Federal judges reject recess appointments, HHS and IRS propose heath care rules, and more.
- In Noel Canning v. NLRB, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated President Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published proposed rules for implementing the individual mandate requirement of the Affordable Care Act, including descriptions of when hardship exemptions will apply.
- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a final rule implementing provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that prohibit creditors from providing residential mortgages without fairly assessing consumers’ ability to pay.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Request for Comments and Scientific Evidence supporting potential changes to warning labels on smokeless tobacco products.
- A Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that 35% of major federal regulations are issued without public input.
- The Social Security Administration (SSA) proposed a rule to substitute the term “intellectual disability” for “mental retardation” in the list of terms used to assess claims involving mental disorders.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a petition requesting that the agency reexamine its final rule on greenhouse gas emissions standards for certain vehicles.
- An expert panel urged the FDA to impose greater restrictions on certain types of painkillers.
- The EPA published a request seeking comment on and suggestions for its national enforcement initiatives for 2014-16.
