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Fourth Circuit Decision Sets Up Next Potential 2A Showdown at Supreme Court

August 23, 2024 fourth, Next, Supreme, showdown, Decision, Sets, Potential, Circuit, Court0 comment

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld Maryland’s ban on so-called “assault weapons” earlier this month, likely setting the stage for the next major Second Amendment showdown at the Supreme Court. The case, Bianchi v. Brown, features Maryland residents who challenge the constitutionality of a 2013 state law that generally prohibits them from buying or possessing any firearm deemed an “assault weapon.” The statute defines that term to include hundreds of specific models of semiautomatic rifles, as well as any other semiautomatic rifle that either (1) has…

Federal firefighters could see bigger paychecks next year

July 14, 2024 could, year, Next, federal, Bigger, firefighters, paychecks0 comment

House appropriators are taking steps that could give federal firefighters a permanent pay raise. Fiscal 2025 spending legislation advanced this week, and it includes about 300 million dollars to boost pay for firefighters working at the Interior Department and the Forest Service. Although House Democrats opposed many of the GOP’s proposed spending cuts, they came out in favor of the pay raise for the frontline workers. Federal firefighters currently have a temporary pay boost, but many advocates have been pushing to make the raise permanent. (House Appropriations Committee – Fiscal…

The House approves a short-term extension to avoid a shutdown. Senators are up next to vote

February 29, 2024 Extension, Next, House, Vote, avoid, senators, approves, shortterm, shutdown0 comment

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed another short-term spending measure Thursday that would keep one set of federal agencies operating through March 8 and another set through March 22, avoiding a shutdown for parts of the federal government that would otherwise kick in Saturday. The Senate is expected to vote on the bill later in the day. The short-term extension is the fourth in recent months, and many lawmakers expect it to be the last for the current fiscal year, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said that negotiators had…

The Next Big Abortion Fight

August 5, 2023 abortion, Next, Fight0 comment

For the 150 or so people who filled a church hall in Toledo, Ohio, for a Thursday-night campaign rally last week, the chant of the evening featured a profanity usually discouraged in a house of God. “With all due respect, pastor, hell no!” shouted Betty Montgomery, a former Ohio attorney general. Montgomery is a Republican, which gave the largely Democratic audience even more reason to roar with approval. They had gathered at the Warren AME Church, in Toledo, to voice their opposition to a constitutional amendment that Ohio voters will…

Democrats reintroduce bill to give feds 8.7% average pay raise next year

January 29, 2023 raise, Next, Bill, Reintroduce, give, Feds, 'average', 8.7%, Democrats, year0 comment

A bicameral pair of Democrats proposed a bill to give federal employees a pay raise in 2024, in what has become an annual tradition in recent years. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) reintroduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act in the House and Senate, respectively, to give most civilian employees an 8.7% average pay raise next year. Specifically, the bill includes a 4.7% across-the-board base pay raise, plus a 4% average locality pay increase. The legislation also includes a 4.7% raise for prevailing rate…

Abortion Pills Will Be the Next Battle in the 2024 Election

January 21, 2023 abortion, Next, Election, battle, 2024, Pills0 comment

The next front is rapidly emerging in the struggle between supporters and opponents of legal abortion, and that escalating conflict is increasing the chances that the issue will shape the 2024 election as it did last November’s midterm contest. President Joe Biden triggered the new confrontation with a flurry of recent moves to expand access to the drugs used in medication abortions, which now account for more than half of all abortions performed in the United States. Medication abortion involves two drugs: mifepristone followed by misoprostol (which is also used…