WASHINGTON, July 25 (TNSLrpt) -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on July 24, 2025, from Economics Daily: * * * 18 states had unemployment rates below national average in June 2025 South Dakota had the lowest state unemployment rate in June 2025, 1.8 percent. The District of Columbia had the highest jobless rate, 5.9 percent. The next highest rates were in California and Nevada, 5.4 percent each. In total, 18 states had unemployment rates l  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. James Baird, R-Indiana, issued the following news release: * * * Congressman Baird Applauds Secretary Rollins and USDA for Reorganization Efforts and Moving Operations to Indiana * Today, Congressman Jim Baird (IN-04) applauded U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s announcement on reorganizing the department to better align with its mission of supporting American agriculture by moving a portion of USDA's opera  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Feeding Indiana's Hungry has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), voicing strong objections to the proposed National Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Information Database. The organization, which represents food banks serving Indiana, argues that the new database could pose significant threats to privacy and undermine existing systems designed to safeguard the sensitive data of millions of Americans relying on SNAP  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Former Kokomo Police Department Officer Charged with Sexually Assaulting 14-Year-old Girl * A federal grand jury in Indianapolis, Indiana, returned a two-count indictment, unsealed today, charging former Kokomo Police Department officer Sinmi Asomuyide with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and with lying to state investigators to try to cover up the assault. The first count of the indictmen  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The Indiana Justice Project has issued a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the proposed National Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Information Database. The nonprofit organization expressed serious apprehensions about the potential impacts of the data collection on the state's immigrant populations. The Indiana Justice Project, which focuses on legal advocacy and policy reform, highlighted that the sensitive information r  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, issued the following news release: * * * Lee Applauds USDA Shift from Washington to Utah * WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) issued the following statement in response to this morning's announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that the agency will be shifting its focus and staffing away from Washington D.C. and toward agricultural hub locations across the country, including one in Salt Lake City, Utah: "The people makin  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Rudy Yakym, R-Indiana, issued the following news release: * * * Rep. Yakym Meets with Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, Congressman Rudy Yakym (IN-02) joined United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for a Ways and Means roundtable to discuss the United States' recent trade deals and continue discussing future deals, emphasizing the importance of Indiana's manufacturing and small business communities. "We had a productive co  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana, issued the following news release: * * * Reps. Hank Johnson and Sydney Kamlager-Dove Introduce Bill To Protect Artists' 1st Amendment Rights * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) re-introduced the Restoring Artistic Protection Act (RAP Act) to protect Americans from the wrongful use of their creative or artistic expression against them in criminal and civil proceedings.   more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: * * * Secretary Rollins Announces USDA Reorganization, Restoring the Department's Core Mission of Supporting American Agriculture * (Washington, D.C., July 24, 2025) - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), refocusing its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting American farming, r  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- The U.S. Senate conducted 14 committee hearings on July 23, 2025: * * * NOMINATION Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Committee concluded a hearing to examine the nomination of Richard Fordyce, of Missouri, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation, after the nominee, who was introduced by Representative Sam Graves, testified and answered questions in his own behalf. * * * BUSINESS MEETING Committee on Banking, Housing,  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, issued the following news release on July 23, 2025: * * * Senator Banks Marks Legislative Milestone with First Bill to Pass the Senate Last night, the Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act passed the Senate unanimously and will now advance to President Trump's desk to be signed into federal law. Rep. Ronny Jackson led the bill in the House. This marks a significant achievement as the first Senate-passed  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, issued the following news release on July 24, 2025: * * * Senator Banks Praises Selection of Indianapolis for USDA Hub Today, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a top-down reorganization of USDA operations and a phased plan to relocate much of its agency headquarters and staff out of the Washington, D.C. area to five hub locations across the country. Last month, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) led a group of stakehol  more

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Massachusetts, issued the following news release: * * * The Data Center Next Door: As Trump Eviscerates Guardrails, Senator Markey Hosts Roundtable Discussion on How AI Data Centers Can Harm Environment, Increase Costs to Households, and Threaten Public Health * View Storybook (PDF) Washington (July 23, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a co-chair of the Environmental Justice Caucus and a member of the Environment and Public Works C  more

WASHINGTON, July 24 -- Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, issued the following news release: * * * Tuberville Chairs First HELP Subcommittee Hearing * WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) led his first hearing as Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Subcommittee on Education and the American Family with lead advocates for reform in the nation's educational system. During the hearing, entitled "Empowering Families for Better Educational Results,  more

WASHINGTON, July 25 -- The Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office has endorsed a proposal by the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to rescind a 2024 rule that altered the use of ten-day notices under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act according to a public comment letter submitted by the state. The letter, joined by Indiana, West Virginia and other states, argues that the 2024 rule disrupted the balance between federal and stat  more