The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a new rule clarifying the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) that is sparking some controversy given its allowance of paid time off for medical procedures that could include abortion. The rule states that employees should be provided “reasonable accommodation” for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions,” which includes abortion. The statute was applauded by pro-choice and abortion advocates, but critics argued that it could force employers, who may object to abortion, to passively participate in employees’ abortion decisions as well as potentially promote a larger pro-abortion plan. After the rule was announced…

An ongoing debate considers whether or not the U.S. government can impose new restrictions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the country’s highways. Last fall, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a new rule that would require state and local transportation officials to set declining goals for greenhouse gas emissions stemming from road projects that are funded with federal money. The rule was a response to climate activists who have voiced concern that more federally funded transportation projects, without restrictions, could promote further dependence on cars for future generations. Climate advocates argued that the new rule could instead encourage state…

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) is proposing cutting the standard 40-hour workweek down to 32 hours in the hopes of rebalancing worker productivity and stress. In March, Sanders introduced legislation that would require employers to pay employees overtime for any time worked over 32 hours in one week. Employers would also be prohibited from reducing employees’ pay and benefits as a result of the reduction in hours. Sanders argued that with advances in technology, worker productivity has increased, some studies suggest by as much as 400%, since the 40-hour workweek was set by the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1940. He…

Amid growing immigration concerns in the U.S., some states are hoping to have more of a say in how they are able to handle immigration-related issues via state-based legislation. For example, in November 2023, Texas passed a bill, Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), that would allow police, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers to arrest individuals suspected of illegally crossing into the U.S. While the legislation passed and was set to go into effect on March 5, 2024, it is currently held up in an appeals court and has not been enacted yet. The bill received support from conservatives, including the…

Lawmakers are at odds over legislation that allows the U.S. government to surveil noncitizens overseas without a warrant. Set to expire last December, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) specifically authorizes the National Security Agency (NSA) to collect communications of foreigners who are located outside the U.S. and who have been deemed intelligence targets. Currently, the NSA does not have to issue warrants to collect the information from American companies such as AT&T when surveiling noncitizens. Critics of the legislation argue that it threatens the civil liberties of Americans given that some of the communications collected could…

The Biden administration recently announced a temporary pause on new natural gas exports as part of its climate agenda. The announcement, which came in January 2024, was met with a mixed response. Those in favor, largely Democrats, applauded the administration for its work to protect the environment as well as for the potential to lower fuel costs for American consumers. Conservatives, however, argued that the move could make it harder for other countries to replace dirtier fuel supplies with cleaner natural gas from the U.S. and that it could be a threat to American jobs. “President Biden’s politically motivated ban…

Public health advocates came up just shy of their decade-long goal of banning the sale of menthol cigarettes in the U.S. this past fall. In October 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) submitted rules to ban the manufacturing and sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, but the office in charge of reviewing the rules has, so far, taken no action. Updating FDA rules is a long process, requiring multiple agency reviews, public comment periods and a development period that takes these findings into consideration. Still, many in favor of the ban voiced their disappointment that the rules…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new policy in January 2024 to allow Florida to import prescription drugs from suppliers in Canada, where drugs are often less expensive than in the U.S. While the move received bipartisan support, it was met with less favorable reactions from Canadian health providers and pharmaceutical companies. Florida’s plan to import drugs was signed into law in 2019 by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, but it required review and approval by the FDA, which stated that the state’s strategy demonstrates an ability to “significantly reduce the cost of covered products to the American…

A Biden administration plan to increase the conservation efforts of America’s public lands is receiving mixed reviews. In March of last year, the administration announced the Public Lands Rule, which establishes a policy to protect, restore and manage the country’s more than 245 million acres of public lands. While the move is largely supported by environmentalists, some critics of the proposed rule argue that the policy could negatively affect the energy industry as well as local economies. The Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — the agency that oversees U.S. public lands — argued that the…

There’s a growing debate around the country as to whether or not to ban cellphones in schools. On one side, many educators argue that cellphones are an impediment to learning as well as sources of increased stress and mental health issues among students. While on the other side of the argument, some parents have expressed safety concerns should their children not be allowed to access their cellphone during the school day. The debate seems to be growing as more and more school-age children have access to smartphones. A survey from last year by the Pew Research Center, for example, found…