  We determine the effect of an in-plane current flow on the critical
properties of a 2d itinerant electron system near a ferromagnetic-paramagnetic
quantum critical point. We study a model in which a nonequilibrium steady state
is established as a result of exchange of particles and energy with an
underlying substrate. the current $\vec{j}$ gives rise not only to an effective
temperature equal to the voltage drop over a distance of order the mean free
path, but also to symmetry breaking terms of the form $\vec{j}\cdot
\vec{nabla}$ in the effective action. The effect of the symmetry breaking on
the fluctuational and critical properties is found to be small although (in
agreement with previous results) if rotational degrees of freedom are
important, the current can make the classically ordered state dynamically
unstable.
