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Weekly Roundup Archive: WR 12/14/19

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This page is an attempt to provide current awareness of federal government reports and activities. The page will be updated weekly to provide links to important, newsworthy, or interesting material published during the previous week. The goal is to keep the links to a manageable number for readers, not to be a comprehensive listing.

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Please keep in mind that government agencies may present material in a way that reads favorably for the government. You are encouraged to consult other resources (e.g. newspapers) for additional information and/or context.

Press releases : Dec. 14 - Dec. 20

12/16 – U.S. Department of Labor Announces Proposal to Protect Workers’ Rights by Increasing Financial Transparency and Union Democracy (DOL)

12/16 - U.S. Department of Transportation Seeks Comment on Proposal to Improve the Accessibility of Lavatories on Single-Aisle Aircraft (DOT)

12/18 - International Data Base 2019 Update (Census)

12/18 - United States and Canada Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Critical Energy Minerals (State)

12/18 - Trump Administration takes historic steps to lower U.S. prescription drug prices (FDA)

12/18 - Nine Health Threats that Made Headlines in 2019: A CDC Review (CDC)

12/18 – Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to Publish Joint Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Restrict Certain Criminal Aliens’ Eligibility for Asylum (DOJ)

12/18 – The Future of Ocean Acidification (NCEI)

12/19 - First FDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of Ebola virus disease, marking a critical milestone in public health preparedness and response (FDA)

12/19 - American Community Survey 2014-2018 5-Year Estimates Now Available (Census)

12/19 - Arizona Mayor Withdraws Local State of Emergency Thanks to Trump Administration’s Successful Efforts to Confront Border Crisis (DHS)

12/19 – EPA Fulfills Another Trump Administration Promise: Finalizes RFS Volumes for 2020 and Biomass Based Diesel Volumes for 2021 (EPA)

12/19 – EPA Announces New Method to Test for Additional PFAS in Drinking Water (EPA)

12/19 – EPA Offers Existing Owners of Upstream Oil and Natural Gas Facilities the Opportunity to Perform Self-Audits to Return to Compliance (EPA)

12/20 – EPA Finalizes List of Next 20 Chemicals to Undergo Risk Evaluation under TSCA (EPA)

12/19 - USDA Forest Service surpasses goals and breaks records in 2019 (FS)

12/19 – Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Highlights 2019 Accomplishments (FNS)

12/19 - Updated Joint Guidance on Privacy and Student Education and Health Records (HHS)

12/19 - US and Mexico resume Interior Repatriation Initiative (ICE)

12/19 - Secretary Perdue Applauds USDA’s 2019 Accomplishments (USDA)

12/19 – NIST Study Evaluates Effects of Race, Age, Sex on Face Recognition Software (NIST; direct to report)

12/20 – EPA Releases PFAS Groundwater Guidance for Federal Cleanup Programs, Fulfilling PFAS Action Plan Commitment (EPA)

12/20 - The International Criminal Court Unfairly Targets Israel (State)

12/20 - Senior Administration Official On State Department Counterterrorism Successes in 2019 (State)

12/20 - Department of Defense Establishes U.S. Space Force (DOD; see also Space Force Briefing and Message to the Force on the U.S. Space Force)

12/20 – Department of Energy Issues Final Determination for General Service Incandescent Lamps, Finds More Stringent Standards and More Costly to the American People and Not Economically Justified (DOE)

12/20 - Secretary Carson Certifies Annual Data: Homelessness Ticked Up in 2019, Driven by Major Increases in California (HHS)

12/20 - ICE Acting Deputy Director sets the record straight on fraud investigations involving undercover schools (ICE)

12/20 – Statement by the President re: signing of Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (White House)

Miscellaneous : Dec. 14 - Dec. 20

12/16 - Records Concerning the Decision to Not Prosecute Hillary Clinton, July 5, 2016 – July 15, 2016, parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 (DOJ FOIA. Note: these files are not posted in the “recent releases” section of the FOIA Library as is usual, but are in the “General Topics of Interest” section under “FOIA-Processed Documents”)

12/16 – Secretary’s Order: Contractibility of Federal Functions for Oil and Gas Development on Indian Lands (DOI ELIPS)

12/17 – Immigration and Customs Enforcement Scheduled Approved (NARA Records Express)

12/18 - H.Res.755: Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors: roll call vote 695 (article 1) and vote 696 (article 2) (Congress)

12/18 – U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rules Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) individual mandate unconstitutional (Courts)

12/19 - Potential deletion of records pertaining to Immigration Court cases (NARA Unauthorized Disposition of Federal Records)

12/19 – Four files were destroyed after their disposition period had ended but were potentially responsive to two FOIA requests (NARA Unauthorized Disposition of Federal Records)

12/20 - Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 includes requirement for USDA to restore and make available without redactions animal welfare database content removed in 2017 (via neavs.org)