WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- A coalition of 40 business organizations sent a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Labor expressing serious concerns regarding compliance issues related to Oregon's Senate Bill S916. The letter requests that the department notify Oregon's Governor Tina Kotek and the state's legislative assembly of potential violations of federal law as mandated by the Social Security Act. Senate Bill S916 permits individuals who voluntarily become unemployed due to a strike   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- Fifty-four immunization and public health advocacy organizations submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urging the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to enhance patient access to immunizations while prioritizing parental choice. As the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season approaches, the coalition emphasizes the importance of maintaining broad recommendatio  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The American Bankers Association (ABA) has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) highlighting its concerns regarding state laws that adversely affect interstate commerce and business operations across the nation. The ABA underscores the importance of maintaining a uniform regulatory environment to bolster the American economy, advocating for coordination among federal agencies to uphold a strong national bank preemption standard. In it  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following Legal Sidebar white paper (No. LSB11366) on Sept. 15, 2025, by deputy assistant director Michael John Garcia and section research manager Tamsin G. Harrington: * * * Congressional Court Watcher: Circuit Splits from August 2025 The U.S. Courts of Appeals for the thirteen "circuits" issue thousands of precedential decisions each year. Because relatively few of these decisions are ultimately reviewed by the  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -- Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Duckworth Joins Casten, IL Democratic Delegation in Support of EPA's Endangerment Finding * September 17, 2025 [WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (D-IL-06) and all Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional delegation in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin in support of EPA's Endangerment Fi  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Deliers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On Five Judicial Nominations, Nominee To Be The 'Drug Czar' * September 17, 2025 WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the judicial nominations of Rebecca Taibleson, nom  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Delivers Floor Speech On Russia's Continued Incursions Into NATO Airspace, Condemns Trump For Russian Appeasement * September 17, 2025 Durbin's call follows two separate violations of NATO airspace by Russia in Poland and Romania WASHINGTON - Yesterday, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Baltic Caucus, delivered a speech on the Senate floor conde  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing With FBI Director Patel * September 16, 2025 WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a Senate Judiciary Oversight Committee hearing with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel. Durb  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Exposes Harms Of Unregulated AI Chatbots During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing * September 16, 2025 In today's Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing, Durbin asked parents about the harms caused by children engaging with AI chatbots WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses at a Senat  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Joins Gallego In Urging Trump Administration To Continue Baltic Security Initiative * September 17, 2025 WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Co-Chair of the Senate Baltic Freedom Caucus, today joined U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) to send a letter to the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth criticizing recent sugge  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Questions FBI Director Patel At Senate Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing On Patel's Partisan & Incompetent Management Of The Bureau * September 16, 2025 Durbin requested Patel respond to several questions to address Patel's "loyalty tests," failed polygraph tests, the Epstein files, & unprecedented purging of FBI officials WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Slams Republican Party's Failure To Extend The Affordable Care Act's Enhanced Subsidies * September 17, 2025 In his remarks, Durbin emphasized that expiration of these subsides would threaten millions of Americans' access to health care WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) delivered a speech on the Senate floor yesterday highlighting the dangers of the upcomi  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin, Duckworth Lead Illinois Democrats In Urging The Trump Administration To Grant Federal Disaster Declaration For Five Illinois Counties Following Severe Weather * September 16, 2025 WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today led all Democratic members of the Illinois delegation in sending a letter to President Trump urging  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin, Tillis Lead Resolution Calling For The Release Of Azerbaijani Anti-Corruption Activist Dr. Gubad Ibadghlu * September 17, 2025 Country's attempt to improve its international image, including by hosting the Formula One Grand Prix, won't work without ending political repression. WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) in  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service is conducting five-year status reviews for 14 plant and six animal species in the Mountain-Prairie Region. This review is required by the Endangered Species Act and is intended to assess each species' status based on the best scientific and commercial data available. The listed species are from the states of Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The House Veterans' Affairs Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 119-221) on the Protecting Veteran Access to Telemedicine Services Act (H.R. 1107), which aims to amend Title 38 of the U.S. Code to authorize certain heath care professionals employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs to deliver, distribute or dispense to veterans certain controlled medications via telemedicine under certain conditions. The report was advanced by Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, on July 29, 202  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The House Veterans' Affairs Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 119-220) on the Women Veterans Cancer Care Coordination Act (H.R. 1860), which aims to designate Regional Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Care Coordinators to expand the work of the Breast and Gynecologic Oncology System of Excellence at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The report was advanced by Rep. Mike Bost, R-Illinois, on July 29, 2025. Here are excerpts: * * * Purpose and Summary H.R. 1860, the "Wome  more

ARGONNE, Illinois, Sept. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory issued the following news release: * * * How Argonne is helping to expand the Quantum Prairie In the International Year of Quantum, the U.S. Midwest looks ahead to the next wave in the information technology revolution * Argonne is an integral part of a growing network of research institutions, companies and nonprofits dedicated to expanding quantum information science. California's Silicon Valley is  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA), representing nearly 4,000 member companies across the state, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Economic Council outlining several recent legislative changes in Illinois that the organization claims negatively impact out-of-state commerce and could jeopardize the economic climate for manufacturers within the state. In its correspondence, the IMA highlighted the enactment   more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The Illinois Public Health Association (IPHA) has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ahead of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting scheduled for September 18-19, 2025. The organization is advocating for the continuation of the universal recommendations for the hepatitis B birth dose, emphasizing the significant public health benefits these guideli  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * In Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing, Durbin Previews New Legislation That Would Hold AI Companies Accountable For Harms Caused By Their AI Products * September 16, 2025 The AI LEAD Act would establish a federal cause of action against AI companies for harms caused by their systems WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Comm  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Justice regarding Docket No. OLP182, expressing concerns over the impact of potential federal preemption on state laws. The organization, which advocates for state legislatures across the United States, voiced its opposition to the DOJ's assertion that certain state regulations may adversely affect interstate commerce. In its letter, NCSL emphasized the princi  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 -- Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, issued the following news release: * * * Senators Baldwin, Grassley, Ernst Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Increase Transparency and Cut Cost of Fertilizer * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) are introducing bipartisan legislation to help lower the cost of fertilizer by shining a light on market factors driving the high cost of fertilizer. The Fertilizer Research Act  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Justice urging the agency to investigate state laws that may have "significant adverse effects" on the national economy and interstate commerce, particularly concerning regulations on artificial intelligence (AI). TPA represents millions of taxpayers and consumers who could be impacted by what they describe as a rapidly emerging threat due to state-imposed AI rules. In  more

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 -- The United Woundcare Institute (UWI) has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) addressing its proposed rule on payment policies under the Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2026. The organization, based in Naperville, Illinois, represents a network of over 1,000 healthcare professionals committed to providing advanced care for medically complex and underserved populations.  more