MIL-OSI USA: Understanding Thai Names: Law and Culture

Source: US Global Legal Monitor

The following is a guest post by foreign law intern, Yuri Rattanaboonsen. Yuri works with Foreign Law Specialist, Sayuri Umeda, in the Global Legal Research Directorate in the Law Library of Congress.

In Thailand, surnames are generally unique to family lines, and more often than not, we rarely meet a stranger who has the same surname if he or she is not a distant relative.

Before the enactment of the Thai Nationality Act in 1913, which is also known as the Surname Act, surnames were uncommon for the general public. This law required all Thai citizens and permanent residents to register a family surname for the first time. As a result, many families had to create a new surname. One important feature of the law was that each family’s surname had to be unique. (Thai Nationality Act sec.12(5).) If a name was already registered, the family would have to register a different one.

Currently, the Person’s Name Act B.E. 2505 (1962), as amended by the Person’s Name Act (No. 3), B.E. 2548 (2005), governs the rules for personal names in Thailand. It still states “[t]he surname shall not repeat … a registered surname.” (sec. 8(3).)

Thai Surnames

Originally, Thai surnames often reflected a person’s ancestry, place of origin, or occupation, and usually consisted of two to three syllables. They can relate to information about religion, social class, or even links to royalty or heritage.

Thai immigrant families’ surnames are often long. For example, because many Chinese families’ surnames were the same and were already in use, many immigrant families had to modify or expand them to register unique surnames under the 1913 law. Some families chose Thai words that sounded similar to their original Chinese surname. Others created longer surnames by adding extra syllables or translating the original name’s meaning into Thai. As a result, many names and surnames today are long and complex.

The Person’s Name Act limits the length of a surname. It states “[t]he surname shall … not be comprised of more than 10 alphabetical letters….” (Id. sec. 8(5).) This only applies to the Thai alphabet. Therefore, a romanized Thai surname often has more than 10 Roman characters.

It is rare, but some overlap of Thai surnames exists because technology was not advanced enough to detect all registered surnames nationwide at the time the registry was created. The Department of Provincial Administration’s system, which can check the population registration going back to 1984, came online to link data nationwide in 1993. It was then discovered that many people are not relatives but have the same last names.

Name Change

When a surname is changed to a new one, it often becomes quite long. In Thailand, people can change their names for any reason. (Id. sec. 17) Many individuals choose to change their names for personal, cultural, or spiritual reasons.

Some people change names based on astrological beliefs, selecting letters that are thought to be compatible with the individual’s birthday. In these naming calculations, each letter and vowel has a specific meaning. People try to make the total value of their name and surname lucky or strong. To do this, they often need to use more letters, which results in longer names and surnames. However, many people who do not hold these beliefs still have short surnames.

Permission to Use Another Person’s Surname

A Thai person who is not a spouse or relative of another person and who has a different surname can have the person’s surname upon permission of the person who registered the surname. The act states that the permission “can be made by filing an application to the local Registrar in the area where he or she has his or her name on the household registry …The permission … shall be valid only upon the local Registrar’s issuance of a letter showing the permission to use such surname to” a particular person. (Id. sec. 11.)

Romanization of surnames

The same Thai names might be spelled differently in Roman characters on passports or national identity cards due to the different practices in different registrars’ offices. In addition, the registrar’s consideration and opinion affected the registration process. (Id. sec. 18.)

In July 2023, Bangkok Metropolitan sent a letter to the Department of Provincial Administration to discuss the practice of using Roman characters for first and last names on national identity cards. The Department of Provincial Administration responded by stating that a person’s name must be romanized through transliteration based on phonetic principles, as written in the Prime Minister’s Office Announcement of English transliteration criteria on August 26, 1989, and the Royal Institute criteria for transliteration of Thai into Roman letters by phonetic means on January 11, 1999. The Department of Provincial Administration also forwarded this response to all provincial governors to study and practice in the same way. No other specific regulation was made apart from what the Person’s Name Act B.E. 2505 (1962) provides.

Nickname of Thai People

Although it is not officially registered or recognized under Thai law, nicknames are widely used in everyday life. Most Thai individuals receive a nickname at birth. Thai people do not usually change their nicknames; some do, but fewer compared to changes in their first names and surnames. Thais’ nicknames have changed over time. In the past, most nicknames were in Thai, which were short and simple. usually named after animals, fruits, colors, and nature, such as Khao (Rice), Kai (Chicken), Fah (Sky/Blue), and Ploy (Gemstone). Nowadays, the number of syllables increases, and the use of foreign languages in nicknames has increased. Nicknames can be random English words, such as Donut, Golf, or New Year, brand names, such as Porsche, Benz, or Pepsi, or even be an alphabet letter, such as A, B, S, or X.

A person may go by their nickname socially and professionally for their entire life, but only their official given name will appear in legal contracts, government records, and academic certifications. In daily life, individuals are more commonly known by their nickname than their full legal name.

Further Reading

If you would like to know how other countries regulate names, do not forget to check out our other blog posts on that topic, among them, Jenny’s post on naming laws in Germany, Kelly’s post on banning baby names in New Zealand, Laney’s on how many times you can change a name in Taiwan, or Elin’s post on Icelandic name laws.

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: July 22nd, 2025 Heinrich, Bennet, Hickenlooper Introduce Legislation to Expand and Improve Access to Clean Water for Tribal Families

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich

Half of households on Native American reservations lack access to reliable water sources, clean drinking water, or adequate sanitation

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), introduced the Tribal Access to Clean Water Act to dramatically expand access to clean water for Tribal families by investing in water infrastructure. This bill would increase funding through the Indian Health Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Bureau of Reclamation to support water infrastructure projects in Tribal communities and help provide clean water to Native American households that currently lack access.

“Nearly half of Native American households lack access to clean and reliable water supplies. That is completely unacceptable,” said Heinrich. “By addressing a significant backlog of infrastructure projects and removing barriers to federal programs that provide technical and financial assistance to Tribes, this legislation is an important step toward delivering clean drinking water to all families in Indian Country.”

“Too many Tribal communities in Colorado and across the country cannot access clean, safe water,” said Bennet. “This legislation builds on our efforts to improve access for Tribes in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It fulfills the federal government’s promise to provide these communities with the clean water they deserve.”

“Clean drinking water is a basic necessity. Yet, so many of our Tribal communities have been left without the infrastructure. It’s unacceptable,” said Hickenlooper. “Let’s cut red tape and invest in modern resources to finally deliver safe, accessible water to every Tribe.”

Lack of access to clean drinking water is a significant barrier for many Native American communities. According to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Native American households are 19 times more likely than white households to lack indoor plumbing.

The Tribal Access to Clean Water Act will:

Authorize the USDA to make grants and loans for technical and financial assistance, as well as for construction;
Increase funding authorizations for USDA’s Rural Development Community Facilities Grant and Loan Program by $100 million per year for five years, provide $30 million per year specifically for technical assistance, and ensure that Native communities are treated equitably and appropriately when considered for grants and loans;
Increase funding authorizations for existing programs of the Indian Health Service for water and sanitation facilities construction over a five-year period, including for community facilities ($2.5 billion), technical assistance ($150 million), and operation and maintenance assistance ($500 million); and
Authorize $90 million over five years for the Bureau of Reclamation’s existing Native American Affairs Technical Assistance Program.

“Water is a sacred resource given to us to protect. It is of the utmost importance that Tribes have access to clean water not only for personal consumption and economic development but also for cultural purposes. Many tribes in the Southwest rely on access to clean water to carry on our culture and traditions. We thank U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich and Michael Bennet for reintroducing the Tribal Access to Clean Water Act,” said Myron Armijo, Santa Ana Pueblo Governor.

“It is far past time to ensure that Native people have the same level of basic water service most Americans take for granted,” said Manuel Heart, Chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. “This bill’s recognition of the need for technical support and operation and maintenance assistance for Tribal water supply facilities is not only essential to realizing the benefit of investment in water infrastructure, but also a critical step toward increasing Tribal independence and governance capabilities.”

“Some of the starkest examples of the public health impacts from not having clean, running water in the home are right in our backyards,” said Anne Castle, co-founder of the initiative on Universal Access to Clean Water for Tribal Communities. “Higher incidence of respiratory disease, gastrointestinal infections, diabetes, and cancer are all linked to ‘water poverty’ – the lack of access to secure and healthy household water – which is particularly acute for Native American households. With targeted resources and Federal agency coordination, we have the ability to solve this longstanding inequity in Indian country.”

“For far too long, many indigenous Americans – American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians – have gone without access to a clean and safe drinking water supply,” said John Echohawk, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Native American Rights Fund and member of the Pawnee Nation. “These are not isolated or regional deficiencies, but rather a nationwide disparity in access to a basic ingredient of life. This bill will help to address gaps in current support for Tribal drinking water access and help to fulfill the Federal government’s treaty and trust responsibility to Native American Tribes.”

“Every American is entitled to access to clean drinking water,” said Ken Norton, Chairman of the National Tribal Water Council. “But this undeniable truth simply does not hold for far too many Tribal households. It is well past time to bring the necessary resources to bear that will allow all Tribal families to enjoy the same basic services most Americans take for granted.”

“Water is a basic human right and this bill fulfills the government’s trust obligation to Tribes and Indigenous communities to ensure all Native populations have access to clean drinking water,” said Garrit Voggesser, Senior Director of Tribal Partnerships and Policy, National Wildlife Federation. “For far too long more than half of the country’s Indigenous peoples haven’t had access to clean drinking water. Water must be accessible to not only support public health, but also meet historical, cultural, ecological, and rights-based needs.”

Heinrich initially introduced this legislation with Bennet in 2021. He also successfully fought to include funding to improve Tribal access to clean water in the Infrastructure Law. The law included $3.5 billion for the Indian Health Service Sanitation Facilities Construction program to address needs for tribal sanitation facilities and services, $1 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to support legacy rural water supply projects, which will benefit Tribes, and increased funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Funds.

In addition to Heinrich, Bennet, and Hickenlooper, this bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

The text of the bill is available here.

A summary of the bill is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: 15 nomination forms for Election Committee Subsector By-elections received today

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The nomination period for the 2025 Election Committee (EC) Subsector By-elections runs from today (July 22) until August 4. A total of 12 nomination forms for candidates and three nomination forms from designated bodies were received by the Returning Officers for various subsectors today.

If there is a contested election for an EC subsector, a poll will be held on September 7.

The By-elections will fill a total of 93 vacancies in the membership of the EC to be returned by election involving 28 subsectors. The breakdown of nominations by subsectors received today is set out below:

First Sector
Subsector	No. of nomination forms for candidates received today
Catering	0
Commercial (first)	0
Commercial (second)	0
Commercial (third)	0
Employers’ Federation of Hong Kong	0
Hotel	1
Import and export	0
Industrial (first)	0
Industrial (second)	0
Real estate and construction	0
Small and medium enterprises	0
Tourism	0
Transport	0
Second Sector
Subsector	No. of nomination forms for candidates received today
Architectural, surveying, planning and landscape	0
Chinese medicine	0
Education	0
Legal	0
Medical and health services	0
Sports, performing arts, culture and publication	0
Technology and innovation	0
Third Sector
Subsector	No. of nomination forms for candidates received today
Agriculture and fisheries	0
Associations of Chinese fellow townsmen	1
Grassroots associations	1
Labour	1
Fourth Sector
Subsector	No. of nomination forms for candidates received today
Heung Yee Kuk	0
Representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of Hong Kong and Kowloon	0
Representatives of members of Area Committees, District Fight Crime Committees, and District Fire Safety Committees of the New Territories	0
Fifth Sector
Subsector	No. of nomination forms for candidates received today
Representatives of Hong Kong members of relevant national organisations	8

Total:	12

Besides, 10 vacancies involving five subsectors to be returned by nomination will be filled through supplementary nominations by designated bodies. Today, three nomination forms for the relevant subsectors are received, with breakdown as below:

Accountancy
Designated body	No. of nomination forms received from designated bodies today
Association of Hong Kong Accounting Advisors Limited	0

Sports, performing arts, culture and publication
Designated body	No. of nomination forms received from designated bodies today
Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China	0
Hong Kong Publishing Federation Limited	0

Technology and innovation
Designated body	No. of nomination forms received from designated bodies today
The Greater Bay Area Association of Academicians	0

Religious
Designated body	No. of nomination forms received from designated bodies today
Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong	0
Chinese Muslim Cultural and Fraternal Association	1 (1 nominee in total)
The Hong Kong Taoist Association	1 (2 nominees in total)

Representatives of associations of Hong Kong residents in the Mainland
Designated body	No. of nomination forms received from designated bodies today
Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in China—Guangdong	1 (1 nominee in total)

Total:	3 (4 nominees in total)

Particulars of the nominated persons received today will be uploaded to the election website (www.elections.gov.hk).

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Zinke, Sheehy, Moore, Banks Introduce Legislation to Implement Fees on Foreign Tourists to Rebuild National Parks

Source:

Washington, D.C. — Today, Western Montana Congressman and former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (MT-01), with Senator Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Representative Riley Moore (WV-02), and Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced the bicameral Protecting America’s Treasures by Raising Inflow from Overseas Tourists in Parks Act (PATRIOT Parks Act), which would authorize a surcharge for most foreign tourists visiting national parks. If implemented, the bill would ensure foreign visitors contribute their fair share to the upkeep and preservation of America’s most treasured places.

“National Parks are Americas best idea and maintaining that legacy for future generations means making smart investments in the management of the parks,” said Zinke. “Americans already pay for parks in our tax dollars as well as at the gates. It’s unfair to American taxpayers to foot the bill for millions of foreign visitors. Almost every other country charges foreign visitors more, it’s common sense. President Trump and Secretary Burgum did the right thing directing the National Park Service implement a foreign visitor fee. This legislation will codify the policy and ensure Americans are put First in our own parks.”

“From the New River Gorge in my home state to Shenandoah, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Everglades, and the Grand Canyon – God blessed our nation with a tremendous natural heritage. We owe it to future generations to ensure these natural marvels are protected, said Moore. “Unfortunately, the National Park System currently faces a backlog of more than $23 billion in deferred maintenance, including more than $200 million on properties across the Mountain State. Our commonsense legislation keeps entry fees static for Americans while charging more for foreigners visiting our National Parks. This will allow us to finally start tackling this extensive maintenance backlog.”

“Our national parks drive Montana’s tourism economy by bringing in visitors from all over the world and define our way life by offering an experience you can only find in America,” said Sheehy. “Implementing a foreign visitor fee is an America First, commonsense way to secure affordable access for American families, improve our national parks for all visitors, and better manage our treasured public lands. It’s not too much for Americans to ask that their government puts them first, and that’s why I’m proud to support the PATRIOT Parks Act so more American families can enjoy our national parks for generations to come.”

The National Park Service has $23 billion deferred maintenance infrastructure backlog. NPS relies on appropriated funds from tax dollars, Great American Outdoors Act funds from energy leasing, and entrance fees to address infrastructure needs. Every park will benefit from this program regardless of if they collect fees or not. By law, under the current formula for entrance fees, 80% of the fees collected at a park stay in the park where they are collected. The remaining 20% of entrance fees collected is distributed to non-fee collecting parks to improve infrastructure and visitor experience. The foreign visitors surcharge will use the same formula ensuring all parks benefit from this funding.

According to a report by Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), a surcharge of just $40 per foreign visitor would raise $528 million for our park system.

“People travel from around the world to experience America’s national parks, and now they can help conserve them too,” said PERC CEO Brian Yablonski. “A surcharge on international visitors is a common practice globally and offers a smart, reliable way to fund better trails, cleaner campgrounds, modernized water systems, and desperately needed restoration work in our parks. We appreciate Rep. Zinke’s support for strengthening America’s national parks.”

Virtually all other countries do this already. Foreign tourists visiting the Galapagos National Park in Ecuador pay a $200 surcharge, South Africa charges as much as 500% more for foreign visitors, many European Union nations charge non-EU citizens surcharges at museums and cultural sites.

The foreign visitor would only apply to National Parks units that already collect entrance fees. If a park does not currently collect an entrance fee, the surcharge will not apply. Canadian citizens visiting Glacier National Park would be exempt from the surcharge in recognition of our joint stewardship of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Fee-collecting monuments in Washington, D.C., are also exempted.

The bill codifies an executive order signed by President Trump directing the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture to implement a foreign visitor surcharge to support public lands and rural communities.

Read the full bill text here.

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MIL OSI USA News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Analysis: Farewell to summer? ‘Haze’ and ‘trash’ among Earth’s new seasons as climate change and pollution play havoc

Source: The Conversation – UK – By Felicia Liu, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Sustainability, University of York

Throughout history, people have viewed seasons as relatively stable, recurrent blocks of time that neatly align farming, cultural celebrations and routines with nature’s cycles. But the seasons as we know them are changing. Human activity is rapidly transforming the Earth, and once reliable seasonal patterns are becoming unfamiliar.

In our recent study, we argue that new seasons are surfacing. These emergent seasons are entirely novel and anthropogenic (in other words, made by humans).

Examples include “haze seasons” in the northern and equatorial nations of south-east Asia, when the sky is filled with smoke for several weeks. This is caused by widespread burning of vegetation to clear forests and make way for agriculture during particularly dry times of year.

Or there is the annual “trash season”, during which tidal patterns bring plastic to the shores of Bali, Indonesia, between November and March.

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At the same time, some seasons are disappearing altogether, with profound consequences for ecosystems and cultures. These extinct seasons can encompass drastically altered or terminated migratory animal behaviour, such as the decline of seabird breeding seasons in northern England.

Climate change is also calling time on traditional winter sport seasons by making snow scarcer in alpine regions.

Nature’s new rhythms

Perhaps more common are “syncopated seasons”. The changes are akin to new emphases on beats or off-beats in familiar music that capture the listener’s attention.

Syncopated seasons include hotter summers and milder winters in temperate climates, with increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather that exposes more people and ecosystems to stress.

The timings of key seasonal events, like when leaves fall or certain migratory species arrive, are becoming more unpredictable. We coined the term “arrhythmic seasons”, a concept borrowed from cardiology, to refer to abnormal rhythms which include earlier springs or breeding seasons, longer summers or growing seasons, and shorter winters or hibernating seasons.

Changing seasonal patterns throw the interdependent life cycles of plants and animals out of sync with each other, and disrupt the communities that are economically, socially and culturally dependent on them.

In northern Thailand, human activity has reshaped nature’s rhythms and affected the supply of water and food in turn. Communities along the Mekong river’s tributaries have relied on the seasonal flow of rivers to fish and farm for generations.

At first, upstream dams disrupted these cycles by blocking fish migration and preventing the accumulation of sediment that farms need for soil. More recently, climate change has shifted rainfall patterns and made dry seasons longer and rainy seasons shorter but more intense, bringing fires and further uncertainty to farmers.

Let’s rethink time

How we react to changing seasonal patterns can either worsen or improve environmental conditions. In south-east Asia, public awareness of the “haze season” has led to better forecasting, the installation of air filters in homes and the establishment of public health initiatives.

These efforts help communities adapt. But if society only uses adaptive fixes like these, it can make the haze worse over time by failing to tackle its root causes. By recognising this new season, societies might normalise the recurrence of haze and isolate anyone who demands the government and businesses deal with deforestation and burning.

Powerful institutions like these shape narratives about seasonal crises to minimise their responsibility and shift blame elsewhere. Understanding these dynamics is crucial to fostering accountability and ensuring fair responses.

The shifting seasons require us to rethink our relationship with time and the environment. Today, most of us think about time in terms of days, hours and minutes, which is a globalised standard used everywhere from smartphones to train timetables. But this way of keeping time forgets older and more local ways of understanding time – those that are shaped by natural rhythms, such as the arrival of the rainy season, or solar and lunar cycles, rooted in the lives and cultures of different communities.

Diverse perspectives, especially those from Indigenous knowledge systems, can enhance our ability to respond to environmental changes. Integrating alternative time-keeping methods into mainstream practices could foster fairer and more effective solutions to environmental problems.

Seasons are more than just divisions of time – they connect us with nature. Finding synchrony with changing seasonal rhythms is essential for building a sustainable future.

Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?

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The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

– ref. Farewell to summer? ‘Haze’ and ‘trash’ among Earth’s new seasons as climate change and pollution play havoc – https://theconversation.com/farewell-to-summer-haze-and-trash-among-earths-new-seasons-as-climate-change-and-pollution-play-havoc-260765

MIL OSI Analysis –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Britt, Hill Work to Protect Small Business Access to Capital, Fight Regulatory Overreach

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced legislation in response to the finalization of the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) 1071 Small Business Lending Data Collection rule requiring small business lenders to collect and report social data on small businesses seeking loans.

The senators’ Preventing Regulatory Overreach to Empower Communities to Thrive and Ensure Data privacy (PROTECTED) Act would shield small financial institutions and Main Street businesses from the burdensome compliance costs associated with the CFPB rule as well as limit the number of small businesses impacted and significantly reduce the amount of data required to be collected and reported.

“As the backbone of our economy, small businesses need access to capital. Identity-based data collection requirements handed down from Washington jeopardize lenders’ ability to provide vital investments and invite the federal government to pick winners and losers based on factors other than sound underwriting. Our legislation cuts this red tape for small and local financial institutions, including those trusted by farmers and rural communities, so they can focus on helping entrepreneurs and business owners launch or expand operations,” Boozman said.

“The CFPB under the last administration operated virtually unchecked—with no real Congressional oversight—and in an authoritarian manner, creating a regulatory nightmare for the very people and businesses it was meant to protect,” said Britt. “The PROTECTED Act delivers much-needed regulatory relief for community banks, farm credit lenders, CDFIs, and equipment financers. Importantly, this legislation safeguards small businesses by limiting excessive data collection and protecting consumer privacy. I’m proud to lead this effort to provide critical changes to this harmful rule.”

“I will always advocate for small businesses across Alabama and our nation –– they’re the backbone of our country and what make our communities so unique — and our community banks play a pivotal role in providing these businesses with vital access to capital,” Britt continued. “This CFPB rule would have damaging downstream effects on our most rural and underserved communities. In the absence of a full repeal, this bill makes critical changes needed to ensure small lenders can continue to meet the needs of Main Street businesses.”

The Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Rep. French Hill (AR-01) is leading similar legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“America’s small businesses depend on affordable and accessible credit, and community banks play a crucial role in their success. The CFPB’s current approach under the 1071 rule restricts credit and places unfair burdens on our community banks. The PROTECTED Act provides a clear path forward for how the Bureau can revise the 1071 rule to best support small businesses while ensuring responsible lending. I thank Senator Britt and Senator Boozman for working with me on companion legislation to the Small LENDER Act to support policies that help small businesses grow and achieve success,” said Hill.

The PROTECTED Act also establishes critical safeguards to prevent the CFPB from publishing sensitive consumer data and requires the Bureau to conduct updated cost-benefit analyses prior to the rule’s implementation. Its effective date would be three years after the completion of these updated analyses and publication in the Federal Register, followed by a two-year grace period.

Boozman has pushed back against the regulation, designed to implement Sec. 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act, and CFPB’s implementation that attempts to pick small business winners and losers based on social factors. The senator also supported a Congressional Review Act resolution to reverse the Biden-era CFPB rule.

Click here for full bill text.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Boozman Joins Push to Expand Access to Mental Health Care for Farmers, Rural Communities

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, joined a bipartisan group of colleagues led by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Joni Ernst (R-IA) to introduce the Farmers First Act of 2025, legislation aimed at strengthening mental health resources for farmers, ranchers and rural communities. The Farmers First Act of 2025 reauthorizes and increases funding for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN), a program that connects agricultural workers to critical stress assistance and mental health services.

“Arkansas farmers face unique challenges that are often beyond their control and can take a serious toll on their mental health – from unpredictable weather and market volatility to the isolation that often comes with rural life,” Boozman said. “We have a responsibility to ensure they are not facing these burdens alone. This legislation builds on our efforts to deliver meaningful support and expand access to mental health care in rural communities.”

“Wisconsin’s farmers and ranchers work hard every day to keep their businesses running and our Made in Wisconsin agricultural economy moving forward. But too often, the stress, isolation, and physical demands of this job leave them with nowhere to turn when it all gets to be too much,” Baldwin said. “I’m working to make sure our farmers and rural communities have the resources they need because no one should have to fight these battles alone.”

“Iowa farmers work tirelessly from sunrise to sundown – rain or shine – to feed and fuel the world. Their work isn’t easy, and mental health issues, including suicide, are too common in our agriculture community, which is why I’m working to ensure farmers have better access to mental health resources,” Ernst said.

The Farmers First Act of 2025 would authorize $15 million annually for FRSAN through fiscal year 2030, up from the current $10 million. These funds will help state departments of agriculture, extension services and nonprofits provide:

Suicide prevention training for farm advocates;
Behavioral health specialists to serve agricultural communities;
Support groups tailored to farmers, ranchers and farmworkers; and
Expanded crisis hotlines and referral services.

Boozman helped establish FRSAN in the 2018 Farm Bill and has consistently advocated for its expansion. The program currently operates through four regional centers and has proven effective in increasing access to mental health services in rural areas.

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tina Smith (D-MN) have co-sponsored the bill.

The Farmers First Act of 2025 also has the support of the National Farmers Union, National Rural Health Association, National Milk Producers Federation, Agriculture Retailers Association, The National Council, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, Organic Trade Association, American Psychological Association Services, NCBA CLUSA, Farm Credit Council, National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, Organic Farmers Association, National Pork Producers Council, American Soybean Association, Midwest Dairy Coalition, Farm Aid, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Corn Growers Association, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, Sustainable Food Policy Alliance, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, National Organic Coalition, Farmer Veteran Coalition and American Farm Bureau Federation.

Bill text is available here.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Canada: New Fund to Support Growth in Agriculture, Seafood Sectors

Source: Government of Canada regional news

The Province is launching a new fund to support big, bold projects in the agriculture and seafood sectors.

“This fund is about supporting the people who bring new ideas to grow our economy and help businesses,” said Greg Morrow, Minister of Agriculture. “Agriculture and seafood are important traditional industries in our province. But we can’t keep doing things the same old way – we need to support fresh thinking and innovation.”

The Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund will support companies proposing large-scale projects that boost productivity and help their business expand. It could involve adopting new technology, changing how they do business, or finding new markets for their products.

“We are looking for creative ideas that can take businesses to the next level,” said Kent Smith, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “This isn’t just about helping individual companies, this is an all-hands-on-deck effort to build stronger industries and a stronger province.”

Quotes:

“Innovation truly thrives when industry and government actively join forces, combining expertise to drive meaningful progress and accelerate impactful change. Oberland welcomes opportunities to partner with the Government of Nova Scotia to advance sustainable solutions that turn local challenges into global leadership.”
— Greg Wanger, founder and CEO, Oberland Agriscience Inc.

“We’re pleased to see this investment as a positive step forward for Nova Scotia’s agriculture industry. Strategic support like this helps strengthen our competitiveness, drives innovation and creates opportunities for sustainable growth in the sector.”
— Alicia King, President, Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture

“The members of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance are experiencing first-hand the challenges of tariffs and the changing expectations of our global seafood customers. We need an industry that is innovative, resilient and adaptive to meet the needs of more diverse markets and customers so that we can maximize the economic value of the seafood sector for Nova Scotia’s seafood producers and for Nova Scotians. The alliance is pleased that with the launch of the new Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund, the Province is showing its continued commitment to supporting the innovation and diversification efforts of the seafood sector as we continue to evolve to provide the highest quality seafood to the world.”
— Allan MacLean, President, Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance

Quick Facts:

the Province is providing $4.71 million for the fund
funded projects must be completed by January 2027
the fund will be managed by Perennia, a provincial development agency with a mission to support growth, transformation and economic development in Nova Scotia’s agriculture, seafood and food and beverage sectors

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia Seafood and Agriculture Strategic Investment Fund: https://www.perennia.ca/sasi/

News release – New Mapping Tool Supports Aquaculture Growth: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/07/03/new-mapping-tool-supports-aquaculture-growth

News release – Seafood Companies Receive Climate Change Funding: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/06/27/seafood-companies-receive-climate-change-funding

News release – Province Partners with Horticulture Nova Scotia to Extend Growing Season: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/06/04/province-partners-horticulture-nova-scotia-extend-growing-season

News release – New Food Safety Pilot Program to Help Local Producers Expand: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/04/25/new-food-safety-pilot-program-help-local-producers-expand

Other than cropping, Province of Nova Scotia photos are not to be altered in any way.

MIL OSI Canada News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Missouri Small Businesses, Private Nonprofits and Residents Affected by April Storms

Source: United States Small Business Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses, private nonprofits, and residents in Missouri of the Aug. 22 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds, heavy rains, large hail, flooding and flash flooding occurring April 29.

The disaster declaration covers the Missouri counties of Barry, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Greene, Jasper, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Polk, Stone and Webster as well as the Kansas county of Cherokee, and the Oklahoma county of Ottawa.

Small businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.

“One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s physical damage loans.”

SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

Interest rates can be as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.625% for nonprofits, and 2.813% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

The deadline to return physical damage applications is Aug. 22.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Idaho Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by the Gwen Fire

Source: United States Small Business Administration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Idaho of the Aug. 22, 2025 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the Gwen Fire occurring July 24‑Aug. 9, 2024.

The disaster declaration covers the Idaho counties of Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce as well as the Oregon county of Wallowa, and the Washington counties of Asotin and Whitman.

Under this declaration, SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries, and PNPs impacted by financial losses directly related to the disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for small aquaculture enterprises.

EIDLs are available for working capital needs caused by the disaster and are available even if the small business did not suffer any physical damage. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, and other bills not paid due to the disaster.

“SBA loans help eligible small businesses and private nonprofits cover operating expenses after a disaster, which is crucial for their recovery,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “These loans not only help business owners get back on their feet but also play a key role in sustaining local economies in the aftermath of a disaster.”

The loan amount can be up to $2 million with interest rates as low as 4% for small businesses and 3.25% for PNPs with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms based on each applicant’s financial condition.

To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

Submit completed loan applications to the SBA no later than Aug. 22.

###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Africa: Livestock and lions make uneasy neighbours: how a fence upgrade helped protect domestic and wild animals in Tanzania

Source: The Conversation – Africa – By Jonathan Salerno, Associate Professor, Colorado State University, Colorado State University

Protecting livestock in areas where large carnivores (like lions) live is increasingly important as human land use expands, wildlife habitat shrinks, and climatic changes reshape the ways in which humans and wildlife interact. Protecting the carnivores from livestock owners is important too. Intact carnivore populations support more resilient food webs and the ecosystem services they provide.

It’s not easy for people, livestock, and carnivores to live together without conflict, though. One of the best ways to reduce conflict is to protect livestock like cattle and sheep from being attacked by predators.

There are various methods to do this, like guarding livestock or erecting fences. That’s all very well for the livestock inside the fences, but do predators simply turn to the nearest unprotected livestock for their meal instead? Are the neighbours’ cattle, sheep, and goats at greater risk? This question hasn’t been explored much by researchers.

We’re a group of conservation practitioners and scientists who have studied the interactions of carnivores, livestock, and people in Tanzania and elsewhere for decades to try and find solutions to conflict problems.

Our study area is next to a national park which protects important populations of lion, leopard, hyena, African wild dog, and cheetah. The people who live here have traditionally kept their livestock overnight in enclosures made of acacia-thorn branches. More recently, some of them have built pens, or corrals, from tall chain link fencing. We knew from years working with communities and from previous research that these fortified corrals were effective at keeping livestock safe from predators.

Our next step was to find out whether this made other nearby livestock less safe.

The results were intriguing. We found that the new enclosures made predation less likely in the nearby traditional enclosures too.

This type of beneficial spillover effect had yet to be documented in other systems where interventions aim to protect livestock from large carnivores.

Our results show that in conservation, it’s important to look closely at complex local dynamics. The findings may help explain why there’s so much uncertainty about the effectiveness of various human–wildlife conflict mitigation strategies.

Beneficial spillover effects

People who keep livestock in east Africa have long had strategies to keep their animals safe from large carnivores. Sometimes acacia-thorn night enclosures (known locally as bomas), intensive herding practices, and guarding dogs work well.

Other times, and especially in communities within and adjacent to large, protected carnivore populations, traditional strategies fall short.

This is the case in Tanzania’s Ruaha-Rungwa Landscape. In our study area adjacent to Ruaha National Park, any pastoralist or agropastoralist (herding and crop farming) household has about a 30% chance of losing one or more animals to predation each year. This is a serious economic loss on top of important cultural and emotional costs.

Lion Landscapes, an organisation that some of us have been running for over a decade, works to support human-carnivore coexistence. Adjacent to Ruaha, we have been partnering with households to build 1.8-metre chain-link corrals. We subsidise them. Households contribute 25% of the cost and some of the labour for construction.

We analysed about 25,000 monthly reports of livestock predation in fenced and traditional enclosures, using statistical models. There were 846 predation events over nearly four years. Unexpectedly, while we did detect spillover effects, these appeared to be beneficial. Rather than displacing conflicts, fortified enclosures actually conferred protective effects on their traditional-enclosure neighbours.

For example, households within 50 metres (the minimum observed distance) of a fortified enclosure were half as likely to experience predation compared with distant households 2 kilometres away. And these beneficial effects increased with the number of fortified enclosures in a neighbourhood. Finally, the effects appeared to be durable over time.

The fortified enclosures were extremely effective. We showed that households could break even after paying for the fence in just a few years through avoided livestock losses. And we know that when domestic animals aren’t being killed, their owners are more tolerant of predators. We didn’t record carnivore killings in this study but it has happened fairly frequently in the area in the past.

In a few of the world’s human-wildlife conflict systems, where data exist to assess spillover effects, there is evidence that detrimental spillovers do occur. For instance, beehive deterrents may redirect elephants to nearby crop fields, or lethal removal of individual wolves may redirect the surviving pack to prey on adjacent ranches. Nevertheless, these are very under-studied interactions.

Livestock management and carnivore coexistence

In systems where humans, livestock, and wildlife overlap and sometimes come into conflict, management strategies too often focus on wildlife. Another option is to reduce whatever attracts wildlife. In the case of large carnivores, this means managing livestock.

Our results support this approach by demonstrating that management and protection of livestock is fundamental for reducing conflict, and can benefit not only livestock owners but landscape-level coexistence.

Conservationists and policy-makers need to encourage these practices that benefit people, carnivores, and livestock in shared landscapes.

– Livestock and lions make uneasy neighbours: how a fence upgrade helped protect domestic and wild animals in Tanzania
– https://theconversation.com/livestock-and-lions-make-uneasy-neighbours-how-a-fence-upgrade-helped-protect-domestic-and-wild-animals-in-tanzania-258113

MIL OSI Africa –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: Russia expands grain export geography — Russian Minister of Agriculture

Translation. Region: Russian Federal

Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

Moscow, July 22 (Xinhua) — In 2024, Russia for the first time supplied grain crops to 11 countries, and also resumed exports to seven countries, Russian Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said on Tuesday, as cited by the Russian government’s press service.

Currently, Russia exports grain crops to 108 countries, and 70 countries purchase wheat from Russia. Russia has been the leader in wheat supplies to the world market since 2016 and intends to maintain this status in the current agricultural season. By the end of 2024, the country became the world leader in barley exports for the first time.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that Russia plans to increase agricultural exports by 1.5 times by 2030 compared to 2021 figures. Various government support measures are provided for the development of the grain industry, including subsidies, preferential lending, and reduced tariffs for rail transportation. –0–

Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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MIL OSI Russia News –

July 23, 2025

MIL-OSI Analysis: Livestock and lions make uneasy neighbours: how a fence upgrade helped protect domestic and wild animals in Tanzania

Source: The Conversation – Africa (2) – By Jonathan Salerno, Associate Professor, Colorado State University, Colorado State University