BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 10 -- Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued the following news release: Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is co-leading a coalition of 19 states seeking to join litigation to defend the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) climate disclosure rules (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/03/28/2024-05137/the-enhancement-and-standardization-of-climate-related-disclosures-for-investors) against challenges brought by industry entitie  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 10 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: A man has been arrested on a federal drug charge after law enforcement last week seized cocaine, fentanyl, and multiple firearms from his Chicago residence. A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges HUGO PINZON, 34, with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute. As part of an ongoing federal investigati  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- The U.S. Department of Education issued the following news release: Department of Education releases new state-by-state numbers showing the effect of four major discharge program proposals for the 4 million borrowers who have already been approved for relief The Biden-Harris Administration today released initial details of a new set of plans that would provide student debt relief for tens of millions of borrowers across the country. The plans would bring the total   more

WASHINGTON, April 9 -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued the following news release: April 9, 2024 Via electronic submission Illinois Joint Committee on Administrative Rules700 Stratton BuildingSpringfield, Illinois 62706 Dear Members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules: On behalf of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), I am pleased to submit this comment regarding the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's (IDFPR's) proposed rule  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: The average domestic air fare of $396 in the third quarter of 2014 was virtually the same as the average fare in the third quarter of 2013, adjusted for inflation (Table 1), the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. During the July to September 2014 period, passengers originating in Cincinnat  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- The U.S. Department of Education issued the following commentary on April 8, 2024: * * * Community Colleges: Building Pathways to the Future By Amy Loyd, Assistant Secretary, Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education The American postsecondary education system has seen many transformations, but none so democratic and revolutionary as the founding of the first community college in Joliet, Illinois in 1901. Then-president of the University of Chicago William Harpe  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 10 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following newsletter on April 9, 2024: * * * FHLBank Chicago's Community First(R) Housing Counseling Resource Program (HCRP) (https://click.e.fhlbc.com/?qs=eb25e35d4c03936405dbeff066a7efe54927f40a976c5fd1bca35de5bb896f4749a2e010af171f7b7dffa32729e970b774f1a36d142031ae) provides grants to HUD-certified housing counseling agencies in Illinois and Wisconsin to fa  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the following statement on April 8, 2024, by Commissioner Mark C. Christie on a decision (Docket No. ER24-843-000) involving PJM Interconnection LLC: * * * Since the SAT is coming back,[1] here is a multiple-choice question: Which of the following is a "public policy" transmission project under PJM's tariff: a) A reliability line caused by load growth that may be attributed to economic develop  more

BOLINGBROOK, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news: A new bill being advanced by state Rep. Dagmara "Dee" Avelar, D-Bolingbrook, would ensure workers have greater access to important employment and payroll documents that may be necessary to secure housing, resolve tax issues, and more. "All Illinois employees should have the ability to access their pay stubs even after they move to a new job, as it holds important tax information, wage information and dis  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 10 (TNSres) -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news: Urging community colleges to proactively improve contract opportunities for minorities, state Rep. La Shawn K. Ford, D-Chicago, is highlighting a recent report from the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion (CEI) detailing how community colleges have lagged behind goals to expand use of Business Enterprise Program (BEP) entities. "As Chair of the House Higher Education Appropriations Committee  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois House Democrats issued the following news: Continuing her longstanding efforts to improve health insurance network adequacy and hold big health insurance companies accountable, state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, is backing legislation that will institute new rules to improve access to care. "Two years ago, Central Illinois saw the effects of ghost networks as thousands of people paid for an insurance plan that did not connect them with medical ca  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news on April 9, 2024: State Senators Christopher Belt and Mike Simmons expressed support for a new grant program under the Illinois Grocery Initiative that was announced Tuesday. Paired with the Equipment Upgrades Program, the initiatives are a $20 million effort to address food deserts and prevent grocery store closures in Illinois. "As a proud supporter of equitable access to nutritious food, I'm thrilled to l  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: State Senator Lakesia Collins is pushing for a measure known as Liam's Law to provide better bereavement support measures to parents experiencing perinatal and infant loss. "This legislation is a continuation of our efforts to provide more options to families when perinatal loss occurs," said Collins (D-Chicago). "Requiring hospitals to notify parents of their rights is the least they can do during such  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel championed a measure through the Senate that would protect youth from the dangers of vaping by prohibiting e-cigarettes from being shipped to anyone in the state. "Students can easily buy e-cigarettes on the internet, including ones that look like school supplies," said Loughran Cappel (D-Shorewood). "These vapes make it hard for teachers to decipher what it is. We have  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: Nicotine companies marketing to kids is nothing new but now they're creating vapes that are designed to appear to be school supplies, like a highlighter. State Senator Julie Morrison passed a measure to prevent these products from being advertised to children. "The dangerous and addictive nature of nicotine consumption is the reason I have taken a strong stand on this issue," said Morrison (D-Lake Fores  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: State Senator Steve Stadelman's legislation aimed at combatting electronic stalking has successfully passed the Senate and advances to the House. "Electronic stalking is a serious threat to the safety and well-being of individuals," said Stadelman (D-Rockford). "It is incumbent on us to take meaningful action to address this issue." Electronic stalking, a form of harassment and intimidation facilitated  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, April 10 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: State Senator Doris Turner spearheaded a measure through the Senate that would hold funeral homes accountable by reestablishing integrity and trust in the death care industry. Her legislation, Senate Bill 2643, comes in response to a Carlinville funeral home insufficiently handling human remains, giving over 60 families the wrong remains. "The status quo isn't working. Dead or alive, everyone deserves t  more

EVANSVILLE, Indiana, April 10 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana issued the following news release: Marion Duane Taylor, 71, of Illinois, Ricardo Sodari, 49, of Arizona, and Christopher Utley, 52, of Evansville, have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Marion Duane Taylor was convicted by federal jury in 2023 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and was sentenced to  more

WASHINGTON, April 10 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on April 8, 2024: Domingo Francisco-Juan, 44, was sentenced today to life in prison for kidnapping, forced labor and conspiracy to commit kidnapping and forced labor. The court also ordered Francisco-Juan to pay $50,000 in restitution to a victim. His codefendant Lorenza Domingo-Castaneda, 35, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for forced labor and conspiracy to commit forced labor, and also ordered her to  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, April 10 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior's National Park Service issued the following news release on April 9, 2024: On April 15, the National Park Service (NPS), in partnership with Jefferson National Parks Association (JNPA), will begin accepting applications for the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI) grants for cultural heritage and educational projects in the Delta region, spanning Southern Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. Applications are due by May 31.The LM  more

WASHINGTON, April 5 -- The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy issued the following news release: This week, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) Director Dr. Rahul Gupta recognized individuals and initiatives of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program at the 2024 National HIDTA Awards Ceremony for their critical work to prevent overdoses and save lives by cracking down on the trafficking of dangerous drugs. "Members of our High Intensity  more

OAK RIDGE, Tennessee, April 9 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued the following news release: Cybersecurity experts typically inform users how to stay safe online, such as protecting personal information and keeping passwords secret. But in the age of easy access to generative AI software, Suhas Sreehari, an applied mathematician at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, identifies misconceptions regarding generative AI that could lead to u  more

WASHINGTON, April 9 (TNSres) -- The White House issued the following fact sheet: * * * Extreme House Republican Plan Would Hurt American Workers While Rigging the Economy for Big Corporations and the Wealthy State-by-state analysis shows how the Republican Study Committee budget would gut job training and workforce development programs that strengthen our economy and create pathways to good jobs President Biden is building our economy from the middle out and bottom up--an economy where we in  more