🦅 Executive Branch |
White House |
- On November 13, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order aimed at improving the foster care system in the United States. The order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to update rules and technology within 180 days to better track and support children in foster care, including using new tools like artificial intelligence to find and keep good foster families. It also calls for creating a special program to help young people leaving foster care get education, jobs, and housing, with an online platform to guide them. The order encourages working with faith-based groups and removing rules that stop people with certain religious beliefs from helping in foster care. This action affects children in foster care, families who foster or adopt, and organizations involved in child welfare. It matters because the order says the current system has problems like long stays in foster care and overworked caseworkers, and it aims to make the system more effective and supportive for children and families. Read full document →
|
Federal Register |
-
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is changing the rules about reporting chemicals called PFAS, which are used in many products and can affect health and the environment. Companies that made or imported PFAS between 2011 and 2022 must report certain information to the EPA, but now some small amounts (less than 0.1%) and certain types of PFAS uses, like those in imported products or made only for research, are exempt to reduce the burden on businesses. The new rule also changes the deadline for reporting to start about two months after the rule is final and last for three months. This matters because it helps the EPA focus on important information about PFAS while making it easier for businesses to comply, which can lead to better protection of people and the environment without unnecessary paperwork. Read full document →
-
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is proposing changes to the rules that stop unfair treatment when people apply for loans or credit. These changes say that lenders cannot be held responsible just because their rules accidentally affect some groups more than others (called “disparate impact”). The rules also clarify that lenders can only be punished if they say or do things that clearly discourage people from applying for credit because of things like race or age. Finally, the CFPB wants to stop for-profit lenders from using race, color, national origin, or sex to decide who can join special credit programs meant to help certain groups, unless they prove those groups really need it. Banks, credit unions, and other lenders must follow these new rules once they become official, likely 90 days after the final rule is published. This matters because it changes how lenders must treat people fairly and how they can design special programs to help those who might have trouble getting credit. Read full document →
-
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is proposing to change rules about how banks and lenders report information on loans to small businesses, especially those owned by women and minorities. Starting January 1, 2028, only bigger lenders that make at least 1,000 small business loans each year will have to follow these rules. The new rule focuses on simpler, common loan types and smaller businesses with less than $1 million in yearly sales. It also removes some detailed questions lenders had to ask before, like how the loan was applied for or pricing details. This matters because it aims to make loan reporting easier for lenders, reduce mistakes, and still help protect small businesses from unfair lending, while making sure the data collected is useful for communities and government to support small business growth. Read full document →
|
|
|
