WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release: WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Enforge, LLC, a Michigan-based automotive parts company conducting business in North Carolina, will pay $35,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. According to the EEOC's lawsuit, a female employee was subjected to unwelcome sexu  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a direct final action in the Federal Register on Nov. 26, 2024, entitled "Excess Emissions During Periods of Startup, Shutdown, and Malfunction; Partial Withdrawals of Findings of Failure To Submit State Implementation Plan (SIP)". Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action to partially withdraw two final actions finding that 13 States and/or local air polluti  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued the following news release: RICHMOND, Va. Dennis Arnoldo Zeledon Hernandez, an unlawfully present Salvadoran noncitizen, was sentenced Dec. 4 to one year and six months in prison for obstructing an agency proceeding. "This case highlights the critical importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies to ensure public safety and uphold the integrity of our immigration system," sa  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 -- The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued the following public notice (WC Docket No. 24-682): * * * Re: Copper Retirement Network Change Certification Received BellSouth Telecommunications, LLC d/b/a AT&T North Carolina (AT&T), an incumbent local exchange carrier (LEC), has filed certification that public notice of network change(s) involving the retirement of copper has been provided through its publicly accessible Internet site, as requ  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: FEMA has obligated more than $292 million for 47 grants to support the Tropical Storm Helene recovery in North Carolina. FEMA's Public Assistance program provides reimbursement to local, tribal and state government agencies for the costs of emergency response, debris removal and restoration of disaster-damaged public facilities and infrastructure. The program a  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release: In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene, North Carolinians can benefit from free advice from FEMA experts on how to rebuild stronger and safer. FEMA mitigation specialists will be present in stores in Buncombe and Henderson counties to offer free home improvement tips and proven methods to prevent and lessen damage from future disasters. FEMA specialists will   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 --The House Education and the Workforce Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-739) on the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 6951), which aims to lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. The report was advanced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 18, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * Purpose The purpose of H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act, is to lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. Committee Acti  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 --The House Education and the Workforce Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-739) on the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 6951), which aims to lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. The report was advanced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 18, 2024. * * * (Continued from Part 1 of 6) Accreditation Accreditors serve as key gatekeepers in postsecondary education because they must give their stamp of approval to institutions in or  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 --The House Education and the Workforce Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-739) on the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 6951), which aims to lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. The report was advanced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 18, 2024. * * * (Continued from Part 2 of 6) New Budget Authority and CBO Cost Estimate With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representa  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 --The House Education and the Workforce Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-739) on the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 6951), which aims to lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. The report was advanced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 18, 2024. * * * (Continued from Part 3 of 6) MINORITY VIEWS Introduction H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act, amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) in ways Committee Democrats  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 --The House Education and the Workforce Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-739) on the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 6951), which aims to lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. The report was advanced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 18, 2024. * * * (Continued from Part 4 of 6) H.R. 6951 Guts Federal Accountability Framework, Leaving Students and Taxpayers Vulnerable RISK SHARING AGREEMENTS H.R. 6951 proposes a risk-shar  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 --The House Education and the Workforce Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-739) on the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 6951), which aims to lower the cost of postsecondary education for students and families. The report was advanced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 18, 2024. * * * (Continued from Part 5 of 6) POSTSECONDARY STUDENT SUCCESS H.R. 6951 codifies Postsecondary Student Success Grants (PSSG), a program currently funded/134/ under the Fund for t  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The House Financial Services Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-725) on the Bank Safety Act (H.R. 4206), which aims to amend the Financial Stability Act of 2010 to require covered financial institutions to include elements of accumulated other comprehensive income when calculating capital for purposes of meeting capital requirements. The report was advanced by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 1, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * Purpose and Summary Int  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The House Financial Services Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-727) on joint resolution (H.J.Res. 100) providing for Congressional disapproval under Chapter 8 of Title 5 of the U.S. Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to "Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure". The report was advanced by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 1, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * PURPOSE AND SUM  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The House Financial Services Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-728) on the Fostering the Use of Technology to Uphold Regulatory Effectiveness in Supervision Act (H.R. 7437), which aims to require certain supervisory agencies to assess their technological vulnerabilities. The report was advanced by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 1, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * PURPOSE AND SUMMARY Introduced on February 23, 2024, by Representative Erin Houchin, H  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The House Financial Services Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-726) on the Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (H.R. 8340), which aims to amend Sec. 3(b)(4) of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 to exclude certain disability benefits from income for the purposes of determining eligibility for the supported housing program under Sec. 8(o)(19). The report was advanced by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 1, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * Purpose and Summa  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The House Financial Services Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-724) on the Protecting Investors' Personally Identifiable Information Act (H.R. 4551), which aims to prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring that personally identifiable information be collected under consolidated audit trail reporting requirements. The report was advanced by Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, R-North Carolina, on Nov. 1, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * PURPOSE AND SUMMARY In  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- Rep. Richard Hudson, R-North Carolina, issued the following news release: In recognition of Computer Science Education Week, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-09) today announced the winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for North Carolina's 9th District. "The Congressional App Challenge is a great opportunity for our region's middle and high school students to showcase their creativity and computer skills on the national level," said Rep. Hudson."Congratul  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs issued the following news release on Dec. 9, 2024: Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today delivered opening remarks during the Biden-Harris administration's fourth White House Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior. Secretary Haaland highlighted the enduring progress that has been accomplished on behalf of and in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, from transformational investments in Indi  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 -- The Interior Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 2024-CGD-016) on Dec. 3, 2024, entitled "Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Grants Awarded to the State of North Carolina, Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Marine Fisheries, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service." Here are excerpts: * * * Memorandum To: Martha Williams, Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service From: Colleen Kotzmoyer, Director, Contract and Grant Audit Division Subj  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service has released the following public communication dated Dec. 1, 2024, from the Center for Public Enterprise: * * * To: Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (Passthrough and Special Industries) 1111 Constitution Ave., NW, Room 5408 Washington, DC, 20224 * * * From: Dr. Yakov Feygin, Center for Public Enterprise PO BOX 370108 Brooklyn, NY 11237-0108 RE: Notice No. 2024-27 Request for Comments on Situations  more

PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland, Dec. 10 -- The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command issued the following news release: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. -- Following the delivery of the depot's final AV-8B Harrier in September, Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently completed its last F402 engine maintenance event, delivering the finished product to the fleet Oct. 28. FRCE has supported the Harrier and its engine since 1973, beginning with its assignment of the AV-8A Harrier and F402 engine  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 10 -- The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued the following news release: N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler encourages communities impacted by Hurricane Helene to apply for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program, which responds to emergencies created by natural disasters. It is not necessary for a national emergency to be declared for an area to be eligible for assistance. "The Emergency Watershed Protection pr  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 10 -- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued the following news release on Dec. 9, 2024: The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today released a toolkit aimed at assisting other states seeking to tackle the burden of medical debt. The Medical Debt Toolkit is based on an innovative program recently launched by NCDHHS to address the issue of medical debt among North Carolinians. It builds on record enrollment as North Ca  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, issued the following weekly column on Dec. 9, 2024: * * * We Must Help Our Communities Unfortunately, natural disasters, accompanied with human hardship and tragedy, were not scarce over this past year in our country. From floods to droughts to wildfires to hurricanes to tornadoes, many communities across the United States suffered this year due to major weather events. Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused devastating blows to North Carolina,  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior issued the following news release: Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today delivered opening remarks during the Biden-Harris administration's fourth White House Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior. Secretary Haaland highlighted the enduring progress that has been accomplished on behalf of and in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, from transformational investments in Indian Country made possible by President Bide  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the following news release: Biden-Harris Administration has nearly doubled its original goal to repair or replace 10 of the nation's most economically significant bridges 18 major bridge projects are moving forward, part of the more than 11,400 bridges across the country receiving funding to improve safety, shorten commutes, and ensure more efficient supply chains MONROE, MICHIGAN Today, during a news conference at the River   more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (TNSfact) -- The White House issued the following fact sheet on Dec. 9, 2024: * * * Biden-Harris Administration Leads by Example, Leveraging the Federal Government to Catalyze Clean Energy Jobs and Cut Costs and Pollution Three years in, President Biden's executive order has catalyzed global markets and put the U.S. Government on track to meet his ambitious sustainability goals and save taxpayers money When President Biden entered office, he pledged to restore America's   more