the state of American politics in 2017, Congress is developing a flair for late night high drama. Last night, enough Senators spoke out against the Senate’s plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act that the bill was determined dead — but Republicans in Congress aren’t exactly giving up yet. [More]

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