NewzIntel.com

Category: Commerce

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Have you paid your super guarantee entitlements?

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    If you hire staff, you need to pay your eligible workers’ super guarantee (SG) in full, on time and to the right fund by 28 July.

    You need to allow extra time for the payments to reach your employees’ super funds if you’re using a commercial clearing house. Payments are only considered ‘paid’ when the super fund receives them.

    The SG rate increased from 11.5% to 12% on 1 July 2025. For the quarter ending 30 June, apply the 11.5% SG rate for payments made before 1 July
    You’ll need to apply the 12% rate for all salary and wages paid to eligible workers on and after 1 July. This is even if some or all of the pay period it relates to is before 1 July.

    Read our simple checks for super success checklist for help meeting your super obligations.

    Keep up to date

    We’ve set up tailored communication channels for small businesses. They will keep you updated on important information and changes.

    Read more articles in our Small business newsroom.

    Subscribe to our free to our monthly Small business email newsletterExternal Link

    Get email notifications about new and updated information on our website. You can choose to receive updates that matter to you. Select the ‘Business and organisations’ category. This way, your subscription will get notifications for more Small business newsroom articles like this one.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Dingell, Pallone, Whitehouse Reintroduce Legislation to Strengthen Medicaid and CHIP, Provide Continuous Coverage for Enrollees

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (12th District of Michigan)

    Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, reintroduced the Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act to provide 12 months of continuous coverage for individuals receiving health care through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Currently, millions of Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries are at risk for losing health coverage each year due to short-term changes in income as well as burdensome paperwork or administrative requirements. These bureaucratic burdens result in significant churn of individuals on and off Medicaid and CHIP and serve as a barrier to effective coordination of care and preventative health care. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced a companion bill.
     
    “No one should lose access to health care because of bureaucratic delays,” said Congresswoman Dingell. “Especially at a time when Medicaid is facing the biggest cuts in history, it’s more important than ever that we prevent people from losing coverage and slipping through the cracks due to paperwork and red tape. This legislation will guarantee 12 months of continuous coverage for the most vulnerable Americans, improving access to consistent, quality healthcare that results in better health outcomes.”

    “Republicans’ Big, Beautiful-for-Billionaires Bill will destabilize Rhode Island hospitals and entire health care systems with cruel and dangerous cuts to Medicaid, all so they can fund even more tax giveaways to big corporations and their billionaire donors,” said Senator Whitehouse.  “I’m glad to join Congresswoman Dingell in introducing this bill to cut red tape and strengthen Medicaid for the Rhode Islanders who rely on it for childbirth, addiction treatment, nursing home care, and so much more.”

    Nearly 80 million Americans – including 2.3 million Michiganders – are enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Medicaid is the largest public health insurance program in the United States. It provides funding to states for services at nursing homes, doctors’ offices, and hospitals for low-income elderly adults, children, pregnant women, veterans, and people with disabilities. Medicaid is the single-largest payer of long-term care and provides critical home health and school-based services as well as addiction and mental health services.

    The Stabilize Medicaid and CHIP Coverage Act extends twelve months of guaranteed coverage to all individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.  The legislation would ensure that once enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP, an individual retains their eligibility for 12 months regardless of fluctuations in income. Without this provision, beneficiaries can lose their eligibility for Medicaid because of short-term changes in income (e.g. a seasonal position) when income may briefly exceed 138% of the federal poverty level ($1,800/month for a single person). Guaranteeing a 12-month enrollment period smooths this cliff, ensuring beneficiaries do not lose their coverage until they are reevaluated at the next renewal.

    Dingell introduced the legislation as congressional Republicans try to pass their reconciliation bill that would rip health coverage away from 16 million Americans, without doing anything meaningful to address health fraud, which they claim is their goal. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has found that virtually all of the health care cuts in the legislation would actually come from families that count on Medicaid losing their coverage or benefits.  If the reconciliation bill passes, it would be the largest cut to American health care in history – all to fund tax breaks that would make the country’s richest people richer.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Northland News – Te Aupōuri wins big at 2025 Whakamānawa ā Taiao – Environmental Awards

    Source: Northland Regional Council

    After years of protecting and reinvigorating the vast and variable whenua of their beloved Te Aupōuri, Oranga Whenua Oranga Tangata Taiao’s hard mahi has paid off, winning two top awards at this year’s Northland Regional Council Whakamānawa ā Taiao – Environmental Awards.
    Te Rūnanga Nui O Te Aupōuri’s kaitiaki arm, Oranga Whenua Oranga Tangata Taiao, were the big winners of Thursday night’s biennial awards ceremony held at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, taking out not only the Kaitiakitanga award, but the overall Te Tohu Matua- Supreme Award (subs: Thursday, June 26).
    Over the past several years, the team of 12 has installed 16,250 meters of fencing, restored 0.625 hectares of wetland, planted more than 120,000 native plants and captured 2288 invasive species.
    During that time, they also developed essential work skills and achieved significant conservation outcomes, like bringing back the critically endangered Ultriculis australis and declining long-fin tuna.
    Their ‘holistic approach to protecting te taiao’, award judges said, had resulted in significantly improving the wellbeing of their whenua.
    The judges were also impressed at how their kaupapa had strengthened connections between their iwi and their whenua, had fostered environmental awareness amongst local kura and engaged the community in sustainable land management practices.
    Oranga Whenua Oranga Tangata Taiao lead Niki Conrad says the group is happy and humbled by the accolades.
    “A lot of people are doing some really good work out there and it’s great to be recognised, especially when we are from way up north and a lot of our work is behind the scenes.”
    “We’re sticking true to our kaupapa and all our kaimahi are invested in it.” 
    The awards – held for the sixth time – recognise individuals, groups and organisations making a difference for Northland’s environment.
    According to the judges, competition was fierce across all award categories this year thanks to the high calibre of applications.
    Council Deputy Chair Tui Shortland says she is excited to see the number of incredible projects protecting te taiao across Northland and that the awards are NRC’s way of recognising and celebrating that kaitiakitanga in action.
    Councillor Shortland also congratulated the Oranga Whenua Oranga Tangata Taiao team and says she commended them for the important improvement to the wellbeing of their lands, which were of cultural, social, and environmental significance.
    “Oranga Whenua Oranga Tangata have created employment opportunities for 12 local Te Aupouri iwi members, developing essential skills and achieving notable conservation outcomes,” Shortland says.
    “The project has also involved whānau, hapū, and iwi and enhanced self-confidence, pride, and well-being through activities that deepen understanding of whakapapa, tūpuna heritage, and historical sites.
    “They have also collaborated with Te Kura o Te Kao to carve and erect pou at significant sites, which further underscores their commitment to cultural preservation and environmental stewardship.”
    Other winners:
    Piroa Conservation Trust; Environmental action in water quality improvement.
    The Piroa Conservation Trust is a coalition of over 30 community-led conservation groups dedicated to restoring biodiversity in Bream Bay and surrounding areas.
    The group demonstrated lots of measurable outcomes, high levels of community involvement and an impressive scope of initiatives.
    These included riparian planting (with 10,000 plants already in the ground), water quality testing, wetland restoration and fencing were key to the success of the Wai Tuwhera project, with water quality data being consistently measured.
    The trust has strong relationships with iwi, hapū and community groups, working with Patuharakeke and in partnership with Whitebait Connection and NZ Landcare Trust, and has been thoughtful in seeking ways to engage directly with farmers.   
    A strong focus on educational outreach, including workshops and school programmes, has raised awareness and educated the community about the importance of water quality.
    The trust has also been active on social media, ensuring their activities gain recognition across Te Taitokerau and thought of innovations to develop their reach, for example distributing “riparian gift packs”.
    Trustee and group founder Ann Neill says winning the award is an amazing privilege.
    Highly commended in the water quality category was Tiaki Nga Wai O Hokianga.
    Weed Action Native Habitat Restoration Trust; Environmental action in the community.
    The trust’s application demonstrates the depth of its engagement and success in drawing in the community to its mahi. Its range covers a very wide geographic area and it is tackling a huge weed control problem – this is a massive commitment and requires an enormous amount of work. 
     The trust has made great connections across the community and has a very good relationship with iwi/hapū, including with Aki Tai Here. They have a good set of well-recorded measurable outcomes.
    Trust ecological advisor Mike Urlich says the recognition had left him “a bit emotional and just really stoked”. “It’s an acknowledgement of all the hard work that goes on.”
    Highly commended in the environmental action in the community category were Tiaki Nga Wai O Hokianga, Bream Head Conservation Trust Reserve Revegetation and Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi.
    Project Island Song; Environmental action to protect native life.
    This project has had an undoubted impact over time, having achieved 15 years of pest-free status and 40,000 trees planted. Long-term commitment is evident and the group’s mahi has made a huge difference to Pewhairangi Bay of Islands. 
    The group works with school groups, individuals, families and businesses and in partnership with hapū and the governing committee. The school involvement was especially inspirational, particularly with the small, isolated schools. 
    The group is working on pest control, returning lost species and clearly making good progress on tackling weeds too. 
    Project Island Song chair William Fuller says the group enjoys good community support and puts the group’s success down to the hard work of hundreds of volunteers over many years. “Everyone has a passion for restoring the bird song.”
    Highly commended in the environmental action to protect native life category were Piroa Conservation Trust, Weed Action Native Habitat Restoration Trust and Jill Mortensen. 
    Bay of Islands International Academy; Environmental action in education.
    This entry demonstrated an outstanding holistic approach, involving all levels and curriculum areas across the school and throughout their local community and hapū. The academy has successfully woven te ao Māori and sustainability throughout its mahi. 
    It was impressive to note the impact on students, who have been empowered to take ownership of environmental change. The academy has also ensured a multi-generational approach by enabling older students to teach younger students and enabling kaumatua as expert helpers. Its trapping programme is extensive.
    Spokesperson Lucy Miller says winning the award was a surprise but felt it was well-deserved.
    “All the kids have been taught to be kaitiaki of their land, the ocean that’s near them and to look after Purerua Peninsula.”
    Highly commended in the environmental action in education category were Whangārei Girls’ High School, Hurupaki School and Te Kura O Hato Hohepa Te Kamura.
    Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust; environmental leadership.
    Mountains to Sea has a broad focus on freshwater and marine ecosystems and the connection between them. Its application stood out for its very strong community partnerships, commitment to education and the cross-community development it fosters throughout its mahi. 
    The freshwater habitat restoration undertaken through its īnanga spawning program has had a huge impact – on protecting biodiversity across Te Taitokerau and enabling a widespread and consistent community engagement programme that upskills and inspires. The trust has active partnerships with iwi, hapū and schools and facilitate high levels of community volunteering.
    Spokesperson Kim Jones says people are doing some amazing work around Te Taitokerau and for the trust to be recognised with the award was awesome, amazing and humbling.
    Highly commended in this category was The Love Bittern Project.
    Earth Buddies; Youth Environmental Leader.
    Earth Buddies is an inspiring youth-led education programme designed and delivered by 25 students from Whangārei Girls’ High School’s kaiarahi (prefect) team and Environmental Committee. 
    The students have formed a partnership with Whangārei Primary School to provide bi-weekly environmental lessons to more than 150 students in Years 3 and 4. The lessons cover topics such as composting, climate change, and pest management.  
    Through these engaging sessions, the secondary students are not only helping to develop critical thinking in the younger generation but are also strengthening their own environmental knowledge. This initiative goes beyond the classroom by encouraging families to adopt eco-friendly practices and inviting parents/caregivers to take part in activities. 
    In helping to educate the next generation, Earth Buddies is contributing to long-term conservation and climate mitigation efforts in Whangārei and is a programme that could be replicated in other communities. 
    Group leader Stella Moreton says the group is very honoured and excited to be recognised.
    Highly commended in this category were Roman Makara – Taiao Club and India Clarke.
    Te Rūnanga Nui o Te Aupōuri – Oranga Whenua Oranga Tangata Taiao Team; Kaitiakitanga.
    Highly commended in this category were Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust – Te Pou Taiao, Ngā Kaitiaki o te Ahi and Ngā Kaitiaki O Ngā Wai Māori.
    Tū Mai Rā Energy Northland; environmental action in business.
    Tū Mai Rā offers solar power solutions, aiming to harness the energy of the sun – Tū Mai Rā means to ‘Stand before the sun’. 
    This entry demonstrated commitment to the community – Tū Mai Rā is not subject to a regulatory requirement to provide electricity, it is doing it to benefit the community. This will have a positive impact on many people by improving climate resilience, and community resilience during natural hazards. A greater uptake of renewable energy will reduce greenhouse gases and resilience will be improved in remote areas. 
    Tū Mai Rā Energy is also providing employment and upskilling opportunities for locals, bringing more benefits to the community. Tū Mai Rā is an excellent application, which is portrayed by its achievement as the winners of the Tai Tokerau Māori Business Merit Award and receiving highly commended in the climate change category as well.
    Company director Ella Te Huia says keeping true to yourselves and what you believe in is the right thing to do.
    Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust – Te Pou Taiao; environmental action to address climate change.
    Te Pou Taiao o Patuharakake (TPT) is preparing and supporting its people to adapt to a changing climate by equipping them with the tools and strategies to do so. 
    TPT has harnessed technology to begin to address the climate crisis and has developed a climate change risk assessment tool to visually illustrate the risks to Patuharekeke rohe. The toolbox features sea level rise modelling and identifies coastal flood hazard zones and erosion prone land. 
    The toolbox will be used to inform the Patuharakeke Hapū Environmental Management Plan (which is currently in its draft phase), incorporating both mātauranga Māori and western science within mitigation, adaptation and resilience strategies. 
    The levels of community engagement are excellent and its passion shines through in the application. Its approach to developing climate resilience through holistic thinking is impressive.
    Trust pou hautu Juliane Chetham says the trust has a fantastic team and sees a lot of young rangatahi taking a leadership role which is appropriate in the climate change arena.
    Highly commended in this category was Tū Mai Rā Energy Northland. 
    Piroa Conservation Trust; winner Kiwi Coast Special Award.
    Piroa Conservation Trust is a collaborative, forward thinking group which incorporates hapū, schools, community, DOC, businesses and a team of volunteers.
    A strong governance has helped guide direction to become a broad conservation group at the southern area of Northland. The vision for expansion of pest control and kiwi habitat will help the long-term survival of kiwi in Te Tai Tokerau, Northland.
    Project Island Song was highly commended in this category. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Changes to income tax return amendment period for business

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    Businesses with an annual aggregated turnover of less than $50 million now have up to 4 years from the date of their tax return assessment to request amendments. This applies to assessments for the 2024-25 and later income years.

    If you make a mistake on a tax return and need to request an amendment, you should lodge your requests well before the end of the amendment period to make sure we can process it within the time limit.

    You should keep accurate and complete records to support your amendment request.

    For more information about amending income tax returns, visit Request an amendment to a business or super tax return or speak to your registered tax practitioner.

    Keep up to date

    We’ve set up tailored communication channels for small businesses. They will keep you updated on important information and changes.

    Read more articles in our Small business newsroom.

    Subscribe to our free to our monthly Small business email newsletterExternal Link

    Get email notifications about new and updated information on our website. You can choose to receive updates that matter to you. Select the ‘Business and organisations’ category. This way, your subscription will get notifications for more Small business newsroom articles like this one.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Small business tax questions answered by joining ATO Community

    Source: New places to play in Gungahlin

    That’s where ATO Community comes in. It’s the ATO’s online forum for general advice and support that can help with understanding your obligations.

    Whether you’re unsure about GSTExternal Link, PAYG Instalments, or when you need to pay superExternal Link, the community is ready to answer your questions. No jargon, no long waits – just practical advice to support you on your business journey.

    ATO Community also has a growing library of easy-to-read articlesExternal Link. It covers a wide range of topics tailored to small businesses. Our Getting your business ready for tax and superExternal Link article is a great place to start. It covers everything from structuring your business, to what you need to report to the ATO and the records you must keep.

    If you’ve got questions this tax time, simply head to ATO communityExternal Link to join and ask a question.

    Keep up to date

    We’ve set up tailored communication channels for small businesses. They will keep you updated on important information and changes.

    Read more articles in our Small business newsroom.

    Subscribe to our free to our monthly Small business email newsletterExternal Link.

    Get email notifications about new and updated information on our website. You can choose to receive updates that matter to you. Select the ‘Business and organisations’ category. This way, your subscription will get notifications for more Small business newsroom articles like this one.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Defense and Technology – Pacific Defense Secures Launch for MOSA Space RF Payload

    Source: Pacific Defense

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Pacific Defense, the leading provider of Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) products, announced it has secured the inaugural launch for its Moonraker MOSA space Radio Frequency (RF) payload on board the K2 Space Gravitas Mission in February 2026. The mission includes a series of multi-orbit Space Situational Awareness (SSA) demonstrations showcasing the payload’s mission flexibility.

    Moonraker is a RF sensing and high-performance computing (HPC) Payload for Space Situational Awareness (SSA). The payload demonstrates the rapidly deliverable, mission-flexible modular open systems approach (MOSA).

    Moonraker is a 3U Open VPX multi-function, RF payload with application software capable of performing a range of RF missions that fundamentally changes the cost, schedule, and deployment concept for responsive space missions. Designed for SSA, Moonraker payload architecture fully supports a range of receive and transmit Electromagnetic Spectrum Operation (EMSO) functions to command the electromagnetic operational environment.

    “We’re thrilled to take the United States Department of Defense’s MOSA initiative to new heights with Moonraker,” said Bryan Terlecky, Vice President of Space Systems at Pacific Defense. “As global space competition intensifies, there is a pressing need for adaptable, software-driven solutions that can rapidly evolve to counter emerging threats. This mission marks a significant step in our commitment to providing innovative and flexible solutions for space control”.

    The on-orbit demonstration, being completed under a contract with the Air Force Research Lab/Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), is a critical milestone for Pacific Defense’s Space MOSA payloads and will inform future operational systems. For more information, please visit Space Systems (ref. https://www.pacific-defense.com/space-systems?utm_source=Business+Wire&utm_medium=Press+Release&utm_campaign=MoonrakerLaunch )

    About Pacific Defense

    Pacific Defense is purpose-built to drive the open systems transformation necessary to unlock rapid innovation and the power of commercial technology. Specializing in C5ISR and Electronic Warfare (EW) solutions for mission-critical environments, Pacific Defense leverages Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) standards to deliver innovative, adaptable technology that enables faster response to emerging threats and evolving mission requirements. Learn more at https://pacific-defense.com 

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Stats NZ media information release: Annual enterprise survey: 2024 financial year (provisional)

    Annual enterprise survey: 2024 financial year (provisional) – information release

    27 June 2025

    The annual enterprise survey (AES) is New Zealand’s most comprehensive source of financial statistics covering more than 500,000 businesses. It provides annual information on the financial performance and financial position for industry groups operating in New Zealand.

    Key facts
    Provisional results for all AES industries are for the 2024 financial year, compared with the 2023 financial year.

    • Total income increased by $51 billion (5.5 percent) to $980 billion.
    • Total expenditure increased by $26 billion (3.1 percent) to $857 billion.
    • Businesses earned $121 billion in surplus before income tax – up $16 billion (15 percent). This increase was mainly driven by non-operating activity, with non-operating income increasing, and non-operating expenses decreasing.
    • Operating surplus (excludes non-operating income and expenses) increased by $5.0 billion (4.9 percent) to $108 billion. This was driven by a $12 billion increase in operating surplus for the financial and insurance services industries.
    • Total assets increased by $99 billion (3.5 percent) to $2.9 trillion.
    • Businesses made a 4 percent return on assets – unchanged from 2023.

    Visit our website to read this information release and to download CSV files:

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rosen, Blunt Rochester Lead Coalition of Senators in Condemning Trump Administration For Rescinding Approval of High-Speed Internet Funding for Nevada

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)

    Senators Will Delay Department Of Commerce Nominees Until States Receive Funding.
    WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) led over a dozen of their Senate colleagues in a letter condemning the Trump Administration’s reckless decision to rescind approval for states to receive their share of Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funding. The BEAD program was created to connect families in the hardest-to-serve communities to high-speed internet and close the digital divide. The Trump Administration’s new guidance rescinded the final approval of three states, including Nevada and Delaware, and forces all states to redo burdensome steps in their processes, hindering states’ ability to connect communities to high-speed internet. In their letter, the Senators committed to blocking all related Department of Commerce nominees until states receive their full BEAD allocation.
    Senators Rosen and Blunt Rochester were joined by Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Mark Warner (D-VA).
    “We write to express our deep concern with the recent guidance the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) issued regarding the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. This guidance will add needless delay to connecting millions of Americans to high-speed internet, while going against Congressional intent and betraying unconnected Americans in the process,” wrote the Senators. “Until states receive the entire amount of BEAD funds they are owed, including nondeployment funds, we will not consent to expedited consideration of any related Commerce Department nominees on the Senate floor.”
    “With three states fully approved and ready to put shovels in the ground and 42 other states having completed or started the process of receiving project bids and selecting BEAD subgrantees, NTIA’s new guidance upends years of work and threatens to delay the program at a critical point… Simply claiming states will be able to comply with NTIA’s new requirements within 90 days does not make it true,” the Senators’ letter continued. “With this in mind, we implore you to provide states with the maximum flexibility possible and ensure states receive the full amount of funding they are owed. Should you fail to do so, we will continue to block the expeditious advancement of all Commerce Department nominees overseeing broadband policy, along with any related nominees.”
    The full text of the letter can be found HERE.
    Senator Rosen has been a strong advocate for expanding high-speed internet access in Nevada and nationwide. Senator Rosen worked across party lines to help create the BEAD program, having helped write the broadband section of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which secured $65 billion in nationwide investments to make high-speed internet affordable for Americans. She also successfully pushed the Federal Communications Commission to update its deeply flawed National Broadband Map and ensure Nevada receives its fair share of BEAD funding. After reports that the Trump Administration was rescinding the approval of BEAD funding, Senator Rosen blasted the Trump Administration for its wrongheaded decision and announced that she would block nominees to the Department of Commerce.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Semaglutide (Wegovy) for weight loss

    Source: PHARMAC

    New GLP-1 agonist (Wegovy) approved for use in New Zealand.

    Semaglutide (Wegovy/Ozempic) approved for use

    In June 2025, Medsafe approved semaglutide (Wegovy) for use in New Zealand for weight loss. Semaglutide has been approved to treat type 2 diabetes, under the name Ozempic, since 2023. 

    Datasheet for Wegovy | Medsafe [PDF](external link)

    Consumer information sheet for Wegovy | Medsafe [PDF](external link)

    Semaglutide is not funded

    Semaglutide is not funded by Pharmac for either type 2 diabetes (Ozempic) or weightloss (Wegovy). Pharmac has not received an application to fund semaglutide for either weightloss or type 2 diabetes. If we do receive an application, you can find it in our application tracker.

    Semaglutide applications in the application tracker(external link)

    Any application would need to go through our standard process. It would need to be prioritised against all other applications to fund medicines. 

    Pharmac’s funding process

    How much will semaglutide cost me?

    If a health care professional prescribes Wegovy for you, you will need to pay for it. Pharmac does not control this price. You would need to discuss with your pharmacy how much that might be. 

    Medicines funded to treat type 2 diabetes

    Both dulaglutide (Trulicity) and liraglutide (Victoza) are funded for people with type 2 diabetes, who meet the funding criteria. These medicines are also GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide.

    Funding had been restricted to help manage a supply issue, but supply has returned to normal so people can be started on these medicines to treat their diabetes. 

    If you have type 2 diabetes, talk to a health care professional whether one of these medicines might be right for you.

    Who to contact

    Your health care team are in the best place to discuss whether any of these medicines are right for you.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: LEMOYNE – Shapiro Administration Continues to Stand Up for Pennsylvania Farmers and Businesses Who Will be Hurt by Proposed Federal SNAP Funding Cuts

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    June 27, 2025 – Lemoyne, PA

    ADVISORY – LEMOYNE – Shapiro Administration Continues to Stand Up for Pennsylvania Farmers and Businesses Who Will be Hurt by Proposed Federal SNAP Funding Cuts

    Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding will join agriculture and manufacturing leaders and farmers at Karns Foods to bring attention to the potentially devastating implications of proposed federal funding cuts for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and how they will hurt Pennsylvania farmers, food businesses, and families.

    Media are invited to attend the press conference at the grocery store to hear directly from Secretary Redding and those who will be harmed by federal funding cuts proposed by Congress.

    The event will highlight the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to fighting hunger in Pennsylvania while supporting our farmers, manufacturing, and agriculture industry and holding government accountable. Governor Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 proposed budget increases investments to help end hunger and support farms across Pennsylvania.

    WHO:
    Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding
    State Representative Nate Davidson
    Karns Foods Board Chairman Scott Karns
    Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association Communications Director John Zimmerman
    Local farmers

    WHEN:
    Friday, June 27, 2025, at 10:30 AM

    WHERE:
    Karns Foods
    1023 State Street
    Lemoyne, PA 17043

    RSVP:
    Press attending should RSVP with news outlet and photographer and reporter names to aginfo@pa.gov “.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI Recommit Efforts to Protect Elder Americans From Fraud and Other Abuse

    Source: US FBI

    LAS VEGAS – The month of June is World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada and the FBI Las Vegas Division are reinvigorating its efforts to protect older citizens from fraudulent and other criminal schemes that cost the United States billions of dollars and threaten to victimize over 100,000 elder Americans each year. 

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protect our seniors from fraudulent schemes targeting their hearts and bank accounts,” said United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “We will continue to work with our partners at the FBI and other partner agencies to investigate and prosecute financial exploitation crimes and bring criminals to justice.”

    “It is essential that we educate the public, specifically our seniors, about the devastating effects of elder fraud schemes,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafik Mattar for the FBI Las Vegas Division. “These schemes are critical to protecting them and their hard-earned money. The far-reaching consequences of these elaborate schemes can decimate the life savings of elderly individuals. The FBI works with our local and federal partners to ensure that our seniors, their caregivers, families, and friends know the signs to look for to keep Americans safe from falling victim to these deceitful criminals.”

    Romance Fraud

    United States v. Aurora Phelps. A 21-count superseding indictment charged Aurora Phelps, who has residences in Las Vegas and Guadalajara, Mexico, for allegedly luring older men she met through online dating services and stealing their monies for her personal benefit. In September 2023, a grand jury indicted Phelps with seven counts of wire fraud; three counts of mail fraud; six counts of bank fraud; three counts of identity theft; one count of kidnapping; and one count of kidnapping resulting in death. Phelps is currently in custody in Mexico.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    National Elder Fraud Hotline

    If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

    More information about the department’s efforts to help older Americans is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage, which can be found at elderjustice.gov. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, at www.ovc.gov.

    ###

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House Passes LaLota-Backed Bill Requiring Dating Apps to Warn Users of Fraud

    Source: US Representative Nick LaLota (NY-01)

    Washington, D.C. — Congressman Nick LaLota (Suffolk County, NY) released the following statement after voting to pass the bipartisan H.R. 2481 Romance Scam Prevention Act, a bill requiring dating apps to label profiles and usernames which have been banned for fraud while empowering the Federal Trade Commission and state attorney generals to enforce this requirement. 

    “Too many Americans—especially seniors and vulnerable individuals—are being targeted by online predators who exploit trust and loneliness to steal life savings. The Romance Scam Prevention Act brings common-sense safeguards that empower users and help stop these heartbreaking crimes before they start,” said Rep. LaLota. “By passing this bill, the House is sending a clear message: we will not sit by while criminals use digital platforms to defraud the innocent. I’m proud to support this bipartisan step to protect our communities and hold scammers accountable.”

    To read the full text of the resolution, click HERE. 

    Background:

    Romance scams are among the fastest-growing forms of online fraud in the United States, contributing to a record $10 billion in reported consumer fraud losses in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC Data Spotlight, Feb. 2024). While younger adults report scams more frequently, particularly through online shopping, job, and cryptocurrency frauds, older Americans suffer the steepest financial losses, with victims aged 60 and older losing an average of nearly $34,000 in romance scams (FTC, Protecting Older Consumers Report, Oct. 2023). These scams often begin on dating apps or social media, where bad actors build fake profiles, foster emotional trust, and then manipulate victims into sending money or financial information. Once these fraudsters are removed from the platform, their victims—many of whom continue communication via text or email—are rarely informed, leaving them at serious ongoing risk.

    The Romance Scam Prevention Act (H.R. 2481), introduced by Rep. David Valadao and passed unanimously by the House in June 2025 (Congress.gov – H.R. 2481), aims to close that notification gap. The bill requires online dating services to send a “fraud ban notification” to any user who exchanged messages with a person later banned for suspected fraud. The notification must include the banned user’s profile name, the last time messages were exchanged, a warning about possible identity fraud, tips for avoiding scams, and a customer service contact. The bill gives enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general, and it sets a uniform federal standard that preempts inconsistent state laws (House Energy and Commerce Committee Summary). These safeguards are designed to help prevent fraud before it happens and to protect vulnerable users, especially seniors, from devastating financial and emotional harm.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Spare the Trees So Investors Can See the Forest: Remarks before the Executive Compensation Roundtable

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    Good afternoon. Thank you to Chairman Atkins for convening today’s roundtable and thank you to the moderators and panelists for joining us to discuss this important topic. On a recent trip to Alaska, one of the most striking sights was the rich forests of Sitka spruces clustering on steep mountainsides climbing up from the sea. I quickly stowed my binoculars in favor of taking in the whole scene. Absent a distinguishing feature—a different tree type, an intriguing root system, a bald eagle perched on its branches, or a bear lurking in its shade—the grandeur of the forest is lost when focusing on any one tree. Trying not to lose sight of the forest for the trees in beautiful Alaska brings me back to the ugly reality of executive compensation disclosure. Over the years, executive compensation disclosure has become increasingly unwieldy and expensive and decreasingly useful. The SEC’s rules focus excessively on random trees rather than giving a realistic view of the forest. They direct readers’ attention to a set of executive compensation items that, largely, entertain the onlooker rather than educate the investor. Preparing the lengthy and complex disclosures eats up lots of resources—management time and attention, attorneys’ and accountants’ billable hours, and even trees as pages of disclosures pile up—and distort corporate decision-making.

    Done right, disclosure rules are one form of investor protection. Material information provided to prospective investors arms them with “a rational basis to evaluate [a company and] its securities.”[1] My primary question for today’s panels is whether our current disclosure rules on executive compensation accomplish that goal.

    Some executive compensation rules seem more responsive to the general public’s curiosity than a genuine investor need for material information. Painstakingly calculated tallies of perks, like rides on the corporate jet, housing allowances for overseas assignments, or car services give us a tiny window into executives’ lives, but do little to fill out an investor’s picture of the company. Lately, our rulemakings have taken a “more is better” approach to executive compensation disclosure. These tack-on rules to the growing alphabet of Item 402 of Reg S-K—we are almost all the way through the alphabet[2]—do not provide new information. Instead, these rules re-package and re-present data that investors mostly already have. Or they add details that are immaterial. Do investors even look at this “new” information? And if they do, are we confident it gives them a rational basis to evaluate a security’s price?

    Consider, for example, pay ratio disclosure and pay-versus-performance disclosure. In his statement of dissent on the pay ratio rule, then Commissioner Dan Gallagher noted that it could have been “marginally less useless” if it were limited to U.S. full-time employees.[3] While not a ringing endorsement of the rule or any of its possible permutations, his comment highlights that even with respect to a rule mandated by Congress as this rule was, the Commission retains some latitude to implement it in the best way possible. More recently, pursuant to another Dodd-Frank mandate, the Commission adopted the pay-versus-performance rule. The overarching feedback I hear on the rule is that it is a regulatory “tax” on public companies without a corresponding benefit for investors. Management, and the high-priced consultants and lawyers they hire, spend hours preparing the various narratives, tables, and graphs that produce nothing but yawns of disinterest from investors.

    More concerning than the direct costs of producing executive compensation disclosures are the costs that arise from the distortion of corporate behavior in response to executive compensation disclosure mandates. Perhaps a company opts for a compensation scheme that is less effective at aligning incentives because of the way such a scheme will be reflected under SEC disclosure rules that do not necessarily represent economic reality. Or perhaps a company opts not to provide security for its executives because it appears in a laundry list of examples of perks in a 2006 Commission release that incidentally declines to define what a perk is.[4] Now may be time for the Commission to return to a more nuanced approach to personal security disclosure that considers the context in which those measures are provided.[5] Some companies have even gone so far as to eliminate perks altogether while offsetting such “cost-saving” measures with increases to base salaries. Executive compensation disclosure, along with other disclosures, should reflect rather than direct corporate actions.

    The age-old philosophical question is whether a falling tree makes a sound when nobody is around to hear it. The more relevant and less philosophical question for today’s discussion is if the disclosures we are mandating do not provide investors a rational basis to assess a company, why mandate them at all? I look forward to hearing from today’s moderators and panelists about how we can improve our executive compensation mandates so that they serve investors.

     

    [1] Alan B. Levenson, The Role of the SEC as a Consumer Protection Agency, 27 Bus. Law. 61, 62  (1971) (“The economic justification for disclosure as the keystone of investor protection lies in the belief that material corporate and financial information disseminated to prospective investors provides a rational basis to evaluate securities and this is a necessary precondition to efficient markets.”).

    [2] Executive compensation disclosure mandates run from Regulation S-K 402(a) to 402(x).

    [5] Disclosure of Management Remuneration, 43 Fed. Reg. 6,060, 6,063 (Feb. 13, 1978) (“The taking of various security measures for the protection of executives may not result in any remuneration to such executive if the individual’s life has been threatened because of his position in the company or if the company reasonably believes that the individual’s safety is in jeopardy.”), https://archives.federalregister.gov/issue_slice/1978/2/13/6057-6065.pdf#page=4.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Announces Plan to Introduce Bill Authorizing Trade Agreement Negotiations With the Middle East

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell

    06.26.25

    Cantwell Announces Plan to Introduce Bill Authorizing Trade Agreement Negotiations With the Middle East

    ‘I believe we need more diplomatic solutions for the region, and I think trade could be a part of that,’ says Cantwell during Washington (DC) International Trade Association roundtable; Under bill from top Dem on the Commerce Committee, partner countries would need to join the Abraham Accords, support nuclear nonproliferation, and coordinate export controls

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, announced a plan to introduce legislation to authorize the administration to pursue negotiations of a trade agreement with the Middle East during a roundtable forum hosted by the Washington International Trade Association (WITA). The agreement would be focused on the information communications technology supply chain.

    “This week, obviously, the U.S. engaged in strikes on Iran to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas remains tenuous.

    “I believe we need more diplomatic solutions for the region, and I think trade could be a part of that,” Sen. Cantwell said.

    “Many countries in the Middle East want to diversify their economies and are interested in developing artificial intelligence. I will be introducing legislation to authorize the negotiations of a Middle East trade agreement, an agreement focused on information communication technology. It was built upon what Senators McCain and Baucus introduced 22 years ago to create a Middle East trade preference program in support of the U.S.-Middle East free trade area. I happened to travel to that area with them to talk about this.

    “The legislation that I’m considering would have requirements that partner countries join the Abraham Accords, normalize diplomatic relations with Israel, support reconstruction of Gaza, join in the efforts to support nuclear nonproliferation, and coordinate strong export controls.

    “I think these are the approaches that we should be taking in alliance-building.”

    Sen. Cantwell announced the details of her proposed legislation during a WITA-hosted forum at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., alongside former U.S. Trade Representatives Carla Hills (served under President George H.W. Bush) and Susan Schwab (served under President George W. Bush). Nasim Fussell, VP of Trade and International Policy at Business Roundtable, served as moderator.

    Video of the hourlong roundtable is HERE; a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s opening remarks is HERE.

    Sen. Cantwell is a longtime champion of free trade and opening up new global markets. In April, she introduced the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reaffirm Congress’ key role in setting and approving U.S. trade policy, and reestablish limits on the president’s ability to impose unilateral tariffs. Her bill has since picked up 12 additional cosponsors – an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats – and been endorsed by multiple major U.S. business organizations, including the National Retail Federation, which is the largest retail trade association in the world. House members also introduced a bipartisan companion bill, which is also cosponsored by an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Alto Ingredients, Inc. Names Gilbert Nathan Chair, Dianne Nury Vice-Chair and Elects Two New Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    – Jeremy T. Bezdek is a seasoned expert in energy transition –

    – Alan R. Tank has played pivotal roles in advancing renewable energy, including decarbonization –

    PEKIN, Ill., June 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO), leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels, and essential ingredients, named Gilbert Nathan Chair and Dianne Nury Vice-Chair of the board of directors and announced that Alan R. Tank and Jeremy T. Bezdek were elected as directors at the Company’s annual meeting on June 25th.

    “I am honored to serve as Chairman and look forward to working with the Board and management as we progress on our strategic initiatives to increase shareholder value,” said Gilbert Nathan, Chair of Alto Ingredients. “We welcome our new board members and are excited to add their wealth of experience and expertise.”

    “We are thrilled to welcome distinguished industry leaders to our board of directors,” said Bryon McGregor, CEO of Alto Ingredients. “As an entrepreneur, investor, and strategic advisor, Alan has played pivotal roles in advancing renewable energy, including decarbonization. Jeremy’s expertise in capital raising, complex transactions, and operational excellence will be invaluable as Alto Ingredients continues to expand our market presence. Together with the board, their vision and experience will be instrumental as we accelerate our growth strategy and advance our commitment to sustainability and innovation.”

    Jeremy T. Bezdek is an accomplished senior executive with three decades of experience in leadership, business development, M&A, strategy execution, project development, investment origination, finance and commercial roles across the energy, renewables, and advanced manufacturing sectors. He has large company and startup experience and served on ten boards of directors, both public and private, since 2010. As president and founder of Ad Astra Advisors, Mr. Bezdek provides strategic advisory services, guiding companies through strategy, complex transactions, growth, fundraising, and organizational priorities. Mr. Bezdek spent 26 years with Koch Industries in a variety of finance and commercial leadership roles, including managing director of Koch Strategic Platforms, an investment arm of Koch Investment Group. In that role, he led investments in the energy transition vertical for Koch Strategic Platforms. He spent most of his career at a Koch subsidiary Flint Hills Resources where he directed multi-billion-dollar investments and transformative growth initiatives. Under his leadership, the team was very active in acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures, as well as making multiple investments in early-stage development companies related to refining, biofuels and chemicals industries.

    Mr. Bezdek has a B.S. in Business Administration, concentration in finance, from the University of Kansas.

    Alan R. Tank brings more than three decades of executive leadership and board experience across the agriculture, food, and renewable energy sectors. Since 2024, Mr. Tank has served as an advisor to Mercator Partners, an asset management platform that invests in decarbonization opportunities. Since 2022, he has served as an advisor to Eion Corp, a carbon capture and removal company. Since 2017, he has served as an executive advisor to Blue Sea Capital, a private equity firm focusing on the industrial growth, aerospace and healthcare sectors. Since 2015, he has co-owned and managed Tank Brothers Farm/Tank Customs, his family farm in eastern Iowa, as its managing member. Until 2016, Mr. Tank served as chief executive officer and managing partner of Revolution Energy Solutions, a company he co-founded in 2006 that developed, owned and operated renewable energy/waste-to-energy projects on agricultural platforms in the US. In 2001, Mr. Tank also founded AgCert International, a world leader in the production and sale of agriculturally derived greenhouse gas emission reductions used to satisfy the Kyoto Protocol and European Union Emission Trading Scheme requirements and served as its chief executive officer until 2005. He serves on the board to WestMET Group and Victory Hemp Foods.

    Mr. Tank holds a B.S. in Animal Science, from Iowa State University.

    About Alto Ingredients, Inc.
    Alto Ingredients, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTO) is a leading producer and distributor of specialty alcohols, renewable fuels and essential ingredients. Leveraging the unique qualities of its facilities, the company serves customers in a wide range of consumer and commercial products in the Health, Home & Beauty; Food & Beverage; Industry & Agriculture; Essential Ingredients; and Renewable Fuels markets. For more information, please visit www.altoingredients.com. 

    Media and Company IR Contact:
    Michael Kramer, Alto Ingredients, Inc., 916-403-2755
    Investorrelations@altoingredients.com 

    IR Agency Contact:
    Kirsten Chapman, Alliance Advisors Investor Relations, 415-433-3777
    Investorrelations@altoingredients.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Brands want us to trust them. But as the SPF debacle shows, they need to earn it

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Paul Harrison, Director, Master of Business Administration Program (MBA); Co-Director, Better Consumption Lab, Deakin University

    It’s quite unsettling to discover something so central to our cultural rituals – the “slop” in the Aussie mantra of “Slip! Slop! Slap!” – can no longer be trusted.

    We’ve never really had to scrutinise sunscreen. We slop it on because Sid the Seagull (in his role as spokesbird for the Cancer Council) told us to. We’ve learned about sun protection factors (SPF) and made choices to protect ourselves. We do it because it works.

    Or so we thought.

    Consumer group Choice recently tested 20 sunscreen brands and found only four met their labelled SPF claims. The findings have shaken consumers’ trust in the brands that make these products, and perhaps, in the institutions responsible for regulating them.

    Trust is the silent architecture of our lives that makes everything from catching a bus to undergoing surgery feel possible. Indeed, we are born into trust. From infancy, we are wired to trust, first in our caregivers, then later in life in the cues and symbols such as endorsements, SPF ratings, brands or rankings that help us navigate a complex world.

    It’s also why we rarely read the fine print or terms and conditions.

    The original Sid the Seagull video from the Cancer Council.

    The role of power in trust relationships

    Trust, and its erosion in public life, has become such a critical issue that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has made it a focus of Friday’s Consumer Congress, titled “Who can we trust? Regulating in an environment of declining consumer trust”.

    Something that is often missed in discussions around trust is that it is also a social arrangement, shaped by power and vulnerability. Trust is nearly always asymmetric; those with the least power are usually required to place their trust first and most fully.

    The powerful rarely have to reciprocate that vulnerability. They hold the information, set the rules and shape the narrative. When things go wrong, the powerful often walk away relatively unscathed, while the vulnerable are left to navigate complex complaints or refund systems.

    Increasingly, we are told to be savvy, to read the fine print and to “do the research”.
    But putting the responsibility on the individual reframes structural failures as personal shortcomings. It places the burden of vigilance and scrutiny on people who lack the time or expertise to meaningfully assess risk.

    A breach of faith

    The issue is compounded by a wider trend across many businesses that have misread their relationship with consumers. Much of our trust in brands is automatic.

    We are more inclined to trust claims from familiar or warm-sounding sources, with research showing warmth comes first. People tend to judge others and institutions by their perceived warmth before considering their competence. So a brand that feels benevolent often earns our trust before we assess its actual performance.

    Qantas, a brand that built its entire identity around the idea that it was “us”, trashed our trust when it began acting like a transactional retail business, rather than one built on relationships.

    Management and the board failed to grasp they had been given something rare: a kind of cultural endearment underpinned by trust and perceived reciprocity that made Australians feel personally invested in its success.

    While Qantas does retain market share, the erosion of this emotional bond means many customers are more willing to try its competitors. It will struggle to rebuild that trust simply with price deals or heartstring-tugging ad campaigns.

    One of Qantas’ ad campaigns with an emotional appeal to customers.

    The response matters

    For organisations such as the Cancer Council, whose trustworthiness is built on moral authority, the response to failure matters deeply. Its decision to acknowledge the findings and commit to retesting was more than public relations. It was an act of relational repair.

    In contrast, some of the other corporate brands in the survey responded by disputing Choice’s methodology. That reveals an outdated corporate reflex – one that attacks the messenger rather than engaging with the message. This defensive posture reflects a mindset shaped more by legal risk and brand control than by public accountability or ethical responsibility.

    Still, individual responses are not enough. We need systems designed with human limits in mind. Trust cannot be sustained if it is constantly tested by complexity, misinformation and opaque accountability.

    Consumer bodies such as Choice provide a public service by filling the gap between what people assume and what they can verify. But more broadly, businesses and regulators must treat trust as a relationship, not a marketing goal.

    The system needs to prevent harm, not deal with the fallout

    Rebuilding trust means putting people at the centre of consumer regulation. A human-centred system does not treat people as problems to be managed. It treats them as participants in a shared moral project. It requires systems grounded in evidence, designed around real human behaviour and focused on preventing harm rather than managing fallout.

    One way to do this is through collaborative regulation. This approach brings together consumer representatives, regulators, behavioural experts and industry to design rules and standards that reflect how people actually behave (as opposed to how we hope they behave). This reduces asymmetries of power, and ensures trust is earned and maintained over time.

    This collaborative approach has been successfully adopted in local government and health. But it only works when collaboration is approached in good faith by all parties, not just a “tick-the-box” exercise.

    Of course, this approach runs counter to a legal system that tends to prioritise the system over the people it serves, and process over outcomes. But the goal shouldn’t be to force better ideas into outdated frameworks. Instead, we should design systems that lead to better outcomes for everyone.

    Paul Harrison has received research funding from ASIC, the Consumer Action Law Centre, ACCAN, Victorian Health Association, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

    – ref. Brands want us to trust them. But as the SPF debacle shows, they need to earn it – https://theconversation.com/brands-want-us-to-trust-them-but-as-the-spf-debacle-shows-they-need-to-earn-it-259565

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Massachusetts Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Lynnfield Strip Mall Fire

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Massachusetts of the July 28, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the Lynnfield strip mall fire occurring on  Sept. 10, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the Massachusetts counties of Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk as well as the New Hampshire counties of Hillsborough and Rockingham.

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

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

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

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

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

    The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 28, 2025.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Massachusetts Small Businesses and Private Nonprofits Affected by Lynnfield Strip Mall Fire

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Massachusetts of the July 28, 2025, deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset economic losses caused by the Lynnfield strip mall fire occurring on  Sept. 10, 2024.

    The disaster declaration covers the Massachusetts counties of Essex, Middlesex and Suffolk as well as the New Hampshire counties of Hillsborough and Rockingham.

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

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

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

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

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

    The deadline to return economic injury applications is July 28, 2025.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A foundation for the future: state breaks ground on affordable housing site in Stockton

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jun 26, 2025

    What you need to know: La Passeggiata on Lindsey Street in Stockton is the latest site to be transformed from excess, underutilized state land into affordable housing under Governor Newsom’s executive order.

    STOCKTON — Today, state leaders broke ground on a new affordable housing community in downtown Stockton. Through an executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, the former state-owned site will be turned into 94 homes for low-income households.

    “Once again, the Excess Sites program is helping transform state-owned land into something more: hope and stability for our state’s residents. California continues to lead by example in addressing the nation’s affordable housing crisis.”

    Governor Gavin Newsom

    The Excess Sites program is administered in partnership by the California Department of General Services (DGS) and the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). The program identifies state-owned land available and suitable for housing and creates a digital inventory of those properties through the State Excess Sites – Affordable Housing Opportunities Map Viewer. The sites are awarded to developers via a long-term ground lease allowing for low-cost development of affordable housing. This community is being developed by Visionary Home Builders of California.

    “The State’s Excess Sites program continues to transform neighborhoods across California by turning underutilized state property into affordable housing and revitalizing communities,” Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss said. “This energy-efficient project will reduce the community’s carbon footprint and breathe new life into Downtown Stockton with housing and services for families and seniors.”

    “Having grown up in Stockton, I am honored to be a part of this transformation to provide safe and stable housing for members of the community who need it most,” said Government Operations Secretary Nick Maduros. “This marks another step on California’s journey toward addressing housing needs while staying committed to our sustainability goals.”  
     

    Project details

    The plans for La Passeggiata at 622 East Lindsey Street in Stockton include two buildings, five and six stories high, connected by a breezeway. The five-story building will have 39 one- and two-bedroom apartments, and the six-story building will have 55 two- and three-bedroom apartments. The units will have energy-efficient appliances, rooftop gardens, and will utilize solar energy for seniors and families.

    “The modern, energy-efficient units at La Passeggiata will provide homes for dozens of local families who need an affordable place to live,” DGS Director Ana M. Lasso said. “This project harnesses the best of state, local and nonprofit collaboration to deliver much needed sustainable, affordable housing across the state.”

    “Thanks to the Governor’s executive order, nearly an acre of land sitting unused in the heart of Stockton—blocks from the Civic Center and waterfront—will be transformed into critically needed affordable housing,” HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez said. “Through this ongoing partnership, we are connecting residents in need of housing stability to jobs, transit, amenities, and opportunity.”

    From state land to affordable housing

    In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order N-06-19, tasking HCD and DGS with tackling the state’s affordable housing crisis by identifying underutilized state-owned land that could be converted into affordable housing, considering factors such as proximity to job centers, amenities, and public transit. The order has since been utilized to create hundreds of affordable homes on nearly 50 state-owned sites, including:

    • 248 new homes at Sugar Pine Village for families and workers in the Tahoe region
    • 58 new homes for seniors under construction with an additional 150 new homes  starting construction within the year at Mulberry Gardens Senior Apartments in Riverside
    • 75 new homes at 750 Golden Gate Avenue with an additional 92 new homes at 850 Turk Street in San Francisco
    • 58 new homes at Sonrisa in Sacramento

    Recent news

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    News What you need to know: There are many disingenuous claims swirling about California gas prices “set to soar” – the truth is that gas prices won’t come anywhere close to increasing by 65 cents, as many would have you believe.   SACRAMENTO – California gas prices…

    Jun 25, 2025

    News What you need to know: Governor Newsom announced $135 million is available for wildfire prevention grants – protecting communities from catastrophic wildfire at the same time as President Trump adds new strain to firefighting resources. SACRAMENTO – As President…

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    News What you need to know: As part of California Jobs First, the state is awarding $15 million through the Regional Investment Initiative to support California Native American tribal partners in creating jobs and developing high-paying and fulfilling careers….

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Analysis: Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer than before in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gregory J. Dick, Professor of Biology, University of Michigan

    A satellite image from Aug. 13, 2024, shows an algal bloom covering approximately 320 square miles (830 square km) of Lake Erie. By Aug. 22, it had nearly doubled in size. NASA Earth Observatory

    Federal scientists released their annual forecast for Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms on June 26, 2025, and they expect a mild to moderate season. However, anyone who comes in contact with toxic algae can face health risks. And 2014, when toxins from algae blooms contaminated the water supply in Toledo, Ohio, was a moderate year, too.

    We asked Gregory J. Dick, who leads the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, a federally funded center at the University of Michigan that studies harmful algal blooms among other Great Lakes issues, why they’re such a concern.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s prediction for harmful algal bloom severity in Lake Erie compared with past years.
    NOAA

    1. What causes harmful algal blooms?

    Harmful algal blooms are dense patches of excessive algae growth that can occur in any type of water body, including ponds, reservoirs, rivers, lakes and oceans. When you see them in freshwater, you’re typically seeing cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.

    These photosynthetic bacteria have inhabited our planet for billions of years. In fact, they were responsible for oxygenating Earth’s atmosphere, which enabled plant and animal life as we know it.

    The leading source of harmful algal blooms today is nutrient runoff from fertilized farm fields.
    Michigan Sea Grant

    Algae are natural components of ecosystems, but they cause trouble when they proliferate to high densities, creating what we call blooms.

    Harmful algal blooms form scums at the water surface and produce toxins that can harm ecosystems, water quality and human health. They have been reported in all 50 U.S. states, all five Great Lakes and nearly every country around the world. Blue-green algae blooms are becoming more common in inland waters.

    The main sources of harmful algal blooms are excess nutrients in the water, typically phosphorus and nitrogen.

    Historically, these excess nutrients mainly came from sewage and phosphorus-based detergents used in laundry machines and dishwashers that ended up in waterways. U.S. environmental laws in the early 1970s addressed this by requiring sewage treatment and banning phosphorus detergents, with spectacular success.

    How pollution affected Lake Erie in the 1960s, before clean water regulations.

    Today, agriculture is the main source of excess nutrients from chemical fertilizer or manure applied to farm fields to grow crops. Rainstorms wash these nutrients into streams and rivers that deliver them to lakes and coastal areas, where they fertilize algal blooms. In the U.S., most of these nutrients come from industrial-scale corn production, which is largely used as animal feed or to produce ethanol for gasoline.

    Climate change also exacerbates the problem in two ways. First, cyanobacteria grow faster at higher temperatures. Second, climate-driven increases in precipitation, especially large storms, cause more nutrient runoff that has led to record-setting blooms.

    2. What does your team’s DNA testing tell us about Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms?

    Harmful algal blooms contain a mixture of cyanobacterial species that can produce an array of different toxins, many of which are still being discovered.

    When my colleagues and I recently sequenced DNA from Lake Erie water, we found new types of microcystins, the notorious toxins that were responsible for contaminating Toledo’s drinking water supply in 2014.

    These novel molecules cannot be detected with traditional methods and show some signs of causing toxicity, though further studies are needed to confirm their human health effects.

    Blue-green algae blooms in freshwater, like this one near Toledo in 2014, can be harmful to humans, causing gastrointestinal symptoms, headache, fever and skin irritation. They can be lethal for pets.
    Ty Wright for The Washington Post via Getty Images

    We also found organisms responsible for producing saxitoxin, a potent neurotoxin that is well known for causing paralytic shellfish poisoning on the Pacific Coast of North America and elsewhere.

    Saxitoxins have been detected at low concentrations in the Great Lakes for some time, but the recent discovery of hot spots of genes that make the toxin makes them an emerging concern.

    Our research suggests warmer water temperatures could boost its production, which raises concerns that saxitoxin will become more prevalent with climate change. However, the controls on toxin production are complex, and more research is needed to test this hypothesis. Federal monitoring programs are essential for tracking and understanding emerging threats.

    3. Should people worry about these blooms?

    Harmful algal blooms are unsightly and smelly, making them a concern for recreation, property values and businesses. They can disrupt food webs and harm aquatic life, though a recent study suggested that their effects on the Lake Erie food web so far are not substantial.

    But the biggest impact is from the toxins these algae produce that are harmful to humans and lethal to pets.

    The toxins can cause acute health problems such as gastrointestinal symptoms, headache, fever and skin irritation. Dogs can die from ingesting lake water with harmful algal blooms. Emerging science suggests that long-term exposure to harmful algal blooms, for example over months or years, can cause or exacerbate chronic respiratory, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems and may be linked to liver cancers, kidney disease and neurological issues.

    The water intake system for the city of Toledo, Ohio, is surrounded by an algae bloom in 2014. Toxic algae got into the water system, resulting in residents being warned not to touch or drink their tap water for three days.
    AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari

    In addition to exposure through direct ingestion or skin contact, recent research also indicates that inhaling toxins that get into the air may harm health, raising concerns for coastal residents and boaters, but more research is needed to understand the risks.

    The Toledo drinking water crisis of 2014 illustrated the vast potential for algal blooms to cause harm in the Great Lakes. Toxins infiltrated the drinking water system and were detected in processed municipal water, resulting in a three-day “do not drink” advisory. The episode affected residents, hospitals and businesses, and it ultimately cost the city an estimated US$65 million.

    4. Blooms seem to be starting earlier in the year and lasting longer – why is that happening?

    Warmer waters are extending the duration of the blooms.

    In 2025, NOAA detected these toxins in Lake Erie on April 28, earlier than ever before. The 2022 bloom in Lake Erie persisted into November, which is rare if not unprecedented.

    Scientific studies of western Lake Erie show that the potential cyanobacterial growth rate has increased by up to 30% and the length of the bloom season has expanded by up to a month from 1995 to 2022, especially in warmer, shallow waters. These results are consistent with our understanding of cyanobacterial physiology: Blooms like it hot – cyanobacteria grow faster at higher temperatures.

    5. What can be done to reduce the likelihood of algal blooms in the future?

    The best and perhaps only hope of reducing the size and occurrence of harmful algal blooms is to reduce the amount of nutrients reaching the Great Lakes.

    In Lake Erie, where nutrients come primarily from agriculture, that means improving agricultural practices and restoring wetlands to reduce the amount of nutrients flowing off of farm fields and into the lake. Early indications suggest that Ohio’s H2Ohio program, which works with farmers to reduce runoff, is making some gains in this regard, but future funding for H2Ohio is uncertain.

    In places like Lake Superior, where harmful algal blooms appear to be driven by climate change, the solution likely requires halting and reversing the rapid human-driven increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

    Gregory J. Dick receives funding for harmful algal bloom research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Science Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, and the National Institutes for Health. He serves on the Science Advisory Council for the Environmental Law and Policy Center.

    – ref. Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer than before in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets – https://theconversation.com/toxic-algae-blooms-are-lasting-longer-than-before-in-lake-erie-why-thats-a-worry-for-people-and-pets-259954

    MIL OSI Analysis –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Canadian National Extradited for Mailing Fraudulent Prize Notices

    Source: US State of California

    WASHINGTON — A Canadian national accused of operating fraudulent prize notice schemes was extradited to the United States and made his initial appearance in Las Vegas federal court on June 18, the Department of Justice and U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.

    Patrick Fraser, 44, of Alberta, Canada, will face federal charges of conspiracy and mail fraud. Fraser was arrested on June 15, 2023, by Canadian authorities pursuant to a U.S. extradition request and was surrendered to the United States this month. A detention hearing was held on June 23, and Fraser was ordered detained pending trial.

    According to the indictment, the defendant conspired with others to operate fraud schemes through which he mailed fraudulent prize notifications to individuals in the United States and in other countries. The prize notifications falsely represented that the victims had been specifically chosen to receive a large cash prize, typically over $1 million, and would receive the prize upon payment of a small free. Many of the victims were elderly and vulnerable.

    “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting and pursuing those who perpetrate fraud schemes targeting America’s seniors,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “I thank Canada for assisting in extraditing this individual to face charges here in the United States. The Justice Department and U.S. law enforcement partners will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to bring to justice criminals who attempt to defraud U.S. victims from outside the United States.”

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the Consumer Protection Branch and our law enforcement partners in the United States and the world to identify and pursue transnational criminals who prey on older Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Through our Elder Justice Initiative, Assistant U.S. Attorneys and professional staff are combating elder financial exploitation and fraud. This extradition is another example of the outstanding collaboration between federal law enforcement and international partners.”

    “Postal inspectors protect the vulnerable. If you use fake prize offers to scam others, we’ll find you—and you will be held accountable,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Eric Shen.

    Fraser is charged in a nine-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Las Vegas. If convicted, Fraser faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Senior Trial Attorney Ann Entwistle and Trial Attorney Charles B. Dunn of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case. USPIS investigated the case. The Justice Department is grateful to the Vancouver Police Department, who provided assistance through official requests. The Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division accomplished the extradition of Fraser from Canada.

    The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

    More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Consumer complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

    For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its fraud enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Less Than a Month Left to Apply for FEMA Assistance for South Texas Severe Storms and Flooding

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Less Than a Month Left to Apply for FEMA Assistance for South Texas Severe Storms and Flooding

    Less Than a Month Left to Apply for FEMA Assistance for South Texas Severe Storms and Flooding

    AUSTIN, Texas – Texas residents who have been affected by the March severe storms and flooding have less than a month left to apply for FEMA assistance

    Homeowners and renters in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties who were displaced or have property damage from the March 26-28 storms have until Tuesday, July 22, 2025, to submit an application for FEMA assistance

    After the deadline, survivors can still upload information and submit paperwork to their FEMA account

    To date, FEMA has approved more than $59

    2 million in federal and state assistance for Texas survivors

    There are many types of assistance available for survivors who need help covering costs for things like rental expenses, home repairs, vehicle damage, medical expenses, moving and storage, and reimbursement for temporary housing

    There are three ways to apply:Visit a Disaster Recovery Center

    To find a center close to you, go online to: DRC Locator, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Ex: DRC 78552)

    Go online to DisasterAssistance

    govDownload the FEMA App for mobile devices Call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a

    m

    and 10 p

    m

    CT

    Help is available in most languages

     To view an accessible video about how to apply visit: Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTubeResidents and businesses in the four eligible counties can also apply for a low-interest disaster loan from the U

    S

    Small Business Administration (SBA) to help recover

    Texas residents can apply for a disaster loan online at SBA

    gov/disaster or by calling 800-659-2955

     To find a Texas location for in-person assistance, visit appointment

    sba

    gov/schedule/

    No appointment is necessary

    For more information about the loans available and how to apply, visit: SBA Loans Are a Meaningful Option for Texas Storm Survivors

    For the latest information about Texas’ recovery, visit fema

    gov/disaster/4871

    Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x

    com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook

    com/FEMARegion6/
    toan

    nguyen
    Thu, 06/26/2025 – 18:38

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Be Alert to Fraud After Tennessee’s Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Be Alert to Fraud After Tennessee’s Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding

    Be Alert to Fraud After Tennessee’s Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes and Flooding

    Tennesseans should be aware that con artists and criminals may try to obtain money or steal personal information through fraud or identity theft after the April 2-24 severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding

    In some cases, thieves try to apply for FEMA assistance using names, addresses and Social Security numbers they have stolen from people affected by the disaster

    If a FEMA inspector comes to your home and you did not submit a FEMA application, your information may have been used without your knowledge to apply for assistance

    If this happens, please inform the inspector that you did not apply for FEMA assistance so they can submit a request to stop further processing of the application

     If you did not apply for assistance but you received a letter from FEMA, please call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 from 6 a

    m

    to 10 p

    m

    CT daily

    Helpline specialists will submit a request to stop further processing of that application

    If you want to apply for FEMA assistance after stopping an application made in your name without your knowledge, helpline specialists will assist you in creating a new application

    ScamsFEMA housing inspectors and other officials will be working in areas impacted by April’s severe weather

    They carry official photo identification badges

    FEMA representatives never charge for disaster assistance, inspections or help filling out applications — their services are free

    Don’t believe anyone who promises a disaster grant in return for payment

     Don’t give your banking information to a person claiming to be a FEMA housing inspector

    FEMA inspectors are never authorized to collect your personal financial information

     If you believe you are the victim of a scam or price gouging, or you want to report a person or company for disaster relief scams or price gouging, contact your local police or sheriff’s department

    You may also report it to the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs by calling 615-741-4737 or go online and file a fraud complaint at TN Division of Consumer Affairs

     If you have knowledge of fraud, waste or abuse, you can report these tips – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – to the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721

    You can also email StopFEMAFraud@fema

    dhs

    gov to report a tip

    kwei

    nwaogu
    Thu, 06/26/2025 – 12:58

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Canadian National Extradited for Mailing Fraudulent Prize Notices

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    WASHINGTON — A Canadian national accused of operating fraudulent prize notice schemes was extradited to the United States and made his initial appearance in Las Vegas federal court on June 18, the Department of Justice and U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced today.

    Patrick Fraser, 44, of Alberta, Canada, will face federal charges of conspiracy and mail fraud. Fraser was arrested on June 15, 2023, by Canadian authorities pursuant to a U.S. extradition request and was surrendered to the United States this month. A detention hearing was held on June 23, and Fraser was ordered detained pending trial.

    According to the indictment, the defendant conspired with others to operate fraud schemes through which he mailed fraudulent prize notifications to individuals in the United States and in other countries. The prize notifications falsely represented that the victims had been specifically chosen to receive a large cash prize, typically over $1 million, and would receive the prize upon payment of a small free. Many of the victims were elderly and vulnerable.

    “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting and pursuing those who perpetrate fraud schemes targeting America’s seniors,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “I thank Canada for assisting in extraditing this individual to face charges here in the United States. The Justice Department and U.S. law enforcement partners will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners across the globe to bring to justice criminals who attempt to defraud U.S. victims from outside the United States.”

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with the Consumer Protection Branch and our law enforcement partners in the United States and the world to identify and pursue transnational criminals who prey on older Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada. “Through our Elder Justice Initiative, Assistant U.S. Attorneys and professional staff are combating elder financial exploitation and fraud. This extradition is another example of the outstanding collaboration between federal law enforcement and international partners.”

    “Postal inspectors protect the vulnerable. If you use fake prize offers to scam others, we’ll find you—and you will be held accountable,” said U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Eric Shen.

    Fraser is charged in a nine-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Las Vegas. If convicted, Fraser faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison per count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Senior Trial Attorney Ann Entwistle and Trial Attorney Charles B. Dunn of the Justice Department’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Anthony Lopez for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case. USPIS investigated the case. The Justice Department is grateful to the Vancouver Police Department, who provided assistance through official requests. The Office of International Affairs of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division accomplished the extradition of Fraser from Canada.

    The Justice Department continues to investigate and bring charges in other similar matters. If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.

    More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Consumer complaints may be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

    For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its fraud enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Cambodia: Government allows slavery and torture to flourish inside hellish scamming compounds – new report

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Apparent police collusion is allowing trafficking and enslavement of huge numbers of people

    More than two-thirds of the scamming compounds identified continue to operate after police raids

    First-hand testimony exposes massive and extremely violent criminal operation

    ‘They just keep beating [the Vietnamese person] until their body was…purple…then [using] the electric baton beat the Vietnamese until he can’t scream, can’t get up’ – Survivor Siti*

    ‘The Government could put a stop to these abuses, but it has chosen not to’ – Montse Ferrer

    The Cambodian government is deliberately ignoring human rights abuses including slavery, human trafficking, child labour and torture that are being carried out by criminal gangs on a vast scale in more than 50 scamming compounds located across the country, Amnesty International said in a new report published today.

    Survivors interviewed for the 240-page report, I Was Someone Else’s Property, believed they were applying for genuine jobs but were instead trafficked to Cambodia, where they were held in prison-like compounds and forced to conduct online scams in a billion-dollar shadow economy defrauding people around the world.

    Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said.

    “Deceived, trafficked and enslaved, the survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government.

    “Jobseekers from Asia and beyond are lured by the promise of well-paid work into hellish labour camps run by well-organised gangs, where they are forced to scam under the very real threat of violence.

    “Amnesty’s research reveals the horrifying magnitude of a crisis the Cambodian authorities are not doing enough to stop. Their failures have emboldened a criminal network whose tentacles extend internationally, with millions of people impacted by the scams.” 

    Amnesty’s findings suggest there has been coordination and possibly collusion between Chinese compound bosses and the Cambodian police, who have failed to shut down compounds despite the slew of human rights abuses taking place inside.

    Held by force

    In the most comprehensive documentation yet of the issue, Amnesty’s report identified at least 53 scamming compounds in Cambodia and interviewed 58 survivors of eight different nationalities, including nine children. Amnesty also reviewed the records of 336 other victims of Cambodian compounds. Those interviewed had either escaped from compounds, been rescued or had a ransom paid by their families. 

    The interviewees’ testimony gives a detailed insight into a sprawling, violent criminal operation that is taking place often with the full knowledge of the Cambodian authorities, whose woefully ineffective – and at times corrupt – response to the scamming crisis demonstrates its acquiescence and points towards state complicity in the human rights abuses taking place.

    One survivor, Lisa*, who was 18 and looking for work during a break from school in Thailand when she was trafficked, said:

    “[The recruiters] said I would work in administration… they sent pictures of a hotel with a swimming pool… the salary was high.”

    Instead, Lisa was taken across a river at night into Cambodia, where she was held for 11 months against her will by armed security guards and forced to work on scams. When she tried to escape, she was severely beaten. She said:

    “There were four men… three of them held me down while the boss hit me on the soles of my feet with a metal pole… They told me that if I don’t stop screaming, they’re going to keep hitting [me] until I stop.” 

    Sold into slavery

    As part of its 18-month-long research, Amnesty visited all but one of the 53 scamming compounds located in 16 towns and cities across Cambodia, as well as 45 similar sites also strongly suspected to be scamming compounds. Many of the buildings were formerly casinos and hotels repurposed by criminal gangs – mostly from China – after Cambodia banned online gambling in 2019.

    Compounds appeared designed to keep people inside, with features such as surveillance cameras, barbed wire around perimeter walls and large numbers of security personnel, often carrying electric shock batons and in some cases firearms. Survivors reported that “escape was impossible”.

    Most victims had been lured to Cambodia by deceptive job advertisements posted on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. After being trafficked, survivors said they were forced to contact people using social media platforms and begin conversations aimed at defrauding them. These included fake romances or investment opportunities, selling products that would never be delivered, or building trust with victims before financially exploiting them – known as “pig-butchering”. 

    All but one of the survivors interviewed were victims of human trafficking, while everyone had been subjected to forced labour under the threat of violence. In 32 cases, Amnesty concluded the survivors were victims of slavery as defined under international law, with compound managers exerting a level of control over them that amounted to de facto ownership. Survivors also reported being sold into compounds or witnessing the sale of other people. Many others were told they owed a debt to the compound which they had to work to repay.

    Forty of the 58 survivors interviewed had suffered torture or other ill-treatment – almost always carried out by compound managers. Some compounds had specific rooms – often known as “dark rooms” – which were designated places for torture of people who did not or could not work or meet work targets, or who contacted the authorities.

    Survivors frequently mentioned deaths inside the compounds or nearby; one survivor described hearing a body hitting the roof of a building. Amnesty also confirmed the death of a Chinese child inside a compound.

    Survivor Siti* described seeing a Vietnamese person beaten by compound bosses for around 25 minutes. He said:

    “They just keep beating [the Vietnamese person] until their body was…purple…then [using] the electric baton beat the Vietnamese until he can’t scream, can’t get up…then the boss tell me that they wait until another compound want to buy him.”

    Of the nine children interviewed, five were subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. Sawat*, a 17-year-old Thai boy, was beaten by several managers before being told he would be stripped and forced to jump off the building. 

    Police in league with compound bosses

    Amnesty’s report found that the Cambodian government has failed to adequately investigate widespread human rights abuses at scamming compounds despite being repeatedly made aware of them.

    The Government has claimed to be addressing the scamming crisis through its National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking and a number of ministerial task forces, which have overseen a series of police “rescues” of victims from compounds. However, more than two-thirds of the scamming compounds identified in the report continued to operate even after police raids and “rescues”. At one compound in Botum Sakor, human trafficking has been widely reported by media and police have intervened multiple times to rescue victims, yet the site remains open.

    Police failings stem from their collaboration or coordination with compound bosses. For example, in many of the “rescues”, instead of entering the compounds and investigating, police would simply meet a manager or security guard at the gate, where they would be handed the individual(s) who had called in for help. Business then continued as usual.

    In other instances, several survivors said they were beaten after their secretive efforts to contact police for help were somehow uncovered by bosses. One Vietnamese survivor told Amnesty that police “work for the compound and will report requests for help back to the compound bosses”.

    Those “rescued” from compounds were often subsequently detained in immigration detention centres in poor conditions for months at a time – the Cambodian authorities having failed to recognise them as victims of human trafficking and provide them with the support required under international law.

    Meanwhile, the authorities have targeted others speaking out about scamming compounds. Several human rights defenders and journalists working on the issue have been arrested, while the news outlet Voice of Democracy was closed in 2023, apparently in retaliation for its reporting on the scamming crisis.

    Amnesty sent its findings to the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, which responded by sharing vague data on interventions at compounds, none of which clarified whether the Government has identified, investigated or prosecuted individuals for human rights abuses other than deprivation of liberty. It also did not respond to Amnesty’s list of scamming compounds or suspicious locations.

    Montse Ferrer, Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director, said.

    “The Cambodian authorities know what is going on inside scamming compounds, yet they allow it to continue.

    “Our findings reveal a pattern of state failures that have allowed criminality to flourish and raises questions about the Government’s motivations.

    “The Government could put a stop to these abuses, but it has chosen not to. The police interventions documented appear to be merely ‘for show’.

    “Cambodia’s authorities must ensure no more jobseekers are trafficked into the country to face torture, slavery or any other human rights abuse. They must urgently investigate and shut down all scamming compounds and properly identify, assist and protect victims. Slavery thrives when governments look away.”

    Survivors interviewed for Amnesty’s report were from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ethiopia, but Amnesty also had access to records of hundreds of others from India, Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines and many more.

    Press conference

    Amnesty will be presenting the findings of the report in a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok on Thursday 26 June. For further information or to register for the event, visit https://forms.office.com/e/tZivUqtUv4

    *All survivors using pseudonyms for security reasons

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Cambodia: Government allows slavery and torture to flourish inside hellish scamming compounds – new report

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Apparent police collusion is allowing trafficking and enslavement of huge numbers of people

    More than two-thirds of the scamming compounds identified continue to operate after police raids

    First-hand testimony exposes massive and extremely violent criminal operation

    ‘They just keep beating [the Vietnamese person] until their body was…purple…then [using] the electric baton beat the Vietnamese until he can’t scream, can’t get up’ – Survivor Siti*

    ‘The Government could put a stop to these abuses, but it has chosen not to’ – Montse Ferrer

    The Cambodian government is deliberately ignoring human rights abuses including slavery, human trafficking, child labour and torture that are being carried out by criminal gangs on a vast scale in more than 50 scamming compounds located across the country, Amnesty International said in a new report published today.

    Survivors interviewed for the 240-page report, I Was Someone Else’s Property, believed they were applying for genuine jobs but were instead trafficked to Cambodia, where they were held in prison-like compounds and forced to conduct online scams in a billion-dollar shadow economy defrauding people around the world.

    Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said.

    “Deceived, trafficked and enslaved, the survivors of these scamming compounds describe being trapped in a living nightmare enlisted in criminal enterprises that are operating with the apparent consent of the Cambodian government.

    “Jobseekers from Asia and beyond are lured by the promise of well-paid work into hellish labour camps run by well-organised gangs, where they are forced to scam under the very real threat of violence.

    “Amnesty’s research reveals the horrifying magnitude of a crisis the Cambodian authorities are not doing enough to stop. Their failures have emboldened a criminal network whose tentacles extend internationally, with millions of people impacted by the scams.” 

    Amnesty’s findings suggest there has been coordination and possibly collusion between Chinese compound bosses and the Cambodian police, who have failed to shut down compounds despite the slew of human rights abuses taking place inside.

    Held by force

    In the most comprehensive documentation yet of the issue, Amnesty’s report identified at least 53 scamming compounds in Cambodia and interviewed 58 survivors of eight different nationalities, including nine children. Amnesty also reviewed the records of 336 other victims of Cambodian compounds. Those interviewed had either escaped from compounds, been rescued or had a ransom paid by their families. 

    The interviewees’ testimony gives a detailed insight into a sprawling, violent criminal operation that is taking place often with the full knowledge of the Cambodian authorities, whose woefully ineffective – and at times corrupt – response to the scamming crisis demonstrates its acquiescence and points towards state complicity in the human rights abuses taking place.

    One survivor, Lisa*, who was 18 and looking for work during a break from school in Thailand when she was trafficked, said:

    “[The recruiters] said I would work in administration… they sent pictures of a hotel with a swimming pool… the salary was high.”

    Instead, Lisa was taken across a river at night into Cambodia, where she was held for 11 months against her will by armed security guards and forced to work on scams. When she tried to escape, she was severely beaten. She said:

    “There were four men… three of them held me down while the boss hit me on the soles of my feet with a metal pole… They told me that if I don’t stop screaming, they’re going to keep hitting [me] until I stop.” 

    Sold into slavery

    As part of its 18-month-long research, Amnesty visited all but one of the 53 scamming compounds located in 16 towns and cities across Cambodia, as well as 45 similar sites also strongly suspected to be scamming compounds. Many of the buildings were formerly casinos and hotels repurposed by criminal gangs – mostly from China – after Cambodia banned online gambling in 2019.

    Compounds appeared designed to keep people inside, with features such as surveillance cameras, barbed wire around perimeter walls and large numbers of security personnel, often carrying electric shock batons and in some cases firearms. Survivors reported that “escape was impossible”.

    Most victims had been lured to Cambodia by deceptive job advertisements posted on social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. After being trafficked, survivors said they were forced to contact people using social media platforms and begin conversations aimed at defrauding them. These included fake romances or investment opportunities, selling products that would never be delivered, or building trust with victims before financially exploiting them – known as “pig-butchering”. 

    All but one of the survivors interviewed were victims of human trafficking, while everyone had been subjected to forced labour under the threat of violence. In 32 cases, Amnesty concluded the survivors were victims of slavery as defined under international law, with compound managers exerting a level of control over them that amounted to de facto ownership. Survivors also reported being sold into compounds or witnessing the sale of other people. Many others were told they owed a debt to the compound which they had to work to repay.

    Forty of the 58 survivors interviewed had suffered torture or other ill-treatment – almost always carried out by compound managers. Some compounds had specific rooms – often known as “dark rooms” – which were designated places for torture of people who did not or could not work or meet work targets, or who contacted the authorities.

    Survivors frequently mentioned deaths inside the compounds or nearby; one survivor described hearing a body hitting the roof of a building. Amnesty also confirmed the death of a Chinese child inside a compound.

    Survivor Siti* described seeing a Vietnamese person beaten by compound bosses for around 25 minutes. He said:

    “They just keep beating [the Vietnamese person] until their body was…purple…then [using] the electric baton beat the Vietnamese until he can’t scream, can’t get up…then the boss tell me that they wait until another compound want to buy him.”

    Of the nine children interviewed, five were subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. Sawat*, a 17-year-old Thai boy, was beaten by several managers before being told he would be stripped and forced to jump off the building. 

    Police in league with compound bosses

    Amnesty’s report found that the Cambodian government has failed to adequately investigate widespread human rights abuses at scamming compounds despite being repeatedly made aware of them.

    The Government has claimed to be addressing the scamming crisis through its National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking and a number of ministerial task forces, which have overseen a series of police “rescues” of victims from compounds. However, more than two-thirds of the scamming compounds identified in the report continued to operate even after police raids and “rescues”. At one compound in Botum Sakor, human trafficking has been widely reported by media and police have intervened multiple times to rescue victims, yet the site remains open.

    Police failings stem from their collaboration or coordination with compound bosses. For example, in many of the “rescues”, instead of entering the compounds and investigating, police would simply meet a manager or security guard at the gate, where they would be handed the individual(s) who had called in for help. Business then continued as usual.

    In other instances, several survivors said they were beaten after their secretive efforts to contact police for help were somehow uncovered by bosses. One Vietnamese survivor told Amnesty that police “work for the compound and will report requests for help back to the compound bosses”.

    Those “rescued” from compounds were often subsequently detained in immigration detention centres in poor conditions for months at a time – the Cambodian authorities having failed to recognise them as victims of human trafficking and provide them with the support required under international law.

    Meanwhile, the authorities have targeted others speaking out about scamming compounds. Several human rights defenders and journalists working on the issue have been arrested, while the news outlet Voice of Democracy was closed in 2023, apparently in retaliation for its reporting on the scamming crisis.

    Amnesty sent its findings to the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking, which responded by sharing vague data on interventions at compounds, none of which clarified whether the Government has identified, investigated or prosecuted individuals for human rights abuses other than deprivation of liberty. It also did not respond to Amnesty’s list of scamming compounds or suspicious locations.

    Montse Ferrer, Amnesty International’s Regional Research Director, said.

    “The Cambodian authorities know what is going on inside scamming compounds, yet they allow it to continue.

    “Our findings reveal a pattern of state failures that have allowed criminality to flourish and raises questions about the Government’s motivations.

    “The Government could put a stop to these abuses, but it has chosen not to. The police interventions documented appear to be merely ‘for show’.

    “Cambodia’s authorities must ensure no more jobseekers are trafficked into the country to face torture, slavery or any other human rights abuse. They must urgently investigate and shut down all scamming compounds and properly identify, assist and protect victims. Slavery thrives when governments look away.”

    Survivors interviewed for Amnesty’s report were from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan and Ethiopia, but Amnesty also had access to records of hundreds of others from India, Kenya, Nepal and the Philippines and many more.

    Press conference

    Amnesty will be presenting the findings of the report in a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok on Thursday 26 June. For further information or to register for the event, visit https://forms.office.com/e/tZivUqtUv4

    *All survivors using pseudonyms for security reasons

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Castor, Sen. Luján Introduce Legislation to Expand Access to Affordable, Clean Solar Energy

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) introduced legislation to expand a Department of Energy initiative that encourages community solar projects nationwide and increase accessibility to energy produced by lower-cost solar power. The Community Solar Consumer Choice Act of 2025 will increase access to solar energy throughout the Tampa Bay area for all residents, regardless of their income. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (NM) has introduced companion legislation in the U.S. Senate.

    “Clean, affordable energy should be within reach for everyone—especially in Florida, the Sunshine State. Unfortunately, nearly half of all households and businesses can’t install rooftop solar because they rent, share buildings or can’t afford the upfront costs.

    “That’s where community solar comes in. It allows neighbors to share the benefits of nearby solar projects—saving them money on their electric bills without needing solar panels on their own roof.

    “This bill helps expand these initiatives, especially for working families. It supports states and local governments, creates jobs, and helps cut harmful pollution. By boosting access to shared solar energy and investing in storage, each community solar project creates $14 million in local economic investment and over 90 jobs.

    “I’m proud to stand with my Congressional partners and dedicated advocates in fighting for a cleaner, healthier and more affordable energy future for all,” said Rep. Castor.

    “As the climate crisis intensifies and Republican lawmakers push to cut clean energy funding, fighting for practical solutions like community solar is more critical than ever,” said Sen. Luján. “I’m proud to reintroduce the Community Solar Consumer Choice Act to expand access to solar power through community solar projects for all Americans and create more good-paying, clean energy jobs. This bill is a step forward in combating the climate crisis, and I look forward to working with Representative Castor to get this bill passed.”

    A full list of supporting quotes can be found here.

    House Cosponsors: Reps. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), and Paul Tonko (NY-21).

    Supporting Organizations: Coalition for Community Solar Access, Evergreen Action, GreenLatinos, League of Conservation Voters, Moms Clean Air Force, Natural Resources Defense Council, New Mexico Climate Investment Center, Sierra Club, Solar Energy Industries Association, WE ACT for Environmental Justice

    View the legislative text here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Trahan, Bacon Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Strengthen Postpartum Care for New Mothers

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03)

    WASHINGTON, DC – On Tuesday, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, and Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE-02) introduced H.R. 4074, the Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act. This legislation seeks to improve maternal postpartum health by directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on the coverage of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy (PHPT) for postpartum mothers under the Medicaid program under title XIX of the Social Security Act.
    “Far too often, women’s postpartum health concerns are overlooked or dismissed, despite the serious and lasting impact they can have on quality of life,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act is a commonsense step toward making Pelvic Health Physical Therapy more accessible for new mothers, especially those who rely on Medicaid. By ensuring that women receive the care and support they need after giving birth, we’re investing in stronger families and healthier communities.”
    “As a husband, father, and grandfather, I recognize the importance of supporting postpartum women,” said Congressman Bacon. “Our care for women should extend to postpartum recovery, to ensure that they are living without pain or discomfort, especially when the therapy available is highly effective.”
    Quality postpartum care for mothers is vital for their long-term health and well-being, and many suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction and diastasis recti abdominis, conditions that can be severely painful. This is treatable with Pelvic Health Physical Therapy, but many women are unaware of the therapy available to them. When working with a Pelvic Health Physical Therapist, women receive a treatment plan to improve muscle control and mobility, aid in tissue repair and recovery from cesarean sections. 
    H.R. 4074 would be a step towards making quality postpartum care available to all women. With approximately three million births in the United States every year, there are three million women who could benefit from Pelvic Health Physical Therapy in their recovery. The bill is supported by health care professionals and physical therapists, including the American Physical Therapy Association.
    “APTA Pelvic Health is proud to continue our collaboration with Congress in advancing the recognition of pelvic health physical therapy for women during both prenatal and postnatal care,” said Kim Parker-Guerrero, PT, DPT, president-elect of the academy. “This important legislation will ensure new mothers have access to the vital education and support needed to engage with pelvic health physical therapy, helping to prevent issues that might arise without early intervention and care.”
    “I’m excited for the reintroduction of the perinatal bill, H.R. 4074,” said Gail Zitterkopf, PT, DPT, government relations chair for APTA Pelvic Health. “This grassroots-inspired bill will positively impact and enhance lives through ensuring pelvic health physical therapy for those who are pregnant.”
    The text of the legislation can be found HERE.
    ###
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Newsletters – June 2025 – Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

    Source: European Parliament


    June 2025 | Newsletters | Home | LIBE | Committees | European Parliament


















    Among the topics:

    • Structured Dialogue with Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection
    • Exchange of views on Child-Friendly Justice in Criminal Matters – Children as Victims, Witnesses and Offenders
    • Mid-term review of the “Strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU”

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Statement at the Executive Compensation Roundtable

    Source: Securities and Exchange Commission

    Good afternoon. I’m sorry that I can’t be with you for today’s roundtables, which I’m certain will generate some thought-provoking ideas and conversations.

    Executive compensation never fails to be a hot topic. It is an issue consistently and prominently invoked in discussions of corporate responsibility and governance. And, it stands out among those topics that marry capital formation to shareholder rights and engagement.

    A Brief History

    The legal history on executive compensation runs deep. Indeed, disclosure of director and officer compensation was first required of issuers in the Securities Act of 1933.[1] Fast forward to more modern times . . . as Chairman Atkins highlighted in his public statement calling for today’s roundtable, in 1992, the Commission issued a new compensation disclosure rule, which sought to institute digestible and tabular formats. The Commission made further amendments to refine those tables in 2006. Recognizing the “widespread support for enhanced disclosures,” then-Commissioner Atkins noted that “[s]tockholders as the owners of the corporation ought to have a window into the compensation decisions made by the boards of directors that represent their interests.”[2]

    Congress has also, in more recent times, weighed in on the discourse relating to executive compensation. In the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008,[3] and again in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Report and Consumer Protection Act,[4] Congress observed that executive compensation practices encouraged risk taking in a manner that exacerbated many of the problems underlying the 2008 financial crisis, and called for comprehensive reform.[5] In particular, legislation required (among other things):

    • Shareholder advisory votes on executive compensation and golden parachutes (“say-on-pay”);
    • Enhanced independence for board compensation committees and their advisers;
    • Disclosures about the compensation actually paid to executives compared to the issuer’s financial performance, and pay ratios between the median annual total compensation of all employees to the annual total compensation of the CEO; and
    • Policies regarding the recovery by the issuer of erroneously awarded compensation.[6]

    Since that time, the Commission has promulgated rules aimed at effectively implementing these provisions. For example, in 2022 the Commission implemented “pay versus performance” rules,[7] and rules controlling listing standards for clawback policies.[8]

    The disclosure regime set up by both rule and statute is multi-faceted. It is each principles-based and prescriptive. For example, the CD&A discussion encourages companies to a provide meaningful narrative to shareholders about the objectives and philosophy driving their compensation decisions as to all named executive officers. Issuers also have the ability to include non-financial metrics that the company has deemed important in setting incentive-based pay in its pay-versus-performance tables. On the other hand, more prescriptively, issuers must disclose specific quantitative data in the Summary Compensation and other tables about both base and incentive compensation, calculated in a manner consistent with our rules.

    Principles

    Throughout this long history, again and again, certain deeply rooted principles reveal themselves.

    It is a fundamental shareholder right – as the owner of a company’s equity – to obtain full and fair disclosure around the compensation of corporate executives. That disclosure should be easy to understand and analyze; and it should be granular and consistent to allow for comparability across peer companies and filings. It should provide critical information to shareholders, not only for proxy say-on-pay and director votes, but also in capital allocation decisions.[9] Good disclosures will drive capital formation.

    Shareholders are further entitled to a fulsome, detailed and fair picture of the process of how executive compensation is set:

    • Who is involved in the decision-making?
    • What information do those decision-makers utilize, and what factors go into their process?
    • What level of independence do they bring to bear?
    • What are their relative incentives, and are incentives to simply “go-along” with management’s demands sufficiently mitigated?[10]

    Disclosures should further allow investors to understand and evaluate the corporate incentives at play:

    • Do compensation packages foster long term business strategies and economic growth as opposed to “short-termism”?
    • Are the fates of corporate executives sufficiently aligned with relevant performance metrics? Is compensation tied to both “upsides” and “downsides”?
    • Do compensation packages promote corporate investments in operations, human capital, innovation, or other areas that shareholders may feel are critical to a company’s success?[11] What targets are being used in incentive-based calculations and are those targets aligned with shareholder goals?
    • Are companies sufficiently responsive to shareholder feedback?

    These are lofty principles to keep in mind during today’s session.

    Questions for Discussion

    Compensation Trends.The Chairman has posed a number of questions in advance of these roundtables. Many focus on how compensation is set today. I’m also interested in hearing about compensation trends. Long-term data on executive compensation can be both decision-useful for shareholders writ large and can help us evaluate potential weaknesses in the market. For example, we’re just starting to realize the data from our pay versus performance rulemaking in 2022. And, the figures on “compensation actually paid” metrics are potentially revealing. The data show that the highest paid CEO in 2024, using compensation actually paid metrics, made over $6.9 billion.[12] The ratio of CEO to median employee pay at S&P 500 companies rose to approximately 192:1, and at the companies of the 100 highest paid CEOs, that ratio is 348:1.[13] Do larger data sets reveal compensation trends or practices that may foretell problems down the road?[14]

    Material Information. Looking further into the roundtables, the Chair has posed a number of questions on what information is material to shareholders. Feedback from investors on the materiality of executive compensation disclosures has been consistently strong, from comment files in our rulemakings, to everyday conversations, to testimony in the leadup to the seminal Dodd-Frank legislation.

    I nonetheless encourage all shareholders to continue to comment on what is the most decision-useful information in response to the questions posed in connection with this forum. In addition, I hope commenters will discuss how data quality can be improved and made more comparable, for example, potentially by reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to comparable GAAP measures.[15] I hope we see shareholder and issuer input alike, which goes not only for the preeminent panelists on the dais today, but also market participants of all stripes. Please use the opportunity to make your voices heard in the comment file.

    Additionally, staff (at the behest the Commission) has recently taken steps to limit shareholder engagement with management, in the executive compensation and other contexts, by amending staff guidance on 13D and 13G filings.[16] This may put more pressure on the proxy process. How can we strengthen transparency and the quality of disclosures, both in general and specifically in light of these regulatory changes that tend to discourage shareholder communications?

    Cost. The Chairman has also posed questions relating to cost. I would encourage panelists to consider all costs in their comments, and not just those incurred by issuers (which, of course, are ultimately borne by the shareholders). Oftentimes, shareholders expend substantial sums analyzing compensation data disclosed in filings. Are there ways to use technology to lower the costs of the entire ecosystem, without sacrificing the quality of data provided to shareholders – and perhaps even improving data quality?[17]

    Conclusion

    Thank you to all of the participants involved in today’s roundtables, and to the SEC staff who undoubtedly put many hours into the preparation and operations behind today’s event.

    [1] Section 7(a) [15 U.S.C. 77g(a)] and Schedule A, Paragraph 14 [15 U.S.C. 77aa(14)].

    [3] 110th Congress, Pub. Law 110-343 (Oct. 3, 2008).

    [4] 111th Congress, Pub. Law 111-203 (July 21, 2010) (“Dodd-Frank”).

    [6] See Dodd Frank Sections 951-955.

    [7] Final Release, Pay Versus Performance, Rel. No. 34-95607 (Aug. 25, 2022).

    [8] Final Release, Listing Standards for Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation (Oct. 26, 2022); see also Final Release, Pay Ratio Disclosure, Rel. Nos. 33-9877, 34-75610 (Aug. 5, 2015).

    [9] See, e.g., Florida’s State Board of Administration – Corporate Governance: Core Beliefs (“Executive compensation is performance-based using leading pay-for-performance metrics, with all compensation plans subject to shareowner approval; [f]ull disclosure to shareowners of all assumptions used to value the awards of options or other compensation plan items; [d]irectors and senior management own significant amounts of company stock, and the company has adopted detailed stock ownership guidelines.”).

    [10] See Lucien Babchek and Jesse Fried, Executive Compensation as an Agency Problem, 3 (2003) (discussing how agency problems pervade in the public issuer context, not only between managers and shareholders, but also between directors and shareholders; “Because a CEO’s influence over the board gives her significant influence over the nomination process, directors have an incentive to ‘go along’ with a CEO’s pay arrangement.”).

    [14] I agree with certain of my colleagues who have pointed out that our regime is a disclosure-based one, not intended to mandate compensation practices. Nonetheless, the disclosures themselves—individually and taken in a broader context—have proven material to investors, legislators and rule-makers alike.

    [15] See, e.g., June 25, 2025 Letter from the Council of Institutional Investors to Vanessa Countryman, File No. 4-855, at 6-7.

    [16] See SEC Division of Corporation Finance, Exchange Act Sections 13(d) and 13(g) and Regulation 13D-G Beneficial Ownership Reporting, Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations Question 103.12 (updated Feb 11, 2025) (“Shareholders filing a Schedule 13G in reliance on Rule 13d-1(b) or Rule 13d-1(c) must certify that the subject securities were not acquired and are not held ‘for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer.’. . . A shareholder who exerts pressure on management to implement specific measures or changes to a policy may be ‘influencing’ control over the issuer. For example, Schedule 13G may be unavailable to a shareholder who recommends that the issuer . . . change its executive compensation practices.”).

    [17] See, e.g., June 25, 2025 Letter from the Council of Institutional Investors to Vanessa Countryman, File No. 4-855, at 5; June 25, 2025 Letter from xBRL US to Vanessa Countryman, File No. 4-855.

    MIL OSI USA News –