California
The first task force in the nation exploring how a state could make reparations to Black Americans hurt by slavery and discrimination is set to issue a nearly-1,000 page report to California’s legislature later this month…
On Wednesday, 6/14, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that a San Jose-based developer and property manager must refund more than $331,000 to 20 tenants in overpaid rent…
Kool non-menthol cigarettes don’t violate California’s ban on flavored tobacco, according to a determination from state Attorney General Rob Bonta — a finding that could bode poorly for a federal menthol prohibition being considered by the Biden administration…
According to a study released by the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, homelessness in California is unequivocally linked to a shortage of affordable housing…
More than 100 environmental groups — including the Sierra Club of California and The Environmental Defense Center — are joining to fight a package Governor Newsom designed to make it easier to build infrastructure in California…
President and Administration
The White House has released the first-ever “U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: Strategies for Action”…
On Thursday, 6/15, President Biden announced that several ticketing and travel companies are committing to get rid of hidden fees for buyers in the U.S…
SAMHSA has issued a new practical guide on trauma-informed approach (TIA)…
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) 2022 Findings on Drug-Related Emergency Related Visits presents national estimates of drug-related emergency department (ED) visits…
Congress
House Republicans’ latest plan to improve the student loan system focuses on helping defaulted borrowers get back on track and adjusting income-driven repayment plans…
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) unveiled a package of bills Wednesday, 6/14, that he and other Senate Republicans said would rein in the cost of a college education and address the root causes that are driving students to take on more loans…
Appropriations
House Republicans have decided to undercut the bipartisan compromise Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) struck with President Biden by limiting their spending bills to overall totals from fiscal 2022…
House Republicans are expected to approve their totals for a dozen appropriations bills tomorrow, 6/21, outlining how they propose to fund the government well below current levels and the totals set under the bipartisan budget deal…
A partisan rift over the distribution of earmarks in next year's appropriations bills spilled out into the open on Wednesday, 6/14, as House Democratic appropriators accused panel Republicans of sharing far more money with their own side of the aisle than is equitable…
The decision by House Republicans to write spending bills below the caps established in this month’s bipartisan debt ceiling deal sets the stage for a clash with Democrats in the Senate and White House — and heightens the odds of a government shutdown later in the year…
Education
According to a new Gallup poll, middle and high schoolers handed out just-okay marks to their own schools, assigning them a B-minus for average performance…
A former Democratic congressman who founded a network of Hebrew-language charter schools in Florida hopes to launch the second explicitly religious charter in the nation…
What do real-time job-openings data reveal about teacher hiring and shortages? Dan Goldhaber and a team of researchers at the University of Washington wanted to find out…
A new survey from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools found that the majority of public school teachers agree they don't want politics to affect their ability to teach…