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The Justice Department has reached a settlement agreement to resolve a gender-based pay discrimination lawsuit filed in January 2023 against the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs (WDMA). The lawsuit alleged that the WDMA discriminated against former employee Michelle Hartness, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, when it offered her a lower salary than similarly or less qualified men for a director position in the Wisconsin Division of Emergency Management.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the launch of a Spanish-language version of its ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager on September 19, 2024. This online energy measurement and tracking tool is now accessible to Spanish-speaking building owners, managers, and tenants, enabling them to manage their property’s energy use, water use, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions in their native language.

Today, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party is holding a hearing titled "How the CCP Uses the Law to Silence its Critics and Enforce its Rule."

The Justice Department announced today the initiation of a civil pattern or practice investigation into Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD). Rankin County, with a population of approximately 160,000, is situated about 30 minutes east of Jackson, Mississippi.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is awarding more than $35 million in grants to 15 independent meat processors in 12 states to increase processing capacity, spur competition, expand market opportunities for U.S. farmers, and create jobs in rural areas. This marks the final investment in the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program (MPPEP), funded by President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which was first launched in 2022.

On September 19, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a $240 million investment to integrate mental health and substance use disorder treatment into primary care services at over 400 community health centers nationwide. These centers serve more than 10 million patients, including those who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in Medicaid.

On September 19, 2024, the United States Department of State released the 2024 Fiscal Transparency Report. Fiscal transparency is a critical element of effective public financial management, helps build market confidence, and underpins global economic sustainability. It fosters greater government accountability by providing a window into government budgets and spending. Fiscal transparency helps citizens hold their elected leaders and public officials accountable and facilitates better-informed public debate. Annual reviews of the fiscal transparency of governments that are...

California drivers can now obtain mobile licenses on their iPhones, though they will still need to carry physical licenses. This development follows a September 2023 analysis by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, which revealed that approximately half of AI contracts signed by state agencies are for fraud detection.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced today that it has charged Wrightstown, New Jersey, housing providers Burlington Preservation Associates, LLC, Arbor Management, LLC, and Leon N. Weiner & Associates, Inc. with violating the Fair Housing Act. The charge involves alleged discrimination against a Black Hispanic father and his three minor children based on race, color, national origin, and familial status. Additionally, HUD charged the Respondents with retaliating against the tenant for pursuing a fair housing complaint.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) continues its efforts to enhance competition as part of the Biden-Harris administration's comprehensive strategy. The FTC's initiatives aim to reduce costs for American families by addressing issues such as junk patent listings that increase prescription drug prices, hidden fees on hotel bookings and concert tickets, pricing transparency, subscription service cancellations, and price-fixing schemes.

On September 19, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) initiated a discussion on the housing crisis at the Center for American Progress event titled “Building the Future: Innovative Solutions to the U.S. Housing Crisis.” They introduced their new bill, the Homes Act, which aims to address housing affordability.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today the award of a $1 million Environmental Justice Government-to-Government grant to the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, aimed at developing a climate resiliency plan.

A new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) staff report examines the data collection and use practices of major social media and video streaming services, revealing extensive surveillance of consumers to monetize personal information while failing to adequately protect users online, especially children and teens.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a collaboration with the city of Elgin, Illinois, to identify and replace drinking water lead pipes, aiming to protect public health. This initiative is part of the EPA’s Get the Lead Out Initiative, funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which seeks to achieve 100% lead service line replacement nationwide. The initiative will provide technical assistance to approximately 200 communities across the country.

Today, global tech trade association ITI unveiled a new set of best practices, The Dos and Don’ts of Artificial Intelligence Procurement, to help U.S. federal, state, and local policymakers ensure that the U.S. government can access best-in-class commercial AI solutions as they navigate the increasingly complex procurement environment. The recommendations come ahead of anticipated AI procurement guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, as well as recent AI procurement guidelines published by various state and local governments.

A California real estate executive was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a fine of $200,000 for engaging in an extensive multi-year conspiracy to falsify financial statements.

Washington, D.C. – Ahead of a classified oversight briefing with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Defense Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA) released prepared remarks addressing the Navy's persistent delays and cost overruns in its shipbuilding program.

LENEXA, KAN. (SEPT. 19, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the members of the inaugural Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions (HBCU-MSI) Federal Advisory Council.

As part of the Administration’s efforts, for the first time in the program’s nearly 40-year history, HRSA has awarded separate contracts to reform the organ procurement and transplant network. Multiple vendors will support improving quality and patient safety, modernizing IT, bolstering communications with patients, and more.

The Joan F. Giambalvo Fund for the Advancement of Women Award is administered by the AMA Foundation on behalf of the AMA-WPS. The AMA-WPS and AMA Foundation award scholarships of up to $10,000 to healthcare researchers to identify and address issues that affect women physicians and medical students. Since 2006, the organizations have granted 35 research awards on topics such as flexible work options, gender differences in the practice patterns of obstetricians/gynecologists, and the promotion and retention of diversity in medical education. Additional information about the...

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke announced the initiation of a civil investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department and Rankin County, Mississippi. The probe aims to determine whether these entities engage in practices that violate constitutional or federal laws.

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has released a report titled “Rules of the Road: Political Advertising on Social Media in the 2024 U.S. Election.” Authored by Laura Kurek, a CDT intern and Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan School of Information, with contributions from CDT interns Ebie Quinn from Harvard Law School and Saanvi Arora from UC Berkeley, the report delves into the evolution of political advertising on social media platforms.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed enforcement order against Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) concerning its carbon sequestration injection project in Decatur, Illinois. The action addresses alleged violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act related to fluid migration into an unauthorized zone approximately 5,000 feet deep.

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party convened this morning to discuss "How the CCP Uses the Law to Silence its Critics and Enforce its Rule." The hearing featured testimony from Jamil Jaffer, Founder and Executive Director of the National Security Institute; Anna Puglisi, Visiting Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution; and Dr. Jill Goldenziel, Professor at the National Defense University, College of Information and Cyberspace.

The Justice Department announced today that Morningstar Storage, which manages and operates a network of self-storage facilities in the southeastern United States, has agreed to pay $130,000 to resolve allegations of violating the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). The company allegedly failed to obtain court orders before auctioning the contents of at least three storage units owned by active-duty servicemembers.