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The Tap: Tuesday, June 21, 2016

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The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.

Review of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #22 of The Tap, which was published on June 25, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

  • Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) “was convicted on 29 separate federal charges related to bribery, money laundering, fraud and racketeering,” according to The Hill. Fattah was found guilty of “money laundering charges related to his borrowing of $1 million from a donor during his unsuccessful campaign for Philadelphia mayor,” which he later repaid in part “by using funds from charitable and federal grants received by his nonprofit, the Educational Advancement Alliance.” Fattah was also found guilty of “using funds from his mayoral and congressional campaigns to help pay off his son’s student loan debt,” “accepting bribes while trying to secure an ambassadorship or appointment to the U.S. Trade Commission for former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor Herbert Vederman,” and “helping to award federal grant money to a political consultant in exchange for forgiving a $130,000 campaign debt.” In April, Fattah became the first incumbent member of Congress to lose a primary this year.
  • Donald Trump announced an expansion of his campaign staff, including the official announcement of Jim Murphy as the campaign’s national political director. Murphy took over for Rick Wiley, who filled the role for six weeks earlier this year. Trump’s other hires included Brad Parscale as head of the campaign’s digital team.
  • Boeing Co. announced that it signed an agreement to sell aircraft to Iran Air "under authorizations from the U.S. government following a determination that Iran had met its obligations under the nuclear accord reached last summer." If the deal goes through, it would be “the biggest business deal between the Islamic Republic and America since the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran,” according to the Associated Press.
  • After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) was nominated to chair the New York state delegation to the Democratic National Convention and was approved by a voice vote, supporters of Bernie Sanders said they planned to file a legal challenge to the proceedings of his nomination. “By virtue of them not following the rules, that vote is null and void. There’s overwhelming documentation that people were motioning and he just moved forward,” said at-large delegate Nomiki Konst.
  • The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration announced a new rule that takes effect in late August 2016 pertaining to “unmanned aircraft drones weighing less than 55 pounds that are conducting non-hobbyist operations.” The person flying the drone will be subject to a security background check and must meet the following requirements:
    • be at least 16 years old;
    • have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be directly supervised by someone with such a certificate; and
    • qualify for a remote pilot certificate.

State

  • On June 21, Christopher Porrino (R) was sworn in as acting attorney general of New Jersey. Governor Chris Christie (R) nominated Porrino last week to succeed Robert Lougy (R), who stepped down following a nomination by Christie to the New Jersey Superior Court. Porrino will serve on an interim basis until confirmed by the state Senate.
    • If history holds true, the confirmation might never happen. Lougy, though he served only three months, was never confirmed by the Senate; John Hoffman (R), whom Lougy replaced, also was never confirmed. In fact, his nomination was never even submitted to the Senate; he served for nearly three years. This is not an unusual occurrence in New Jersey: The Record reported in August 2015 that over 20 percent of appointed officials in the state were serving without the required confirmation from the Senate. Christie and the Democratic-led state legislature have a long history of clashing over appointments, and a seat on the state supreme court was held by a temporary justice for six years as a result; the legislature finally confirmed an appointee in April 2016. New Jersey currently has a divided government.
  • The Providence Journal reported that two top advisors to Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo were set to step down at the end of the week. Stephen Neuman, her chief of staff, accepted a position working for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in Michigan; he will be replaced by former state Sen. David Cruise. Raimondo’s communications director, Joy Fox, left to take an advisory role in economic policy with former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.
  • The United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit heard oral arguments in an appeals case involving an election reform package passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly of North Carolina in 2013. The law reduced the number of early voting days, prohibited same-day voter registration, eliminated pre-registration for teenagers, and—perhaps most controversially—established a photo identification requirement for voters. On April 25, 2016, federal Judge Thomas Schroeder upheld the law, finding that it upheld legitimate state interests. Attorneys for the appellants argued that the law constituted an "unprecedented rollback of voting rights, which intentionally targeted minorities who tend to vote for Democrats." Meanwhile, proponents of the law argued that the reforms were necessary in order minimize voter fraud and maintain election integrity. According to The Wall Street Journal, the appellate judges "signaled they were aware that they would need to make a fairly quick ruling to give North Carolina time to prepare for Election Day, which is 20 weeks away." To learn more about voting policy in North Carolina, see this article.

Local

  • Fairfax County, Virginia, passed ordinances calling for improved police training and a study on body cameras in an effort to curb violence and improve community trust. The recommendations were proposed by an advisory commission formed after an unarmed resident was killed by police in 2015. While the changes to police training to improve de-escalation techniques passed relatively quietly, the recommendation that the police chief take 18 months to study privacy issues and body cameras sparked concern. “We’ve spent two and a half years studying this issue. How much more time do you need?” asked Supervisor John Foust. Fairfax County is Virginia’s most populous county and borders Washington, D.C.
  • Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) signed a bill sending $617 million and a restructuring plan to Detroit Public Schools. The plan will split Detroit Public Schools into two districts. The existing district will remain to collect taxes and pay off $617 million in debt over eight and a half years, while the new district will receive $617 million from the state to educate students under a new school board. Earlier this year, Detroit Public Schools faced teacher sick-outs and protests over school conditions. State Democrats and the teachers union oppose the restructuring plan, saying it doesn’t do enough to help the district.
  • The New York City Council voted 49-0 in favor of providing free menstrual products in homeless shelters, correctional facilities, and public schools. Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) previously stated his support for the legislation and is expected to sign the measure, which is the first of its kind in the United States. The tampon and sanitary pad dispensers are estimated to cost the city $4.2 million in the first year and $2.4 million annually in subsequent years. In calling for the measure, City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras-Copeland argued that the products are "as necessary as toilet paper" and similarly ought to be provided free of charge at public facilities.

Preview of the day

The excerpts below were compiled from issue #21 of The Tap, which was published on June 18, 2016. READ THE FULL VERSION HERE.

Federal

State




The Tap covered election news, public policy, and other noteworthy events from February 2016 to February 2022.
March: 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
April: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
May: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
June: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
July: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
August: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
September: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
October: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7• 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
November: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30
December: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 31
January: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31
February: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17
v • e
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