April 8, 2016 4:51 PM EDT
Negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) have been concluded. Citizens now have access to the 30-chapter agreement that is several thousand pages long. The TPP has been opposed by four major presidential candidates, and faces criticism in Congress. Nevertheless, it is likely that the trade deal will get a vote sometime this year. Read more >
April 7, 2016 5:57 PM EDT
Finally, after six years of negotiation, and a final agreement reached late last year, the massive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal is making the headlines. All the four major presidential candidates oppose it, perhaps the only issue on which they’ve shown agreement. Read more >
March 25, 2016 6:34 AM EDT
There’s so much bad news about partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill, it’s refreshing to have some good news to report.
When it comes to improving the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), fifty years old this year, Republicans and Democrats are working together to achieve reform. Indeed, both the House and the Senate have passed bills that would significantly strengthen FOIA. The bills had overwhelming bipartisan acceptance. No Senator objected to the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016, S. 337. The House FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act, H.R. 653, bill passed by voice vote. Read more >
March 3, 2016 9:27 AM EDT
It has been three years since the Senate first considered a bipartisan effort to reform the very flawed Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Last year, both the House and Senate approved bills to improve TSCA. Neither bill was satisfactory. Both bills, as we pointed out in a recent op-ed, had significant flaws. Read more >
February 22, 2016 3:36 PM EDT
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the House of Representatives on February 12 sent a calorie-laden heart-shaped pizza to Big Pizza, particularly Domino’s Pizza. It passed a bill, with an Orwellian title the House leadership loves, the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act. The bill is designed to undermine a truly common-sense regulation that the Food and Drug Administration has been working on for years to ensure that consumers have access to understandable information about the calorie content of restaurant menu items. Read more >
