News published on Federal Newswire in January 2022

News Release: WASHINGTON - Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III was ceremonially sworn in as Director of the National Park Service (NPS) by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today.

Secretary Haaland Highlights Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments in Visit to California

News Release: WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland is on a five-day West Coast tour this week to highlight the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s historic investments to help local, state and Tribal communities tackle the climate crisis while creating good-paying union jobs, advancing environmental justice and boosting local economies.

Interior Department Advances Three Solar Projects in California, Marking Significant Progress to Develop a Clean Energy Economy

News Release: WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior announced today it has approved two solar projects with a third nearing final completion on public lands in Riverside County, Calif., underscoring the Department’s commitment to promoting onshore renewable energy production.

Rodgers, Smith, Brady Expose Biden Administration’s Massive Diversion of Funding from COVID-Testing, Cite Billions in Waste & Remaining Funds

By DOE Newswire | Jan 5, 2022

News Release: Today, House Energy & Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), House Budget Committee Republican Leader Jason Smith (MO-08), and House Ways & Means Committee Republican Leader Kevin Brady (TX-08) in a letter to President Biden, slammed the Administration for its failure to...

Bullhead Man Indicted for Meth Trafficking

By DOJ Newswire | Jan 5, 2022

News Release: United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Bullhead, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Camille Touton Sworn In as Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner

News Release: WASHINGTON - Maria Camille Calimlim Touton has been sworn in as Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner by Secretary Deb Haaland.

Las Vegas Man Sentenced To Prison For Three Armed Robberies

By DOJ Newswire | Jan 5, 2022

News Release: LAS VEGAS - A Las Vegas man was sentenced today to 25 years and 9 months in prison for his role in a series of violent armed robberies in September 2019.

Pearl Harbor National Memorial shoreside dock reinstalled

News Release: HONOLULU - On January 5, the shoreside dock was delivered and reinstalled at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial visitor center after undergoing off-site repairs by Navy Facilities (NAVFAC). Public programs facilitated by the National Park Service are set to resume tomorrow, Thursday, January 6.

In New Letter to FCC, Chair DeFazio Continues to Express “Deep Reservations” About Scheduled 5G Deployment

Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) urged Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel to immediately delay deployment of 5G technologies until the aviation safety concerns raised by the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the aviation industry have been adequately addressed.

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Refinancing of the $99.6 Million of Credit Assistance to City of Bellevue, Washington, for the BelRed Street Network

The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced that its Build America Bureau has refinanced a $99.6 million TIFIA loan for the City of Bellevue’s BelRed Street Network Project.

U.S. Justice Department provides $300 million in grants to fight ‘precipitous rise in opioid and stimulant misuse and overdoses’

By David Beasley | Jan 5, 2022

The U.S. Justice Department has awarded more than $300 million in grants to programs fighting against opioid and stimulant abuse, a crisis that has seen overdose deaths increase by 28.5% since April 2021, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

DOT, Dept. Of Education Announce Temporary Waiver to Help Increase the Number of School Bus Drivers Nationwide

To help states and municipalities that are experiencing a shortage of school bus drivers recruit new hires, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in coordination with the Department of Education, today announced it would give states the option of waiving the portion of the commercial driver’s license (CDL) skills test that requires school bus driver applicants to identify the “under the hood” engine components.

US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration releases video highlighting 50 years of protecting America’s workers, ensuring safer workplaces

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration began to fulfill the mission that led to its creation – to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for every worker in America.

Reps. Foxx, Allen, Stefanik, Banks, Sen. Braun Lead Opposition to Biden Vaccine Mandate in Upcoming SCOTUS Case

House Education and Labor Committee Republican Leader Virginia Foxx (NC-05), Congressman Rick W. Allen (GA-12), House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (NY-21), Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks (IN-03), and Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) led 136 Representatives and 47 Senators in filing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) in the upcoming case considering the Biden administration’s top-down Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requiring private employers with over 100 employees to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine or weekly testing.

DOL Bows to Big Labor, Lifts Union Transparency Requirements

Republican Leader of the Education and Labor Committee Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released the following statement after the Department of Labor issued a final rule to eliminate a Trump-era reporting requirement that added transparency to labor organization finances and union boss spending:“Secretary Walsh receives his paycheck from the American people, yet he is taking orders from Big Labor.

Senator Murray’s No Surprises Act Goes Into Effect, Bans Unexpected Charges to Patients for Out-of-Network Care

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement as the ban on surprise billing she worked to pass went into effect at the start of the year.

Burr, Blunt Demand Answers from Biden Administration on Dire COVID-19 Test Shortage Despite Ample Funding

U.S. Senators Richard Burr (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senator Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Roy Blunt (R-MO), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, sent a letter urging U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to detail the administration’s strategy for solving the nation’s severe shortage of COVID-19 tests as coronavirus cases driven by the omicron variant continue to skyrocket.

US Department of Labor recovers $105K in back wages for 92 workers after investigation finds overtime violations by Tampa healthcare services provider

An investigation by the U.S.

Court orders Long Island pizzeria to pay $178K in back wages, damages, penalties for denying workers overtime wages