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Category: Commerce

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo, Mullin, Kelly, Cramer Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Broadband Connectivity in Rural America

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) and Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota) introduced the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2025 to direct the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to require proper contributions to the Universal Service Fund (USF) from edge providers and broadband providers.  Requiring edge providers to cover associated costs for rural fiber networks will reduce the financial burden on consumers and rural providers while strengthening broadband connectivity throughout rural America.

    “Idahoans rely heavily upon broadband technology,” said Crapo.  “Addressing the ‘digital divide’ in broadband deployment between rural and urban or suburban areas will ensure communities, regardless of size, can access the necessary connection for modern life.”

    Currently, more than 100,000 households in Idaho lack access to broadband internet, according to the U.S. Census.  On Idaho’s tribal lands, more than 83 percent of residents cannot connect to high-speed internet.

    “Fair contributions to the USF from edge providers are long overdue,” said Mullin.  “Video streaming services account for 75 percent of all traffic on rural broadband networks.  However, unrecovered costs from streaming companies are often shifted and borne by small rural broadband providers.  Available, affordable internet will close the digital divide and increase telehealth, educational and employment opportunities for those who previously went without.  Rural Oklahomans deserve the same connectivity as those living in urban areas.”

    “In an interconnected world, high-speed internet access is part of our daily lives–from scheduling a doctor’s appointment to keeping in touch with family,” said Kelly.  “This bipartisan bill will have big corporations contribute to the expansion of affordable high-speed internet in areas that desperately need it.” 

    The Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act would:

    • Direct the FCC to reform the USF by expanding the base so that edge providers and broadband providers contribute on an equitable and nondiscriminatory basis to preserve and advance universal service.
    • Limit assessments of edge providers to only those with more than three percent of the estimated quantity of broadband data transmitted in the United States and more than $5 billion in annual revenue. 
    • Direct the FCC to adopt a new mechanism under the current USF high-cost program to provide specific, predictable and sufficient support for expenses incurred by broadband providers that are not otherwise recovered.
    • Limit the FCC’s authority over edge providers and broadband providers only to requiring contributions to the USF.

    Full text of the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2025 can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Signs New Law Supporting Home Ownership for Colorado Educators

    Source: US State of Colorado

    DENVER – Today, Governor Polis signed SB25-167 – Invest State Funds to Benefit Communities, sponsored by Senators Judy Amabile and Lisa Frizell, and Representatives Shannon Bird and Meghan Lukens. This law helps expand access to housing for teachers, increasing homeownership and supporting Colorado schools by providing down-payment assistance and expanding housing opportunities that educators can afford. 

    “We are taking big steps to reduce housing costs and breaking down barriers to home ownership for people across the state. This new law is another step in the right direction, and I’m proud to sign it today, helping more educators get housing they can afford , allowing teachers to live in the communities they choose, and supporting Colorado children in the classroom. I thank the sponsors for their work to tackle housing costs,” said Governor Polis. 

    Governor Polis also signed: 

    • SB25-122 – Extending Organ & Tissue Donation Fund, sponsored by President James Coleman and Senator Cleave Simpson, and Representatives Jennifer Bacon and Regina English
    • HB25-1013 – Department of Corrections Visitation Rights, sponsored by Representatives Regina English and Jennifer Bacon, and President James Coleman and Senator Tony Exum 

    Governor Polis signed the following bills into law administratively: 

    • SB25-017 – Measures to Support Early Childhood Health, sponsored by Senators Lisa Cutter and Iman Jodeh, and Representatives Junie Joseph and Yara Zokaie. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-036 – State Patrol Bonding Exception, sponsored by Senators Marc Catlin and Marc Snyder, and Representatives Sheila Lieder and Ty Winter. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-070 – Online Marketplaces & Third-Party Sellers, sponsored by Senators Larry Liston and Dylan Roberts, and Representatives Ryan Armagost and William Lindstedt. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-075 – License to Sell Vehicles Criminal Offense, sponsored by Senator Julie Gonzales, and Representatives Cecelia Espenoza and Jennifer Bacon. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-126 – Uniform Antitrust Pre-Merger Notification Act, sponsored by Senator Marc Snyder, and Representative Cecelia Espenoza
    • SB25-162 – Railroad Safety Requirements, sponsored by Senators Lisa Cutter and Marc Snyder, and Representatives Javier Mabrey and Elizabeth Velasco. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-163 – Battery Stewardship Programs, sponsored by Senators Lisa Cutter and Matt Ball, and Representatives Kyle Brown and Rebekah Stewart. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-173 – Revenue Classification Taxpayers Bill of Rights, sponsored by Senator Mike Weissman, and Representatives Lorena Garcia and Yara Zokaie
    • SB25-257 – Modify General Fund Transfers to State Highway Fund, sponsored by Senators Jeff Bridges and Barbara Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Shannon Bird and Rick Taggart. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-258 – Temporarily Reduce Road Safety Surcharge, sponsored by Senators Jeff Bridges and Barbara Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Shannon Bird and Emily Sirota. This bill is bipartisan.
      • “This bill is an important part of our work to save Coloradans money. By cutting vehicle registration fees, we are helping Coloradans keep more of their hard-earned money. This is just one piece of our efforts,” said Governor Jared Polis.
    • SB25-261 – Property Tax Deferral Program Administration, sponsored by Senators Judy Amabile and Barbara Kirkmeyer, and Representatives Shannon Bird and Emily Sirota. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-286 – Petroleum Products Fees & Penalties, sponsored by Senators Nick Hinrichsen and Marc Snyder, and Representative Shannon Bird. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-299 – Consumer Protection Residential Energy Systems, sponsored by Senator Katie Wallace, and Representatives Kyle Brown and Matt Soper. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-300 – Revisor’s Bill, sponsored by Senators John Carson and Mike Weissman, and Representatives Stephanie Luck and Sean Camacho. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-305 – Water Quality Permitting Efficiency, sponsored by Senators Barbara Kirkmeyer and Jeff Bridges, and Representatives Shannon Bird and Rick Taggart. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-306 – Performance Audits of Certain State Agencies, sponsored by Majority Leader Robert Rodriguez and Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer, and Representatives William Lindstedt and Rick Taggart. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-316 – Auraria Higher Education Center Appropriations, sponsored by Senators Judy Amabile and Jeff Bridges, and Representatives Rick Taggart and Emily Sirota. This bill is bipartisan.
    • SB25-319 – Modification Higher Education Expenses Income Tax Incentive, sponsored by Senators Jeff Bridges and Judy Amabile, and Representatives Shannon Bird and Rick Taggart. This bill is bipartisan.
    • HB25-1043 – Owner Equity Protection in Homeowners’ Association Foreclosure Sales, sponsored by Representatives Naquetta Ricks and Jennifer Bacon, and Senator Tony Exum. This bill is bipartisan.
    • HB25-1056 – Local Government Permitting Wireless Telecommunications Facilities, sponsored by Representatives Meghan Lukens and Jennifer Bacon, and Senators Dylan Roberts and Nick Hinrichsen. This bill is bipartisan.
      • “This bill will help increase connectivity for Coloradans across the state by breaking down barriers. I appreciate the sponsors for their work on this new law and look forward to seeing increased service across Colorado,” said Governor Jared Polis.
    • HB25-1061 – Community Schoolyards Grant Program, sponsored by Representatives Rick Taggart and Jennifer Bacon, and Senators Judy Amabile and Barbara Kirkmeyer. This is a bipartisan bill.
    • HB25-1082 – Qualified Individuals Death Certificates, sponsored by Representatives Ron Weinberg and Kyle Brown, and Senators Rod Pelton and Dafna Michaelson Jenet. This is a bipartisan bill.
    • HB25-1108 – Prohibitions in Rental Agreements Due to Death, sponsored by Representatives Ron Weinberg and Javier Mabrey, and Senators Barbara Kirkmeyer and Jeff Bridges. This is a bipartisan bill.
    • HB25-1161 – Labeling Gas-Fueled Stoves, sponsored by Representative Alex Valdez, and Senators Cathy Kipp and Katie Wallace. This bill is bipartisan.
    • HB25-1223 – Capital Needs of Rural and Frontier Hospitals, sponsored by Representatives Dusty Johnson and Meghan Lukens, and Senators Rod Pelton and Dylan Roberts. This is a bipartisan bill.
    • HB25-1224 – Revised Uniform Unclaimed Property Act Modifications, sponsored by Representatives Brianna Titone and Matt Soper, and Senator Marc Snyder. This is a bipartisan bill.
    • HB25-1234 – Utility Consumer Protection, sponsored by Representatives Naquetta Ricks and Junie Joseph, and Senators Faith Winter and Katie Wallace
    • HB25-1307 – Updating Technical References in Education Law, sponsored by Representatives Stephanie Luck and Michael Carter, and Senators Matt Ball and Janice Rich. This is a bipartisan bill.
    • HB25-1324 – Clarify Property Tax Objection & Protest Deadlines, sponsored by Representatives Cecelia Espenoza and Stephanie Luck, and Senators Matt Ball and Marc Catlin. This is a bipartisan bill.
    • HB25-1327 – Modify Statewide Ballot Measure Processes, sponsored by Representatives Emily Sirota and Meg Froelich, and Senator Cathy Kipp
    • HB25-1300 – Workers’ Compensation Benefits Proof of Entitlement, sponsored by Representative Jenny Willford and Senator Cathy Kipp
    • HB25-1317 – Correct Error in Self-Pay Estimate Statute, sponsored by Representatives Brandi Bradley and Michael Carter, and Senator Tony Exum.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Gas supply reducing faster and sooner than previously forecast

    Source: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE)

    “Natural gas reserves continue to reduce faster and sooner than previously forecast,” says Karlene Tipler, Head of Data Service Delivery, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment.

    “In 2024 natural gas proven plus probable (2P) reserves reduced from 1300 PJ to 948 PJ. The reduction in natural gas reserves is largely driven by field operators reducing their estimates of gas readily extractable in the ground by 234 PJ. The remaining reduction of 119 PJ reflects the portion of gas reserves that were used during the year.

    “Contingent natural gas reserves, which is gas that exists in the ground, but cannot be extracted due to current economic or technical conditions, has increased by 184 PJ or 10% on last year’s figure.

    “Some of this increase can be attributed to natural gas reserves being downgraded to contingent resources. A significant contributor to this is Pohokura field, which included a large volume of contingent gas which had previously not been reported.

    “As economic and technical conditions change, some contingent gas may have the potential to be upgraded to 2P reserves.”

    “Decreases in the majority of gas reserves were partially offset by the Turangi field, whose reserves were revised upward by 22 PJ. This resulted in a net increase, after accounting for 2024 production, of 2 PJ.

    “Natural gas delivered from gas fields also reduced 22% in 2024 compared to 2023. The greatest contributors to this were Pohokura, Maui, Mangahewa, and Kupe fields, who between them dropped 109 TJ/day compared to last year’s data.

    “Previous forecasts had annual gas production falling below 100 PJ by 2029, but due to revised production forecasts we now expect to reach this level by 2026.”

    Read the full Petroleum Reserves 2025 data release:

    Petroleum reserves data

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Shaheen Grills Secretary Lutnick on Impacts of Damaging Steel Tariff on Granite State Businesses, Defense Supply Chain

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen

    (Washington, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations and Small Business Committees, today questioned U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick during a Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing examining the U.S. Department of Commerce’s budget request. During the hearing, Shaheen grilled Secretary Lutnick on President Trump’s damaging steel tariffs – which were recently doubled – and drew attention to the impacts on New Hampshire businesses and the nation’s defense supply chain. You can watch the Senator’s full remarks and questions here.

    “Last month I visited a New Hampshire company that makes ball bearings for the aerospace industry. And I agree we should be protecting the aerospace industry in this country. It’s our biggest export in New Hampshire – aerospace parts. They were very concerned about the impact of the steel tariffs on their ability to get ball bearings. They said not only has their costs gone up, but the lead time to get the steel to make the bearings. They only have one domestic supplier. While they had suppliers in the Indo-Pacific and in Canada, those have been eliminated under the tariffs. They said that their lead times have gone from 20 weeks to two and a half years because of the tariffs. I think this creates a real challenge with respect to our national security. A good percentage of the work they do is with the Department of Defense,” Shaheen said of the impacts tariffs are having on a Granite State manufacturer.

    Secretary Lutnick dismissed Senator Shaheen’s concerns about rising costs for small businesses.

    Shaheen also raised concerns over Secretary Lutnick’s plans to eliminate the Manufacturing Extension Partnership whose Centers provide access to expert advisors and technological services that help grow the U.S. manufacturing base, reduce operating costs, develop new technology and jobs and compete on a global scale. Shaheen noted that in Fiscal Year 2023, every dollar of federal investment in the program generated $24.60 in new sales growth and $27.50 in new client investment.

    Senator Shaheen is helping lead efforts in Congress to mitigate the harmful impacts of President Trump’s tariffs. In January, Shaheen introduced the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes on Imported Goods Act which would limit the president’s ability to leverage sweeping tariffs that increase costs for American consumers and families. Her effort to pass this bill by unanimous consent was blocked by Senate Republicans. In recent months, Shaheen has traveled across the Granite State to visit businesses including Chatila’s Bakery, C&J, DCI Furniture, Mount Cabot Maple, American Calan Inc., NH Ball Bearings and Colby Footwear. to hear directly from Granite Staters impacted by the administration’s tariffs. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Markey Hosts Roundtable on Republicans’ Proposed State AI Regulation Moratorium

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
    Washington (June 4, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today hosted a virtual roundtable with advocates to discuss the 10-year ban on state artificial intelligence (AI) regulation proposed by Republicans in the House-passed reconciliation bill. Senator Markey previously delivered remarks on the Senate floor opposing the provision.
    “Rather than proposing any plan to address the risks and eliminate harms of AI, Republicans are pushing a 10-year AI moratorium that blocks others from acting,” said Senator Markey. “This is irresponsible and unnecessary. This broad language would prevent us from addressing housing discrimination, protecting the environment, safeguarding kids online, and stopping discriminatory hiring practices. Instead, Congress should pass my AI Civil Rights Act — the most comprehensive AI legislation introduced in Congress — that ensures AI serves the public good, not private profit.”
    Senator Markey was joined by Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Alondra Nelson, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and former Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media; and Cody Venzke, Senior Policy Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
    “This moratorium would eliminate all state-level AI regulations for ten years with no federal alternative, effectively giving tech giants a blank check to experiment and deploy technology that has been shown to trample Americans’ civil rights, especially in Black and Brown communities, without any consequences. The moratorium language is broad and clumsy, potentially extending far beyond AI-specific laws and preventing enforcement of longstanding state civil rights and consumer protection laws as applied to modern technology.  This would be a direct attack on our civil rights, turning back the clock, allowing companies to discriminate through technology in ways that they cannot do in other mediums and transactions.  The only resolution here is to reject the moratorium in its entirety,” said Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
    “American technological leadership has always emerged hand-in-hand with principled governance and this policy innovation has often been led by the states. A decade-long freeze on guardrails for responsible AI use would abandon the American public–and ignore its concerns–during a critical period of technological development. I commend Senator Markey for defending innovation, rights. and opportunities—because truly innovative technology must be just and fair,” said Dr. Alondra Nelson, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and former acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
    “At a moment when families are looking to their elected leaders to slow down and make sure AI is safe for kids, some Republicans in Congress are moving quickly on a budget bill that, among other things, would ban state AI laws for a decade. This is a gift to Big Tech companies and to the AI industry in particular: no rules, no accountability, and total control. Common Sense Media’s new poll shows that not only is this proposal unsafe — it’s wildly unpopular, too,” said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media.
    “The “moratorium” on states’ ability to regulate AI is a massive hand out to Big Tech. States have stepped up to address discriminatory and untrustworthy AI, but the reconciliation would undercut every single one of those efforts. Instead of shaping legislation to address AI denying people a fair chance to access housing, education, or employment, the reconciliation bill would give AI companies a blank check to harm all of us in those spaces,” said Cody Venzke, Senior Policy Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cotton Introduces Bill to Ban Blacklisted Firms from Sensitive DOE Contracts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Arkansas Tom Cotton

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    Contact: Caroline Tabler or Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
    June 4, 2025

    Cotton Introduces Bill to Ban Blacklisted Firms from Sensitive DOE Contracts

    Washington, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the Securing our Energy Supply Chains Act, legislation that would establish a Department of Energy non-procurement list for critical minerals, battery production, and other related energy needs. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) is cosponsoring the legislation.

    “Supply chains for our country’s critical minerals and battery production are a cut-and-dry national security issue. Firms that are banned from doing business with the Department of Defense and other federal agencies should face significant restrictions when working in these sensitive areas,” said Senator Cotton.

    “Organizations that threaten our national security have no business engaging in American energy production,” said Senator Risch. “The Securing our Energy Supply Chains Act protects the energy sector, which is critical to both our economy and security, from bad actors while advancing domestic needs.”

    Full text of the bill may be found here.

    The Securing our Energy Supply Chains Act would:

    • Establish a master energy non-procurement list for DOE projects prioritizing critical minerals and battery production
    • Establish a waiver process for contracts or projects that require exceptions
    • Require a federal study to pull all similar lists of entities of concern from Commerce, DOD, Energy, State, Treasury, DNI, and other agencies and make recommendations for harmonization.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Advice seen by Minister(s)

    Source: Tertiary Education Commission

    Date
    Reference Number
    Title

    19 December 2019
    AM/19/01484
    Aide-Memoir: Discussion paper: establishing a CoVE specialising in Secondary Tertiary Programmes, Multiple Pathways and Transitions (PDF 1.4 MB) 

    5 December 2019
    B/19/01460
    Funding Agreement between the Crown and Lincoln University (PDF 1.3 MB) 

    3 December 2019
    1210568
    Education Report: High-level decisions on the unified funding system for discussion at the strategy session on 12 December (PDF 7.8 MB)

    22 November 2019
    B/19/01385
    Tertiary Education Commission 2019/20 Quarter One Performance Report

    20 November 2019
    B/19/01340
    Tertiary Education Report: August 2019 Fees-Free Enrolment Update (PDF 658 KB) 

    20 November 2019
    B/19/01339
    Tertiary Education Report: August 2019 Enrolment Update (PDF 590 KB) 

    15 November 2019
    AM/19/01341
    Expenditure accrual adjustment to Vote Tertiary Education

    13 November 2019
    AM/19/01357
    Overview of standard operating procedures and/or code of practices for TEI accommodation services

    11 November 2019
    Cabinet paper
    Confirmation of Crown capital investment to support the rebuild of Lincoln University’s science facilities (PDF 1.2 MB)

    7 November 2019
    AM/19/01351
    Tertiary Education Institution Accommodation Overview

    1 November 2019
    AM/19/01338
    No recoveries for exceeding prior achievement limit in 2019 for YG and SAC 1-2

    29 October 2019
    B/19/01328
    Tertiary Education Commission Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2019

    25 October 2019
    AM/19/01337
    Reform of Vocational Education Programme Governance – Update

    24 October 2019
    E/19/01252
    Ako Aotearoa 2019 Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards Evening – 30 October 2019

    23 October 2019
    B/19/01284
    Crown support for Whitireia Community Polytechnic

    15 October 2019
    E/19/01277
    Launch of Drawing the Future event on 18 October at Porirua East School

    14 October 2019
    B/19/01260
    Report to Ministers from the University of Canterbury Futures Governance Oversight Group

    14 October 2019
    B/19/01275
    ITP constitutions for two councils

    9 October 2019
    AM/19/01258
    AgResearch business case for a new building at Lincoln University

    4 October 2019
    E/19/01256
    Opening the 15th New Zealand Vocational Education and Training Research Forum on Tuesday 15 October 2019

    25 September 2019
    B/19/01192
    Update on Careers System Strategy Engagement Process (PDF 500 KB) 

    20 September 2019
    B/19/01175
    Tertiary Education Commission draft Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2019 (PDF 276 KB) 

    19 September 2019
    B/19/01211
    Tertiary Education Report: Draft Cabinet paper on supporting the rebuild of Lincoln University’s science facilities and reallocation of funding to Tai Poutini Polytechnic (PDF 159 KB) 

    17 September 2019
    B/19/01023
    Review of the appointment of the Commissioner of Whitireia and WelTec (PDF 250 KB) 

    13 September 2019
    B/19/01210
    Establishing a Stakeholder Advisory Group for Reform of Vocational Education

    13 September 2019
    B/19/01209
    Workforce Development Council and ITO Workstream: Progress update (PDF 861 KB) 

    13 September 2019
    1204429
    Briefing Note: Unified Funding Work Programme: Progress update (PDF 3.6 MB)

    10 September 2019
    E/19/01176
    Ministerial visit to the University of Auckland on Tuesday, 10 September 2019

    9 September 2019
    E/19/01176
    Ministerial visit to the University of Auckland on Tuesday, 10 September 2019 (PDF 871 KB) 

    9 September 2019
    E/19/01169
    Meeting with Greg Wallace, Chief Executive of Master Plumbers on Thursday 12 September 2019

    6 September 2019
    B/19/01141
    ITP constitutions for seven councils (PDF 297 KB) 

    2 September 2019
    E/19/01158
    Ministerial visit to Unitec Institute of Technology on Tuesday, 3 September 2019 (PDF 3.2 MB) 

    27 August 2019
    B/19/01065
    Tertiary Education Report: Lincoln University Programme Business Case: Moving Forward (PDF 487 KB) 

    27 August 2019
    B/19/01086
    Tertiary Education Report: April 2019 Fees-Free Enrolment Update (PDF 640 KB) 

    21 August 2019
    B/19/01085
    Tertiary Education Report: April 2019 Enrolment Update (PDF 826 KB)

    19 August 2019
    E/19/01093
    Minister of Education Opening the Primary ITO Symposium on Tuesday 20 August 2019

    8 August 2019
    AM/19/00929
    Fees-free monitoring and addressing non-complying TEOs

    26 July 2019
    E/19/00868
    Ōritetanga Learner Success Conference (PDF 240 KB) 

    26 July 2019
    AM/19/00971
    Talking Points for Cabinet on 29 July 2019 – NZIST Establishment Board Appointment

    25 July 2019
    B/19/00928
    Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury Partnership Proposal (PDF 1.5 MB) 

    24 July 2019
    B/19/00882
    Crown support for Tai Poutini Polytechnic (PDF 670 KB)

    20 July 2019
    AM/19/00790
    WAIKATO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 2018 Annual Report (PDF 459 KB) 

    19 July 2019
    AM/19/00959
    Southern Institute of Technology’s proposal for Telfrod – Talking point for Cabinet

    19 July 2019
    AM/19/00954
    Annotated Agenda – NZ Institute of Skills and Technology Establishment

    17 July 2019
    B/19/00773
    Update on Careers System Strategy and Career Action Plan (PDF 275 KB) 

    17 July 2019
    B/19/00867
    Southern Institute of Technology’s proposal for operating Telford in 2020 and 2021 (PDF 486 KB) 

    15 July 2019
    AM/19/00800
    Assurance findings for the Reform of Vocational Education Programme

    15 July 2019
    B/19/00763
    2020 Investment Round Update: Indicative Allocations

    11 July 2019
    E/19/00879
    Minister to visit Otago University on 12 July 2019 (PDF 465 KB) 

    10 July 2019
    B/19/00819
    Manukau Institute of Technology– council constitution (PDF 402 KB) 

    10 July 2019
    AM/19/00880
    Compliance monitoring of fees-free tertiary education and prosecution for false statutory declarations

    4 July 2019
    B/19/00785
    TEC 2018/19 Quarter Three Performance Report (PDF 355 KB) 

    3 July 2019
    B/19/00861
    Review of the appointment of the Commissioner of Unitec (PDF 289 KB) 

    1 July 2019
    B/19/00840
    2018 Educational Performance Indicators (PDF 1.1 MB) 

    1 July 2019
    AM/19/00820
    Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi 2018 Annual Report (PDF 506 KB) 

    1 July 2019
    B/19/00708
    Publication of the Tertiary Education Commission’s Statement of Intent 2019/20–2022/23 and Statement of Performance Expectations 2019/20 (PDF 274 KB) 

    1 July 2019
    AM/19/00827
    Aide-Memoire: Lincoln University Programme Business Case: Moving Forward (PDF 303 KB) 

    1 July 2019
    B/19/00840
    2018 Educational Performance Indicators

    28 June 2019
    E/19/00835
    Meeting with Service Skills Institute Incorporated on Monday 1 July 2019

    25 June 2019
    AM/19/00821
    Talking Points for APH on 26 June 2019 – Appointment to the council of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi (PDF 219 KB)

    20 June 2019
    AM/19/00790
    WAIKATO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 2018 Annual Report

    19 June 2019
    AM/19/00797
    Growing the Food and Fibres Sector – Recommendations for the TEC

    17 June 2019
    E/19/00776
    University of Canterbury – Opening of the Rehua Building on 25 June 2019 (PDF 326 KB) 

    12 June 2019
    E/19/00690
    Meeting with the Commissioner of WelTec and Whitireia (PDF 346 KB) 

    12 June 2019
    AM/19/00749
    Update on Whitireia Community Polytechnic and the Wellington Institute of Technology

    10 June 2019
    AM/19/00739
    Update on the current situation of funding training and education of carers

    7 June 2019
    B/19/00702
    Recognition of Skills Active Aotearoa Limited as an industry training organisation (PDF 1.1 MB) 

    31 May 2019
    B/19/00709
    Waikato Institute of Technology Council Constitution (PDF 441 KB) 

    31 May 2019
    AM/19/00704
    Unitec Institute of Technology 2018 Annual Report (PDF 408 KB)

    31 May 2019
    B/19/00706
    2018 final full-year enrolments at tertiary education organisations

    31 May 2019
    AM/19/00707
    Update on the financial position of ITPs

    30 May 2019
    B/19/00703
    Recognition of the Funeral Service Training Trust of New Zealand as an industry training organisation (PDF 479 KB) 

    30 May 2019
    B/19/00701
    Recognition of Primary Industry Training Organisation as an industry training organisation (PDF 897 KB) 

    30 May 2019
    E/19/00705
    Meeting with UCOL on 5 June 2019  (PDF 2.6 MB)

    27 May 2019
    AM/19/00648
    Advice on options to support the University of Canterbury following the Christchurch mosque attacks

    24 May 2019
    B/19/00650
    Ministerial appointment to Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi

    17 May 2019
    B/19/00706
    2018 Final Full-Year Enrolments at Tertiary Education Organisations (PDF 1.1 MB) 

    17 May 2019
    B/19/00640
    Tai Poutini Polytechnic Capital Injection – Final Milestone (PDF 386 KB) Tai Poutini Polytechnic Capital Injection Appendix A (PDF 1.6 MB) 

    16 May 2019
    AM/19/00651
    Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki 2018 Annual Report (PDF 516 KB) 

    10 May 2019
    E/19/00555
    Meeting with Professor Jan Thomas from Massey University on 22 May 2019 (PDF 682 KB) 

    10 May 2019
    E/19/00644
    Meeting with Southland Federated Farmers

    9 May 2019
    B/19/00613
    Letters for Ministerial appointments to two tertiary education councils (PDF 286 KB) 

    8 May 2019
    E/19/00509
    Minister to speak at the Open Polytechnic Graduation on Thursday, 23 May 2019 (PDF 3.2 MB).

    3 May 2019 
    AM/19/00611
    Lincoln University 2018 financial results (PDF 247 KB) 

    3 May 2019
    AM/19/00615
    Ministerial Appointment to the council of Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi

    23 April 2019
    B/19/00527
    Release of the 2018 PBRF Quality Evaluation Results 

    10 April 2019
    E/19/00512
    Meeting with Primary Industry Training Organisation on Thursday 11 April 2019 

    9 April 2019
    E/19/00473
    Meeting with WITT to discuss RoVE on 11 April 2019 

    8 April 2019
    E/19/00482
    Meeting with Andrew Robb from Tai Poutini Polytechnic on 11 April 2019 

    3 April 2019
    B/19/00451
    Salvation Army foundation education delivery consultation outcomes 

    3 April 2019
    B/19/00469
    Inspiring Futures – Response 

    2 April 2019
    E/19/00465
    Ministerial visit to open new Tech Park Campus development at Manukau Institute of Technology on 5 April 2019 

    28 March 2019
    E/19/00446
    BusinessNZ Major Companies Group – Chief Executive Forum on Friday 5 April 2019 

    27 March 2019
    B/19/00448
    Letters for Ministerial appointments to eight tertiary education institution councils 

    27 March 2019
    B/19/00442
    Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology – council constitution 

    25 March 2019
    B/19/00360
    2018 Interim Full-Year Enrolments at Tertiary Education Organisations 

    18 March 2019
    AM/19/00414
    Talking Points for APH on appointments to eight ITP councils 

    14 March 2019
    B/19/00161
    TEC 2018/2019 Quarter Two Performance Report 

    12 March 2019
    E/19/00396
    Meeting with The Skills Organisation 14 March 2019 

    12 March 2019
    E/19/00398
    Meeting with Careerforce Thursday 14 March 2019 

    12 March 2019
    B/19/00381
    Letters for Ministerial appointments to two university councils 

    7 March 2019
    B/19/00158
    Careers System Strategy Workstream Implementation Update 

    5 March 2019
    AM/19/00330
    Talking Points for APH on appointments to two TEI Councils 

    1 March 2019
    E/19/00166
    Meeting with Competenz Chair and Chief Executive Thursday 7 March 

    1 March 2019
    E/19/00234
    Local Government New Zealand Rural and Provincial Meeting 

    27 February 2019
    E/19/00165
    Visit to Telford (PDF 326 KB) 

    26 February 2019
    E/19/00150
    Meeting with primary industry leaders to discuss your vision on Reform of Vocational Education (PDF 269 KB) 

    25 February 2019
    E/19/00246
    Meeting with the Tertiary Education Union (TEU) at Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) (PDF 2 MB) 

    15 February 2019
    B/19/00082
    Lincoln University and the University of Canterbury Partnership Proposal: next steps (PDF 2.3 MB) 

    11 February 2019
    AM/19/0060
    World Economic Forum OECD Release of Envisioning the Future of Education and Jobs: Trends, Data and Drawings report (PDF 159 KB) 

    7 February 2019
    AM/19/00083
    2018 full-year enrolment reporting timeline (PDF 397 KB) 

    1 February 2019
    B/19/00081
    Southern Institute of Technology’s proposal for operating Telford in 2019 (PDF 393 KB) 

    February 2019
    Cabinet paper
    Council Appointments for Ara Institute of Canterbury, Eastern Institute of Technology, Manukau Institute of Technology, NorthTec, Otago Polytechnic, Tai Poutini Polytechnic, Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology, UCOL and the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (PDF 320 KB) 

    30 January 2019
    B/19/00055
    Appointment of an advisory committee to support the Commissioner of Whitireia and WelTec (PDF 202 KB) 

    29 January 2019
    AM/19/00064
    Computer in Homes Tender (PDF 824 KB) 

    28 January 2019
    AM/19/00063
    Meeting with the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Canterbury (PDF 1.2 MB) 

    21 January 2019
    E/19/00010
    Ara Institute of Canterbury – Manawa and Outpatients facility opening on Thursday 31 January 2019 (PDF 1.2 MB) 

    11 January 2019
    B/19/00028
    Update World Economic Forum: Launch of Envisioning the Future of Education and Jobs (PDF 554 KB) 

    8 January 2019
    B/19/00007
    University of Auckland – amendment to council constitution (PDF 303 KB) 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Marshall Applauds Key Union Endorsements of Credit Card Competition Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Kansas Roger Marshall

    Washington – U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kansas) issued the following statement today after numerous major unions, representing over four million American workers, endorsed the Credit Card Competition Act – legislation that would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market, which is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly. 
    “Visa-Mastercard and Wall Street banks are charging American families the highest swipe fees in the world — nearly five times higher than those in other countries,” said Senator Marshall. “These excessive fees cost the average hardworking American household over $1,200 a year. No one understands the burden of these costs better than our trade unions, and I’m proud to have their support as we fight to bring fairness and competition back to the payments market.”
    The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), wrote a letter detailing their endorsement, saying:
    “We, the undersigned labor unions, who together represent over 4.5 million American workers, write to express our support for the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA) and urge its passage into law.
    “While our memberships are diverse, hail from different industries, and different parts of the country, all unions know that working people are reeling from an affordability crisis on everyday goods.  This crisis is especially challenging for low-wage workers who often need to make necessary purchases like gasoline, groceries, and clothing on credit cards.
    “We embrace the Credit Card Competition Act as a means to return more buying power to hard-working Americans by curbing the outrageous rise in fees charged by Visa and Mastercard to merchants in the United States.
    “In the past decade, the fees charged by the two dominant credit card companies have nearly tripled. And because almost 90% of Visa/Mastercard credit cards are issued by the largest 10 banks, some of whom also sit on the boards of Visa and Mastercard, arguments about the risk of swipe fee reform to small community banks ring hollow.”
    Read the full letter here. 
    Background:

    Building off of debit card competition reforms enacted by Congress in 2010, the bill would direct the Federal Reserve to ensure that the largest credit card-issuing banks offer a choice of at least two networks over which an electronic credit transaction may be processed. 
    Visa and Mastercard wield enormous market power in credit cards; according to the Federal Reserve, they account for nearly 576 million cards, or about 83 percent of general-purpose credit cards.  
    Visa’s and Mastercard’s market power and network structure have enabled them to impose fees on U.S. merchants that are among the world’s highest, charging a total of $93 billion in U.S. merchant credit card fees in 2022. 
    These fees include interchange or swipe fees, which Visa and Mastercard require merchants to pay to issuing banks, as well as network fees that Visa and Mastercard require merchants to pay directly to them.  
    Consumers ultimately pay for these fees in the price of the goods and services they buy.
    The legislation is estimated to save merchants and consumers $15 billion each year.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tillis Helps Secure Helene Recovery Funding for North Carolina

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis applauded the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) announcement of its Fiscal Year 2025 Disaster Supplemental Notice of Funding Opportunity, which allocates approximately $1.45 billion in federal funding for disaster-impacted communities, including those in Western North Carolina affected by Helene. 

    “This critical EDA funding will help ensure that communities in Western North Carolina still reeling from the impacts of Helene have the resources they need to recover and rebuild stronger than before,” said Senator Tillis. “I remain fully committed to making sure North Carolina receives its fair share of this funding and that Western North Carolina is made whole again.” 

    The announcement follows a bipartisan letter led by Senator Tillis and members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation to the Trump Administration urging the U.S. Economic Development Administration to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity as quickly as possible. 

    Background:

    Senator Tillis has been pushing for federal assistance for Western North Carolina since the moment Helene made landfall.

    On October 1, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan letter to Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Vice Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) on the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and the urgent need to pass an appropriations package to support the millions of Americans affected by the storm.  

    On October 16, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan group of senators in urging the White House to rapidly submit a government funding request to Congress that will fully cover costs associated with clean-up and recovery following Hurricanes Helene and Milton so that affected communities could begin to heal. The Senators called for Congress to return to Washington from the October in-state work period to approve federal disaster relief legislation. 

    On October 23, 2024, The Hill published an op-ed by Senator Tillis addressed to members of Congress to step up and be proactive with long-term disaster recovery assistance.   

    On October 29, 2024, Senator Tillis and his colleagues announced plans to introduce legislation that would replenish the Small Business Administration (SBA) Disaster Loan Program with families and small businesses across WNC unable to get loans approved until then. The Senators outlined their plan to seek passage of the legislation when Congress returned to session.

    On November 14, 2024, Senator Tillis attempted to pass legislation to replenish the SBA Disaster Loan Program through a unanimous consent request on the Senate floor, but was blocked by another Senator. 

    On November 15, 2024, Senator Tillis led a bipartisan letter to request that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) immediately send a supplemental appropriation request to Congress to support the communities we represent, which were devastated after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The OMB sent the request to Congress a few days later.

    On November 18, 2024, Senator Tillis introduced the standalone RELIEF Act to provide Hurricane relief to small businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene.  

    On November 20, 2024, Senator Tillis called on Congress to quickly pass Hurricane Helene relief during his testimony to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  

    On November 21, 2024, Senator Tillis met with Governor Cooper, Governor-Elect Stein, members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation and the North Carolina General Assembly, and local leaders from Western North Carolina to discuss efforts to provide federal assistance to North Carolinians affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. 

    On December 5, 2024, Senator Tillis joined Fox News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto where he discussed the urgent need for Congress to provide federal assistance to North Carolinians affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.  

    On December 10, 2024, Senator Tillis hosted N.C. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, N.C. House of Representatives Speaker-elect Destin Hall, State Senators Bill Rabon and Ralph Hise, and State Representative Dudley Greene to discuss efforts to provide immediate assistance to North Carolinians affected by Hurricane Helene’s devastation.   

    On December 18, 2024, Senator Tillis committed to filibustering any continuing resolution that did not include disaster aid for Western North Carolina. 

    On December 21, 2024, Senator Tillis voted to pass a bipartisan government funding bill that included more than $100 billion in disaster relief for states and communities hit by natural disasters, including North Carolina during Hurricane Helene.

    On January 7, 2025 Senator Tillis announced $1.65 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to help rebuild communities devastated by Hurricane Helene.  

    On January 24, 2025, Senator Tillis released a statement thanking President Trump for his visit to Western North Carolina to survey the devastation left behind by Helene. 

    On January 31, 2025, Senator Tillis introduced the Disaster Mitigation and Tax Parity Act of 2025, legislation that excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, any qualified catastrophe mitigation payment made under a state-based catastrophe loss mitigation program. 

    On March 11, 2025 Senator Tillis reintroduced the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act, bipartisan legislation to simplify the application process for federal disaster recovery assistance. 

    On April 1, 2025 Senator Tillis sent a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to work with Congress to quickly distribute the more than $23 billion Congress passed in December to assist farmers, ranchers and rural Americans in responding to devastating natural disasters in 2023 and 2024.

    On April 3, 2025 Senator Tillis (R-NC) introduced the FEMA Independence Act, bipartisan legislation to restore the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent cabinet-level agency and improve efficiency in federal emergency response efforts. 

    On April 24, 2025 Senator Tillis introduced the Helene Recovery Small Business Act and the Loans in Our Neighborhoods (LIONs) Act of 2025, legislation that would provide much-needed relief to small businesses as they work to recover from the devastation of Helene.

    In addition to Senator Tillis’ legislative efforts the Senator has met with local leaders, residents, and elected officials across Western North Carolina including in: Asheville, Black Mountain, Boone, Burnsville, Canton, Clyde, Fairview, Flat Rock, Hendersonville, Hot Springs, Marshall, Morganton, Spruce Pine, Swannanoa, Waynesville and Wilkesboro.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Manslaughter charges for three people related to the Loafers Lodge fatal fire

    Source: New Zealand Police

    Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Timothy Leitch – Wellington Area Investigations Manager:

    Today, Police have charged three people with manslaughter in relation to the fatal fire at Loafers Lodge on 16 May 2023.

    Two men aged 75 and 58, and a 70-year-old woman will appear in the Wellington District Court later today, each facing charges of manslaughter.

    Police have spoken to a third man and expect to also charge him with manslaughter in the coming days.

    A dedicated team at Police has been working since the tragedy to establish if the state of the building and the management and compliance of its fire safety systems contributed to the fatal outcome.

    The people we have charged today were involved with the management and operation of the building, and Police allege they were responsible for aspects of the building’s fire safety system.

    Police previously charged a 50-year-old man with murder in relation to deliberately lighting the fatal fire. This matter is before the High Court, with a trial scheduled to start on 25 August 2025.

    Police, Fire and Emergency and the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment would like to take this opportunity to remind all those who own or manage a building, particularly buildings with sleeping accommodation, of their responsibility to ensure those who occupy their premises are protected from fire.

    • Ensure your obligations are met under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 by having the necessary evacuation procedures in place, and an approved evacuation scheme if you have a ‘relevant building’. 

    • Ensure the means of escape from fire for your building are maintained as outlined in the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Regulations 2018.

    • Where applicable, ensure you understand the maintenance requirements for the specified systems outlined in your building’s compliance schedule as required under the Building Act 2004, particularly those relating to the building emergency warning system or fire alarm.

    • If you are the owner of a tenanted residential property, ensure your fire safety obligations are met under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

    The loss of life and injuries experienced during this fire were preventable, and Police would like to acknowledge the long-term impact, on those who lost loved ones, the residents who lost their friends, their home and treasured personal property, as well as the many others that have been affected by the far reaching and devastating event.

    As this matter is now before the courts, police will not be commenting further.

    Media reference material:

    Evacuation Schemes and Procedures

    Evacuation Schemes and procedures | Fire and Emergency New Zealand

    Building Act 2004

    https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2004/0072/latest/dlm306036.Html

    Compliance Schedule information

    https://www.building.govt.nz/projects-and-consents/sign-off-and-maintena…

    Managing your BWoF | Building Performance

    Residential Tenancies Act 1986

    https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/DLM94278.html
    https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/maintenance-and-inspections/laws-and-bylaws/
    https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/maintenance-and-inspections/smoke-alarms/

    ENDS
    Issued by the Police Media Centre
     

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Parliament Hansard Report – Invest New Zealand Bill — In Committee—Clauses 1 and 2 – 001500

    Source: New Zealand Parliament

    Dr LAWRENCE XU-NAN (Green): Thank you, Madam Chair. We understand what the purpose is, because we had a discussion about this last night. But just following on from the previous speaker, the Hon Damien O’Connor, who was the previous trade Minister—and he captured it quite nicely—we already have a number of one-stop shop agencies for this. What is unique about this particular one?

    I want to go on to the commencement date first, which is 1 July 2025. I want to check with the Minister, the Hon Tama Potaka: we’ve heard from the Minister previously on some of the work that is being done, potentially, in the background. But I think what we haven’t heard, succinctly, is a response to the question that was asked around the transition measures and whether they will be in time for 1 July, particularly from the perspective of collective agreements in terms of the Public Service perspective. So that’s my question in terms of the commencement date—whether 1 July is feasible or whether we should be looking at pushing the 1 July date out further.

    But just now coming to the title of the bill, I know that we talk about “Invest New Zealand”, but what we’ve heard from the Minister—and, to be honest, every three questions that we ask, we get maybe one answer and the other two left unanswered; you know, we still haven’t heard exactly what was the advice given from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and we still haven’t really heard why the regulatory impact statement and the Budget had different amounts allocated to Invest New Zealand.

    We are really curious as to whether “Invest New Zealand” is actually the best name for this, because there seems to be a half-heartedness when it comes to this particular bill and this particular agency, and there’s going to be a lot of confusion, and, to the Minister’s own words, “opaqueness”, when it comes to the way that agencies can be set up. Fundamentally, when we’re looking at the title of this bill, I wonder if the Minister in the chair would consider, from all of the things we’ve discussed, the lack of reassurance we have received from the Minister that this is indeed something that is going to be good for New Zealanders and for New Zealand in general. We’ve heard things and we’ve heard more concerns and more questions than actual responses, and the previous speaker, the Hon Damien O’Connor, mentioned that this is essentially going to be a real estate agency that’s going to sell off New Zealand one bit at a time.

    So I wondered if a better title for this bill, rather than “Invest New Zealand”, would be “Divest New Zealand”, because that’s what, fundamentally, the concerns around this agency are going to be. We are actually no longer supporting New Zealand entrepreneurship and also innovation, but, instead, we expect overseas companies, carte-blanche, without any sort of precautions and provisions—we didn’t hear anything around how they’re going to ensure, from a procedural perspective, from an operational perspective, that there is not going to be any sort of anti-competitive measures, anti – money-laundering measures, or any of those things. Yes, I admit that they’re part of domestic legislation, but the fact is that just because the law is in place does not mean that the agency is well equipped to ensure that they are followed.

    So I personally think that “Divest New Zealand” is a better term for us to use. But other ones—to be fair, if the Minister thinks that “Divest New Zealand” is a bit too on the nose and too similar to “Invest New Zealand”, we can look, I think, at changing the title to “Country for Sale”, because that seems kind of appropriate as well, or even just “Selling New Zealand Out”.

    I think the other appropriate title, when we’re looking at the title of this—again, although we do see in the departmental report some of the advice that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has undertaken in terms of our Te Tiriti obligations, we’re still not entirely convinced, particularly in light of some of our trade agreements but also in light of some of the current trajectory that the Government is going in. I think if we really want to signal to the world that we are a country that upholds indigenous rights, “Invest Aotearoa” would be a more appropriate title.

    So I would like to hear from the Minister as to whether he would consider any of those titles and the change to the commencement date.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Parliament Hansard Report – Wednesday, 4 June 2025 (continued on Thursday, 5 June 2025) – Volume 784 – 001501

    Source: New Zealand Parliament

    Dr LAWRENCE XU-NAN (Green): Thank you, Madam Chair. We understand what the purpose is, because we had a discussion about this last night. But just following on from the previous speaker, the Hon Damien O’Connor, who was the previous trade Minister—and he captured it quite nicely—we already have a number of one-stop shop agencies for this. What is unique about this particular one?

    I want to go on to the commencement date first, which is 1 July 2025. I want to check with the Minister, the Hon Tama Potaka: we’ve heard from the Minister previously on some of the work that is being done, potentially, in the background. But I think what we haven’t heard, succinctly, is a response to the question that was asked around the transition measures and whether they will be in time for 1 July, particularly from the perspective of collective agreements in terms of the Public Service perspective. So that’s my question in terms of the commencement date—whether 1 July is feasible or whether we should be looking at pushing the 1 July date out further.

    But just now coming to the title of the bill, I know that we talk about “Invest New Zealand”, but what we’ve heard from the Minister—and, to be honest, every three questions that we ask, we get maybe one answer and the other two left unanswered; you know, we still haven’t heard exactly what was the advice given from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and we still haven’t really heard why the regulatory impact statement and the Budget had different amounts allocated to Invest New Zealand.

    We are really curious as to whether “Invest New Zealand” is actually the best name for this, because there seems to be a half-heartedness when it comes to this particular bill and this particular agency, and there’s going to be a lot of confusion, and, to the Minister’s own words, “opaqueness”, when it comes to the way that agencies can be set up. Fundamentally, when we’re looking at the title of this bill, I wonder if the Minister in the chair would consider, from all of the things we’ve discussed, the lack of reassurance we have received from the Minister that this is indeed something that is going to be good for New Zealanders and for New Zealand in general. We’ve heard things and we’ve heard more concerns and more questions than actual responses, and the previous speaker, the Hon Damien O’Connor, mentioned that this is essentially going to be a real estate agency that’s going to sell off New Zealand one bit at a time.

    So I wondered if a better title for this bill, rather than “Invest New Zealand”, would be “Divest New Zealand”, because that’s what, fundamentally, the concerns around this agency are going to be. We are actually no longer supporting New Zealand entrepreneurship and also innovation, but, instead, we expect overseas companies, carte-blanche, without any sort of precautions and provisions—we didn’t hear anything around how they’re going to ensure, from a procedural perspective, from an operational perspective, that there is not going to be any sort of anti-competitive measures, anti – money-laundering measures, or any of those things. Yes, I admit that they’re part of domestic legislation, but the fact is that just because the law is in place does not mean that the agency is well equipped to ensure that they are followed.

    So I personally think that “Divest New Zealand” is a better term for us to use. But other ones—to be fair, if the Minister thinks that “Divest New Zealand” is a bit too on the nose and too similar to “Invest New Zealand”, we can look, I think, at changing the title to “Country for Sale”, because that seems kind of appropriate as well, or even just “Selling New Zealand Out”.

    I think the other appropriate title, when we’re looking at the title of this—again, although we do see in the departmental report some of the advice that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has undertaken in terms of our Te Tiriti obligations, we’re still not entirely convinced, particularly in light of some of our trade agreements but also in light of some of the current trajectory that the Government is going in. I think if we really want to signal to the world that we are a country that upholds indigenous rights, “Invest Aotearoa” would be a more appropriate title.

    So I would like to hear from the Minister as to whether he would consider any of those titles and the change to the commencement date.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tgd Cuts, LLC Initiated Voluntary Recall of Cucumber from Bedner Growers Inc., Which Had the Potential to Be Contaminated with Salmonella

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    June 04, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    June 04, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & Beverages
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Potential to be contaminated with Salmonella

    Company Name:
    TGD Cuts, LLC.
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Multiple brands

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Fresh cucumbers and salsa and salads containing fresh cucumbers

    Company Announcement
    TGD Cuts, LLC of Jessup, MD has initiated a voluntary recall of the specific tub and tray items listed below because they contained cucumber from Bedner Growers Inc., which had the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.
    Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometime fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare instances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
    This recall includes the tub and tray items listed below with use by dates ranging from 5/20/2025 – 5/28/2025. Products were distributed to retail and foodservice locations in Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina. No other products were affected.
    There have been no reported illnesses to date associated with the affected items. These products are beyond their usable shelf life and are no longer expected to be in commerce.
    TGD Cuts, LLC takes the safety and integrity of the products it sells seriously. If customers have product affected by this voluntary recall, they should discard it immediately or return it to their local store for a full refund.
    Consumers with questions may contact the company at (410)-799-5700 M-F between the hours of 6:30am-3:00pm EST.
    TGD Cuts, LLC Contact Information mediarelations@classproduce.com(410)-799-5700Monday thru Friday 6:30am–3:00pm EST
    Attention Customer Care
    Jennifer Henderson-AdamsM-F 6:30am-2:00pmExt. #4305
    Stephanie LyonsM-F 7:30am-3:00pmExt. #4308

    Item
    UPC
    Use By/Julian Date Start
    Use By/Juliant Date End

    Salsa, Hot 6/12 oz.
    840219170534
    5/25/2025
    5/25/2025

    Salsa, Mild 6/12oz.
    840219170541
    5/24/2025
    5/25/2025

    Salsa, Mild 5lb.
    840219140445
    25134
    25136

    Salsa, Mild 5lb.
    840219140445
    5/27/2025
    5/28/2025

    Cucumber Sliced/Grape Tomato 50/2oz.
    840219184784
    5/22/2025
    5/23/2025

    Cucumber Sliced Unpeeled 5lb.
    840219160733
    25129
    25129

    Cucumber Sliced Unpeeled 50/2oz.
    840219170657
    5/19/2025
    5/19/2025

    Cucumber Spears 50/2oz.
    840219179971
    5/19/2025
    5/19/2025

    Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Cucumbers (May 2025) | FDA 

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    Jennifer Henderson-Adams
    (410)-799-5700 Ext. #4305

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    06/04/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Firehook of Virginia Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Sesame in Classic Sea Salt Crackers

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3

    Summary

    Company Announcement Date:
    June 04, 2025
    FDA Publish Date:
    June 04, 2025
    Product Type:
    Food & Beverages
    Reason for Announcement:

    Recall Reason Description
    Undeclared Sesame

    Company Name:
    Firehook of Virginia
    Brand Name:

    Brand Name(s)
    Firehook

    Product Description:

    Product Description
    Crackers

    Company Announcement
    Firehook of Virginia is recalling one lot of Firehook brand Classic Sea Salt Organic Crackers because they may contain undeclared sesame. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to sesame run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.
    The Firehook artisan baked Classic Sea Salt Crackers 8oz come in a clear package with a Best By Date of 09/29/25, and a UPC code 8 99055 00063 5.
    The crackers were sold at retail stores in CT, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VA.
    The recall was initiated on 5/30/2025 after it was discovered that the sesame-containing product was distributed in packaging that did not reveal the presence of sesame. Subsequent investigation indicates that the problem was caused by a temporary breakdown in the company’s production and packaging processes causing the wrong labels to be applied to the product.
    No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this problem. Please see the pictures below for further identification.
    Consumers who have purchased 8 ounce packages of Firehook brand Classic Sea Salt Crackers with a Best By Date of 9/29/25 are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-888-580-0745 Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm EST.

    Company Contact Information

    Consumers:
    Firehook of Virginia
    888-580-0745

    Media:
    Brent Fowler
    888-580-0745

    Product Photos

    Content current as of:
    06/04/2025

    Regulated Product(s)

    Follow FDA

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Public Servants Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Fraud

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    MIAMI – Angelo Stephen, 33, a former Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officer, and George Arestuche, 47, a former Miami-Dade County Aviation Department employee, were sentenced in separate cases after pleading guilty to defrauding COVID-19 relief programs. 

    Angelo Stephen

    On May 22, Stephen was sentenced to four months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $75,513 in restitution by Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. Chief Judge Altonaga also entered a forfeiture money judgment against Stephen in the additional amount of $71,166. The sentence follows Stephen’s conviction for wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent applications for two Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and one Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), as well as his participation in two bank account takeover schemes.

    During his change of plea hearing, Stephen admitted that on August 4, 2020, he submitted a false and fraudulent EIDL application in his own name to the Small Business Administration (SBA), claiming to be an independent contractor and the sole owner of a business that provided event planning and entertainment services with 10 employees.  The EIDL application falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, the business had approximately $62,018 in gross revenue and a cost of goods sold of $0. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen received $20,000 in EIDL proceeds from the SBA. 

    Stephen additionally admitted to fraudulently obtaining two PPP loans. On April 24, 2021, Stephen submitted a first-draw PPP loan application, claiming to be the sole proprietor of a non-existent business with $106,554 in gross income in 2020. In support of the application, Stephen submitted a fraudulent IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen received $20,833 in PPP loan proceeds from an SBA-approved lender.  On May 11, 2021, Stephen submitted a second-draw PPP loan application, making the same false claims about his nonexistent business that was supported by submission of the identical false Schedule C. Based on his false and fraudulent application, Stephen obtained $20,833 in PPP loan proceeds from a different SBA-approved lender. 

    Stephen also admitted to taking part in two bank account takeover schemes. On March 30, 2023, Stephen received a $20,000 wire transfer from the account of an unsuspecting victim in Virginia. Stephen quickly withdrew all illegally obtained money through a series of cash withdrawals and Zelle transfers to others. In the second takeover scheme, Stephen and his accomplices obtained new checks from the credit union account of a different unsuspecting victim. Stephen subsequently used one of those checks to obtain $8,500 in cash that he was not entitled to. 

    George Arestuche

    On May 28, Arestuche was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Paul C. Huck to five years of probation to include 210 days in home detention and ordered to pay $114,679 in restitution, plus community service. The sentence follows Arestuche’s conviction for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with his fraudulent application for an EIDL.

    According to the facts admitted at the change of plea hearing, Arestuche and a co-conspirator devised a scheme to defraud the SBA by submitting a false and fraudulent application for Arestuche to obtain an EIDL and EIDL advance. As part of the conspiracy, Arestuche agreed to pay the co-conspirator a large fee.

    On July 9, 2020, Arestuche’s co-conspirator submitted a false and fraudulent EIDL application to the SBA on behalf of Arestuche, claiming that Arestuche was an independent contractor and the sole owner of an automotive repair business with 10 employees. The EIDL application falsely certified that for the applicable 12-month period, the business had $600,000 in gross revenue and a cost of goods sold of $184,000. In reality, Arestuche was not an independent contractor and did not own any type of business.  The EIDL application was supported by a fraudulent IRS Form 1040 Schedule C. As a result of this false and fraudulent EIDL application, Arestuche obtained $149,900 in EIDL proceeds and a $10,000 EIDL advance from the SBA. Arestuche subsequently paid his co-conspirator $17,275 for helping him fraudulently obtain the money from the SBA. Since pleading guilty, Arestuche has paid $50,000 in advance restitution payments. 

    U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; acting Special Agent in Charge Amber Howell of the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General’s Fraud Detection Office (DOJ-OIG); Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General (SBA OIG), Eastern Region; acting Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami; and Inspector General Felix Jimenez of the Miami-Dade County Office of Inspector General (MDC-OIG) made the announcement.

    DOJ-OIG and SBA-OIG investigated the Stephen case.  SBA-OIG and the FBI’s Miami Area Corruption Task Force, which includes task force officers from the MDC-OIG, investigated the Arestuche case. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward N. Stamm prosecuted both cases. 

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling forfeiture matters in the Stephen case.

    In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted. It was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other sources of relief, the CARES Act authorized and provided funding to the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses, including sole proprietorships and independent contractors, experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic to allow them to meet financial obligations and operating expenses that could otherwise have been met had the disaster not occurred.  EIDL applications were submitted directly to the SBA via the SBA’s on-line application website, and the applications were processed and the loans funded for qualifying applicants directly by the SBA.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

    On September 15, 2022, the Attorney General selected the Southern District of Florida’s U.S. Attorney’s Office to head one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. The Department of Justice established the Strike Force to enhance existing efforts to combat and prevent COVID-19 related financial fraud. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please click here.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case numbers 25-cr-20014 (Stephen) and 25-cr-20001 (Arestuche).

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Key Unions Announce Endorsement Of Durbin, Marshal Credit Card Competition Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    June 04, 2025

    The Teamsters, RWDSU, SEIU, and UFCW announced their support for the bipartisan legislation in a letter to Durbin and Marshall

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS) today announced that key unions, representing 4.5 million American workers, have endorsed their Credit Card Competition Act, which would enhance competition and choice in the credit card network market that is currently dominated by the Visa-Mastercard duopoly.  The International Brotherhood of Teamsters; the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU); Service Employees International Union (SEIU); and the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) wrote a letter detailing their endorsement, emphasizing that swipe fees harm hardworking Americans.

    “Unions understand Americans’ concerns about inflation and the rising costs of necessities like groceries and gas.  As Americans are trying to make ends meet, the biggest Wall Street banks, Visa, and Mastercard, are lining their pockets by charging outrageous swipe fees on each credit card transaction.  For the benefit of working Americans being charged for swiping their credit card, we must inject competition into the credit card market,” Durbin said.  “I wholeheartedly welcome the endorsement of these unions who are looking out for their members and American consumers.”

    “Visa-Mastercard and Wall Street banks are charging American families the highest swipe fees in the world — nearly five times higher than those in other countries,” said Marshall. “These excessive fees cost the average hardworking American household over $1,200 a year. No one understands the burden of these costs better than our trade unions, and I’m proud to have their support as we fight to bring fairness and competition back to the payments market.”

    “While our memberships are diverse, hail from different industries, and different parts of the country, all unions know that working people are reeling from an affordability crisis on everyday goods.  This crisis is especially challenging for low wage workers who often need to make necessary purchases like gasoline, groceries and clothing on credit cards,” unions wrote in their endorsement letter.  “We embrace the Credit Card Competition Act as a means to return more buying power to hard working Americans by curbing the outrageous rise in fees charged by Visa and Mastercard to merchants in the United States.”

    Building off debit card competition reforms enacted by Congress in 2010, Durbin and Marshall’s Credit Card Competition Act would direct the Federal Reserve to ensure that the largest credit card-issuing banks offer a choice of at least two networks over which an electronic credit transaction may be processed.  The legislation is estimated to save merchants and consumers $17 billion each year.

    Visa and Mastercard wield enormous market power in credit cards; they account for more than 726 million cards or about 84 percent of general-purpose credit cards.  Visa’s and Mastercard’s market power and network structure have enabled them to impose fees on U.S. merchants that are among the world’s highest, charging a total of $101 billion in U.S. merchant credit card fees in 2023.  Thesefees include interchange or swipe fees which Visa and Mastercard require merchants to pay to issuing banks, as well as network fees that Visa and Mastercard require merchants to pay directly to them.  Consumers ultimately pay for these fees in the price of the goods and services they buy.

    A copy of the endorsement letter is available here.

       

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Tonko Slams Republicans’ Hypocrisy in Protecting Addiction & Mental Health

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery (ATR) Caucus Co-Chair, Congressman Paul D. Tonko, spoke on the House floor today to call out Republicans for failing to respond to Trump administration attacks on addiction and mental health resources.

    Tonko’s speech came ahead of the vote on the bipartisan Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act. Tonko decried the hypocrisy of Republicans in bringing up this bill to pay lip service to the mental health and addiction crises while at the same time enabling the Trump administration to make devastating cuts to the very programs, services, and staff the SUPPORT Act needs to function, including decimating the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

    Earlier this year, Tonko held a virtual press conference with ten former SAMHSA employees who were fired as a result of cuts from this administration. Participants spoke about the detrimental impact that these cuts will have on addressing mental health, and ensuring access to substance use disorder treatment, services, prevention and recovery.
    Tonko’s full remarks can be viewed HERE or read below as prepared for delivery.

     

    SAMHSA’s stated mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring access and better outcomes for all.

     

    It is not an exaggeration to say that the public servants at SAMHSA work every day to prevent overdoses and suicides and save lives.

     

    As a longtime champion for behavioral health parity and access to treatment and as Co-Chair of the Congressional Addiction Treatment and Recovery Caucus, bipartisan in nature, there have been a few questions on my mind.

     

    For instance, how many public servants need to be fired at SAMHSA before we say enough?

     

    How many suicide prevention trainings need to be cancelled before Republicans can speak out?

     

    How many lifesaving naloxone trainings need to be cancelled for Republicans to say something… say anything?

     

    How many lives need to be lost before Republicans tell the Trump Administration to stop the decimation of SAMHSA?

     

    I have other questions too, simple ones like how many people work at SAMHSA currently? What divisions have no staff left at all? What programs have they had to cut in local communities?

     

    In February, following the firing of probationary employees, I started asking these questions and since the firing of nearly 50 percent of SAMHSA’s staff I have continued asking those questions.

     

    To date I have gotten zero answers. Zero.

     

    Currently, we have lost 50 percent of SAMHSA staff and it’s not HHS or the Trump administration who shared that with Congress.

     

    We only have confirmation that SAMHSA lost half its staff from the press and from the former SAMHSA employees.

     

    That is unacceptable.

     

    As a Congress if we say we care about behavioral health, then we should be ashamed that we are okay not knowing this. For four months we have been asking questions and instead of answers we have even more concerning questions.

     

    I shared with our Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman that as the committee that has jurisdiction over SAMHSA, how do we not have these answers?

     

    This affects every community in the country and our first action should be finding out these answers. If the administration refuses to come in, then let’s bring in the fired employees.

     

    These people are some of the most dedicated public servants who did this work for all the right reasons and they served an incredible need. On behalf of all Americans, I thank all of the fired SAMHSA employees for their service to our nation. You deserved better. And frankly all Americans deserve better.

     

    Our loved ones should have access to effective addiction treatment, prevention and recovery support and behavioral health support and services. 

     

    The recent actions of this Trump Administration are betraying the goal of access to behavioral health treatment and support.

     

    RFK and Donald Trump have proposed to eliminate SAMHSA as an independent agency, burying it in the so-called “Administration for a Healthy America or AHA”

     

    Let’s remember that the whole reason Congress moved SAMHSA into an independent agency was to ensure that behavioral health was prioritized despite the longstanding stigma.


    Instead, AHA would take us back to the time that behavioral health is tucked away in another agency and deprioritized.

     

    When the agency is gutted, the programs and the mission suffers, and ultimately, the individuals we are trying to help with their mental health and substance use struggles will simply not get the support they need.

     

    People will die.

     

    I beg my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, let’s reverse course. We have an obligation to protect SAMHSA’s mission and all of our constituents who SAMHSA serves.

     

    Like many of my colleagues, I support the programs in this package; but it’s completely disingenuous and frankly outrageous that Republicans are here today trying to pat themselves on the back as doing something meaningful for those struggling with addiction while the entire agency we are authorizing programs for is being dismantled – the people doing the work we are authorizing have all been fired – and the Administration is proposing even more draconian cuts for mental health and substance use programs in the 2026 budget.

     

    Give me a break. 

     

    It’s like we’re trying to heal a bullet wound with a band aid.


    So I’m regrettably going to have to vote no and would respectfully ask my Republican colleagues to pause today’s vote and instead focus our intention on responding to the actual crisis at SAMHSA.

     

    Let’s stop this performance and instead let’s do the right thing and walk out right now and meet, make calls and work together to stop this madness. Let’s actually do something to meet this moment before it’s too late and we no longer have an agency focused on behavioral health.

     

    This is a truly a performative vote if Republicans are too scared to say anything when the agency is being decimated and the mission is on the line but they want to go home and say they voted for SUPPORT.


    But they won’t mention that it will never be implemented because the funding and staff are gone. 

     

    Let’s return to my initial question: how many lives need to be lost before Republicans tell the Trump Administration to stop the decimation of SAMHSA?

     

    If Republicans go forward with this vote today while staying silent as this administration takes the chainsaw to SAMHSA then it’s clear that they are willing to let SAMHSA lose all capacity to serve its mission to save lives.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Nanette Barragán Leads Letter Demanding Protections for Multilingual Weather Alerts and Forecasts

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    June 4, 2025

    Rep. Nanette Barragán Leads Letter Demanding Protections for Multilingual Weather Alerts and Forecasts

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) led a letter to National Weather Service (NWS) Director Ken Graham urging immediate action to protect and strengthen access to multilingual weather alerts and forecasts. The letter was co-led by the current and most recent chairs of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)— key caucuses whose members represent communities most impacted by language-access failures.

    Rep. Barragán’s letter follows a recent disruption in the NWS’s multilingual alert services, which occurred when NWS allowed its contract with a third-party translation firm to lapse. Although the service has since been restored, the letter highlights that the gap placed millions of Americans with limited English proficiency at risk and exposed dangerous vulnerabilities in the country’s emergency communication system.

    “Ensuring that all Americans, regardless of the language they speak, have access to life-saving weather information is not optional—it is a core responsibility of the National Weather Service,” said Rep. Barragán. “In a nation as diverse as ours, language access must be treated as an essential component of emergency preparedness and public communication— not an expendable service.”

    In the letter, CHC, CAPAC, and CBC members posed specific questions to the NWS about how it plans to prevent future lapses, evaluate translation service providers, and ensure inclusive outreach to limited-English-proficient communities. The lawmakers also pressed for transparency on the criteria used to select which languages are included in multilingual alerts and how the agency plans to update those lists to reflect shifting demographics.

    Nearly 68 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home— roughly one in five Americans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The letter underscores that access to accurate weather information in one’s language is essential, not just during emergencies, but also for everyday decisions that affect safety, health, and economic security.

    Rep. Barragán has long championed language accessibility and continues to lead efforts in Congress to ensure that language is never a barrier to safety or survival. 

    The letter was signed by the following Tri-Caucus leaders and members: Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Judy Chu, Grace Meng, Steven Horsford, Yvette Clarke, Robin Kelly, Maxwell Frost, Debbie Dingell, Dan Goldman, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Danny Davis, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Robert Menendez, Nydia Velázquez, Lizzie Fletcher, Kevin Mullin, Doris Matsui, Frederica Wilson, Gilbert Cisneros, Andrea Salinas, Dave Min, Emilia Sykes, Jill Tokuda, Robert Garcia, Sara Jacobs, and Senator Ben Ray Luján.

    The full letter to NWS Director Graham can be found here and below:

    Director Graham:

    We write to express our serious concern regarding the National Weather Service’s (NWS) recent decision to discontinue the translation of weather alerts and forecasts into languages other than English. This change, purportedly prompted by the lapse of a contract with a third-party provider, created a dangerous gap in access to information for the many Americans who rely on multilingual alerts and forecasts to stay safe during critical emergencies and make everyday decisions that impact their families, livelihoods, and our nation’s economy.

    We are relieved that multilingual translation services have now been restored. However, the disruption highlighted the vulnerabilities in the current system and the unacceptable risk created by lapses in language access. For tens of millions of Americans, receiving weather alerts in a language they understand can mean the difference between life and death. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 68 million people in the United States speak a language other than English at home.[1]That number has nearly tripled since 1980 and now represents one in five Americans.[2]For these individuals and families, multilingual alerts are critical for preparing for severe weather events, which increase in frequency and intensity every year. The absence of accessible warnings can—and likely will—lead to avoidable tragedy. ​

    The real-world consequences of inaccessible alerts are not hypothetical. Take, for example, the 2021 deadly tornado outbreak that hit Mayfield, Kentucky, a city with a large Spanish-speaking population. According to news coverage of the outbreak, a Spanish-speaking family in the impacted area had initially ignored a tornado alert delivered only in English because they could not read the warning.[3]It was not until the family received a Spanish-language alert that they quickly took shelter​ on the first floor of their home—shortly before the second floor of their home was wiped out. If they had not received the alert in Spanish, the outcome could have been fatal.[4]Communities across the United States — including speakers of Vietnamese, Chinese, Tagalog, Korean, French, Haitian Creole, and many African languages — also face significant barriers during emergencies when alerts are not available in their primary language. No one should be left without life-saving information simply because of the language they speak.

    Beyond the immediate risk to public safety, this abrupt lapse in translation services also risked creating operational challenges for those on the front lines of weather communication. During the lapse, local meteorologists and alert originators—who rely on NWS-provided multilingual content—were forced to fill the gap themselves. Unfortunately, on-site translation is something not many have the staff or resources to do quickly and accurately. Many communities that rely on NWS-provided multilingual content are unlikely to continue sending multilingual weather alerts should NWS’s centralized translation support halt or lapse again.

    Multilingual access to weather forecasts is not only critical during emergencies—it is equally vital for day-to-day planning and economic stability. Families rely on accurate, understandable forecasts to decide whether it’s safe to send their children to school or for parents to travel to work. Businesses across key sectors—including agriculture, construction, transportation, energy, and tourism—depend on timely weather information to operate safely and efficiently. When forecasts are delivered in clear, accessible language, they empower individuals and industries alike to make informed decisions, reduce risk, and maintain productivity. Stripping away multilingual access undermines this everyday functionality and places non-English-speaking communities and families at a great disadvantage.

    Ensuring that all Americans—regardless of the language they speak—have access to life-saving weather information is not optional; it is a core responsibility of the NWS. In a nation as diverse as ours, language access must be treated as an essential component of emergency preparedness and public communication—not an expendable service.

    In light of the recent disruption and the restoration of multilingual services, we respectfully request responses to the following questions no later than August 1, 2025, to better understand how NWS plans to ensure long-term, uninterrupted language access for all communities:

    What is the scope of the new contract for multilingual translation services? Does it include options for renewal or extension to ensure service continuity beyond the initial term?

    What safeguards has NWS put in place to prevent future gaps in translation services, particularly during contract transitions or vendor changes?

    Has NWS conducted a risk assessment or after-action review to identify what led to the previous lapse and how similar disruptions can be avoided in the future? If so, what were the findings and resulting action steps?

    Is there a contingency plan or backup system in place to provide uninterrupted translation services in the event of a contract lapse, provider failure, or other unexpected disruption?

    How does NWS evaluate and monitor the performance and reliability of its language service providers? Are there benchmarks or quality assurance measures to ensure timely and accurate translations in all covered languages?

    What criteria does NWS use to determine which languages are included in its multilingual alerts? How frequently is this list updated to reflect demographic shifts and community needs?

    How is NWS engaging with non-English-speaking communities and local emergency managers to ensure that multilingual weather communication is effective, culturally appropriate, and broadly accessible?

    We strongly urge NWS to institutionalize safeguards to prevent future interruptions to multilingual services and to treat language access as a permanent, non-negotiable aspect of public safety.

    We stand ready to support your efforts to secure the necessary resources to sustain and strengthen language access in weather communications. The safety, preparedness, and economic resilience of our communities depend on it.

    Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Powrsuit Founders Wow at Soda’s Women in Business Expo

    Source: Soda Inc.
    More than 150 female entrepreneurs and business owners attended Soda’s Women in Business Expo last week with guest speakers – Hatch and Powrsuit founders, Kristen Lunman and Natalie Ferguson – sharing insights around fear, failure and the importance of mindset.
    Sponsored by Deloitte, the expo was an opportunity for female business owners and founders to be inspired, network with like-minded women in business and learn more about business support options available in Aotearoa New Zealand.
    Soda General Manager Anna Devcich says: “Soda connects business owners and entrepreneurs with government support and funding to help their businesses thrive. We’re also passionate about supporting women in business so our Women in Business Expo is an opportunity for female business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders to connect and learn in a welcoming and supportive environment.
    “As a business owner or founder, it’s vital to access the right support and make connections that allow you to grow – as an individual and as a business. Soda’s Women in Business Expo creates a space where women can do just that.
    “Nat and Kristen from Powrsuit shared some powerful messages with our audience about the importance of mindset and the value of learning through doing. As founders of a career accelerator (among other successful businesses), their advice really hit the mark.”
    Held in The Atrium at Wintec House, organisations at the expo included Craigs Women’s Wealth, Deloitte, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Finance NZ, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, NZ Entrepreneur, New Zealand Growth Capital Partners, On Your Terms NZ, Osbaldiston Lane, Powrsuit, Rocketspark, RWA Lawyers, She by Shan, Soda, Takatini Waikato District Economic Development, Te Whatu Ora: National Public Health Service, Waikato Waahine Collective and Waipā District Council.
    Soda’s Regional Business Partner contract has recently been extended for a further two years, so Soda looks forward to continuing to support Waikato businesses.
    ABOUT SODA
    Soda helps businesses achieve their goals and create success. We connect entrepreneurs, business owners and key decision makers with the right people, tools, resources and programmes to accelerate business growth. Based in Hamilton, Soda is the Waikato’s Regional Business Partner (RBP), connecting business owners with government funding and support.
    ABOUT POWRSUIT
    Kristen Lunman and Natalie Ferguson are the co-founders and directors of Powrsuit – a career accelerator for women at every stage (with a space for allies, too). Combining bite-sized learning and micro-networking, Powrsuit takes professional development out of to-do lists and into weekly routines. With over 700 members across NZ, Australia, North America and Europe (and a handful in Singapore!), Powrsuit’s research-backed approach delivers a tangible return on investment. After six months, 82% of members increase self-leadership skills and 28% take a tangible step forward in their careers.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI: Insurtech Insights USA 2025: Highlights from the Opening Day

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Insurtech Insights USA 2025, North America’s premier gathering of insurance executives and innovators, kicked off today at the Javits Center with record energy from 6,000+ attendees, fresh perspectives, and a bold vision for the future of insurance. With thousands of executives, investors, and founders in attendance, the first day of the conference delivered powerful discussions across multiple stages, spotlighting how AI, innovation, and leadership are actively reshaping the insurance landscape.

    A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available in this link.

    One of the most anticipated sessions of the day featured Garry Kasparov, Chess Grandmaster, and renowned AI advocate, who took the main stage to explore the evolving relationship between humans and artificial intelligence in the insurance sector. In his keynote titled “Human vs AI: The Future of Insurance Lies in Collaboration,” Kasparov challenged attendees to view AI not as a competitor, but as a partner in driving more informed, efficient, and human-centered decision-making. The session, moderated by Sean Merat, CEO, Owl.co, sparked conversations around how trust, ethics, and control play critical roles in AI integration.

    Another standout moment was the executive panel “View From the Top – How Senior Leaders at Major Carriers and Brokers Are Actually Using AI to Drive Business Results.” The discussion brought together Juan Andrade, President & CEO of USAA, and Mark Hammond, EVP & CIO of AssuredPartners, who shared how AI already delivers measurable outcomes across underwriting, claims, and distribution. The panel was moderated by Nirav Dagli, Founder & CEO of Spinnaker Analytics, and emphasized the shift from experimentation to enterprise deployment of AI-powered workflows.

    On the investment side, “Unicorn Building: The Insurtech Funding Landscape in 2025 & Beyond” examined the evolving dynamics of capital flow in insurtech. Ian Sanders, SVP, Venture Capital Portfolio Munich Re Ventures, Tim Del Bello, Managing Director, New York Life Ventures, and Ali Geramian, Partner, Anthemis, provided insights on what it takes to scale startups in today’s climate, where ROI, risk alignment, and resilience are top priorities for investors.

    The energy throughout the day was palpable, as multiple stages buzzed with strategic discussions, product demos, and spontaneous networking. From visionary keynotes to practical use cases, Day 1 proved that insurance innovation is accelerating—not in some distant future, but right now.

    Kristoffer Lundberg, CEO of Insurtech Insights, commented on the success of the opening day, saying, “Day one of Insurtech Insights USA 2025 exceeded all expectations. From Garry Kasparov exploring the human-AI partnership, to carriers unveiling practical, AI-enabled workflows in underwriting, claims, and distribution, what we witnessed today is not the future of insurance, it’s the now,”. He added, “We saw proof that collaboration between carriers, startups, and regulators is the foundation for transformation. This energy is exactly why we built this community: to connect bold thinkers who are ready to shape the next decade of insurance.”

    Insurtech Insights USA 2025 continues tomorrow with another full day of programming, including exclusive fireside chats, AI-focused panels, and investor briefings.

    Follow on LinkedIn for live updates.

    About Insurtech Insights USA

    Insurtech Insights USA is the leading global conference for the insurtech industry, bringing together experts, innovators, and thought leaders to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of insurance. With a focus on innovation, collaboration, and disruption, Insurtech Insights USA provides a platform for networking, learning, and driving meaningful change in the insurance sector.

    For media queries and other information, please contact:

    Girish Jaggi
    Senior Account Manager
    The MicDrop Agency
    girish@themicdropagency.com
    +1 (289) 623 3627

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: RadarFirst’s 2025 Privacy Benchmarking Report Reveals Industry-Specific Risks and Response Gaps in Regulatory Preparedness

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PORTLAND, Ore., June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RadarFirst, the leader in Regulatory Risk Management technology announces the release of the 2025 Privacy Incident Management Benchmarking Report, revealing how healthcare, finance, retail, and public sector organizations are navigating rising breach complexity and regulatory pressure.

    As global privacy laws tighten and timelines compress, the report emphasizes that regulatory resilience depends on operational precision. The findings indicate a widening performance gap between organizations that utilize structured, automated incident response workflows and those that still rely on manual or reactive methods.

    “Privacy incidents are no longer rare or isolated—they’re operational events,” said Lauren Wallace, General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at RadarFirst.

    “This year’s data shows that teams investing in automation and defensible risk assessment are achieving faster, more consistent, and more trusted outcomes.”

    Key Industry Insights from the 2025 Report:

    Healthcare

    • 19.4% of external incidents in healthcare resulted in notifiable breaches—nearly double the rate of internal incidents.
    • HIPAA’s 60-day window is creating pressure for accurate triage and documentation, especially when third-party vendors are involved.

    Financial Services

    • High volumes of electronic incidents and shorter breach notification windows are driving the urgency for automation.
    • Radar Privacy users in finance achieved an 83.7% on-time notification rate, compared to manual processes that default to over-reporting.

    Government & Public Sector

    • Agencies are grappling with multi-jurisdictional compliance and limited internal resources.
    • Smaller-scale but high-risk verbal and paper-based disclosures remain a significant compliance vulnerability.

    Retail & Consumer Services

    • Single-person, human-error incidents accounted for 81.7% of reported events across industries, heavily impacting customer-facing roles.
    • Retail organizations are under increased pressure to ensure brand trust and avoid over-disclosure.

    Cross-Industry Trends

    • 91.3% of all incidents stemmed from non-malicious human error.
    • Organizations leveraging Radar Privacy cut breach resolution time by 40%, from 24.3 to 14.6 days since 2018.
    • Structured privacy teams using automated tools saved an average of 9.7 days between discovery and risk assessment.

    Building upon the findings from the 2024 report, the latest data indicates a continued trend toward faster breach resolution among organizations utilizing RadarFirst’s solutions. In 2024, the median time to data breach resolution for RadarFirst customers was 21.5 days, down from previous years.

    The full 2025 Privacy Incident Management Benchmarking Report is available now at https://www.radarfirst.com/resources/2025-privacy-incident-management-benchmarking-report

    About RadarFirst

    RadarFirst is the intelligent incident response platform that helps organizations simplify and automate breach decision-making. With patented workflows, real-time risk assessments, and industry-leading compliance intelligence, RadarFirst empowers organizations to reduce risk, improve defensibility, and protect trust.

    Media Contact:

    Alexis Kramer-Ainza
    Marketing Manager
    alexis.kramer@radarfirst.com
    480-938-7358

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Australian kids BYO lunches to school. There is a healthier way to feed students

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Liesel Spencer, Associate Professor, School of Law, Western Sydney University

    Getty Images/ courtneyk

    Australian parents will be familiar with this school morning routine: hastily making sandwiches or squeezing leftovers into containers, grabbing a snack from the cupboard and a piece of fruit from the counter.

    This would be unheard of in many other countries, including Finland, Sweden, Scotland, Wales, Brazil and India, which provide free daily school meals to every child.

    Australia is one of the few high-income countries that does not provide children with a daily nutritious meal at school.

    As families increasingly face food insecurity and a cost-of-living crisis, here’s how school lunches could help.

    School lunches are important

    During the week, children get a third of their daily food intake at school. What they eat during school hours has a significant impact on their health.

    Australian children have much higher rates of obesity than children in countries with healthy lunch programs.

    As children’s diets affect physical and cognitive development, and mental health, poor diet can also affect academic performance.

    International research shows universal school meal programs – where all children are provided with a healthy meal at school each day – can improve both health and educational outcomes for students.

    The problem with BYO lunchboxes

    In Australia, children either bring a packed lunch or buy food at the school canteen. But the vast majority of these lunches don’t meet kids’ dietary needs.

    As a 2022 Flinders University report notes, more than 80% of Australian primary school lunches are of poor nutritional quality. Half of students’ school-day food intake comes from junk food and fewer than one in ten students eat enough vegetables.

    While these figures are based on 2011–2012 data, subsequent national survey data does not show significant improvements in children’s healthy diet indicators, including fruit and vegetable consumption. Time pressures on carers mean pre-packaged food can be a default lunchbox choice.

    At the same time, many families with school students are not able to provide their children with healthy lunches. Food insecurity — not having regular access to enough safe, healthy and affordable food — affects an estimated 58% of Australian households with children, and 69% of single-parent households.

    Hot weather also raises food safety concerns, as it’s hard to keep fresh food cool in schoolbags.

    School meals programs in Australia

    There are some historical examples of providing food to children at school in Australia. This includes the school milk program which ran from 1950s to 1970s. There were also wartime experiments in the 1940s. For example, the Oslo lunch (a cheese and salad sandwich on wholemeal bread, with milk and fruit) was provided at school to improve the health of children.

    Today, there is a patchwork of school food programs run by not-for-profit organisations providing breakfast and/or lunch, and various schemes, including kitchen garden and school greenhouse programs.

    There are also pilot schemes providing hot meals. For example, in Tasmania, the current pilot school lunch program feeds children in participating schools a hot lunch on some days of the week with state government support. Evaluation of the program showed strong benefits: healthier eating, calmer classrooms, better social connections from eating lunch together, and less food waste.

    The 2023 parliamentary inquiry into food security recommended the federal government work with states and territories to consider the feasibility of a school meals program.

    In May, the South Australian parliament opened an inquiry into programs in preschools and schools to ensure children and young people don’t go hungry during the day.

    What would it take to introduce school meals?

    Rolling out universal school meal programs across Australian schools would require cooperation between government and private sectors.

    It could build on what already exists – including canteens, school gardens, food relief and breakfast clubs – to create a more consistent and inclusive system.

    There’s a strong evidence base to guide this, both from Australian pilot programs and international examples.

    Decisions would have to be made about regulation and funding – whether to opt for a federally-funded and regulated scheme with federal and state cooperation, or a state-by-state scheme.

    Funding mechanisms from international models include fully government-funded, caregiver-paid (but with subsidies for disadvantaged families) and cost-sharing arrangements between government and families.

    Costs per child per day are around A$10, factoring in economies of scale. Some pilot programs report lower costs of around $5, but involve volunteer labour.

    More research is needed to determine parent and community attitudes and model these funding options, including preventative health benefits.

    Delivery models may also vary depending on each school’s size, location and infrastructure. This could include onsite food preparation, central kitchens delivering pre-prepared meals, or partnerships with not-for-profit providers.

    Ultimately, providing food at school could save parents valuable time and stress, and ensure all Australian students can access the health and education benefits of a nutritious school meal.

    Liesel Spencer has undertaken volunteer work for the Federation of Canteens in Schools (Australia).

    Miriam Williams has undertaken volunteer work for the Federation of Canteens in Schools (Australia).

    Katherine Kent does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Australian kids BYO lunches to school. There is a healthier way to feed students – https://theconversation.com/australian-kids-byo-lunches-to-school-there-is-a-healthier-way-to-feed-students-257465

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Murray Slams Lutnick for Decimation of NOAA, Illegal Cancellation of Digital Equity Act Funding, More

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington State Patty Murray

    ***WATCH: Senator Murray’s Q&A with Sec. Lutnick***

    Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at a Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Department. Senator Murray slammed what’s happening at the Department and President Trump’s thoughtless tariffs, and grilled Secretary Lutnick on the Department’s decision to completely eliminate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund in the budget request, the Department’s failure to submit required budget justifications to the Committee, and the Trump administration’s decision to cancel billions of dollars of funding from Senator Murray’s Digital Equity Act which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

    In opening comments, Vice Chair Murray said:

    “You know, over the law few months, I am deeply concerned because we have seen: mass firings at NOAA that are really, seriously jeopardizing the weather forecasting that we all count on; funds have been frozen; grants and contracts have been abruptly cancelled; and agencies that were created by Congress in a bipartisan way have been shuttered unilaterally—really ignoring the law—and sweeping, thoughtless tariffs that are crunching small businesses and raising costs for families.

    “And we have even seen President Trump illegally block some emergency funding House Republicans included in their yearlong CR which has cut off funding your Department counts on for trade fairness, export controls, NOAA satellites, and more.

    “So, needless to say: I don’t think any of this helps advance the Department’s mission to spur economic growth and strengthen America’s competitiveness, and it does leaves me very seriously concerned about whether the Department is going to be able to carry out its job.

    “Now, before I turn to my questions, I do want to quickly raise your decision to cancel $48 million in Tech Hub funding for the American Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Center in Eastern Washington and Idaho—alongside several other hubs. We had a chance to talk about this yesterday, but I want you to know I have a lot more questions than I think you answered.

    “This hub is really a partnership of industry, academia, the military, and governments at all levels. Cancelling that funding and further delaying progress at the tech hub really damages our defense industrial base and limits our ability to compete with China, as I told you yesterday. So, that is unacceptable, and I look forward to you resolving that as soon as possible.”

    [TRUMP REQUESTS TO ELIMINATE SALMON RECOVERY PROGRAM]

    Senator Murray began by explaining how important NOAA is to our nation’s fisheries and how important salmon are to Washington state’s way of life, calling out President Trump’s request to zero out funding for a key salmon program: “Now, I do want to ask you while you’re here, one of the agencies you oversee is NOAA. It is absolutely essential to supporting sustainable fisheries, protecting our natural resources, and making sure that we have accurate weather forecasts. Cutting away at NOAA—as you have been doing and as your budget proposes to do further—is going to do serious harm. Among other cuts, your budget would completely eliminate the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. That would be a catastrophic failure—it would abandon our communities, our Tribes, and our industries who rely on salmon. And across the Pacific Northwest, salmon are not just fish—they are a way of life, and they are foundational to our economy and our culture. So, I would like you to explain quickly why you proposed that cut, and I want to ask you, did you consult with our Tribes or fishing communities who count on it before making that decision?”

    Secretary Lutnick replied, “The issues are that we do the same thing in multiple ways in NOAA. We have not cut any hydrologists, which are the people who study the water.”

    “You eliminated the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. That is what I’m precisely asking you about. Did you talk to our tribes or fishermen before you did that?” Senator Murray pressed.

    “Of course,” responded Secretary Lutnick.

    Senator Murray said, “Well, I have spoken to the tribes, I’ve talked to the scientists, I’ve talked to the fishermen. No one—no one—in the Pacific Northwest supports those cuts. And I want everyone to know I will not vote for an appropriations bill that eliminates that funding.”

    [LACK OF TRANSPARENCY]

    Senator Murray then asked about the Department failure to present full budget justifications to Congress, “Now, staying on NOAA facilities like the Northwest Fishery Science Center, which is in Seattle, are really in dire need of investment. For this reason, this CJS Appropriations Subcommittee has long included language requiring the Secretary of Commerce to include the cost estimates for NOAA construction projects of more than $5 million, in the congressional budget justification materials, as well as the 5-year cost estimates for those projects. Are you aware of that requirement?”

    “My understanding is we filed our budget according to the CR with exact precision,” Secretary Lutnick replied.

    “Well, have you submitted the Department’s FY26 congressional budget justification? It did not include the list of projects, which it’s required to do,” asked Senator Murray.

    Secretary Lutnick continued to dodge, “My understanding is the CR had certain obligations for us, and we followed them with precision. That’s my understanding.”

    Senator Murray pushed back, “Well, the fact is that you are required by law to submit the NOAA PAC [Procurement, Acquisition and Construction] construction list to Congress with the budget. That wasn’t done. Can we get that list by Friday?”

    “I’ll happily take a look at it. And if it’s required, of course, I will send it,” said Secretary Lutnick.

    Senator Murray responded, “Okay. It is required.”

    [ATTACKS ON DIGITAL EQUITY ACT]

    Senator Murray turned her questions about President Trump’s recent announcement he is illegally planning to cancel Digital Equity Act grants, “Mr. Secretary, I wrote a law, it was called the Digital Equity Act, to help close the digital divide—and it passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. Now, the Administration has arbitrarily cancelled billions of dollars for the Digital Equity Act, claiming it’s unconstitutional. This is a program that every state, Democrat and Republican, has applied for—every single state in the country. It distributes laptops in Iowa. It helped people get back online after Hurricane Helene washed away computers and phones in western North Carolina. It’s a program in rural Alabama where they taught seniors—including some who have never used a computer—how to use the internet. I want to ask you, has the Supreme Court declared this bipartisan law unconstitutional? Has any judge?”

    Secretary Lutnick sidestepped the question, “It will go through the courts and the courts will decide.”

    “No one has declared this unconstitutional—no one. Your job, Mr. Secretary, is to carry out the law that Congress has passed. You don’t get to keep laptops from our kids, because the President doesn’t care about kids in rural communities. My advice to you here—it is a law, it is not unconstitutional, and I would urge you to get those digital equity dollars out the door and save everyone the legal fees, because the law is very clear,” emphasized Senator Murray.

    [TRUMP’S THOUGHTLESS TRADE WAR]

    Senator Murray concluded by saying, “I just have a few seconds left, and I before I finish, I do want to underscore my state, Washington state, is one of the most trade dependent states in the nation. 40% of our jobs are connected to international trade and President Trump and your Department continue to pursue this chaotic tariff policy that businesses in my state stand to lose billions of dollars. I have heard from businesses across my state, from manufacturers, from small retailers. They are struggling to absorb the cost increases on everything from napkins to car parts. And this uncertainty has really left them scrambling which has delayed investments and caused serious supply chain disruptions, especially at our ports. These actions, in addition, have really harmed our relationships with our key allies like Canada. I heard Senator Collins here earlier talking about Maine being their neighbor—it is our neighbor in Washington state. They are one of our biggest trading partners. And let me be clear, this is causing chaos, disruption, anger. And we have got to get this resolved because farmers, our people and our small businesses and our communities, are really hurting.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI—Hagerty Joins Varney & Co. on Fox Business to Discuss Budget Reconciliation, Chinese Nationals’ Arrests

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking and Foreign Relations Committees, joined Varney & Co. on Fox Business to discuss the budget reconciliation package, along with two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling and potential agroterrorism.

    *Click the photo above or here to watch*

    Partial Transcript

    Hagerty on the need to pass the budget reconciliation package: “We certainly do respect the effort that Elon undertook with respect to government efficiency. We all want to see cost reductions, but I tell you: my number one goal is to avoid what would otherwise be a greater than $4 trillion tax increase on Americans. I talked with Kevin Hassett yesterday, the National Economic Advisor at the White House. Were that to happen, were we not to pass this, we’d have over $4.2 trillion tax increase on America that would cut GDP growth negative six percent. Certainly, the nation, the world, doesn’t need to see that happen. One of the overarching aims here is to create certainty in our tax code to stimulate more capital investment. That’s exactly what will happen if we pass this. And Leader [John] Thune is right, the Congressional Budget Office essentially conducted malpractice last time in 2017 when they tried to estimate the impact of that Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. They missed it by a trillion dollars of revenue. I’m very optimistic; this will help reduce the deficit.”

    Hagerty on the prospective positive financial impacts of the budget reconciliation package: “As I talk to CEOs around the country, they want to make investments here in America, but they need certainty in terms of the rule set. We can deliver that through this bill. We need to do it quickly. And if we do it quickly, we’ll be able to see a 2026 that’s going to be an incredible move forward, lots more capital investment. That capital investment begets more employment. That employment and jobs begets more economic activity. It’s a positive feedback loop that will make America grow at a great degree, much higher than the 1.8 percent that the Congressional Budget Office predicts. And if we’re at three percent or better, we’re going to see that deficit begin to close much more rapidly.”

    Hagerty on the arrest of two Chinese nationals for smuggling and potential agroterrorism: “We need to be extremely careful, particularly when you think about the movement that we’ve had with Chinese nationals, particularly those affiliated with the [People’s Liberation Army], moving into our university system. That was precisely the case here. And we need to be very, very careful about who comes in, what they’re bringing with them. And make no mistake, and I’m so pleased that [FBI Director] Kash Patel [is] in the position he’s in, because he’s seeing right through all of this. Make no mistake: the Chinese Communist Party is not our friend. This sort of infiltration, this act of agroterrorism is the last thing we need to see on American soil. And the only way to prevent it is by waking up and realizing that we’ve got to be extraordinarily careful as we allow anybody to come into this country.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Markey, Rep. Cohen Introduce Legislation to Make America’s Streets Safer for Everyone

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey

    Bill Text (PDF)

    Washington (June 4, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today reintroduced the Complete Streets Act, which would transform America’s public roads. The bill would require states to direct a portion of their federal highway funding toward the creation of a Complete Streets Program. A “Complete Street” provides safe and accessible transportation options for children, seniors, and people with disabilities by prioritizing infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit users. The bill would also require future construction projects on public roads to be designed for the safety of all its road users.

    “The skyrocketing number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths in our country is a crisis. This moment calls for us to ensure our roads are designed with safety – not speed – as our top priority,” said Senator Markey. “I am grateful for Representative Cohen’s partnership to ensure we prioritize roadway safety and accessibility over a reliance on fast, fossil-fueled vehicles. Let’s build complete streets and complete communities and accelerate into a safer, more accessible future for all.”

    “In recent years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of pedestrians killed by vehicles, especially in Memphis. Our country is seeing a national safety crisis on our roads. We need streets that can accommodate all means of transportation, from foot traffic and strollers to bicycles, scooters, cars, light trucks and 18-wheelers. The Complete Streets Act will transform communities and make it safer for everyone to make ‘complete’ use of our roadways and adjacent infrastructure,” said Congressman Cohen.

    The Complete Streets Act is cosponsored in the Senate by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and in the House by Representatives Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Valerie Foushee (NC-04), and Dina Titus (NV-01).

    Under the Complete Streets Act, eligible local and regional entities can use funds from their state’s Complete Streets Program for technical assistance and capital funding to build safe street projects such as sidewalks, bike lanes, crosswalks, and bus stops. The legislation would also phase in a requirement for states to incorporate Complete Streets elements into all new construction and reconstruction.

    The legislation is endorsed by the National Complete Streets Coalition, Transportation for America, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, GreenLatinos, and the League of American Bicyclists.

    Senator Markey and Representative Cohen first introduced the Complete Streets Act in 2019. Elements of the Complete Streets Act were incorporated into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which created the Safe Streets for All grant program. In 2024, Massachusetts received $25 million in funding from the Safe Streets for All program to make roads safer in communities like Lynn, Boston, Fitchburg, and Haverhill.  

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Relocated in Butler County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency 2

    strong>FRANKFORT, Ky. –A Disaster Recovery Center has been relocated in Butler County to offer in-person support to Kentucky uninsured and underinsured survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides. The new Disaster Recovery Center in Butler County is located at:
     
    Morgantown Elementary School, 210 Cemetery St., Morgantown, KY 42261 
    Working hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p.m. Central Time, Sunday.
    Disaster Recovery Centers are one-stop shops where you can get information and advice on available assistance from state, federal and community organizations. You can get help to apply for FEMA assistance, learn the status of your FEMA application, understand the letters you get from FEMA and get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance. The U.S. Small Business Administration representatives and resources from the Commonwealth are also available at the Disaster Recovery Centers to assist you.
    FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible. The deadline to apply is June 25.
    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance. No appointment is needed. To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362. 
    You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance. There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance.gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service.
    When you apply, you will need to provide:

    A current phone number where you can be contacted.
    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying.
    Your Social Security Number.
    A general list of damage and losses.
    Banking information if you choose direct deposit.
    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name.

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www.fema.gov/disaster/4860 and www.fema.gov/disaster/4864. Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x.com/femaregion4. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Currency Exchange International to Report its Second Quarter 2025 Results on June 11, 2025, and Host Earnings Conference Call on June 12, 2025 at 8:30 AM EST

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    TORONTO, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Currency Exchange International, Corp. (the “Company”) (TSX: CXI; OTCQX: CURN), will report its financial results for the Second Quarter of 2025 (ended April 30, 2025) after-market close on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Following the release, Currency Exchange International Corp. will host an earnings conference call with management on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. EST, in which they will discuss these recent financial and operational results.

    CXI Second Quarter 2025 – Financial Results and Conference Call Details:

    Financial Results Release

    The Company will release its financial results for the Second Quarter 2025, after-market close on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

    Earnings Conference Call Details

    The Company plans to host a conference call on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 8:30am EST.

    To participate in or listen to the call, please dial the appropriate number:

    – Local (New York): (+1) 646 307 1865
    – Local (Toronto): (+1) 289 514 5100
    – Toll Free – North America: (+1) 800 717 1738
    – Conference ID Number: 21262
       

    For those of you who will be unavailable to participate, a recorded copy of the conference call will be available on the Company website.

    About Currency Exchange International, Corp.

    Currency Exchange International is in the business of providing comprehensive foreign exchange technology and processing services for banks, credit unions, businesses, and consumers in the United States and select clients globally. Primary products and services include the exchange of foreign currencies, wire transfer payments, Global EFTs, and foreign cheque clearing. Wholesale customers are served through its proprietary FX software applications delivered on its web-based interface, www.cxifx.com (“CXIFX”), its related APIs with core banking platforms, and through personal relationship managers. Consumers are served through Group-owned retail branches, agent retail branches, and its e-commerce platform, order.ceifx.com (“OnlineFX”).

    Contact Information
    For further information please contact:
    Bill Mitoulas
    Investor Relations
    (416) 479-9547
    Email: bill.mitoulas@cxifx.com
    Website: www.ceifx.com

    The Toronto Stock Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this press release.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: Verizon Business launches Vehicle-to-Everything connected-driving platform with multiple customers

    Source: Verizon

    Headline: Verizon Business launches Vehicle-to-Everything connected-driving platform with multiple customers

    Edge Transportation Exchange is an integrated mobile-network vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication platform that allows a vehicle to communicate with other connected vehicles, road users, and infrastructure around it. Volkswagen Group of America, The Arizona Commerce Authority, Delaware Department of Transportation, and Rutgers University CAIT are already signed on as commercial users.

    What you need to know:

    • Edge Transportation Exchange leverages Verizon’s 5G and LTE networks, low-latency mobile edge computing (MEC), and geolocation technology to send alerts, messages and data between connected vehicles and infrastructure in near real time.
    • Acts as an ecosystem enabler, offering automakers, technology developers, and governments a foundation for the development of intelligent transportation use cases.
    • Current use cases include vulnerable road user awareness, roadway and weather condition alerts, and intersection traffic-signal information to help improve traffic efficiency and enable safer road use.
    • Uses a virtual architecture that reduces the need for costly physical roadside units, alleviating financial burdens for DOTs and municipal governments.

    NEW YORK, NY — Verizon Business has commercially launched Edge Transportation Exchange, a mobile-network vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication platform for connected vehicles, with multiple customers already signed on. Following a successful 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) joint demonstration, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), and Volkswagen Group of America (VW) have begun using the platform.

    The Edge Transportation Exchange solution allows vehicles to communicate and share important data with each other, pedestrians, and connected roadway infrastructure such as traffic signals, in near real time. The 5GAA joint demonstration included use cases such as informing drivers about vulnerable road users, dangerous weather and roadway conditions, and traffic signal phase and timing at intersections.

    In addition to these capabilities, Edge Transportation Exchange serves as an API-driven platform for collaborative innovation between automakers, technology developers, and municipal governments, who can leverage the mobile-network V2X technology to scale existing connected solutions or innovate new technology for road-user safety and satisfaction. Development and collaboration is convenient and centralized through the Verizon ThingSpace IoT platform.

    “Cars are evolving from mechanical vehicles to software-defined mobile devices with the ability to leverage incredible connected technology. Edge Transportation Exchange leverages that technology to give automakers, governments, and tech developers a robust platform for building out the cellular-connected future of transportation — with visibility and reliability for all road users top of mind,” said Shamik Basu, Vice President, Strategic Connectivity & IoT, Verizon Business.

    The robust integrated solution combines Verizon’s 5G and LTE mobile networks, Verizon 5G Edge mobile edge compute, and geolocation technology enhanced with Verizon Hyper Precise Location. It uses a virtual architecture that reduces the need for costly physical roadside radio units, alleviating financial burdens for DOTs and municipal governments. The data and communication capabilities from these combined technologies and environments contribute to a feature-rich, mobile network-based V2X ecosystem that users can leverage for near term applications and long term innovation at scale.

    How Users are Deploying Edge Transportation Exchange

    ACA was first to sign on as a platform partner for Edge Transportation Exchange, advancing from trial use to production. ACA is Arizona’s leading economic development organization, working collaboratively with the University of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Transportation, and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation and state and local agencies to develop new use cases and leverage existing ones — including pedestrian detection and upcoming work zone notifications — to make Arizona roadway users safer and better connected.

    DelDOT is conducting technical testing across multiple communication technologies and architectures to optimize V2X message delivery. Primary use cases being studied include red-light warnings, water-on-road warnings, and vulnerable road user (VRU) alerts to drivers.

    VW will explore use cases such as pedestrian awareness and payment applications for expedited tolling.

    Rutgers University CAIT is deploying Edge Transportation Exchange at the DataCity Smart Mobility Testing Ground, a collaborative program with Middlesex County and in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The 2.5-mile living laboratory is equipped with self-driving-grade sensing, computing, and V2X communication technologies to facilitate the testing of Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) and Smart City technologies. Rutgers CAIT is using the platform to further develop virtualized cellular messaging architectures for cost-effective support of multiple CAV applications, including intersection safety, congestion mitigation, queue warning, and incident and work zone management.

    Rutgers CAIT is also researching school-zone safety applications, utilizing Edge Transportation Exchange to help deliver near real-time alerts to pedestrians and incoming vehicles at intersections with heavy school crossings, improving safety for K-12 students, their families, and crossing guards.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Trimble

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Trimble

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Trimble

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in Trimble County to offer in-person support to Kentucky uninsured and underinsured survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in Trimble County is located at: Trimble County Board of Education, 116 Wentworth Avenue, Bedford, KY 40006Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Eastern Time, Sunday

    Disaster Recovery Centers are one-stop shops where you can get information and advice on available assistance from state, federal and community organizations

     You can get help to apply for FEMA assistance, learn the status of your FEMA application, understand the letters you get from FEMA and get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance

    The U

    S

    Small Business Administration representatives and resources from the Commonwealth are also available at the Disaster Recovery Centers to assist you

    FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

     
    martyce

    allenjr
    Wed, 06/04/2025 – 17:47

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Calloway

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Calloway

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Calloway

    FRANKFORT, Ky

    –A Disaster Recovery Center has opened in Calloway County to offer in-person support to Kentucky uninsured and underinsured survivors who experienced loss as the result of the April severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides

    The new Disaster Recovery Center in Calloway County is located at: Calloway County Courthouse Annex, 201 S

    4th St

    , Murray, KY 42071 Working hours are 9 a

    m

    to 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Monday through Saturday and 1 – 7 p

    m

    Central Time, Sunday

    Disaster Recovery Centers are one-stop shops where you can get information and advice on available assistance from state, federal and community organizations

     You can get help to apply for FEMA assistance, learn the status of your FEMA application, understand the letters you get from FEMA and get referrals to agencies that may offer other assistance

    The U

    S

    Small Business Administration representatives and resources from the Commonwealth are also available at the Disaster Recovery Centers to assist you

    FEMA is encouraging Kentuckians affected by the April storms to apply for federal disaster assistance as soon as possible

    The deadline to apply is June 25

    You can visit any Disaster Recovery Center to get in-person assistance

    No appointment is needed

    To find all other center locations, including those in other states, go to fema

    gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362

     You don’t have to visit a center to apply for FEMA assistance

    There are other ways to apply: online at DisasterAssistance

    gov, use the FEMA App for mobile devices or call 800-621-3362

    If you use a relay service, such as Video Relay Service (VRS), captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA the number for that service

    When you apply, you will need to provide:A current phone number where you can be contacted

    Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying

    Your Social Security Number

    A general list of damage and losses

    Banking information if you choose direct deposit

    If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name

    For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4860 and www

    fema

    gov/disaster/4864

    Follow the FEMA Region 4 X account at x

    com/femaregion4

     
    martyce

    allenjr
    Wed, 06/04/2025 – 17:44

    MIL OSI USA News –