Category: Education

MIL-OSI USA: Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. My Administration has fought and will continue to fight anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world. On December 11, 2019, I issued Executive Order 13899, my first Executive Order on Combating Anti-Semitism, finding that students, in particular, faced anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on university and college campuses. Executive Order 13899 provided interpretive assistance on the enforcement of the Nation’s civil rights laws to ensure that they would protect American Jews to the same extent to which all other American citizens are protected. The prior administration effectively nullified Executive Order 13899 by failing to give the terms of the order full force and effect throughout the Government. This order reaffirms Executive Order 13899 and directs additional measures to advance the policy thereof in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, against the people of Israel. These attacks unleashed an unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses. Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault. A joint report by the House Committees on Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, Veterans’ Affairs, and Ways and Means calls the Federal Government’s failure to fight anti-Semitism and protect Jewish students “astounding.” This failure is unacceptable and ends today. Sec. 2. Policy. It shall be the policy of the United States to combat anti-Semitism vigorously, using all available and appropriate legal tools, to prosecute, remove, or otherwise hold to account the perpetrators of unlawful anti-Semitic harassment and violence.
Sec. 3. Additional Measures to Combat Campus Anti-Semitism. (a) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the head of each executive department or agency (agency) shall submit a report to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, identifying all civil and criminal authorities or actions within the jurisdiction of that agency, beyond those already implemented under Executive Order 13899, that might be used to curb or combat anti-Semitism, and containing an inventory and analysis of all pending administrative complaints, as of the date of the report, against or involving institutions of higher education alleging civil-rights violations related to or arising from post-October 7, 2023, campus anti-Semitism.(b) The report submitted by the Attorney General under this section shall additionally include an inventory and an analysis of all court cases, as of the date of the report, against or involving institutions of higher education alleging civil-rights violations related to or arising from post-October 7, 2023, campus anti-Semitism and indicate whether the Attorney General intends to or has taken any action with respect to such matters, including filing statements of interest or intervention.(c) The Attorney General is encouraged to employ appropriate civil-rights enforcement authorities, such as 18 U.S.C. 241, to combat anti-Semitism. (d) The report submitted by the Secretary of Education under this section shall additionally include an inventory and an analysis of all Title VI complaints and administrative actions, including in K-12 education, related to anti-Semitism — pending or resolved after October 7, 2023 — within the Department’s Office for Civil Rights.(e) In addition to identifying relevant authorities to curb or combat anti-Semitism generally required by this section, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with each other, shall include in their reports recommendations for familiarizing institutions of higher education with the grounds for inadmissibility under 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3) so that such institutions may monitor for and report activities by alien students and staff relevant to those grounds and for ensuring that such reports about aliens lead, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to investigations and, if warranted, actions to remove such aliens.
Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK redoubles Horizon push as Kyle forges deeper R&I links with EU
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 2

UK Science and Tech Secretary announces renewed push to turbo-charge UK-EU science and technology links, to tackle shared global challenges.
UK Science and Tech Secretary announces renewed push to turbo-charge UK-EU science and technology links, to tackle shared global challenges

Peter Kyle met colleagues in the European Commission, yesterday, to discuss how to strengthen and deepen European science and tech ties

New campaign to drive UK participation in Horizon Europe, and UK joins cutting-edge European research consortia

New plans have been unveiled to make Britain’s science and technology links with the EU stronger and deeper, following a fruitful visit to Brussels by the UK’s Science and Technology Secretary, to meet some of the new slate of European Commissioners.

Today (Thursday 30 January) the government is announcing the launch of a new nationwide advertising campaign to further boost UK participation in Horizon Europe, the world’s largest programme of research collaboration. The UK is also joining 4 European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) to further boost collaborative ties between researchers, across the Channel.

The EU is an innovation powerhouse – spending over €380 billion on R&D in 2023(1) – and fostering deep and high-quality links between the continent’s brightest minds, and the UK’s, will be critical if we are to seize the promise for science and tech innovations to support the Government’s Missions to grow the economy, fix the NHS and improve health outcomes and deliver clean energy under the Plan for Change. As the plan sets out, promoting innovation and world-class research will be foundational to rebuilding the foundations of the economy, and kickstarting growth.

The recent AI Opportunities Action Plan – this government’s plan to unleash AI to deliver a decade of national renewal – also highlighted how close cooperation with our European allies on the latest technologies will be critical to our shared prosperity and wellbeing. An example of this is the UK’s involvement in the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking, which is developing a world-class supercomputing infrastructure across the European continent.

Peter Kyle’s visit saw him hold high-level talks with Commissoners Zaharieva, Kubilius, and McGrath, to discuss how the UK and the EU can tackle some of the biggest problems facing the world, and grow our economies, by working together to seize the enormous potential of science and tech breakthroughs from AI to life sciences.

UK Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said:

There is no question about it: we stand our best chance of tackling the great challenges of our era, from climate change to public health, to growing economies that work for everyone, by bringing the brightest minds from across the UK and the European Union, together.

The UK is determined to give our researchers, innovators and businesses the opportunities and platforms they need to bring their great ideas to life, to the benefit of us all – all of which is highlighted by our new Horizon ad campaign. I’m pleased to have had such fruitful conversations with my European friends and colleagues, on taking this vital partnership even further.

Recent, initial signs suggest UK association to Horizon is trending in the right direction. For instance, in the latest ERC Synergy Grants, in which the UK hosted 18 projects – the second highest number. But the government is determined to go even further to help our innovators seize this opportunity.

The advertising campaign will bring the potential benefits of Horizon participation to life by shining a light on examples of businesses and researchers, right across the UK, who have benefited from funding. That includes Nova Innovation, a company developing turbines for the tidal energy industry, and Electra Commercial vehicles, who are developing electric trucks that can go further without needing to recharge.

It is part of comprehensive action to support the effective uptake of opportunities in Horizon Europe, including events, financial and networking support. The roadshow events across the country have offered insights into bidding and networking opportunities, while Pump Priming grants, in collaboration with the British Academy and Innovate UK, are designed to support the establishment of consortia and development of high-quality applications.

There are further plans to help British business people and researchers network with potential European R&D partners, as Innovate UK will take UK delegations to Italy, Germany and Spain for a series of Horizon Europe Brokerage events. These events will also help those involved work on how to build the best possible bids for Horizon funding together with their overseas colleagues.

The 4 European Research Infrastructure Consortia the UK is joining are:

European Holocaust Research Infrastructure

European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science

Low Frequency Array

International Centre for Advanced Studies on River-Sea Systems

These partnerships will enable UK researchers to collaborate on projects ranging from historical research, to astronomy, to advanced river systems studies.

Sources

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/

DSIT media enquiries

Email press@dsit.gov.uk

Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm 020 7215 300

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 30 January 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 30, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: If the government wants science to have an economic impact it has to put its money where its mouth is
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Nicola Gaston, Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

jittawit21/Shutterstock

Billed as the most significant change to the science system in 30 years, last week’s announcement of major structural changes to scientific research institutions was objectively a big deal.

But the devil will be in the details. The proposed reforms are focused on the economic impact of the science sector and are based on the first of two reports from the Science System Advisory Group (SSAG).

Success will depend on how they are implemented and, most of all, on the sector receiving sufficient funding.

The government’s reforms include:
- the merger of seven public Crown Research Institutes to create three larger Public Research Organisations (PROs)
- the creation of a fourth new PRO focused on “advanced technology” such as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and potentially cleantech
- the disestablishment of Callaghan Innovation and the creation of a new agency called “Invest New Zealand” to target international investment
- the creation of a new national intellectual property policy, meaning scientists working in PROs and in the university system are on a level playing field when it comes to commercialisation
- the establishment of a Prime Minister’s Science, Innovation and Technology Advisory Council to provide strategic direction and oversight.
As the reforms move forward, the government will have to answer several questions. For example, how will the expertise relating to advanced technologies, much of which currently sits within our university sector, be moved into the new PRO?

And how will the funding model be changed as these new PROs are established?

Long running issues

Overall, the higher level changes are positive. Reforms have been a long time coming and are based on years of discussion within the crown research sector.

But we need to look at the reforms in the context of the science advisory group’s first report.

The report is strongly and deliberately focused on the potential economic impact of science and research. The authors outline how this must be supported by a properly functioning system.

According to the authors, a lack of strategy from the highest level of government is a barrier for the sector.

It is clear the advisory group recommends structural change (such as the PRO model). But it is also explicit that sufficient research funding is a necessary condition for these reforms to work:

The SSAG stands firmly of the view that our parsimonious attitude to research funding is a core reason that New Zealand has become an outlier in performance on productivity growth.

Barriers to progress

The advisory group identified certain cultural attitudes, such as New Zealand’s “number-eight wire” thinking, as a reason the country doesn’t value research as it should. The group also strongly advocated for bipartisan agreement on funding systems and investment levels.

The group had strongly positive things to say about research in the social sciences and mātauranga Māori through the lens of economic growth.

There is no debate that research into Māori culture and knowledge is an obligation of the New Zealand research system and that this should be largely determined by experts in mātauranga Māori. We will be recommending a distinct funding stream in the proposed National Research Foundation.

Unfortunately, this government’s defunding of the social sciences and humanities, announced in December, suggests it has already made its mind up on the value of these disciplines.

Missing the bigger picture

Reading the full report, there is the sense that while the government announcement has taken the most visible recommendations for change, it has missed the bigger picture: the need for sufficient funding to strengthen the sector as a whole and help New Zealand become internationally competitive.

This means we need to benchmark ourselves against other countries and their economic and scientific performance. According to the report:

The international analysis is clear: we are spending significantly less than comparable countries spend from the public purse on [research and development].

The authors emphasise that for countries with low expenditure, improved research and development activity is especially important for GDP growth. New Zealand should take note – it is an outlier both as a low investor and a poor economic performer.

These messages are not new.

Steven Joyce, science minister in the National-led government between 2011 and 2016, advocated for the National Science Challenges as a way to justify increased government investment to the sector. But issues with the implementation costs effectively killed off his promise of increased funding.

Labour’s science minister between 2022 and 2023, Ayesha Verrall, had a similar argument about needing to establish research “priorities” in order to justify increased spending. Again, it never happened.

It is possible the current reforms will be more effective in providing justification for increased investment.

But this time we need to put the horse before the cart by investing money in the system – one that has been underfunded for years and which has only recently seen further funding cuts and job losses.

And this has to happen before the system absorbs the implementation costs of these reforms.

Nicola Gaston receives funding from TEC as Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, and from the Marsden fund administered by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

– ref. If the government wants science to have an economic impact it has to put its money where its mouth is – https://theconversation.com/if-the-government-wants-science-to-have-an-economic-impact-it-has-to-put-its-money-where-its-mouth-is-248299
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: McConnell to Serve as Chair of Senate Agriculture Subcommittee

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that he will Chair the Senate Agriculture Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research in the 119th Congress. The subcommittee is one of five under the authority of the Senate Agriculture Committee and will allow the Senator to drive the narrative on federal agriculture research, specialty crop policy, and our nation’s nutrition assistance programs.
“I’ve been proud to be a strong voice for Kentucky’s farmers my entire time in the Senate from the Agriculture Committee. I look forward to taking the helm of the Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, and Research in the 119th Congress. Research has long been essential to maintaining America’s competitive edge in agriculture, and I’m proud that Kentucky’s universities are leaders in agricultural research today. As I’ve said in the past, Congress has work to do to address the immediate concerns of American farmers, and that’s exactly what I intend to do from this new perch in the years ahead,” said Senator McConnell.
“Kentucky’s agricultural industry has never been more vital than it is now to the economic well-being of our state – from nutritional and equine health to the vibrancy of our bourbon industry and the sustainability of forage-based enterprises that raise beef cattle, horses, sheep and goats,” said University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto. “Sen. McConnell’s stalwart leadership in protecting and promoting agriculture over many decades and now as chair of this critical subcommittee overseeing research underscores the importance of agriculture to Kentucky and to our country. We look forward to working with him and supporting his efforts to ensure the long-term strength and competitiveness of the agricultural industry, so central to the commonwealth’s future.”
During the 119th Congress, Senator McConnell also serves as Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski, Klobuchar Reintroduce Bill to Support Individuals Living with FASD

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
01.29.25
Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) reintroduced the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Respect Act of 2025, legislation which reauthorizes programs and funding to aid individuals and families impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
“We made significant progress on this bill in the 118th Congress, and we were close to getting this legislation across the finish line. That momentum has only motivated Senator Klobuchar and I to work even harder to reauthorize this critical bill,” said Senator Murkowski. “Preventing and mitigating the risks posed by FASD requires comprehensive education, support, and intervention programs. Ensuring communities have access to these resources has the potential to make a genuine difference in the lives of families across Alaska.”
“Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders affects at least one in 20 people in the U.S., and too many lack access to diagnosis, treatment, and support services,” Senator Klobuchar said. “Our bill will renew federal resources for programs that support evidence-based services for families that need access care and help put impacted children on the best path forward towards a successful future.”
“I first became aware of FASD over 2 ½ decades ago while serving as Minnesota’s First Lady and a Juvenile Court judicial officer,” said Susan Shepard Carlson, FASD United Board Chair. Many youths from families with long substance use histories were failing and not responding to traditional interventions. It became clear then and is still true today that our systems of care are failing this population by not recognizing and/or understanding their FASD complex needs. As a country, we can and should do so much better for those with an FASD and their families. The FASD Respect Act will bring much-needed focus and resources to systemically address this huge societal problem. The FASD community thanks the Senate sponsors for leading the charge to enact this much-needed bipartisan FASD legislation.”
“Thanks to the determined efforts of Senators Murkowski and Klobuchar we have a bill that balances ongoing research and public health with vital, overdue direct assistance benefiting children and adults living with FASD. A bill that all lawmakers can support and one that respects and ranks first the needs of a grateful and deserving FASD community,” said Tom Donaldson, CEO of FASD United.
The FASD Respect Act of 2025:
Reauthorizes federal FASD programs by directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish or continue a comprehensive FASD prevention, identification, intervention, and services delivery program which may include:
Educational and public awareness programs for professionals in systems of care
Developing and expanding screening and diagnostic capacity for FASD
Research on FASD as appropriate
Building State and Tribal capacity for the identification, treatment, and support of individuals with FASD and their families
Establishes Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Centers for Excellence to build local, Tribal, State, and national capacities to prevent the occurrence of FASD and other related adverse conditions, and to respond to the needs of individuals with FASD and their families. These Centers may:
Develop and support public awareness and outreach activities
Act as a clearinghouse for evidence-based resources on FASD prevention, identification, and culturally aware best practices
Disseminate ongoing research and developing resources on FASD to help inform systems of care for individuals with FASD across their lifespan.
Increase awareness and understanding of evidence-based FASD screening tools and culturally- and linguistically appropriate evidence-based intervention services and best practices across systems of care
Improve capacity for State, Tribal, and local affiliates dedicated to FASD awareness, prevention, and identification and family and individual support programs and services (technical assistance provided by FASD Center of Excellence).

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Supports President Trump’s Action to End Woke Curriculum in Classrooms, Expand School Choice

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
WASHINGTON – During National School Choice Week, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) issued a statement in support of President Donald Trump’s latest executive orders prohibiting federal funds from going to any K-12 school that teaches critical race theory (CRT) or radical gender ideology and expanding school choice for students:
“I fully support President Trump’s decision to prohibit federal funds from going to any K-12 school that teaches woke, anti-American ideologies. For four years, I have sounded the alarm about the Biden administration’s attempts to make our schools ground zero for Marxist, hateful indoctrination. Despite the fact that we spend the most money per student in the world, our education system has failed our kids. We need to be focused on helping kids learn to read, write, and do math—not on brainwashing them.
I am also grateful for President Trump’s action to increase access to school choice. As a former coach and educator, I know how important it is to make sure every child gets the best possible education, regardless of their zip code. Every child’s educational journey looks different—and we have had tremendous success with magnet, charter, and technical schools in Alabama. This decision from President Trump comes during National School Choice Week and reaffirms the President’s commitment to empowering parents, not the government, to determine a child’s educational future. I’m grateful for President Trump’s leadership and unwavering commitment to helping every child succeed.”
Sen. Tuberville also joined his colleagues Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) today to introduce the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), bicameral legislation to expand education freedom and opportunity for students. Specifically, it provides a charitable donation incentive for individuals and businesses to fund scholarship awards for students to cover expenses related to K-12 public and private education. U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (R-NE) introduced the companion legislation in the U.S House of Representatives.
BACKGROUND:
As a former coach, mentor, and educator for more than 40 years, Senator Tuberville is committed to ensuring each child is given the tools to lead a successful life. During his time in the Senate, he has been proud to represent Alabama on the Senator Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee where he has been a tireless advocate for ending woke ideology in schools and boosting school choice programs.
ENDING WOKENESS IN SCHOOLS
Sen. Tuberville joined his colleagues in asking the U.S. Department of Education under President Biden to withdraw its plans to skew U.S. History and Civics towards an anti-American agenda.
Sen. Tuberville reintroduced the Saving American History Act, legislation to prohibit the use of federal funds to teach the 1619 Project by K-12 schools or school districts. Under the bill, schools that teach the 1619 Project would also be ineligible for federal professional-development grants.
Sen. Tuberville has repeatedly raised concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s influence on American education. The CCP has made it clear their plan of action is to infiltrate the American education system and indoctrinate students.
Sen. Tuberville cosponsored the Safeguarding American Education from Foreign Control Act. This bill would tighten the enforcement of rules surrounding foreign donations to higher education institutions and their contracts with foreign entities.
He specifically urged Troy University in Alabama to close its CCP-backed Confucius Institute, and hopes other universities will follow their lead.
INCREASING ACCESS TO SCHOOL CHOICE
Sen. Tuberville joined his colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Education to reconsider proposed rules to redefine the Charter School Program (CSP) and strip parents of their ability to choose the best school for their child.
Sen. Tuberville advocated for school choice on the floor of the U.S. Senate and helped introduce a resolution for National School Choice Week.
Last year, Sen. Tuberville hosted a roundtable discussion during National School Choice Week with parents, students, teachers, and administrators about making sure that parents, not the federal government, are in charge of their kids’ education.
Sen. Tuberville visited the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) in Huntsville. ASCTE is America’s only high school primarily focused on the integration of cyber and engineering into all academic areas. This unique public school is equipping kids with the skills needed to enter the workforce and achieve the American dream.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Praises Alabama Students, Teachers for Leading the Nation in Math Education Improvement

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Tommy Tuberville (Alabama)
Alabama was only state with improvements in post-COVID math scores
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Alabama’s voice on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), issued the following statement celebrating Alabama being the only state with improvements in post-COVID math scores among fourth graders:
“Our children have suffered emotionally and cognitively because of Democrat lockdowns during the COVID pandemic. In many states, students were unnecessarily forced out of the classrooms to learn at home, where many of them didn’t have access to adequate technology and resources. While schools across the nation are still struggling to overcome this setback, Alabama is leading the way in math progress among fourth graders. This is a testament to Alabama’s dedicated educators who were unwavering in their dedication to equipping our students with the tools to succeed. I couldn’t be more proud of Alabama’s progress, and know that we will continue to lead the way in setting the gold standard for education.”
The statement follows a disturbing report from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) that shows students have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels of achievement, and in some cases have declined further. Alabama was the ONLY state that did not see a decline in post-COVID math scores among fourth graders.
Senator Tuberville has been a strong advocate for returning students to the classroom, and continues to be a leader in the fight for school choice.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025

MIL-OSI: Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. Q4 2024 Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

SEATTLE, Jan. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: SFBC), the holding company for Sound Community Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $1.9 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, or $0.74 diluted earnings per share, as compared to net income of $1.2 million, or $0.45 diluted earnings per share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and $1.2 million, or $0.47 diluted earnings per share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend on the Company’s common stock of $0.19 per share, payable on February 26, 2025 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 12, 2025.

Comments from the President and Chief Executive Officer

“The Bank ended the year with many positives, including a 15-basis-point increase in net interest margin compared to the third quarter of 2024. This was largely due to our significant progress in reducing deposit costs, which fell by 16 basis points,” remarked Laurie Stewart, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Additionally, nonperforming loans decreased by 11.8% from the third quarter, and for the first time in more than a decade, we have no OREO,” concluded Ms. Stewart. “Notable progress was made in reducing funding costs during the quarter and in controlling expenses throughout the entire year. We hope to continue this momentum in 2025. Our staff across the company played an important role in these accomplishments by focusing on client relationships and increasing efficiencies through technological improvements,” explained Wes Ochs, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Ochs continued, “We ended the year with the same balance sheet strategy that we used to close out 2023, which helped reduce the Bank’s asset size below $1 billion. This strategy is intended to provide the Bank with additional operational flexibility and continued cost savings in 2025.”
Q4 2024 Financial Performance
Total assets decreased $107.3 million or 9.7% to $993.6 million at December 31, 2024, from $1.10 billion at September 30, 2024, and decreased $1.6 million or 0.2% from $995.2 million at December 31, 2023.				Net interest income increased $347 thousand or 4.4% to $8.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, from $7.9 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $653 thousand or 8.6% from $7.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

				Net interest margin (“NIM”), annualized, was 3.13% for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to 2.98% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and 3.04% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.
Loans held-for-portfolio decreased $1.6 million or 0.2% to $900.2 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $901.7 million at September 30, 2024, and increased $5.7 million or 0.6% from $894.5 million at December 31, 2023.
				A $14 thousand provision for credit losses was recorded for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to an $8 thousand provision and a $27 thousand release of provision for credit losses for the quarters ended September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. At December 31, 2024, the allowance for credit losses on loans to total loans outstanding was 0.94%, compared to 0.95% at September 30, 2024 and 0.98% December 31, 2023.
Total deposits decreased $92.4 million or 9.9% to $837.8 million at December 31, 2024, from $930.2 million at September 30, 2024, and increased $11.3 million or 1.4% from $826.5 million at December 31, 2023. Noninterest-bearing deposits increased $2.8 million or 2.2% to $132.5 million at December 31, 2024 compared to $129.7 million at September 30, 2024, and increased $5.8 million or 4.6% compared to $126.7 million at December 31, 2023.
				Total noninterest income decreased $75 thousand or 6.1% to $1.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $94 thousand or 8.8% compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2023.
The loans-to-deposits ratio was 108% at December 31, 2024, compared to 97% at September 30, 2024 and 108% at December 31, 2023.
				Total noninterest expense decreased $621 thousand or 8.1% to $7.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and decreased $248 thousand or 3.4% compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2023.
Total nonperforming loans decreased $998 thousand or 11.8% to $7.5 million at December 31, 2024, from $8.5 million at September 30, 2024, and increased $3.9 million or 110.7% from $3.6 million at December 31, 2023. Nonperforming loans to total loans was 0.83% and the allowance for credit losses on loans to total nonperforming loans was 113.46% at December 31, 2024.
				The Bank continued to maintain capital levels in excess of regulatory requirements and was categorized as “well-capitalized” at December 31, 2024.

Operating Results

Net interest income increased $347 thousand, or 4.4%, to $8.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $7.9 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $653 thousand, or 8.6%, from $7.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.The increase from the prior quarter was primarily the result of lower funding costs and an increase in average yield on loans receivable and investments, partially offset by a decrease in the average balance and yield on interest-bearing cash. The increase in net interest income compared to the same quarter one year ago was primarily due to a higher average yield on interest-earning assets, particularly loans receivable and investments, and an increase in the average balances of both loans receivable and interest-bearing cash, partially offset by a lower average yield on interest-bearing cash and higher funding costs.

Interest income decreased $102 thousand, or 0.7%, to $14.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $14.8 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $1.4 million, or 10.5%, from $13.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease from the prior quarter was primarily due to a lower average balance of interest-bearing cash, and a 59 basis point decline in the average yield on interest-bearing cash, offset by a seven basis point increase in the average loan yield and a 16 basis point increase in the average yield on investments. The increase in interest income compared to the same quarter last year was due primarily to higher average balances of loans and interest-bearing cash, a 37 basis point increase in the average yield on loans, and a 43 basis point increase in the average yield on investments, partially offset by a decline in the average balance of investments and a 59 basis point decline in the average yield on interest-bearing cash.

Interest income on loans increased $194 thousand, or 1.5%, to $13.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $12.9 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $1.0 million, or 8.6%, from $12.0 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The average balance of total loans was $900.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, up from $898.6 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and $884.7 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The average yield on total loans was 5.77% for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, up from 5.70% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and 5.40% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The increase in the average loan yield during the current quarter, compared to both the prior quarter and the fourth quarter of 2023, was primarily due to the origination of new loans at higher interest rates. Additionally, variable-rate loans resetting to higher rates contributed to the increase in average yield compared to the prior quarters. The increase in the average balance during the current quarter compared to the prior quarter was primarily due to growth in commercial and multifamily loans, manufactured housing loans and floating home loans. This was partially offset by a decline in construction and land loans and commercial business loans. The average balances for one-to-four family loans, home equity loans, and other consumer loans remained relatively flat from the third quarter of 2024. The increase in the average balance of loans during the current quarter compared to the fourth quarter of 2023 was primarily due to loan growth across all categories, except for one-to-four family loans, construction and land loans, commercial business loans, and other consumer loans, with the largest decrease being in construction and land loans.

Interest income on investments was $132 thousand for both the quarters ended December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, and $129 thousand for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. Interest income on interest-bearing cash decreased $296 thousand to $1.5 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $1.8 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $359 thousand from $1.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease from the prior quarter was due to decreases in the average yield and average balance of interest-bearing cash. The increase from the same quarter in the prior year was a result of a higher average balance, partially offset by a lower average yield.

Interest expense decreased $449 thousand, or 6.4%, to $6.5 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, from $7.0 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $746 thousand, or 12.9%, from $5.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in interest expense during the current quarter from the prior quarter was primarily the result of average balance decreases of $3.8 million in demand and NOW accounts, $2.3 million in certificate accounts and $9.5 million in FHLB advances, as well as lower average rates paid on all categories of interest-bearing deposits, partially offset by a $10.2 million increase in the average balance of savings and money market accounts. The increase in interest expense during the current quarter from the same quarter a year ago was primarily the result of a $91.9 million increase in the average balance of savings and money market accounts and a $1.3 million increase in the average balance of certificate accounts, as well as higher average rates paid on savings and money market accounts. This was partially offset by a $25.3 million decrease in the average balance of demand and NOW accounts and a $9.6 million decrease in the average balance of FHLB advances. The average cost of deposits was 2.58% for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, down from 2.74% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and up from 2.38% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The average cost of FHLB advances was 4.31% for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, down from 4.32% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and up from 4.26% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

NIM (annualized) was 3.13% for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, up from 2.98% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 and 3.04% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The increase in NIM from the prior quarter was the result of lower cost of funding, partially offset by a decrease in interest income on interest-earning assets. The increase in NIM from the quarter one year ago was primarily due to an increase in interest income on interest-earning assets, driven by the higher average balance in loans and interest-bearing cash and a higher yield earned on loans and investments, partially offset by a higher average balance of and cost of savings and money market accounts.

A provision for credit losses of $14 thousand was recorded for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, consisting of a release of provision for credit losses on loans of $73 thousand and a provision for credit losses on unfunded loan commitments of $87 thousand. This compared to a provision for credit losses of $8 thousand for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, consisting of a provision for credit losses on loans of $106 thousand and a release of provision for credit losses on unfunded loan commitments of $98 thousand, and a release of provision for credit losses of $27 thousand for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, consisting of a provision for credit losses on loans of $337 thousand and a release of the provision for credit losses on unfunded loan commitments of $364 thousand. The increase in the provision for credit losses for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024 resulted primarily from an additional qualitative adjustment related to our loan review, additional enhancements to the loss model related to how we adjust for the qualitative component, including the utilization of a scorecard to drive managements analysis, and growth in our unfunded construction loan portfolio, which has a higher loss rate than our other loan portfolios. These increases were offset by lower reserves in both our floating home sub-segment of other consumer loans within our quantitative analysis and in our qualitative analysis related to market conditions and value of underlying collateral, as economic conditions have improved. Expected loss estimates consider various factors, such as market conditions, borrower-specific information, projected delinquencies, and the impact of economic conditions on borrowers’ ability to repay.

Noninterest income decreased $75 thousand, or 6.1%, to $1.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and increased $94 thousand, or 8.8%, compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease from the prior quarter was primarily related to a $24 thousand downward adjustment in fair value of mortgage servicing rights and a $59 thousand decrease in earnings from bank-owned life insurance (“BOLI”), both influenced by fluctuating market interest rates. These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $13 thousand in net gain on sale of loans due to higher sales volume in the fourth quarter of 2024, and a $7 thousand increase in gain on disposal of assets due to insurance claims exceeding the book value on the replacement of stolen laptops in the second quarter of 2024. The increase in noninterest income from the same quarter of 2023 was primarily due an $43 thousand increase in service charges and fee income primarily due to increases in late fees on loans, higher interchange income and income related to a new, multi-year agreement with our credit card provider that was effective in 2024, a late fee on one commercial loan and higher specialty deposit fees due to fewer reversals of fees in 2024, a $173 thousand increase in the fair value adjustment on mortgage servicing rights due to changes in prepayment speeds, servicing costs, and discount rate, and a $7 thousand increase in gain on disposal of assets as noted above. These increases were partially offset by a $95 thousand decrease in earnings on BOLI due to market rate fluctuations, and a $23 thousand decrease in net gain on sale of loans due to fewer loans sold, and an $11 thousand decrease in mortgage servicing income as a result of the portfolio paying down at a faster rate than we are replacing the loans. Loans sold during the quarter ended December 31, 2024, totaled $3.5 million, compared to $2.4 million and $4.5 million of loans sold during the quarters ended September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.

Noninterest expense decreased $621 thousand, or 8.1%, to $7.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and decreased $248 thousand, or 3.4%, from the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease from the quarter ended September 30, 2024 was primarily a result of lower salaries and benefits and operations expenses, partially offset by higher data processing expense. Salaries and benefits decreased $549 thousand primarily due to lower incentive compensation, lower retirement plan expense due to fluctuating market rates, lower medical expense due to higher medical costs during the third quarter of 2024, and lower salaries expense, as well as higher deferred salaries due to higher loan production. Operations expense decreased $211 thousand primarily due to a reversal of state and local tax expense related to higher estimated tax payments made than actual tax due, and lower operational losses in the current quarter as the prior quarter included the charge-off of a fraudulently obtained loan. This was partially offset by an $165 thousand increase in data processing expenses, reflecting new technology implementation costs. Compared to same quarter in 2023, the decrease in noninterest expense was primarily due to lower operations expenses, occupancy expenses and data processing expenses, which were partially offset by a $118 thousand increase in salaries and benefits costs. Operations expenses decreased due to reduction in loan originations costs, office expenses, operational losses, charitable contributions and state and local taxes, partially offset by higher professional fees primarily related to costs for future FDIC Improvement Act implementation. Data processing expenses decreased due to lower costs related to our core processor, while occupancy expenses decreased primarily due to fully amortized leasehold improvements. The increase in salaries and benefits compared to the same quarter last year reflected higher incentive compensation, lower deferred salaries, higher medical expenses due primarily to a change in insurance providers, and a higher contribution to our employee stock ownership plan due to the increase in value of our stock in 2024. This was partially offset by lower retirement plan expenses due to fluctuating market rates and lower salaries from a restructuring of positions at the end of 2023.

Balance Sheet Review, Capital Management and Credit Quality

Assets at December 31, 2024 totaled $993.6 million, down from $1.10 billion at September 30, 2024 and $995.22 million at December 31, 2023. The decrease in total assets from September 30, 2024 was primarily due to decreases in cash and cash equivalents and loans held-for-portfolio. The decrease from one year ago was primarily a result of lower balances of cash and cash equivalents and investment securities, offset by an increase in loans held-for-portfolio.

Cash and cash equivalents decreased $105.3 million, or 70.7%, to $43.6 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $148.9 million at September 30, 2024, and decreased $6.0 million, or 12.2%, from $49.7 million at December 31, 2023. The decrease from the prior quarter was primarily due to higher deposit withdrawals, as well as the strategic decision to sell reciprocal deposits at the end of the year. Cash and cash equivalents decreased from one year ago primarily due to the increase in loans held-for-portfolio and the payoff of one FHLB borrowing, partially offset by an increase in deposits.

Investment securities decreased $251 thousand, or 2.5%, to $9.9 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $10.2 million at September 30, 2024, and decreased $533 thousand, or 5.1%, from $10.5 million at December 31, 2023. Held-to-maturity securities totaled $2.1 million at both December 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, and totaled $2.2 million at December 31, 2023. Available-for-sale securities totaled $7.8 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $8.0 million at September 30, 2024 and $8.3 million at December 31, 2023.

Loans held-for-portfolio were $900.2 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $901.7 million at September 30, 2024 and $894.5 million at December 31, 2023.

Nonperforming assets (“NPAs”), which are comprised of nonaccrual loans (including nonperforming modified loans), other real estate owned (“OREO”) and other repossessed assets, decreased $1.1 million, or 12.9%, to $7.5 million at December 31, 2024, from $8.6 million at September 30, 2024 and increased $3.4 million, or 81.3%, from $4.1 million at December 31, 2023. The decrease in NPAs from September 30, 2024 was primarily due to the payoff of seven loans totaling $1.2 million, one loan totaling $76 thousand returning to accrual status, and sale of one other real estate owned property for $115 thousand for a small net gain on sale, partially offset by the addition of seven loans totaling $326 thousand to nonaccrual. The increase in NPAs from one year ago was primarily due to the placement of an additional $9.3 million of loans on nonaccrual status, which included a $3.7 million matured commercial real estate loan where the borrower is in the process of securing financing from another lender, and a $2.4 million floating home loan, all of which are well secured. These additions were partially offset by payoffs totaling $4.2 million, the return of $784 thousand of loans to accrual status, charge-offs of $142 thousand, the sale of two other real estate owned properties for $685 thousand, and normal loan payments.

NPAs to total assets were 0.75%, 0.78% and 0.42% at December 31, 2024, September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The allowance for credit losses on loans to total loans outstanding was 0.94% at December 31, 2024, compared to 0.95% at September 30, 2024 and 0.98% at December 31, 2023. Net loan charge-offs for the fourth quarter of 2024 totaled $13 thousand, compared to $14 thousand for the third quarter of 2024, and $15 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2023.

The following table summarizes our NPAs at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):

	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Nonperforming Loans:
One-to-four family	$	537		$	745		$	822		$	835		$	1,108
Home equity loans		298			338			342			83			84
Commercial and multifamily		3,734			4,719			5,161			4,747			—
Construction and land		24			25			28			29			—
Manufactured homes		521			230			136			166			228
Floating homes		2,363			2,377			2,417			3,192			—
Commercial business		11			23			—			—			2,135
Other consumer		3			32			3			1			1
Total nonperforming loans		7,491			8,489			8,909			9,053			3,556
OREO and Other Repossessed Assets:
Commercial and multifamily		—			—			—			575			575
Manufactured homes		—			115			115			115			—
Total OREO and repossessed assets		—			115			115			690			575
Total NPAs	$	7,491		$	8,604		$	9,024		$	9,743		$	4,131

Percentage of Nonperforming Loans:
One-to-four family		7.3	%		8.7	%		9.1	%		8.5	%		26.9	%
Home equity loans		4.0			3.9			3.8			0.9			2.0
Commercial and multifamily		49.8			54.8			57.2			48.7			—
Construction and land		0.3			0.3			0.3			0.3			—
Manufactured homes		7.0			2.7			1.5			1.7			5.5
Floating homes		31.5			27.6			26.8			32.8			—
Commercial business		0.1			0.3			—			—			51.7
Other consumer		—			0.4			—			—			—
Total nonperforming loans		100.0			98.7			98.7			92.9			86.1
Percentage of OREO and Other Repossessed Assets:
Commercial and multifamily		—			—			—			5.9			13.9
Manufactured homes		—			1.3			1.3			1.2			—
Total OREO and repossessed assets		—			1.3			1.3			7.1			13.9
Total NPAs		100.0	%		100.0	%		100.0	%		100.0	%		100.0	%

The following table summarizes the allowance for credit losses at the dates and for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands, unaudited):

	At or For the Quarter Ended:
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Allowance for Credit Losses on Loans
Balance at beginning of period	$	8,585		$	8,493		$	8,598		$	8,760		$	8,438
(Release of) provision for credit losses during the period		(73	)		106			(88	)		(106	)		337
Net charge-offs during the period		(13	)		(14	)		(17	)		(56	)		(15	)
Balance at end of period	$	8,499		$	8,585		$	8,493		$	8,598		$	8,760
Allowance for Credit Losses on Unfunded Loan Commitments
Balance at beginning of period	$	147		$	245		$	266		$	193		$	557
Provision for (release of) provision for credit losses during the period		87			(98	)		(21	)		73			(364	)
Balance at end of period		234			147			245			266			193
Allowance for Credit Losses	$	8,733		$	8,732		$	8,738		$	8,864		$	8,953
Allowance for credit losses on loans to total loans		0.94	%		0.95	%		0.96	%		0.96	%		0.98	%
Allowance for credit losses to total loans		0.97	%		0.97	%		0.98	%		0.99	%		1.00	%
Allowance for credit losses on loans to total nonperforming loans		113.46	%		101.13	%		95.33	%		94.97	%		246.34	%
Allowance for credit losses to total nonperforming loans		116.58	%		102.86	%		98.08	%		97.91	%		251.77	%

Total deposits decreased $92.4 million, or 9.9%, to $837.8 million at December 31, 2024, from $930.2 million at September 30, 2024 and increased $11.3 million, or 1.4%, from $826.5 million at December 31, 2023. The decrease in total deposits compared to the prior quarter-end was primarily a result of the movement of reciprocal deposits off balance sheet for strategic objectives at year-end, followed by the return of those deposits to our balance sheet in the first quarter of 2025, and a decrease in one high cost money market depositor relationship as part of our strategic decision to decrease our overall cost of funds. Noninterest-bearing deposits increased $2.8 million, or 2.2%, to $132.5 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $129.7 million at September 30, 2024 and increased $5.8 million, or 4.6%, from $126.7 million at December 31, 2023. Noninterest-bearing deposits represented 15.8%, 14.0% and 15.3% of total deposits at December 31, 2024, September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.

FHLB advances totaled $25.0 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $40.0 million at both September 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023. The decrease from both prior dated was due to the repayment of a $15.0 million FHLB advance that matured in November 2024. FHLB advances are primarily used to support organic loan growth and to maintain liquidity ratios in line with our asset/liability objectives. FHLB advances outstanding at December 31, 2024 had maturities ranging from early 2026 through early 2028. Subordinated notes, net totaled $11.8 million at each of December 31, 2024, September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

Stockholders’ equity totaled $103.7 million at December 31, 2024, an increase of $1.4 million, or 1.4%, from $102.2 million at September 30, 2024, and an increase of $3.0 million, or 3.0%, from $100.7 million at December 31, 2023. The increase in stockholders’ equity from September 30, 2024 was primarily the result of $1.9 million of net income earned during the current quarter, $98 thousand in share-based compensation, and $19 thousand in common stock options exercised, partially offset by a $122 thousand increase in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax and the payment of $486 thousand in cash dividends to the Company’s stockholders.

Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc., a bank holding company, is the parent company of Sound Community Bank, which is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and has full-service branches in Seattle, Tacoma, Mountlake Terrace, Sequim, Port Angeles, Port Ludlow and University Place. Sound Community Bank is a Fannie Mae Approved Lender and Seller/Servicer with one loan production office located in the Madison Park neighborhood of Seattle. For more information, please visit www.soundcb.com.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer

When used in this press release and in documents filed or furnished by Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in the Company’s other press releases or other public or stockholder communications, and in oral statements made with the approval of an authorized executive officer, the words or phrases “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” “project,” “intends” or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, which are based on various underlying assumptions and expectations and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors, may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events and may turn out to be wrong because of inaccurate assumptions we might make, because of the factors listed below or because of other factors that we cannot foresee that could cause our actual results to be materially different from historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.

Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially, include, but are not limited to:adverse impacts to economic conditions in the Company’s local market areas, other markets where the Company has lending relationships, or other aspects of the Company’s business operations or financial markets, including, without limitation, as a result of employment levels, labor shortages and the effects of inflation or deflation, a recession or slowed economic growth, as well as supply chain disruptions; changes in the interest rate environment, including increases and decreases in the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve) benchmark rate and the duration at which such interest rate levels are maintained, which could adversely affect our revenues and expenses, the values of our assets and obligations, and the availability and cost of capital and liquidity; the impact of inflation and the current and future monetary policies of the Federal Reserve in response thereto; the effects of any federal government shutdown; the impact of bank failures or adverse developments at other banks and related negative press about the banking industry in general on investor and depositor sentiment; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; fluctuations in interest rates; the risks of lending and investing activities, including changes in the level and direction of loan delinquencies and write-offs and changes in estimates of the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses; the Company’s ability to access cost-effective funding; fluctuations in real estate values and both residential and commercial real estate market conditions; demand for loans and deposits in the Company’s market area; secondary market conditions for loans;expectations regarding key growth initiatives and strategic priorities; environmental, social and governance goals and targets; results of examinations of the Company or the Bank by their regulators; increased competition; changes in management’s business strategies; legislative changes; changes in the regulatory and tax environments in which the Company operates; disruptions, security breaches, or other adverse events, failures or interruptions in, or attacks on, our information technology systems or on our third-party vendors; the potential imposition of new tariffs or changes to existing trade policies that could affect economic activity or specific industry sector; the effects of climate change, severe weather events, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics and other public health crises, acts of war or terrorism, civil unrest and other external events on our business; and other factors described in the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with or furnished to the SEC, which are available at www.soundcb.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The risks inherent in these factors could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, the Company and could negatively affect the Company’s operating and stock performance.

The Company does not undertake—and specifically disclaims any obligation—to revise any forward-looking statement to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement.

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS (Dollars in thousands, unaudited)
	For the Quarter Ended
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024		June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Interest income	$	14,736		$	14,838	$	14,039		$	13,760		$	13,337
Interest expense		6,516			6,965		6,591			6,300			5,770
Net interest income		8,220			7,873		7,448			7,460			7,567
Provision for (release of) credit losses		14			8		(109	)		(33	)		(27	)
Net interest income after provision for (release of) credit losses		8,206			7,865		7,557			7,493			7,594
Noninterest income:
Service charges and fee income		619			628		761			612			576
Earnings on bank-owned life insurance		127			186		134			177			222
Mortgage servicing income		277			280		279			282			288
Fair value adjustment on mortgage servicing rights		77			101		(116	)		(65	)		(96	)
Net gain on sale of loans		53			40		74			90			76
Other income		7			—		30			—			—
Total noninterest income		1,160			1,235		1,162			1,096			1,066
Noninterest expense:
Salaries and benefits		3,920			4,469		4,658			4,543			3,802
Operations		1,329			1,540		1,569			1,457			1,537
Regulatory assessments		189			189		220			189			198
Occupancy		409			414		397			444			458
Data processing		1,232			1,067		910			1,017			1,311
Net (gain) loss on OREO and repossessed assets		(21	)		—		(17	)		6			—
Total noninterest expense		7,058			7,679		7,737			7,656			7,306
Income before provision for income taxes		2,308			1,421		982			933			1,354
Provision for income taxes		389			267		187			163			143
Net income	$	1,919		$	1,154	$	795		$	770		$	1,211

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS (Dollars in thousands, unaudited)

	For theYear Ended December 31
		2024			2023
Interest income	$	57,374		$	50,609
Interest expense		26,372			16,759
Net interest income		31,002			33,850
(Release of) provision for credit losses		(120	)		(273	)
Net interest income after (release of) provision for credit losses		31,122			34,123
Noninterest income:
Service charges and fee income		2,620			2,527
Earnings on bank-owned life insurance		625			1,179
Mortgage servicing income		1,118			1,179
Fair value adjustment on mortgage servicing rights		(4	)		(219	)
Net gain on sale of loans		258			340
Other income		38			—
Total noninterest income		4,655			5,006
Noninterest expense:
Salaries and benefits		17,590			17,135
Operations		5,894			6,095
Regulatory assessments		787			688
Occupancy		1,665			1,810
Data processing		4,226			4,388
Net (gain) loss on OREO and repossessed assets		(31	)		13
Total noninterest expense		30,131			30,129
Income before provision for income taxes		5,646			9,000
Provision for income taxes		1,006			1,561
Net income	$	4,640		$	7,439

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Dollars in thousands, unaudited)
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents	$	43,641		$	148,930		$	135,111		$	137,977		$	49,690
Available-for-sale securities, at fair value		7,790			8,032			7,996			8,115			8,287
Held-to-maturity securities, at amortized cost		2,130			2,139			2,147			2,157			2,166
Loans held-for-sale		487			65			257			351			603
Loans held-for-portfolio		900,171			901,733			889,274			897,877			894,478
Allowance for credit losses – loans		(8,499	)		(8,585	)		(8,493	)		(8,598	)		(8,760	)
Total loans held-for-portfolio, net		891,672			893,148			880,781			889,279			885,718
Accrued interest receivable		3,471			3,705			3,413			3,617			3,452
Bank-owned life insurance, net		22,490			22,363			22,172			22,037			21,860
Other real estate owned (“OREO”) and other repossessed assets, net		—			115			115			690			575
Mortgage servicing rights, at fair value		4,769			4,665			4,540			4,612			4,632
Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) stock, at cost		1,730			2,405			2,406			2,406			2,396
Premises and equipment, net		4,697			4,807			4,906			6,685			5,240
Right-of-use assets		3,725			3,779			4,020			4,259			4,496
Other assets		7,031			6,777			6,995			4,500			6,106
TOTAL ASSETS	$	993,633		$	1,100,930		$	1,074,859		$	1,086,685		$	995,221
LIABILITIES
Interest-bearing deposits	$	705,267		$	800,480		$	781,854		$	788,217		$	699,813
Noninterest-bearing deposits		132,532			129,717			124,915			128,666			126,726
Total deposits		837,799			930,197			906,769			916,883			826,539
Borrowings		25,000			40,000			40,000			40,000			40,000
Accrued interest payable		765			908			760			719			817
Lease liabilities		4,013			4,079			4,328			4,576			4,821
Other liabilities		9,371			9,711			9,105			9,578			9,563
Advance payments from borrowers for taxes and insurance		1,260			2,047			812			2,209			1,110
Subordinated notes, net		11,759			11,749			11,738			11,728			11,717
TOTAL LIABILITIES		889,967			998,691			973,512			985,693			894,567
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:
Common stock		25			25			25			25			25
Additional paid-in capital		28,413			28,296			28,198			28,110			27,990
Retained earnings		76,272			74,840			74,173			73,907			73,627
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax		(1,044	)		(922	)		(1,049	)		(1,050	)		(988	)
TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY		103,666			102,239			101,347			100,992			100,654
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY	$	993,633		$	1,100,930		$	1,074,859		$	1,086,685		$	995,221

KEY FINANCIAL RATIOS (unaudited)
	For the Quarter Ended
	December 31, 2024		September 30, 2024		June 30, 2024		March 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Annualized return on average assets	0.70	%	0.42	%	0.30	%	0.29	%	0.46	%
Annualized return on average equity	7.40	%	4.50	%	3.17	%	3.06	%	4.78	%
Annualized net interest margin⁽¹⁾	3.13	%	2.98	%	2.92	%	2.95	%	3.04	%
Annualized efficiency ratio⁽²⁾	75.25	%	84.31	%	89.86	%	89.48	%	84.63	%

(1) Net interest income divided by average interest earning assets.
(2) Noninterest expense divided by total revenue (net interest income and noninterest income).

PER COMMON SHARE DATA (unaudited)
	At or For the Quarter Ended
	December 31, 2024		September 30, 2024		June 30, 2024		March 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Basic earnings per share	$	0.75	$	0.45	$	0.31	$	0.30	$	0.47
Diluted earnings per share	$	0.74	$	0.45	$	0.31	$	0.30	$	0.47
Weighted-average basic shares outstanding		2,547,210		2,544,233		2,540,538		2,539,213		2,542,175
Weighted-average diluted shares outstanding		2,578,771		2,569,368		2,559,015		2,556,958		2,560,656
Common shares outstanding at period-end		2,564,907		2,564,095		2,557,284		2,558,546		2,549,427
Book value per share	$	40.42	$	39.87	$	39.63	$	39.47	$	39.48

AVERAGE BALANCE, AVERAGE YIELD EARNED, AND AVERAGE RATE PAID
(Dollars in thousands, unaudited)

The following tables present, for the periods indicated, the total dollar amount of interest income from average interest-earning assets and the resultant yields, as well as the interest expense on average interest-bearing liabilities, expressed both in dollars and rates. Income and yields on tax-exempt obligations have not been computed on a tax equivalent basis. All average balances are daily average balances. Nonaccrual loans have been included in the table as loans carrying a zero yield for the period they have been on nonaccrual (dollars in thousands).

	Three Months Ended
	December 31, 2024							September 30, 2024							December 31, 2023
	Average Outstanding Balance			Interest Earned/ Paid		Yield/ Rate		Average Outstanding Balance			Interest Earned/ Paid		Yield/ Rate		Average Outstanding Balance			Interest Earned/ Paid		Yield/ Rate
Interest-Earning Assets:
Loans receivable	$	900,832		$	13,070	5.77	%	$	898,570		$	12,876	5.70	%	$	884,677		$	12,033	5.40	%
Interest-earning cash		130,412			1,534	4.68	%		138,240			1,830	5.27	%		88,401			1,175	5.27	%
Investments		13,263			132	3.96	%		13,806			132	3.80	%		14,479			129	3.53	%
Total interest-earning assets	$	1,044,507			14,736	5.61	%		1,050,616		$	14,838	5.62	%	$	987,557			13,337	5.36	%
Interest-Bearing Liabilities:
Savings and money market accounts	$	350,495			2,476	2.81	%	$	340,281			2,688	3.14	%	$	258,583			1,586	2.43	%
Demand and NOW accounts		144,470			128	0.35	%		148,252			151	0.41	%		169,816			149	0.35	%
Certificate accounts		301,293			3,413	4.51	%		303,632			3,524	4.62	%		300,042			3,436	4.54	%
Subordinated notes		11,756			168	5.69	%		11,745			168	5.69	%		11,714			168	5.69	%
Borrowings		30,546			331	4.31	%		40,000			434	4.32	%		40,109			431	4.26	%
Total interest-bearing liabilities	$	838,560			6,516	3.09	%	$	843,910			6,965	3.28	%	$	780,264			5,770	2.93	%
Net interest income/spread				$	8,220	2.52	%				$	7,873	2.34	%				$	7,567	2.42	%
Net interest margin						3.13	%						2.98	%						3.04	%

Ratio of interest-earning assets to interest-bearing liabilities		125	%						124	%						127	%
Noninterest-bearing deposits	$	130,476						$	132,762						$	134,857
Total deposits		926,734		$	6,017	2.58	%		924,927		$	6,363	2.74	%		863,298		$	5,171	2.38	%
Total funding⁽¹⁾		969,036			6,516	2.68	%		976,672			6,965	2.84	%		915,121			5,770	2.50	%

(1) Total funding is the sum of average interest-bearing liabilities and average noninterest-bearing deposits. The cost of total funding is calculated as annualized total interest expense divided by average total funding.

	Year Ended
	December 31, 2024							December 31, 2023
	Average Outstanding Balance			Interest Earned/Paid		Yield/Rate		Average Outstanding Balance			Interest Earned/Paid		Yield/Rate
Interest-Earning Assets:
Loans receivable	$	896,690		$	50,499	5.63	%	$	870,227		$	46,470	5.34	%
Interest-earning cash		124,259			6,367	5.12	%		74,708			3,621	4.85	%
Investments		12,468			508	4.07	%		13,661			518	3.79	%
Total interest-earning assets	$	1,033,417			57,374	5.55	%	$	958,596			50,609	5.28	%
Interest-Bearing Liabilities:
Savings and money market accounts	$	319,314			9,145	2.86	%	$	194,810			2,783	1.43	%
Demand and NOW accounts		151,528			568	0.37	%		204,922			736	0.36	%
Certificate accounts		309,441			14,363	4.64	%		280,238			10,617	3.79	%
Subordinated notes		11,740			672	5.72	%		11,698			672	5.74	%
Borrowings		37,623			1,624	4.32	%		43,977			1,951	4.44	%
Total interest-bearing liabilities	$	829,646			26,372	3.18	%	$	735,645			16,759	2.28	%
Net interest income/spread				$	31,002	2.37	%				$	33,850	3.00	%
Net interest margin						3.00	%						3.53	%

Ratio of interest-earning assets to interest-bearing liabilities		125	%						130	%
Noninterest-bearing deposits	$	131,141						$	154,448
Total deposits		911,424		$	24,076	2.64	%		834,418		$	14,136	1.69	%
Total funding⁽¹⁾		960,787			26,372	2.74	%		890,093			16,759	1.88	%

LOANS (Dollars in thousands, unaudited)
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Real estate loans:
One-to-four family	$	269,684		$	271,702		$	268,488		$	279,213		$	279,448
Home equity		26,686			25,199			26,185			24,380			23,073
Commercial and multifamily		371,516			358,587			342,632			324,483			315,280
Construction and land		73,077			85,724			96,962			111,726			126,758
Total real estate loans		740,963			741,212			734,267			739,802			744,559
Consumer Loans:
Manufactured homes		41,128			40,371			38,953			37,583			36,193
Floating homes		86,411			86,155			81,622			84,237			75,108
Other consumer		17,720			18,266			18,422			18,847			19,612
Total consumer loans		145,259			144,792			138,997			140,667			130,913
Commercial business loans		15,605			17,481			17,860			19,075			20,688
Total loans		901,827			903,485			891,124			899,544			896,160
Less:
Premiums		718			736			754			808			829
Deferred fees, net		(2,374	)		(2,488	)		(2,604	)		(2,475	)		(2,511	)
Allowance for credit losses – loans		(8,499	)		(8,585	)		(8,493	)		(8,598	)		(8,760	)
Total loans held-for-portfolio, net	$	891,672		$	893,148		$	880,781		$	889,279		$	885,718

DEPOSITS (Dollars in thousands, unaudited)
	December 31, 2024		September 30, 2024		June 30, 2024		March 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Noninterest-bearing demand	$	132,532	$	129,717	$	124,915	$	128,666	$	126,726
Interest-bearing demand		142,126		148,740		152,829		159,178		168,346
Savings		61,252		61,455		63,368		65,723		69,461
Money market⁽¹⁾		206,067		285,655		253,873		241,976		154,044
Certificates		295,822		304,630		311,784		321,340		307,962
Total deposits	$	837,799	$	930,197	$	906,769	$	916,883	$	826,539

(1) Includes $5.0 million of brokered deposits at December 31, 2023.

CREDIT QUALITY DATA (Dollars in thousands, unaudited)
	At or For the Quarter Ended
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023
Total nonperforming loans	$	7,491		$	8,489		$	8,909		$	9,053		$	3,556
OREO and other repossessed assets		—			115			115			690			575
Total nonperforming assets	$	7,491		$	8,604		$	9,024		$	9,743		$	4,131
Net charge-offs during the quarter	$	(13	)	$	(14	)	$	(17	)	$	(56	)	$	(15	)
Provision for (release of) credit losses during the quarter		14			8			(109	)		(33	)		(27	)
Allowance for credit losses – loans		8,499			8,585			8,493			8,598			8,760
Allowance for credit losses – loans to total loans		0.94	%		0.95	%		0.96	%		0.96	%		0.98	%
Allowance for credit losses – loans to total nonperforming loans		113.46	%		101.13	%		95.33	%		94.97	%		246.34	%
Nonperforming loans to total loans		0.83	%		0.94	%		1.00	%		1.01	%		0.40	%
Nonperforming assets to total assets		0.75	%		0.78	%		0.84	%		0.90	%		0.42	%

OTHER STATISTICS (Dollars in thousands, unaudited)
	At or For the Quarter Ended
	December 31, 2024			September 30, 2024			June 30, 2024			March 31, 2024			December 31, 2023

Total loans to total deposits		107.64	%		97.13	%		98.27	%		98.11	%		108.42	%
Noninterest-bearing deposits to total deposits		15.82	%		13.95	%		13.78	%		14.03	%		15.33	%

Average total assets for the quarter	$	1,089,067		$	1,095,404		$	1,070,579		$	1,062,036		$	1,033,985
Average total equity for the quarter	$	103,181		$	102,059		$	100,961		$	101,292		$	100,612

Contact

Financial:
Wes Ochs
Executive Vice President/CFO
(206) 436-8587

Media:
Laurie Stewart
President/CEO
(206) 436-1495

The MIL Network –

January 30, 2025

MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven to Serve as Chairman of Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
01.29.25
WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that he will again serve as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee. Hoeven has served as the lead Republican on the committee since 2017, having previously fulfilled the role of chairman in the 115th and 116th Congresses.
“The hard work of our farmers and ranchers provides a solid foundation for North Dakota’s economy, while ensuring Americans continue to benefit from the lowest-cost, highest-quality food supply in the world,” said Hoeven. “My role on the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee has been a tremendous opportunity to address the needs of our producers, agri-businesses and rural communities. I look forward to serving as chairman once again, where I will continue working to provide the tools and resources needed to support a strong ag economy, while advancing new innovations and market access to give our producers a competitive edge in the global economy.”
As chairman, Hoeven will continue his efforts to advance critical priorities for farmers, ranchers and rural America through annual funding legislation. This includes:
Advancing implementation of the $33.5 billion in disaster assistance that he worked to secure for producers in the year-end legislation.
Securing strong support for agriculture research, including:
The precision agriculture work being undertaken by Grand Farm, North Dakota State University (NDSU) and their partners.
The agriculture policy research center the senator is working to stand up at NDSU.

Ensuring access to credit for producers to better enable them to manage their operations, cover their costs and weather challenges.
Improving access to foreign markets for producers and agri-businesses.
Supporting greater transparency and competition in cattle markets, including through his Cattle Contract Library Pilot Program.
Providing regulatory relief to reduce costs for producers and making sure programs are voluntary and farmer-friendly.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Lifestyle – Kickstart 2025 with Exercise New Zealand: We Are Here For You!

Source: Exercise NZ

As January unfolds and the new year gains momentum, it’s the perfect opportunity to set intentions, embrace change, and prioritise what truly matters. ExerciseNZ is encouraging all Kiwis to kickstart 2025 by making movement an essential part of their daily lives.

With summer in full swing, Aotearoa provides the perfect backdrop to establish new habits. Whether it’s an early-morning beach walk, backyard games with family, joining a local exercise class, or tackling that daunting pre-season training, committing to regular physical activity now can set the tone for a healthier and more fulfilling year ahead.

At ExerciseNZ, we are committed to supporting Kiwis in creating a lifestyle fuelled by physical activity and exercise. As the National Association for the Exercise Industry, we work to empower individuals and communities by providing the tools, resources, and guidance needed to make physical activity a sustainable part of everyday life. Partnering with gyms, exercise facilities, and professionals across the country,

ExerciseNZ ensures access to high-quality, safe, and inclusive movement experiences for everyone in Aotearoa. To begin our year together, we’d like to highlight some of the work we do to help Kiwis flourish through movement and exercise.

Connecting Kiwis with Local Facilities and Experts: ExerciseNZ supports over 500 gyms and exercise facilities nationwide, ensuring Kiwis can easily find the right space to begin or continue their exercise journey. Whether you’re looking for group exercise classes, personal trainers, or specialised programs, ExerciseNZ can help connect you with the right professionals.

Education and Professional Development: ExerciseNZ provides registration for exercise professionals (REPs), ensuring the industry remains at the forefront of innovation, safety, and inclusivity. This guarantees that all members of the community receive safe and effective guidance tailored to their individual needs when training with a REPS registered individual or facility. .

Advocating for Exercise and Well-being: ExerciseNZ actively works to promote the importance of physical activity at a national level, advocating for policies and initiatives that make exercise accessible to all. This includes working with workplaces, government, and various community groups to encourage physical activity as a part of everyday life.

Cultural Capability and Inclusivity: Recognising the diverse needs of Aotearoa, ExerciseNZ is committed to building cultural capability within the exercise industry. This includes fostering environments that are welcoming and inclusive for the diverse cultural population here in Aotearoa.

Supporting Mental Well-being Through Movement: ExerciseNZ highlights the mental health benefits of physical activity, working to normalise conversations about how exercise can reduce stress, improve mood, and support overall mental well-being.

No matter your activity level or where you are on your journey, Exercise New Zealand is here to support you. Visit ExerciseNZ’s website to explore exercise facilities near you, find expert advice, or discover programs that can help you stay motivated and inspired throughout the year.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Submissions: Australia – International project to support Australia’s transition to clean energy with next-gen electrolysers – Swinburne University

Source: Swinburne University

An international team is developing new electrolysers to support Australia’s transition to clean energy.

Led by Swinburne University of Technology researchers Associate Professor Rosalie Hocking and Associate Professor Andrew Ang, the project will strengthen Australia’s capability in domestic manufacturing for renewable technologies, positioning the country as a leader in the global energy transition.

“This grant enables us to tackle key challenges in scaling up electrolysers by innovating catalyst design and electrode manufacturing, advancing CO₂ reduction technologies for a sustainable energy future,” says Associate Professor Hocking.

Hydrogen electrolysers enable the production of clean hydrogen from water using renewable electricity. This process provides a high-energy, low-emission alternative for sectors that are challenging to electrify, such as heavy transport and industrial processing.

By 2050, CSIRO predicts that manufacturing of hydrogen electrolysers industry could generate $1.7 billion in revenue and 4,000 jobs, plus $1.2 billion and 1,000 jobs from installation services. Associate Professor Ang says a key part of making this a reality is reducing costs.

“The cost of manufacturing is often overlooked in new technologies despite being a critical consideration in any scalable technology.”

“By scaling up these cutting-edge electrode systems, the project will contribute to the development of next-generation electrolysers that support Australia’s transition to clean energy.”

The international collaboration between Swinburne’s Chemistry and Mechanical Engineering team and Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon (RMUTP) in Thailand will examine innovative ways to fabricate catalysts materials and Australia’s capacity to scale those technologies.

This project aims to develop innovative copper oxide (CuOx) and multimetal oxide catalyst systems for the production of value-added C2+ products, such as hydrocarbons and syngas, using renewable energy in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers.

By advancing catalyst design and optimising manufacturing techniques, the project addresses key challenges related to cost and scalability in the deployment of hydrogen production technologies.

Associate Professor Hocking says that international partnerships are essential for building Australia’s science and research capabilities.

“Employing innovative techniques like thermal spray will help position Australia as a global leader in renewable technology development.”

MIL OSI – Submitted News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling

Source: The White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Parents trust America’s schools to provide their children with a rigorous education and to instill a patriotic admiration for our incredible Nation and the values for which we stand.
In recent years, however, parents have witnessed schools indoctrinate their children in radical, anti-American ideologies while deliberately blocking parental oversight. Such an environment operates as an echo chamber, in which students are forced to accept these ideologies without question or critical examination. In many cases, innocent children are compelled to adopt identities as either victims or oppressors solely based on their skin color and other immutable characteristics. In other instances, young men and women are made to question whether they were born in the wrong body and whether to view their parents and their reality as enemies to be blamed. These practices not only erode critical thinking but also sow division, confusion, and distrust, which undermine the very foundations of personal identity and family unity.

Imprinting anti-American, subversive, harmful, and false ideologies on our Nation’s children not only violates longstanding anti-discrimination civil rights law in many cases, but usurps basic parental authority. For example, steering students toward surgical and chemical mutilation without parental consent or involvement or allowing males access to private spaces designated for females may contravene Federal laws that protect parental rights, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), and sex-based equality and opportunity, including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX). Similarly, demanding acquiescence to “White Privilege” or “unconscious bias,” actually promotes racial discrimination and undermines national unity.

My Administration will enforce the law to ensure that recipients of Federal funds providing K-12 education comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination in various contexts and protecting parental rights, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), 42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.; Title IX, 20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.; FERPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232g; and the PPRA, 20 U.S.C. 1232h.

Sec. 2. Definitions. As used herein:
(a) The definitions in the Executive Order “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government” (January 20, 2025) shall apply to this order.
(b) “Discriminatory equity ideology” means an ideology that treats individuals as members of preferred or disfavored groups, rather than as individuals, and minimizes agency, merit, and capability in favor of immoral generalizations, including that:
(i) Members of one race, color, sex, or national origin are morally or inherently superior to members of another race, color, sex, or national origin;
(ii) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously;
(iii) An individual’s moral character or status as privileged, oppressing, or oppressed is primarily determined by the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin;
(iv) Members of one race, color, sex, or national origin cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to their race, color, sex, or national origin;
(v) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin, bears responsibility for, should feel guilt, anguish, or other forms of psychological distress because of, should be discriminated against, blamed, or stereotyped for, or should receive adverse treatment because of actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, sex, or national origin, in which the individual played no part;
(vi) An individual, by virtue of the individual’s race, color, sex, or national origin, should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment to achieve diversity, equity, or inclusion;
(vii) Virtues such as merit, excellence, hard work, fairness, neutrality, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist or sexist or were created by members of a particular race, color, sex, or national origin to oppress members of another race, color, sex, or national origin; or
(viii) the United States is fundamentally racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory.
(c) “Educational service agency” (ESA) has the meaning given in 20 U.S.C. 1401(5), and the terms “elementary school,” “local educational agency” (LEA), “secondary school,” and “state educational agency” (SEA) have the meanings given in 34 C.F.R. 77.1(c).
(d) “Patriotic education” means a presentation of the history of America grounded in:
(i) an accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling characterization of America’s founding and foundational principles;
(ii) a clear examination of how the United States has admirably grown closer to its noble principles throughout its history;
(iii) the concept that commitment to America’s aspirations is beneficial and justified; and
(iv) the concept that celebration of America’s greatness and history is proper.
(e) “Social transition” means the process of adopting a “gender identity” or “gender marker” that differs from a person’s sex. This process can include psychological or psychiatric counseling or treatment by a school counselor or other provider; modifying a person’s name (e.g., “Jane” to “James”) or pronouns (e.g., “him” to “her”); calling a child “nonbinary”; use of intimate facilities and accommodations such as bathrooms or locker rooms specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex; and participating in school athletic competitions or other extracurricular activities specifically designated for persons of the opposite sex. “Social transition” does not include chemical or surgical mutilation.

Sec. 3. Ending Indoctrination Strategy. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this order, to advise the President in formulating future policy, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall provide an Ending Indoctrination Strategy to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, containing recommendations and a plan for:
(i) eliminating Federal funding or support for illegal and discriminatory treatment and indoctrination in K-12 schools, including based on gender ideology and discriminatory equity ideology; and
(ii) protecting parental rights, pursuant to FERPA, 20 U.S.C. 1232g, and the PPRA, 20 U.S.C. 1232h, with respect to any K-12 policies or conduct implicated by the purpose and policy of this order.
(b) The Ending Indoctrination Strategy submitted under subsection (a) of this section shall contain a summary and analysis of the following:
(i) All Federal funding sources and streams, including grants or contracts, that directly or indirectly support or subsidize the instruction, advancement, or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology:
(A) in K-12 curriculum, instruction, programs, or activities; or
(B) in K-12 teacher education, certification, licensing, employment, or training;
(ii) Each agency’s process to prevent or rescind Federal funds, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, from being used by an ESA, SEA, LEA, elementary school, or secondary school to directly or indirectly support or subsidize the instruction, advancement, or promotion of gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology in:
(A) K-12 curriculum, instruction, programs, or activities; or
(B) K-12 teacher certification, licensing, employment, or training;
(iii) Each agency’s process to prevent or rescind Federal funds, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, from being used by an ESA, SEA, LEA, elementary school, or secondary school to directly or indirectly support or subsidize the social transition of a minor student, including through school staff or teachers or through deliberately concealing the minor’s social transition from the minor’s parents.
(iv) Each agency’s process to prevent or rescind Federal funds, to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, from being used by an ESA, SEA, LEA, elementary school, or secondary school to directly or indirectly support or subsidize:
(A) interference with a parent’s Federal statutory right to information regarding school curriculum, records, physical examinations, surveys, and other matters under the PPRA or FERPA; or
(B) a violation of Title VI or Title IX; and
(v) A summary and analysis of all relevant agency enforcement tools to advance the policies of this order.
(c) The Attorney General shall coordinate with State attorneys general and local district attorneys in their efforts to enforce the law and file appropriate actions against K-12 teachers and school officials who violate the law by:
(i) sexually exploiting minors;
(ii) unlawfully practicing medicine by offering diagnoses and treatment without the requisite license; or
(iii) otherwise unlawfully facilitating the social transition of a minor student.
(d) The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall regularly convene the heads of the agencies tasked with submitting the Ending Indoctrination Strategy under subsection (a) of this section to confer regarding their findings, areas for additional investigation, the modification or implementation of their respective recommendations, and such other policy initiatives or matters as the President may direct.

Sec. 4. Reestablishing the President’s Advisory 1776 Commission and Promoting Patriotic Education. (a) The President’s Advisory 1776 Commission (“1776 Commission”), which was created by Executive Order 13958 of November 2, 2020, to promote patriotic education, but was terminated by President Biden in Executive Order 13985 of January 20, 2021, is hereby reestablished. The purpose of the 1776 Commission is to promote patriotic education and advance the purposes stated in section 1 of Executive Order 13958, as well as to advise and promote the work of the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (“Task Force 250”) and the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in their efforts to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026.
(b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Education shall establish the 1776 Commission in the Department of Education.
(c) The 1776 Commission shall be composed of not more than 20 members, who shall be appointed by the President for a term of 2 years. The 1776 Commission shall be made up of individuals from outside the Federal Government with relevant experience or subject-matter expertise.
(d) The 1776 Commission shall have a Chair or Co-Chairs, at the President’s discretion, and a Vice Chair, who shall be designated by the President from among the Commission’s members. An Executive Director, designated by the Secretary of Education in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, shall coordinate the work of the 1776 Commission. The Chair (or Co-Chairs) and Vice Chair shall work with the Executive Director to convene regular meetings of the 1776 Commission, determine its agenda, and direct its work, consistent with this order.
(e) The 1776 Commission shall:
(i) facilitate the development and implementation of a “Presidential 1776 Award” to recognize student knowledge of the American founding, including knowledge about the Founders, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitutional Convention, and the great soldiers and battles of the American Revolutionary War;
(ii) in coordination with the White House Office of Public Liaison, coordinate bi-weekly lectures regarding the 250th anniversary of American Independence that are grounded in patriotic education principles, which shall be broadcast to the Nation throughout calendar year 2026;
(iii) upon request, advise executive departments and agencies regarding their efforts to ensure patriotic education is appropriately provided to the public at national parks, battlefields, monuments, museums, installations, landmarks, cemeteries, and other places important to the American founding and American history, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law;
(iv) upon request, offer advice and recommendations to, and support the work of Task Force 250 and the United States Semiquincentennial Commission regarding their plans to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Independence; and
(v) facilitate, advise upon, and promote private and civic activities nationwide to increase public knowledge of and support patriotic education surrounding the 250th anniversary of American Independence, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.
(f) The Department of Education shall provide funding and administrative support for the 1776 Commission, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(g) Members of the 1776 Commission shall serve without compensation but, as approved by the Department of Education, shall be reimbursed for travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law for persons serving intermittently in the Government service (5 U.S.C. 5701-5707).
(h) Insofar as chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the Federal Advisory Committee Act), may apply to the 1776 Commission, any functions of the President under that Act, except that of reporting to the Congress, shall be performed by the Secretary of Education, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Administrator of General Services.
(i) The 1776 Commission shall terminate 2 years from the date of this order, unless extended by the President.

Sec. 5. Additional Patriotic Education Measures. (a) All relevant agencies shall monitor compliance with section 111(b) of title I of Division J of Public Law 108-447, which provides that “[e]ach educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold an educational program on the United States Constitution on September 17 of such year for the students served by the educational institution,” including by verifying compliance with each educational institution that receives Federal funds. All relevant agencies shall take action, as appropriate, to enhance compliance with that law.
(b) All relevant agencies shall prioritize Federal resources, consistent with applicable law, to promote patriotic education, including through the following programs:
(i) the Department of Education’s American History and Civics Academies and American History and Civics Education-National Activities programs;
(ii) the Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program and Pilot Program on Enhanced Civics Education; and
(iii) the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Fulbright, U.S. Speaker, and International Visitor Leadership programs, as well as the American Spaces network.

Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity for Families

Source: The White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve the education, well-being, and future success of America’s most prized resource, her young citizens, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. Parents want and deserve the best education for their children. But too many children do not thrive in their assigned, government-run K-12 school. According to this year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 70 percent of 8th graders were below proficient in reading, and 72 percent were below proficient in math. Moreover, geographically based school assignments exacerbate the cost of housing in districts with preferred schools, straining the finances of millions of American families sacrificing for their children’s futures.

When our public education system fails such a large segment of society, it hinders our national competitiveness and devastates families and communities. For this reason, more than a dozen States have enacted universal K-12 scholarship programs, allowing families — rather than the government — to choose the best educational setting for their children. These States have highlighted the most promising avenue for education reform: educational choice for families and competition for residentially assigned, government-run public schools. The growing body of rigorous research demonstrates that well-designed education-freedom programs improve student achievement and cause nearby public schools to improve their performance.

Sec. 2. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration to support parents in choosing and directing the upbringing and education of their children.

Sec. 3. Guidance on Supporting State-based K-12 Educational Choice. Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Education shall issue guidance regarding how States can use Federal formula funds to support K-12 educational choice initiatives.

Sec. 4. Encouraging Education Freedom through Discretionary Grant Programs. (a) The Secretary of Education shall include education freedom as a priority in discretionary grant programs, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law.
(b) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education shall review their respective discretionary grant programs and each submit a plan to the President, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, that identifies, evaluates, and makes recommendations regarding using relevant discretionary grant programs to expand education freedom for America’s families and teachers.

Sec. 5. Expanding Opportunities for Low-Income, Working Families. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall issue guidance regarding whether and how States receiving block grants for families and children from the Department, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDGB), can use them to expand educational choice and support families who choose educational alternatives to governmental entities, including private and faith-based options.

Sec. 6. Helping Military Families. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense shall review any available mechanisms under which military-connected families may use funds from the Department of Defense to attend schools of their choice, including private, faith-based, or public charter schools, and submit a plan to the President describing such mechanisms and the steps that would be necessary to implement them beginning in the 2025-26 school year.

Sec. 7. Helping Children Eligible for Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Schools. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior shall review any available mechanisms under which families of students eligible to attend BIE schools may use their Federal funding for educational options of their choice, including private, faith-based, or public charter schools, and submit a plan to the President describing such mechanisms and the steps that would be necessary to implement them for the 2025-26 school year. The Secretary shall report on the current performance of BIE schools and identify educational options in nearby areas.

Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA News: Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday

Source: The White House

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in anticipation of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. It is the policy of the United States, and a purpose of this order, to provide a grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4, 2026. It is also the purpose of this order to take other actions to honor the history of our great Nation.

Sec. 2. Establishing the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday. (a) There is hereby established the White House Task Force on Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (Task Force 250).
(b) The President shall be the Chair of Task Force 250 and the Vice President will serve as Vice Chair. The Chair shall appoint an Executive Director, who shall administer and execute the day-to-day operations of Task Force 250, and who shall report through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy. The Chair, the Vice Chair, or a member of Task Force 250 designated by the Chair, shall convene regular meetings of Task Force 250, determine its agenda, and direct its work, consistent with this order. The Executive Director and the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall assist in the performance of these duties. The Chair may designate any member of the Task Force to preside over meetings of the Task Force.
(c) In addition to the Chair and Vice Chair, Task Force 250 shall consist of the following members:
(i) the Secretary of State;
(ii) the Secretary of the Treasury;
(iii) the Secretary of Defense;
(iv) the Secretary of the Interior;
(v) the Secretary of Agriculture;
(vi) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(vii) the Secretary of Education;
(viii) the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy;
(ix) the Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs;
(x) the Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Chief of Staff;
(xi) the Director of Speechwriting;
(xii) the Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities;
(xiii) the Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts;
(xiv) the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services; and
(xv) the heads of such other executive departments, agencies, and offices that the Chair or the Vice Chair may, from time to time, designate or invite to participate.
(d) The Chair and the Vice Chair, as they deem appropriate, shall invite the Executive Director of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission to provide recommendations and advice to Task Force 250.
(e) Task Force 250 shall coordinate with the executive departments and agencies (agencies) to plan, organize, and execute an extraordinary celebration of the 250th Anniversary of American Independence and shall coordinate agencies’ communications with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission. In addition, the Executive Director may seek information or advice from such other agencies as Task Force 250 shall direct.
(f) For administrative purposes, the Task Force shall be housed in the Department of Defense, which shall provide funding and administrative support for Task Force 250, to the extent permitted by law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(g) Agencies shall provide a report to Task Force 250 regarding their respective planning and activities with respect to the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of American Independence. These reports should be submitted to the Executive Director of Task Force 250 no later than March 1, 2025.
(h) Task Force 250 shall terminate on December 31, 2026, unless extended by the President.

Sec. 3. National Garden of American Heroes. (a) Executive Order 13934 of July 3, 2020 (Building and Rebuilding Monuments to American Heroes) and Executive Order 13978 of January 18, 2021 (Building the National Garden of American Heroes) are reinstated as they were prior to issuance of Executive Order 14029 of May 14, 2021.
(b) The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall recommend to the President additional historically significant Americans for inclusion in the National Garden of American Heroes, to bring the total number of heroes to 250.
(c) Section 3(c)(ii) of Executive Order 13934 is amended by striking “prior to the 250th anniversary of the proclamation of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026” and inserting in its place “as expeditiously as possible”.

Sec. 4. Protecting America’s Monuments from Vandalism. Executive Order 13933 of June 26, 2020 (Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combatting Recent Criminal Violence) is hereby reinstated as it was prior to the issuance of Executive Order 14029 of May 14, 2021. Recent examples of conduct necessitating reinstatement of this order include pro-Hamas-related vandalism of historically significant public monuments and related assaults on Federal officers and employees following October 7, 2023, including the vandalism of the exterior of the Department of the Treasury and of statues in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. on June 8, 2024, and the assaults on Federal officers and vandalism of the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain and Freedom Bell at Union Station in Washington, D.C. on July 24, 2024.

Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: New data shows more people applying to become school teachers

Source: Australian Ministers for Education

New data shows more people applying to become school teachers.

Data analysis by the Department of Education shows both applications and offers are up for people wanting to study an undergraduate course in education.

Overall, preliminary results from tertiary admission centres are showing a 7 per cent increase in applications and a 14 per cent increase in offers compared to 2024.

These positive early results come after the Albanese Labor Government and state and territory governments have been working together to tackle the teacher workforce shortage through the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan.

Many states and territories have delivered significant pay increases for the teaching profession over the past two years.

They have also taken important steps to help reduce teacher workload.

The Albanese Government brought back teaching scholarships worth up to $40,000 each to encourage more people to study teaching.

And for the first time ever, the Australian Government is introducing a Prac Payment for teaching students which provides financial support while they do the practical part of their course.

These initiatives come on top of the biggest reforms to teacher training in a generation, which include a stronger focus on how to teach children to read and write and do maths and manage behaviour.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

“Being a teacher is the most important job in the world, and we don’t have enough of them.

“The Liberals ripped the guts out of public school funding and under them, the teacher shortage crisis got worse.

“We’re now starting to see this turn around.

“I want more young people to leap out of high school and want to become a teacher, rather than a lawyer or a banker.

“That’s why we are tackling the teacher workforce shortage with teaching scholarships, reforms to teacher training and paid prac for teaching students.”

Additional background

Tertiary Admissions Centre total (undergraduates) – preliminary data⁽¹⁾ as at 16 January each reporting year

2022    2023 2024 2025 (preliminary) % change from 2024 to 2025

Applications 12,082 11,966 11,816 12,659 7%

Offers 7,816 8,774 8,672 9,905 14%

1.    Domestic, undergraduate student applications and offers for first semester study in Commonwealth Supported Places at Table A universities
2.    Data reflect each applicant’s highest preference application and the most recent offer made to each applicant (one application and one offer per person).

MIL OSI News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Boozman, Booker Team Up to Improve Prostate Cancer Detection

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Arkansas – John Boozman
WASHINGTON––U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation to expand insurance coverage for prostate cancer screenings.
The bipartisan Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Screening for High-risk Insured Men (HIM) Act would require private health insurance plans to cover preventive prostate cancer screenings without imposing any cost-sharing requirements for men who are at high risk of developing prostate cancer.
“Like so many others, my family has experienced the impact of this disease. Since we know early detection leads to better health outcomes, making access to screening easier can help save lives. I’m proud to work in a bipartisan way to expand prostate cancer detection and early intervention, particularly for at-risk men,” said Boozman.
“Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men in the United States, with Black men being disproportionately impacted and over twice as likely to die following a diagnosis,” said Booker. “I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will increase affordability and access to lifesaving screening services, help men detect the disease early, and save lives.”
Prostate cancer affects 1 in 8 American men in their lifetime and disproportionately affects African American men with 1 in 6 being diagnosed. Individuals who have at least one close family member diagnosed with the disease are at least twice as likely to be diagnosed themselves.
Currently, the Prostate-Specific Antigen test is the most effective tool for detection. When detected in early stage, it is almost 100 percent survivable.
“The PSA Screening for HIM Act is a crucial step toward removing financial barriers to life-saving prostate cancer screenings,” said American Urological Association Public Policy Council Chair Mark Edney, M.D. “By ensuring high-risk groups can access PSA testing without cost-sharing, this legislation will save countless lives through earlier detection, where survival rates are nearly 100 percent, compared to later stages where survival rates are around 30 percent.”
“The introduction of the PSA Screening for HIM Act represents a critical step forward in protecting men’s health and saving lives through early detection. At ZERO Prostate Cancer, we know that access to prostate cancer screening is fundamental in the fight against prostate cancer, particularly for those at highest risk,” said ZERO Prostate Cancer CEO Courtney Bugler.
“The PSA Screening for HIM Act would eliminate a significant hurdle that keeps far too many at high risk for prostate cancer from getting tested for the disease,” said Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. “We thank Sens. Boozman and Booker for introducing this bill and look forward to working with them to get it passed.”
“With the increase in prostate cancer diagnoses and deaths, and the growing racial disparity, the PSA Screening for HIM Act is more important now than ever,” said Thomas A. Farrington, President and Founder of the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN).
The full text of the bill can be found here.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: New school lunch programme serves up first healthy lunches

Source: New Zealand Government

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today visited Otahuhu College where the new school lunch programme has served up healthy lunches to students in the first days of the school year.

“As schools open in 2025, the programme will deliver nutritious meals to around 242,000 students, every school day. On today’s menu from the School Lunch Collective is beef pasta bolognaise in classic tomato sauce,” says Mr Seymour.

“Last year the programme was reformed to deliver the same outcomes while costing taxpayers less. This was achieved by embracing commercial expertise, using government buying power, and generating supply chain efficiencies to realise over $130m of annual cost savings, even more than anticipated in Budget 2024.

“Every student who previously received a school lunch will continue to do so. By leveraging private sector expertise from companies like Compass Group, Libelle, Gilmours, and over 17 food manufacturers and suppliers, we are setting a precedent for the government working with businesses to achieve better results.

“I’m pleased to see that the new programme is underway. Since announcing the programme in October last year, the focus has been to support student learning by providing a free nutritious meal to students, every school day.

“If the previous government had set up the programme with the new, more efficient, model, around $800 million of taxpayer’s funds could have been saved over the past five years with the same outcome for the students. It was impossible to justify keeping the old model when it is possible to deliver at half the cost.

“The government is also providing food for up to 10,000 two-to-five-year-olds who attend low-equity, community-based early learning services. This will be funded by some of the cost savings found in the lunch programme. From 31 March around 4,000 children will receive meals in early learning centres. Additional centres will join the programme every 6 weeks until we reach 10,000 children receiving nutritious food.

“I expect the programme will continue to evolve over time. But first and foremost we’re proud to deliver the new programme to schools for the start term 1 2025.”

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Governor Polis Celebrates Progress Made for Colorado Students in New Education Data
Source: US State of Colorado

DENVER – Today, Governor Polis highlighted the progress that Colorado has made as shown by the most recent NAEP scores, while acknowledging that there is more work ahead to support students and educators.

“The Nation’s Report Card is a valuable resource as we work to boost student achievement and outcomes here in Colorado. Today’s release shows that while Colorado is holding its own and has made important progress, it’s clear that we have a lot more work to do to help all students achieve at grade level or above. When the last set of NAEP scores came out in 2022, we acted on the insights and took action to boost math achievement, including passing legislation to create new out-of-school time opportunities centered around STEM, supporting math-focused teacher preparation and professional development, and helping schools acquire high quality instructional math materials. We believe the groundwork laid through these sustained efforts will lead to steady improvements in the years ahead. Colorado will continue to pursue every avenue to get our students the support they need, including free preschool and kindergarten that’s saving families thousands each year to afterschool programming for math and science, support for innovation in our schools, ensuring parents in education deserts have more quality choices, and increased per pupil funding. Everything should be on the table to ensure every student can succeed across our entire state,” said Governor Jared Polis.

New NAEP data shows that:
- Colorado is #1 in the nation in change since 2022 in scale scores for all students and Black students in 8th grade reading.
- Colorado is #2 in the nation for change since 2022 scale score for all students in 8th grade math.
- Colorado matched or outpaced the nation in change since 2022 for all students in every grade and subject.
- Colorado is #1 in the nation for improvement over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Black students in 8th grade reading.
- Colorado is #2 in the nation for improvement over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Black students in 4th grade reading.
- Colorado outpaced the nation for improvement over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Black students in every grade and subject.
- Colorado outpaced the nation over the last decade (2013 to 2024) for Hispanic students in 8th grade reading and math.
As Chair of the National Governors Association, Governor Polis launched Let’s Get Ready: Educating All Americans for Success to support Governors in driving innovative education policies. Let’s Get Ready aims to help Governors form policies that better evaluate outcomes for state investments in education and improve outcomes for learners at all stages of their education journey. The initiative also focuses on the ways states can meet the future needs of the workforce and strengthen the economy by preparing students for success in and outside of the classroom.

###

MIL OSI USA News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Moran Joins Colleagues in Introducing Legislation to Incentivize Charitable Giving

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kansas – Jerry Moran

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) joined James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) and 10 of his colleagues in introducing the Charitable Act to expand and extend the expired non-itemized deduction for charitable giving. The bill would ensure Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations and other nonprofits of their choice are able to deduct that donation from their federal taxes at a higher level than the current deduction.

The deduction became law as part of the CARES Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in 2020 by President Trump. The policy resulted in 90 million tax returns utilizing the deduction, and households making between $30,000 and $100,000 saw the largest increase in charitable giving. Charitable organizations received $30 billion in increased donations as a result.

“Americans continuously demonstrate their generosity and their desire to help those in need through their charitable giving,” said Sen. Moran. “Updating our tax laws will help reward and incentivize more charitable donations to provide resources for individuals who need help.”

“America’s first safety net should never be the government—government is the least efficient caregiver by far,” said Sen. Lankford. “Our families, churches, and other nonprofits do incredible work to lift up those who need it most. Updating the tax law to incentivize giving empowers Americans to make an even bigger impact for the homeless, hurting, and hungry.”

“Delawareans have always risen to the occasion in support of our communities,” said Sen. Coons. “Last year, Americans demonstrated our generosity by donating a collective $557 billion to charities, houses of worship, and nonprofits. I am proud to reintroduce the Charitable Act with Senator Lankford to help the federal government encourage even more Americans to embrace the civic virtue of giving to those in need.”

The senators were also joined by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), John Curtis (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

This bill is supported by numerous organizations including National Council of Nonprofits (25,000 member organizations), Charitable Giving Coalition (175 member organizations), the Nonprofit Alliance, Faith & Giving Coalition, Leadership 18, Independent Sector, YMCA, Council on Foundations, American Endowment Foundation, Philanthropy Southwest, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, United Philanthropy Forum, National Association of Charitable Gift Planners, Association of Art Museum Directors, ECFA, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Americans for the Arts, American Heart Association, Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement, Maryland Nonprofits, Boys and Girls Club of America and March of Dimes.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Graham, Cruz and Britt Introduce Bill to Restrict Birthright Citizenship

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Alabama) today introduced a bill that would restrict one of the biggest magnets for illegal immigration into the United States. The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025 stops the practice of granting citizenship to both the children of illegal immigrants and the children of non-immigrants in the U.S. on temporary visas, also known as birthright citizenship. Graham first introduced the legislation in September 2024.
The exploitation of birthright citizenship is a major pull factor for illegal immigration and a weakness for our national security. The United States is one of only 33 countries in the world with no restrictions on birthright citizenship.
“It is long overdue for the United States to change its policy on birthright citizenship because it is being abused in so many ways,” said Senator Graham. “One example is birth tourism, where wealthy individuals from China and other nations come to the United States simply to have a child who will be an American citizen. When you look at the magnets that draw people to America, birthright citizenship is one of the largest. I also appreciate President Trump’s executive order to address birthright citizenship. It is time for the United States to align itself with the rest of the world and restrict this practice once and for all.”
“The promise of American citizenship should not incentivize illegal migration, but that’s exactly what has happened for far too long,” said Senator Britt. “It’s time to fix this. Senator Lindsey Graham’s and my Birthright Citizenship Act would codify President Trump’s commonsense stance and end the abuse of birthright citizenship that I do not believe is consistent with the original meaning of the 14thAmendment’s Citizenship Clause. This will protect our nation’s sovereignty, disincentivize illegal migration, and ensure America’s citizenship practices are stronger and better aligned with peer countries around the globe.”
The Biden-Harris Administration’s catch-and-release policies let migrants come into the U.S. illegally and stay for years, while enjoying many of the benefits of living in America.
Illegal immigration skyrocketed during the Biden-Harris Administration.
The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that in 2023, there were 225,000 to 250,000 births to illegal immigrants, amounting to close to seven percent of births in the U.S.
Our adversaries are taking advantage of our laws.
In September 2024, two individuals from California were found guilty in a “birth tourism” scheme. Predominantly Chinese clients paid the operators of a “maternity hotel” tens of thousands of dollars to come to the U.S. to give birth. Clients were coached on how to lie during the admissions process.
A 2022 Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee report found a birthing company catering to the wives of Russian oligarchs, celebrities, athletes, and public figures.
The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2025:
Specifies who can receive citizenship by virtue of their birth in the United States, including children born to at least one parent who is either:
A citizen or national of the U.S.,
A lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or
An alien performing active service in the armed forces.
This bill only applies to children born after the date of enactment.
To read the full bill text, click HERE.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Universities – Remarkable climate solutions nominated for this year’s Earthshot Prize – Vic

Source: Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington

An ocean remediation project, a predator-free blueprint, cleaner greenhouses, and a clean technology pioneer are the nominees put forward this year by Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington to be considered for one of five £1,000,000 ($1.9m NZD) 2025 Earthshot Prizes.

The Earthshot Prize finds and grows the solutions that will repair our planet, addressing the challenge to regenerate the place we all call home in the next ten years. As a thought leader in sustainability, the University is the only official nominator based in New Zealand.

These remarkable sustainability solutions were selected by a panel for their potential for global impact, ability to be scaled or replicated, various environmental metrics, and solid organisational foundations.

The Earthshot Prize has a network of nominators all over the world who nominate game-changing innovations that will help repair the planet, awarding the best five solutions each year with £1 million to scale their work. The independent charity was founded by Prince William, and former Prime Minister, Dame Jacinda Ardern, is on the Board of Trustees.

The prizes are awarded to projects that highlight human ingenuity, drive change, and inspire collective action. The Earthshot Prize not only makes available the transformative financial resources of £5 million per year, it also has built a global, diverse, and hugely influential network of partnerships and collaborations involved with all levels of how the Prize works. All finalists get access to mentoring and support throughout the process.

In 2023, one of the University’s nominees, Sea Forest Ltd, was one of the fifteen finalists for The Earthshot Prize. (ref. https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/sustainability/about-us/news/methane-busting-seaweed-a-finalist-for-international-earthshot-prize )

The University’s nominees this year are:

Predator Free Wellington

New Zealand is at the top of the global list for threatened or endangered native species resulting from predation by introduced mammals. Predator Free Wellington is creating the world’s first predator-free capital city where native wildlife and communities thrive. They are creating the urban blueprint for the Predator Free Aotearoa New Zealand 2050 goal. The Predator Free Wellington team are developing a scalable, replicable system to permanently eliminate target introduced predators (rats, possums, mustelids) from Wellington city’s 30,000 hectares. This transformational project is a world-first, being delivered in partnership with every single resident and providing a replicable system for urban environments everywhere.

Kaipara Moana Remediation

The Kaipara is the southern hemisphere’s largest harbour and a place of global importance. Once home to ancient forests, the 600,000-hectare catchment is now degraded by land clearance, with around 700,000 tonnes of sediment flowing into the harbour each year, and 90 percent of wetlands lost. Through novel collaborations, investment in people, and ‘end-to-end’ support, Kaipara Moana Remediation mobilises landowners, iwi/hapū, communities, industry, and government to protect 16,200 kilometres of riparian margins, regenerate wetlands, and re-forest eroding hillsides. Using next-generation digital tools to identify ‘hotspots’ in the landscape, Kaipara Moana Remediation supports landowners to offset on-farm emissions, restore ecosystem remnants, and improve resilience to cyclones and floods impacting local communities.

Hot Lime Labs

Seventy percent of commercial greenhouses use natural gas for heat and yield-boosting CO2. The CO2 byproduct from natural gas is critical for greenhouses as it boosts yield by around 20 percent. No other greenhouse heating solution delivers clean CO2, so transitioning from natural gas carries a huge penalty and a major abatement challenge. The Hot Lime Labs vision is to decarbonise half the world’s greenhouses by 2030, reducing fossil emissions by 120 megatons per year. Hot Lime extracts CO2 from forestry and crop waste, replacing fossil-based CO2. Their solution delivers renewable CO2, boosting customer yields and enabling greenhouses to transition to renewable heating and decarbonise their operations.

Mint Innovation

As global mineral reserves deplete and decarbonisation becomes existential, Mint Innovation offers a sustainable solution. Mint is a clean technology pioneer, leveraging the world’s fastest growing waste streams and transforming them into value for a greener future. Their patented low-carbon technologies recover critical metals, such as copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths from waste streams such as e-waste and spent li-ion batteries. Mint brings its world-first technology to these waste streams in city-scale facilities to return low-carbon metals back into local economies. The technology will help reduce our reliance on unsustainable practices like smelting and mining for mineral recovery, while diverting waste from landfills and preventing the export of hazardous waste to developing nations where it is typically disposed of in dangerous and highly pollutive ways.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. Announces Departure

Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

Tenure Marked by Violent Crime Declines, White Collar Fraud Crackdown, Dismantling Drug Traffickers, and Expansion of Civil Rights

RALEIGH, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr., announced today that he is stepping down on Monday, February 3, 2025, after leading the Office since November 2021. President Joseph Biden nominated Easley on September 28, 2021, and the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed him on November 21, 2021. He was officially sworn in on November 26, 2021.

“It has been the highest honor to serve as the top federal law enforcement official for Eastern North Carolina – a place I was born, raised, and am proud to call home,” said Easley. “The men and women of the Eastern District are among the hardest working in the nation – steadfast in the mission to keep America safe. Together, we helped drive down violent crime, turbocharged white-collar prosecutions, protected civil rights, and stemmed the tide of narcotics into our communities. We did it through partnering, shoulder to shoulder, with local law enforcement and community leaders to solve our region’s most challenging problems. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the prosecutors, judges, law enforcement, and staff who give so much to see justice done every day.”

“U.S. Attorney Easley is the kind of partner every sheriff hopes for – sharp, decisive, and committed to results. He didn’t just talk about law enforcement partnerships; he made them real, partnering with sheriffs for solutions and backing them up with action. Under his leadership, we made real progress— violent crime down, overdose deaths falling, and tighter collaboration. Easley set a new gold standard for what it means to lead in federal law enforcement,” said Eddie Caldwell, Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the North Carolina Sheriffs Association.

“We are deeply grateful for the years that U.S. Attorney Easley served at the helm of the Eastern District of North Carolina. His leadership, particularly through collaborative efforts, like the VCAP initiative, played a critical role in prosecuting violent offenders. His work has significantly contributed to our goal of making Raleigh one of the safest cities in the nation. He will be greatly missed,” said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson.

Expansion of Resources to Make Communities Safer

U.S. Attorney Easley fought to significantly expand investigative and prosecutorial resources in the District, including a nearly 17% increase in prosecutors and new legal support staff and investigators. Much of the new personnel were allocated through a competitive national application process, with no district in the nation receiving more new prosecutors than the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC). The Office’s productivity and strong law enforcement partnerships also led the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to add an additional team of agents to partner on violent crime reduction across the District.

Easley and his Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) team also worked with Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership to have Raleigh named a National Public Safety Partnership Site (PSP). The program aims to lower crime rates and improve quality of life through intensive training and technical assistance (TTA) to enhance gun violence investigations, constitutional policing, community engagement, crime analysis, and the use of technology in crime reduction.

Driving Down Violent Crime and Dismantling Drug Traffickers

Throughout his tenure, Easley and his team have led the charge to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in the District by launching a Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) with formal coordination sites in Raleigh, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Rocky Mount, New Bern, and the Albemarle Region. The VCAP strategy built deeper ties and sustained partnerships with law enforcement, with VCAP sites showing double-digit percentage declines in homicides since 2022, for example, Raleigh (↓37%), Fayetteville (↓39%), Wilmington (↓15%), and Rocky Mount (↓67%).

VCAP is a collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and district attorney’s offices to identify and prosecute the most significant drivers of violence, specifically targeting shooters and the gunrunners who arm them. Notable cases include the 20-year sentence for a Crabtree Valley Mall robbery and the carjacking, the sentencing of a Crips Gang member for multi-state gun trafficking; the indictment of two Sampson County men allegedly responsible for a quintuple murder, the prosecution of gang members with fully-automatic machine guns; and gun smuggling to Mexico.

VCAP provides a forum for structured inter-agency coordination, intelligence-led policing, and deployment of federal Task Force Officers to bring federal technology to address local gun violence.

In 2022, 2023, and 2024, EDNC prosecuted over 850 individuals for firearms offenses and took over 750 guns off the streets.

In addition to VCAP, Easley revamped the Office’s Organized Crime & Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) by expanding the use of federal wiretaps, embedding federal agents alongside prosecutors, and increasing financial investigations. During Easley’s tenure, the Office achieved a #1 national rank for the number of OCDETF cases and #1 for the number of OCDETF defendants convicted of violence. Easley encouraged partners to prioritize national-scale cases with strong local impact, dismantling the trafficking, distribution, and money laundering pillars of criminal enterprises.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Notable cases include the 75-year sentence of a national leader of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club for narcotics trafficking and violence; the indictment of 16 members of the Hell’s Angels and Red Devils motorcycle gangs as part of an alleged violent criminal enterprise; the 40-year sentence for a narcotics trafficker operating from a daycare; the prosecution of the leader of white supremacist organization for armed drug trafficking; the 35-year sentence of a violent Fayetteville fentanyl trafficker; the conviction of a Raleigh Police officer for drug trafficking; the conviction of two fentanyl traffickers with ties to the Sinaloa Cartel; the conviction of a Rocky Mount Blood Gang leader for drug trafficking and COVID-19 fraud; the 40-year sentence of a drug trafficker linked to the murder, dismemberment and disposal of a confidential informant; the prosecution of a former Wayne County Sheriff’s deputy for drug trafficking and bid-rigging; and the 50-year sentence of a violent Sampson County Blood Gang leader for armed drug trafficking.

Attacking the Fentanyl Epidemic

Easley also prioritized the prosecution of cases involving counterfeit pills and overdose deaths arising from fentanyl poisoning. An Elizabeth City man was sentenced to 20 years for trafficking heroin and fentanyl after causing an overdose death, a Raleigh man received a 15-year sentence after assisting in the distribution of fentanyl that killed a young woman, and a Snapchat fentanyl trafficker whose counterfeit pills led to an overdose death received 13 years in prison.

To help local law enforcement get justice for victims of fentanyl poisoning and their families, Easley launched Overdose Death Investigation Trainings to train more than 200 law enforcement officers and prosecutors across the District on building fentanyl death cases.

Easley also worked to reduce demand for opioids through outreach and education through the Heroin Education Action Team (HEAT), including educational events in local communities and schools. The team launched a powerful new educational video to teach students and communities about the dangers.

Protecting America’s National Security, Sensitive Technology, and Cybersecurity

Under Easley’s leadership, the Office prioritized national security cases involving domestic and international terrorism, international cybercriminals, and protecting sensitive technology from foreign adversaries. The prosecutions included a man accused of attempting to join ISIS and convictions against five members of a white supremacist plot to attack the energy grid, an anti-government bombmaker teaching how to target law enforcement, and a U.S. Army Major convicted of shipping guns to Ghana. The Office also extradited and pursued a groundbreaking case against one of the FBI’s most wanted cybercriminals responsible for tens of millions of dollars in losses from widescale ransomware attacks, including on a hospital.

Easley also built deeper ties with the DOJ’s National Security Division and the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry & Security to launch a Disruptive Technology Strike Force (DTSF) cell to protect innovation in the Research Triangle’s high-tech sector. The DTSF partners with law enforcement and industry to protect advanced technology from unlawful acquisition by foreign adversaries. As home to the Research Triangle Park, world-class research institutions, and some of the Department of Defense’s largest installations, the EDNC hosts critical technology that malign foreign actors seek to obtain. The Raleigh DTSF cell is only one of fifteen in the country.

Surge in White Collar Fraud and Corruption Enforcement

Under Easley’s leadership, the Office saw a significant surge in white-collar enforcement, with white-collar caseloads increasing 115% in a year. Cases included the prosecution of a former Morgan Stanley financial advisor who defrauded investors in a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme, an ENT doctor sentenced to 25 years for defrauding Medicaid, a man who laundered $40mm in narco-linked crypto, and a plant manager who dumped tens of thousands of gallons of toxic waste into the Cape Fear River. The Office also prosecuted a $15-million-dollar COVID fraud scheme involving more than 20 businesses and individuals.

These cases arose from the launch of dedicated working groups focused on Securities Fraud, Money Laundering, Public Health, Environmental Crimes, and other priority areas. The Office also launched an annual Economic Crimes Summit to build deeper ties with investigators across about 30 different agencies.

Easley also launched an Illicit Finance Task Force with the Treasury Department to combat transnational money laundering by targeting third-party money launders and money-transmitting businesses utilizing cryptocurrency, banking, and brokerages to run dirty money through the American financial system.

Expanding Civil Rights Enforcement

Easley launched the Office’s first dedicated Civil Rights Team to enhance the Office’s civil rights enforcement. The team includes dedicated coordinators in both the Civil and Criminal Divisions and a designated Human Trafficking Coordinator. The Civil Rights Initiative emphasizes community engagement and law enforcement training.

As a part of the effort, the Office trained more than 200 officers in de-escalation, use of force, and community engagement strategies. The Office also hosted multiple outreach events through its United Against Hate Initiative to build stronger relationships between law enforcement and the community and to educate communities on how to identify and report hate crimes.

Easley also launched two human trafficking task forces – one in the Raleigh-Cary area and one in Southeastern North Carolina – to bring together law enforcement and community resources to share intelligence and investigative leads, provide specialized training, and promote greater public-private coordination to rescue and stabilize victims.

Strong Civil Practice

For the past three years, the EDNC’s Civil Division has ranked in the top 10 among large districts in the number of cases filed or responded to per AUSA. The Division has consistently ranked #1 in the Fourth Circuit for Affirmative Civil Rights and Affirmative Fraud cases and has ranked in the top five nationally compared to other large districts. EDNC’s Financial Litigation Program (FLP), responsible for collecting debts owed to the U.S. Government, collected over $58 million in the last three fiscal years.

About U.S. Attorney Easley

Prior to his appointment as the U.S. Attorney, Easley was a partner at a large international law firm focused on internal investigations and trial court work in state and federal courts.

Born in Southport, North Carolina, Easley attended the University of North Carolina, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with honors and distinction in political science. He later received his law degree with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

MIL Security OSI –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Emanuel Jones Awarded Honorary Doctorate from Coventry House University

Source: US State of Georgia

ATLANTA (January 29, 2025) — On February 9, Sen. Emanuel Jones (D–Decatur) will be awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration from Coventry House University – Asia Pacific. The 10^th Commencement Exercises and Doctoral Conferment Award ceremony will be held at the Manila Hotel in Manila, Philippines.

“I am deeply honored to receive this Honorary Doctorate in Public Administration from Coventry House University – Asia Pacific,” said Sen. Jones. “Their mission to uplift and empower aligns with my commitment to public service. With over 20 years of public service experience, this recognition reinforces my drive to continue this vital work. I am grateful for this acknowledgment and inspired to continue serving with purpose and faith.”

Coventry House University supports global ministry through education. Their mission is to “equip the saints for the work of ministry in order to build up the body of Christ.”

For more about Coventry House University, you can read here.

# # # #

Sen. Emanuel Jones represents the 10^th Senate District, which includes portions of DeKalb and Henry County. He may be reached at 404.656.0502 or via email at Emanuel.Jones@senate.ga.gov.

For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: President Trump Signs Budd-Britt Laken Riley Act into Law

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Ted Budd (R-North Carolina)
Washington, D.C. — Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) released a statement after President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law. Senator Budd led this legislation with Senator Katie Britt (R-AL). This was the first bill President Trump signed since he returned to office.
The law is named after 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley who was murdered by an illegal alien on the University of Georgia campus last year. That illegal alien had been previously arrested for theft and shoplifting but was released.
The law requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal aliens who commit an assault on law enforcement, theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses and would mandate that these aliens are detained until they are removed from the United States.
The bill was led in the House by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA).
Sen. Budd said in a statement:
“The American people sent a clear message on November 5th: It is time to return to law and order. President Trump pledged to make American safe again, and his signing of the Laken Riley Act is another promise kept. I am grateful to have led this legislation with Senator Katie Britt, John Fetterman, and Majority Leader John Thune.”
Senator Britt said:
“Today, I was honored to join President Trump as he signed the Laken Riley Act into law. This landmark bill is historic for many reasons, including the fact this was the first bill he signed into law as the 47th President. Alongside President Trump, Republican majorities in Congress are turning promises made into promises kept. I’m incredibly proud of the bipartisan, lifesaving legislation we were able to achieve to protect American families and honor the life and legacy of Laken Riley. This is an incredible first step toward making America safe again, and I will continue fighting to strengthen border security and interior immigration enforcement. I’d like to thank Congressman Mike Collins for his steadfast leadership to get this bill across the finish line, as well as Senator Ted Budd, Majority Leader John Thune, and Senators John Fetterman, Ruben Gallego, Joni Ernst, and John Cornyn for their partnership in making today a reality. Together, we are delivering real results for the American people.”

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI Global: Meditation and mindfulness at work are welcome, but do they help avoid accountability for toxic culture?

Source: The Conversation – France (in French) – By Raysa Geaquinto Rocha, Assistant Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and lecturer, University of Essex

In an age when home offices, hybrid work arrangements and blurred boundaries between work and personal life are the norm, a recently established narrative is intensifying: the integration of spirituality into business.

This idea involves deliberately incorporating personal values and meaningful purpose into all aspects of organisational life – from individual expression to workplace practices and corporate identity. It’s an approach that seeks to cultivate environments where employees can find deeper meaning in their work while contributing to both economic and social progress, as my past research in the Journal of Business Ethics shows.

Spirituality in business transcends traditional management methods by acknowledging the inner lives of workers, promoting their personal growth and fostering genuine community connections. According to a 2016 interview with Eileen Fisher, the founder and then CEO of a $450-million fashion brand, company meetings opened with the ring of a meditation bell followed by a minute of silence. Fisher said the practice allows employees “to get in touch with what they’re there for and what matters to them and show up a little differently” and has contributed to the company’s recognised leadership in sustainability and women’s advocacy.

But are all corporate efforts like these genuine attempts to foster well-being, or can they instead be strategies to rebrand productivity demands?

Spiritual well-being in business

The incorporation of spirituality into the workplace represents a shift in how businesses approach leadership, employee wellbeing and corporate culture.

Take ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s partnership with Greyston Bakery, a leader in social enterprise. Under their “linked prosperity” model, Ben & Jerry’s sources all brownies for its Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavour from Greyston, which operates with an “open hiring” policy that does not require a background check for applicants and provides “help with child care, housing and ESL (English as a second language) classes”. The partnership shows how valuing human dignity and community empowerment can reshape conventional business practices into drivers of social change.

Spiritual integration manifests in plenty of other ways, too. Morning gatherings can become spaces for shared reflection rather than mere status updates. Dedicated quiet rooms can offer sanctuary for contemplation or prayer. Through mentorship relationships and community service initiatives, workplaces can evolve into environments where individuals can explore deeper questions about purpose. US outdoor clothing company Patagonia describes how it offers paid environmental internships and flexible policies that enable employees to align their work lives with how they see their authentic selves. These offerings reflect the idea that while people come to work to earn a living, they stay and thrive when work nourishes their spirit.

The trend of integrating spirituality into the workplace taps into the practical wisdom of spiritual traditions, honed over millennia, to foster attributes like mindfulness, compassion and interconnectedness. But despite its benefits, integration – or lip service to it – risks becoming a convenient excuse for businesses to shift the responsibility for stress and burn-out onto employees instead of addressing systemic issues.

The rise and fall of WeWork illustrates this phenomenon. As documented in both Hulu’s “WeWork: or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn” and Apple TV+’s dramatic series “WeCrashed”, the workspace company masterfully leveraged spiritual rhetoric to attract young professionals. While the company promoted meditation spaces and wellness initiatives, these benefits masked issues including unsustainable work expectations, questionable management practices and a sexual assault claim. The disconnect between WeWork’s offerings and operational reality demonstrates how companies can appropriate spiritual practices only as a veneer.

When suits start talking spirit

When McKinsey & Company, a US management consulting firm that epitomizes corporate pragmatism, releases a podcast titled “Beyond 9 to 5: The power of spiritual health in the workplace”, it is clear that spirituality in business has moved beyond the fringe.

McKinsey’s global survey of 41,000 respondents, detailed in their May 2024 report “In search of self and something bigger: A spiritual health exploration”, found that spiritual health matters deeply to employees. But does this data reflect a genuine commitment to spirituality, or is it just a reflection of its currency in the corporate world?

After almost half a century of research on spirituality in business, it has become a mature field. The Academy of Management, “an association for management and organizational scholars”, recognised Management, Spirituality, and Religion as a Division, [“reflecting”] a broad range of member interests”. Still, the corporate world’s interest is raising eyebrows: the suspicion remains that spirituality is merely being repackaged as a tool for enhancing productivity. In his 2019 book “McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality”, Ronald Purser illustrates this concern through Google’s “Search Inside Yourself” programme. While marketed as a path to employee wellness, the initiative exemplifies how meditation and mindfulness can be transformed into performance-enhancement tools, asking workers to develop “resilience” rather than addressing the root causes of workplace stress.

The whole self at work

The concept of bringing one’s “whole self” to work – a cornerstone of the Industry 5.0 concept promoted by the European Commission – emphasises employee authenticity. The idea of spirituality in the workplace intertwines with the idea of authentic self-expression, encompassing the recognition of one’s beliefs, values and quest for deeper meaning. These are dimensions historically excluded from professional settings. The idea is to create an environment where people can align their deepest motivations with their work.

While this ideal is noble in concept, it also raises complex questions about which aspects of our “whole selves” are appropriate to bring into the workplace. In 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a job applicant whom the clothing company Abercrombie & Fitch refused to hire because her hijab conflicted with its dress code. Delta Airlines’ uniform policy revision last July illuminates the ongoing complexity of the issue. Following a controversy that began when a passenger made a social media post describing two flight attendants’ Palestinian flag pins – which were permitted under existing policy – as “Hamas badges”, the airline banned all national flag pins except US ones.

Juggling multiple selves

The promise of integrating our identities more seamlessly instead of compartmentalizing them features in the Apple TV series Severance. The show presents a dystopian take on work-life balance in which employees surgically separate their work and personal memories, inviting us to reflect on the identities we balance in our professional and personal lives. The character of Mark Scout, whose “innie” (work self) develops genuine connections with colleagues like Helly, demonstrates how even artificially separated selves seek authentic relationships and meaning. However, when these connections begin to flourish, employer Lumon Industries’ harsh punishments and control mechanisms kick in – suggesting that true workplace innovation and collaboration can only emerge when we’re allowed to bring our whole, unsevered selves to work.

By acknowledging and nurturing the various aspects of our personalities, we might attain new levels of connection in the workplace. But could the integration of spirituality and work lead to an environment where employees are perpetually “on”? A risk lies in creating a culture where work infiltrates every aspect of life, leaving no true respite. The very practices meant to nurture the spirit could paradoxically become tools that further blur the boundaries between professional obligations and personal renewal. A constant connection to work erodes personal boundaries, which can lead to stress and dissatisfaction that spills over into personal life. Addressing this “shadow side” is essential if we are to answer the question “Do you believe in life after work?” with a resounding yes.

A balanced approach

The integration of spirituality into business requires genuine commitment. While spiritual practices can bring multiple benefits, they must emerge from authentic values rather than serving as a quick fix for systemic issues.

Since the 1980s, when major corporations first explored Eastern spirituality, workplace spirituality has evolved into a $7.9 billion meditation market. But as companies invest in meditation apps and mindfulness programmes, they often fail to address the root causes of workplace stress and burn-out. Today, well-intentioned apps like CHILL Anywhere risk functioning as band-aids that place the burden of stress management on employees, instead of examining issues like unrealistic workloads, inadequate compensation, toxic leadership or prejudice.

Instrumentalizing spiritual practices into productivity tools fundamentally misses the point: true spirituality in business requires organizations to critically examine and transform the structural conditions that create employee suffering in the first place. Until companies commit to addressing these foundational issues, meditation rooms and mindfulness apps will remain superficial solutions that enable rather than challenge harmful workplace dynamics.

The future workplace should aim to harmonise profit and purpose, recognising that employee well-being is integral to long-term success. Spirituality in business manifests when organisations commit to both business excellence and human flourishing – addressing foundational concerns while nurturing deeper meaning and purpose. Only then can the promise of bringing our whole selves to work become a reality worth believing in.

Raysa Geaquinto Rocha ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. Meditation and mindfulness at work are welcome, but do they help avoid accountability for toxic culture? – https://theconversation.com/meditation-and-mindfulness-at-work-are-welcome-but-do-they-help-avoid-accountability-for-toxic-culture-244587

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Trump’s latest executive order overreaches to steal money from public school students to fund private school vouchers

Source: US National Education Union

By: Staci Maiers

Published: January 29, 2025

WASHINGTON—According to news reports, President Donald J. Trump is expected to sign an executive order to illegally funnel federal dollars to private schools and strip public school students of vital federal funding.

The following statement can be attributed to NEA President Becky Pringle:

“Every student deserves fully-funded neighborhood public schools that give them a sense of belonging and prepare them with the lessons and life skills they need to follow their dreams and reach their full potential. Instead of stealing taxpayer money to fund private schools, we should focus on public schools—where 90% of children, and 95% of children with disabilities, in America, attend—not take desperately needed funds away from them. If we are serious about doing what is best for students, let’s reduce class sizes to give our students more one-on-one attention and increase salaries to address the teacher and staff shortages. The bottom line is vouchers have been a catastrophic failure everywhere they have been tried.

“President Trump is using his Project 2025 playbook to privatize education because he knows vouchers have repeatedly been a failure in Congress. Parents, educators, and voters know what students need—and vouchers are never the solution. In fact, when voters have a say about vouchers, they have been soundly rejected—time and again—at the ballot box. Just this past November, voters in Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska overwhelmingly said no to vouchers. We know vouchers take money away from neighborhood public schools. We know students with disabilities depend on these same public schools. We know that voucher programs leave out wide swaths of students, especially Black and brown students as well as those living in rural areas with no or limited access to private schools. And we know this stunt is meaningless without the consent of Congress. So, we are putting all anti-public education politicians on notice: If you try to come for our students, for our schools, and for our communities, NEA members will mobilize and will defeat vouchers again.”

Follow us on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/neapresident.bsky.social and https://bsky.app/profile/neatoday.bsky.social

# # #

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Cassidy, Scott Lead Colleagues in Reintroducing Bill to Expand School Choice, Educational Opportunity

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Louisiana Bill Cassidy

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) led 24 Republican colleagues in introducing the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), bicameral legislation to expand education freedom and opportunity for students. Specifically, it provides a charitable donation incentive for individuals and businesses to fund scholarship awards for students to cover expenses related to K-12 public and private education. U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (R-NE-03) introduced the companion legislation in the U.S House of Representatives.
“Parents want to see their child succeed. Giving them the ability to make decisions over their child’s education puts that child’s needs first,” said Dr. Cassidy. “More freedom empowers parents and allows American children to thrive in school.”
“When you give parents a choice, you give kids a better chance at achieving their dreams,” said Senator Scott. “By empowering families with more education resources and freedom, this bill will unlock opportunities that have been out of reach for students across America who deserve every chance to succeed and a schooling system that fosters their potential.”
“Giving students a brighter future, no matter their background or address, is critical to move American K-12 education forward,” said Representative Smith. “We must empower parents with more options, acknowledging they have the final say in what educational setting is best for their children. ECCA will benefit public, private, and homeschool students and increase the quality of education in our country. I thank Rep. Owens and Sen. Cassidy for championing this legislation alongside me.”
The Educational Choice for Children Act:

Provides $10 billion in annual tax credits to be made available to taxpayers. Allotment of these credits to individuals would be administered by the Treasury Department.
Sets a base amount for each state and then distributes the credits on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Uses a limited government approach with respect to federalism, thus avoiding mandates on states, localities, and school districts.
Includes provisions that govern Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs), as SGOs are given the ability to determine the individual amount of scholarship awards.

An estimated two million students in any elementary or secondary education setting, including homeschool, are eligible to receive a scholarship. Eligible use of scholarships awards includes tuition, fees, book supplies, and equipment for the enrollment or attendance at an elementary or secondary school.
Cassidy and Scott was joined by U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Thune (R-SD), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Ted Budd (R-NC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Kennedy (R-LA), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Jim Justice (R-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Barrasso (R-WY), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Todd Young (R-IN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Katie Britt (R-AL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dave McCormick (R-PA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in introducing the bill.
The Educational Choice for Children Act has received the endorsement from former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos; former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Dr. Mick Zais; former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr; Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley; LA Kids Matter; Louisiana Family Forum; Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors; ACE Scholarships Louisiana Founder Eddie Rispone; ACE Scholarships; Invest in Education Coalition; ACSI Children’s Education Fund; America First Policy Institute; American Association of Christian Schools; American Federation for Children (AFC); American Principles Project; Americans for Tax Reform; Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI); Black Mothers Forum; U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB); Catholic Education Partners; CatholicVote; Center for Education Reform; Children’s Scholarship Fund; Club for Growth; Coalition for Jewish Values; Agudath Israel of America; Orthodox Union Advocacy; Republican Jewish Coalition; Concerned Women for America; Council for American Private Education (CAPE); Defense of Freedom Institute (DFI); Family Policy Alliance; Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd); Freedom Foundation; Heartland Institute; Heritage Action for America; Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA); Independent Women’s Forum; Mountain States Policy Center; Parental Rights Foundation; Parents Defending Education Action; Partners in Mission; Project 21; Protect the First; 60Plus Association; Former Virginia & Florida Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson; several other conservative leaders; and more than 150 national and state groups.
“School choice empowers parents, regardless of their zip code, to choose the education that best fits their child’s need,” said Anthony de Nicola, Chairman of Invest in Education Coalition. “I applaud Senator Cassidy for reintroducing the Educational Choice for Children Act in the Senate. Now is our time to pass this critical legislation that would help millions of students access an education of their choosing so they can achieve their God-given potential.”

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Making Higher Education More Affordable
Source: US State of New York

Governor Kathy Hochul today unveiled her plan to offer free community college tuition for adult learners ages 25 to 55 in New York State. The Governor highlighted her proposal at Onondaga Community College to showcase the region’s readiness for Micron to support New York State as a global hub for Semiconductor manufacturing and R&D. The plan, part of Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State, furthers her commitment to creating more workforce development opportunities to ensure every New Yorker has the opportunity to pursue a degree or credential for jobs in high-demand fields.

“When my dad got a college education, our whole family got a shot at a better life – and I want New Yorkers to have that opportunity,” Governor Hochul said. “Under my plan, every New Yorker will have the chance to pursue a free associate degree at SUNY and CUNY community colleges to help fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow.”

New York State Opportunity Promise

Governor Hochul is steadfast in her commitment to making higher education more affordable and building the workforce that New York needs. The FY 2025 Enacted Budget included an historic expansion of the Tuition Assistance Program to help more New Yorkers cover the cost of college. Additionally, the Governor has continued to expand workforce development, apprenticeship, and microcredential programs to prepare New Yorkers for in-demand jobs. The Governor’s free community college proposal, NYS Opportunity Promise, is the next level of this commitment by making an associate degree more affordable and obtainable.

Across New York State, there are more than four million working-age adults who do not have a college degree or credential. The Governor’s proposal would cover tuition, fees, and books at any SUNY or CUNY community college for these adult learners who have never earned a degree and are pursuing an associate degree in a high demand field, including nursing, teaching, technology, and engineering.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, “SUNY’s community colleges are incredible engines of upward mobility, and Governor Hochul’s Free Community College plan will literally change the lives of New Yorkers seeking a degree in a high-demand field. SUNY campuses like Onondaga Community College are leading the way in meeting the needs of our adult learners and regional employers.”

New York as a National Workforce Hub

Upstate New York has been designated as a National Workforce Hub to dramatically expand domestic memory chip manufacturing in the United States. Federal and state incentives played a key role in securing Micron’s $100 billion investment in the White Pine Industrial Park in the town of Clay in Onondaga County – one of the largest economic development projects in U.S. history.

In total, the project is expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs statewide, including an average of 5,600 construction jobs per year paying federal prevailing wage. When complete, the complex will include the nation’s largest clean room space at approximately 2.4 million square feet, grow domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and enhance our national security by expanding the United States’ chipmaking capacity.

Additionally, Governor Hochul announced earlier this month that GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor manufacturer in Saratoga County, will invest $575 million to build a new center for advanced packaging and testing, along with $186 million for research and development at its Malta facility over the next decade.

State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. joined as Onondaga Community College President Warren Hilton updated the Governor on the campus’s readiness to expand enrollment in academic programs tied to in-demand jobs. Included in the tour was the construction site for the $15 million, 5,000 square-foot Micron Simulation Lab at the campus, which is critical to help train students. The clean room is expected to be fully operational during the summer of 2026.

Under my plan, every New Yorker will have the chance to pursue a free associate degree at SUNY and CUNY community colleges to help fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow.”

Governor Kathy Hochul

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “No one is doing more to prepare New York State for the future than Governor Hochul, and Onondaga Community College is a key partner in that effort. Innovative, cutting-edge industries are growing in New York State because our dynamic workforce is being well-equipped with the skills needed to succeed in the good-paying jobs we are helping to create. Governor Hochul’s proposal to provide free community college tuition to students pursuing high-demand occupations in strategic industries will help to further promote sustainable economic opportunity for all.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “A knowledgeable workforce is essential to securing a strong future for New York State and offering no-cost higher education will open doors to in-demand careers. I thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing workforce development initiatives that are transforming the lives of New York families.”

Onondaga Community College President Hilton said, “During the last five years, our faculty has worked tirelessly to create academic programs aimed at educating and preparing students for valuable and rewarding careers in industries where workers are needed most. Our staff has done an outstanding job supporting those students during their time on campus. We are grateful to all Central New York employers who see the value in our students, the education they receive here, and their willingness to give them the opportunity to be successful in the workforce.”
Since Micron announced it was building the largest semiconductor facility in Clay, NY, Onondaga Community College has seen significant changes in enrollment in workforce development programs leading to direct jobs in the industry, as well as programs preparing New Yorkers for indirect job opportunities, including:
- Electromechanical Technology, up 168 percent
- Architectural Design, up 114 percent
- Construction Management, up 96 percent
- Fire Protection Technology, up 58 percent
- Supply Chain Management, up 57 percent
- Surgical Technology, up 26 percent
- Paramedic, up 21 percent
- Cybersecurity, up 17 percent
- Mechanical Technology, up 13 percent
- Physical Therapist Assistant, up 6 percent
- Computer Science, up 4 percent
Onondaga Community College has many paths to electromechanical technology, which includes 112 students this year. Several students have already been offered jobs after graduation. Sixteen are expected to graduate this May with an associate degree, while 30 students are on track to complete the one-year credential program, which typically leads to an associate degree. The campus also has more than 300 students taking related courses in Onondaga County high schools.
MIL OSI USA News –
January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Federal Court Orders International Enterprise to Pay Over $451 Million for Global Binary Options Fraud

Source: US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced the U.S. District Court for Northern District of Illinois issued an order of default judgment against five offshore entities and three individuals, finding them liable for fraud and other violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations in connection with a global retail binary options fraud that victimized U.S. residents. The defendants executed their unlawful scheme through internet websites using fictitious trade names such as BigOption, BinaryBook, and BinaryOnline.
The following foreign entities and Israeli citizens were found liable for, and enjoined from, fraud and other violations:

Yukom Communications Ltd., incorporated in Israel
Linkopia Mauritius Ltd., incorporated in Mauritius
Wirestech Limited d/b/a BigOption, incorporated in the Marshall Islands
WSB Investments Ltd. d/b/a BinaryBook, incorporated in Anguilla, the United Kingdom, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Gibraltar
Zolarex Ltd. d/b/a BinaryOnline, incorporated in the Marshall Islands
Yossi Herzog
Lee Elbaz
Shalom Peretz

The order finds the defendants engaged in fraud and other violations and orders them to pay, jointly and severally, $112.9 million in restitution and a $338.7 million civil monetary penalty. The order also permanently enjoins them from engaging in conduct that violates the CEA, as charged, and permanently bans them from registering with the CFTC and from trading in any CFTC-regulated markets.
The order stems from the CFTC’s complaint, filed Aug. 12, 2019, charging defendants with fraud and other violations. [See CFTC Press Release No. 7995-19]
Case Background
The order finds that from March 26, 2014, until the filing of the complaint on Aug. 12, 2019, the defendants made numerous fraudulent misrepresentations to customers on websites and through email and telephone solicitations, telling customers that binary option transactions were profitable, when in fact the substantial majority of their customers lost money, and individual brokers misrepresented their names, financial expertise, and physical location. The order finds the defendants misappropriated customer funds and made additional misrepresentations to thwart customers’ attempts to withdraw their funds, including failing to disclose material information about so-called “bonuses” and “risk-free trades.” The defendants also manipulated their trading platform’s risk settings to limit or prevent customers from being “in the money” with winning trades.
Previous Settlement
The court previously entered a consent order against another defendant involved in the fraud, Yakov Cohen, which resolved similar allegations against Cohen and required that he disgorge $7 million in ill-gotten gains received from his participation in the fraudulent binary options scheme. [See CFTC Press Release 8962-24]
Parallel Criminal Actions
On Aug. 7, 2019, Elbaz was convicted by a federal jury of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in violation of criminal statutes based upon substantially the same underlying facts as alleged in the CFTC complaint, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and ordered to pay restitution of $28 million in United States v. Elbaz, No. 18-cr-00157 (D. Md.)
Cohen pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud predicated on the same conduct charged in CFTC’s complaint. He was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison on Aug.15, 2024 and ordered to pay $7 million in restitution on January 22, 2025, in United States v. Yakov Cohen, No. 19 cr 77-1 PX (D. Md.).
The CFTC thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland for their assistance in this matter.
The Division of Enforcement staff responsible for this case are Heather Dasso, Elizabeth N. Pendleton, Elizabeth Streit, Scott R. Williamson, and Robert T. Howell.
* * * * * * *
Fraud Advisory
The CFTC’s Office of Customer Education and Outreach and the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy have issued a joint investor alert to warn about fraudulent schemes involving binary options and their trading platforms. The alert warns customers the perpetrators of these unlawful schemes may refuse to credit customer accounts, deny fund reimbursement, commit identity theft, and manipulate software to generate losing trades.
The CFTC also urges the public to verify a company’s registration at NFA BASIC before committing funds. Customers should be wary of providing funds to any unregistered entity.
Suspicious activities or information, such as possible violations of commodity trading laws, can be reported to the Division of Enforcement via a toll-free hotline 866-FON-CFTC (866-366-2382) or file a tip or complaint online or contact the CFTC Whistleblower Office. Whistleblowers may be eligible to receive between 10 and 30 percent of the monetary sanctions collected, paid from the CFTC Customer Protection Fund financed through monetary sanctions paid to the CFTC by violators of the CEA.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Geyser Season on Mars

Source: NASA

This Oct. 29, 2018, image from the HiRISE camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captures geysers of gas and dust that occur in springtime in the South Polar region of Mars. As the Sun rises higher in the sky, the thick coating of carbon dioxide ice that accumulated over the winter begins to warm and then turn to vapor. Sunlight penetrates through the transparent ice and is absorbed at the base of the ice layer. The gas that forms because of the warming escapes through weaknesses in the ice and erupts in the form of geysers.
HiRISE, or the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, is a powerful camera that takes pictures covering vast areas of Martian terrain while being able to see features as small as a kitchen table.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

MIL OSI USA News –

January 30, 2025

	2022	2023	2024	2025 (preliminary)	% change from 2024 to 2025
Applications	12,082	11,966	11,816	12,659	7%
Offers	7,816	8,774	8,672	9,905	14%

Category: Education

Sources

Share this page

Updates to this page

Long running issues

Barriers to progress

Missing the bigger picture

Spiritual well-being in business

When suits start talking spirit

The whole self at work

Juggling multiple selves

A balanced approach