WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document from Economics Daily: * * * 0.4 unemployed persons per job opening in the Dakotas, 1.7 in California, in December 2024 February 20, 2025 There were 7.6 million job openings in the United States in December 2024, a number not much different than the number of unemployed people, resulting in a ratio of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening. North Dakota and South Dakota each   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 --The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) released its 2025 ALEC Index of State Education Freedom, in January 2025, a comprehensive 50-state guide analyzing the availability and accessibility of various learning options for families. The report, authored by Andrew Handel, ALEC's Director of Education and Workforce Development Task Force, ranks states based on their commitment to parental empowerment in education, focusing on areas like education freedom programs, cha  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 20 -- Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued the following news release: * * * Attorney General Bird Emphasizes Commitment to Protecting Section 504 Accommodations for Kids with Disabilities DES MOINES-- Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today announced an official status report with the court that emphasizes the States' commitment to defending Section 504 accommodations for Americans with disabilities. The update follows a 17-state lawsuit from September 2024, chal  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Contracts for Feb. 19, 2025 ARMY AECOM-B&V Middle East JV, Roanoke, Virginia (W912ER-25-D-0001); Baker Jacobs JV, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (W912ER-25-D-0002); EXP Federal Inc., Chicago, Illinois (W912ER-25-D-0003); Mason & Hanger-CDM Smith, a JV, Lexington, Kentucky (W912ER-25-D-0004); Page Southerland Page Inc., Washington, D.C. (W912ER-25-D-0005); Tetra Tech Inc., Marlborough, Massachusetts (W912ER-25-D  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Criticizes Trump And Musk For Dismantling Of USAID And Harming American Farmers In Senate Floor Speech February 19, 2025 In his remarks, Durbin also debunked Kremlin-fostered falsehoods about USAID that have been circulated by Trump, Musk, and foreign adversaries and called on Republicans to speak up WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Feenstra Launches 5th Biannual 36 County Tour with Town Hall in Cherokee HULL, IOWA - Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) launched his fifth biannual 36 County Tour with a town hall in Cherokee where he talked about his work in Congress for Iowa and took questions from constituents. "Today, I launched my fifth biannual 36 County Tour with a town hall in Cherokee to hear from Iowans and discuss   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release: * * * Graham, Colleagues Urge ATF To Strengthen Second Amendment Protections And Rescind Unconstitutional Biden Rules WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) joined U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) and 28 of their Senate Republican colleagues today to send a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Deputy Director Marvin Richardson urging him t  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 20, 2025: * * * Grassley Op-Ed: Congress Must Permanently Classify Fentanyl-Related Substances to Curb the Crisis Grassley makes the case for quickly passing the HALT Fentanyl Act during today's Senate Judiciary Committee markup. Congress must permanently classify fentanyl-related substances to curb the crisis. By Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Grassley Welcomes Senate Confirmation of Kash Patel as FBI Director WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released a statement following the Senate's confirmation of Kash Patel to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). "Change is coming to the seventh floor of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, and that is a good thing. Over the past several year  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release: * * * Grassley Welcomes Senate Confirmation of Kash Patel as FBI Director WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released a statement following the Senate's confirmation of Kash Patel to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). "Change is coming to the seventh floor of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, and that   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Grassley, Ernst, Fetterman Urge Rollins to Take Quick Action on Bird Flu Outbreak Download video here WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a lifelong family farmer, joined fellow Agriculture Committee members Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and John Fetterman (D-Penn.) in a letter urging Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to quic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Grassley, Klobuchar Seek to Increase Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, joined Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in reintroducing the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act. The bipartisan bill would allow Americans to safely import prescription drugs from Canada - lowering costs, in  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi, issued the following news release: * * * HYDE-SMITH, COLLEAGUES ASK ATF TO ALIGN RULES WITH TRUMP SECOND AMENDMENT AGENDA Thirty U.S. Senators Want Agency to Begin Rescinding Unconstitutional Biden Rules Immediately WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is among 30 Senators who today strongly encouraged the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to immediately begin rescinding unlawful Bide  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released the following public communication dated Jan. 15, 2025, from the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and 86 collaborators: * * * To: Douglas Parker 200 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20210 * * * The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and the 86 undersigned organizations thank the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for proposing a ne  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: * * * Secretary Rollins Hosts a Roundtable with Farmers to Discuss Avian Flu and Other Critical Issues President Trump is committed to supporting our great American farmers. Washington, D.C., Feb. 20, 2025 -- Today, Secretary Brooke Rollins hosted a roundtable with two dozen farmers to hear their perspective on the best approaches to combat avian flu and ultimately lower egg prices. They also discus  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following floor remarks on Feb. 19, 2025, on the nomination of Kash Patel to be FBI Director: * * * Soon, we'll begin voting on the nomination of Kash Patel to serve as the Director of the FBI. I've spoken on his nomination within the last couple days, but I wanted to spend a few more minutes urging my colleagues to vote for Mr. Patel's confirmation. Mr. Patel's career shows that h  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following opening statement on Feb. 19, 2025, at a hearing entitled "Children's Safety in the Digital Era: Strengthening Protections and Addressing Legal Gaps": * * * Good morning. In today's digital era, our young people face risks that previous generations couldn't have imagined. Even though technology brings amazing opportunities for education and growth, it also opens the door to  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, issued the following news release: * * * Senate Passes Resolution Recognizing the 80th Anniversary of Iwo Jima WASHINGTON - On the 80 th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, the United States Senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the anniversary of the battle, which began on February 19, 1945, and lasted until March 26, 1945. U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) introduced the resolution earlier this month.  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 -- Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, issued the following news release: * * * Support Grows for Swift Passage of HALT Fentanyl Act WASHINGTON - Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) welcomed growing support for the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act ahead of the bill's markup in the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow morning. Grassley cosponsors the legislation, alongside Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), to per  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following decision (Docket No. AB 580) entitled "Knoxville & Holston River Railroad Co. Inc., A Wholly Owned Subsidiary Of Gulf & Ohio Railways Inc. - Abandonment Exemption - In Knox County, Tennessee": * * * On December 11, 2024, Knoxville & Holston River Railroad Co., Inc. (KXHR), a Class III rail carrier and wholly owned subsidiary of Gulf & Ohio Railways, Inc., filed a petition under 49 U  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana, issued the following news release: * * * Young, Ernst Lead Effort to Address Avian Flu Outbreak WASHINGTON - Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and a group of colleagues sent a bipartisan letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide a roadmap and enhance the agency's response to the ongoing outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This letter outlines solutions that can be collaborated  more