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  • MIL-OSI: Atomic Data and Minnesota United FC Extend Partnership for Five Years

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Atomic Data and Minnesota United FC (MNUFC) announced today that they have renewed their long-standing partnership through 2029. The agreement marks the latest step in a partnership that has served cutting-edge stadium technology, next-gen Wi-Fi, and modern work solutions to hundreds of thousands of fans and staff alike.

    Atomic Data and MNUFC have built a true partnership of trust that began many years before Allianz Field opened its doors in 2019. From the pre-MLS days at National Sports Center, to the temporary home at Huntington Bank Stadium, and finally to Allianz Field in Saint Paul and the Golden Valley team headquarters, Atomic Data and MNUFC have grown and won together since 2012.

    “Minnesota United is thrilled to announce the extension of our partnership with one of our most valued and long-standing supporters, Atomic Data. Atomic Data has been the driving force behind the development of our technology infrastructure, designing and implementing the IT platforms that support our offices and Allianz Field,” said MNUFC Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer Gretchen Korf. “Their expertise and support has been instrumental throughout our club’s journey. We are deeply grateful for their continued partnership and look forward to the continued success we can achieve together.”

    MNUFC and Allianz Field will continue to benefit from Atomic Data’s sports and entertainment suite of services known as Game Day Technologies®. The venue and office solutions include match day IT support, 24×7 monitoring, cybersecurity services, and network infrastructure management.

    Yagya Mahadevan, Game Day Technology Director at Atomic Data, relayed his excitement about the extended deal: “Minnesota United FC is one of Atomic Data’s oldest partners, and much of what we do for venues today was initially conceived and implemented for them. The trust that MNUFC continues to place in Atomic Data is humbling and we’re all excited to see what we’ll achieve together over the next five years and beyond.”

    About Atomic Data & Game Day Technologies
    Atomic Data, trusted IT provider for hundreds of enterprises, sports teams, and large venues, is on a mission to deliver always-on, custom-tailored technology solutions and objective IT leadership.

    Game Day Technologies® powered by Atomic Data enables owners and teams to right size and modernize their venues, districts, training facilities, and back offices with objective, holistic technology oversight and activation.

    About Minnesota United:

    Professional soccer has been a part of Minnesota for over four decades, and since 2013, Minnesota United FC has been at the forefront of growing the game at all levels. MNUFC currently competes in three different levels established by Major League Soccer: Minnesota United FC (MLS), MNUFC2 (MLS NEXT Pro) and the MNUFC Academy (MLS NEXT). Allianz Field – constructed in 2019 in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota – is the home to Minnesota United games, and the club trains at the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. In 2025, MNUFC’s first team returns to the pitch for its ninth season in MLS.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Collins, Bipartisan Group Introduce Bill to Expand Health Care Services in Rural and Underserved Areas

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Thom Tillis (R-NC) reintroduced their bipartisan legislation to increase the number of doctors working in rural and medically underserved areas. The Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act would reauthorize the Conrad 30 programs, which allow international doctors who have completed their residency training in the U.S. to remain in the country under the condition that they practice in areas experiencing physician shortages.
    “The Conrad 30 program allows international physicians who were educated in the United States to remain in our country and practice where there is an unmet need for health care professionals,” said Senator Collins. “This bipartisan reauthorization would expand access to care in rural and underserved communities, thereby improving health outcomes for more Mainers.”
    Generally, doctors from other countries working in America on J-1 visas are required to return to their home country after their residency has ended for two years before they can apply for another visa or green card. The Conrad 30 program allows doctors to stay in the United States without having to return home if they agree to practice in an underserved area for three years. The “30” refers to the number of doctors per state that can participate in the program.
    This legislation extends the Conrad 30 program for three years, improves the process for obtaining a visa, and allows for the program to be expanded beyond 30 slots if certain thresholds are met, while protecting small states’ slots. The bill also allows the spouses of doctors to work and provides worker protections to prevent the doctors from being mistreated. The legislation also allows physicians who serve in a Veterans Affairs (VA) facility or health professional shortage area for 5 years to get expedited consideration for a green card.
    The legislation has been endorsed by more than 50 organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Academy of Neurology, the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, and Physicians for American Healthcare Access.
    “With the physician workforce crisis showing no signs of abating, the Conrad 30 program remains an important tool to help ensure patients, particularly in rural and underserved communities, continue to have access to physicians. The Conrad 30 program has expanded the physician workforce across all communities, yet it would benefit greatly from the long-term reauthorization and targeted policy improvements outlined in this legislation. Once again, Sens. Klobuchar and Collins have stepped up for patients and physicians, and we applaud them for introducing the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act,” said Bruce A. Scott, M.D., President, American Medical Association.
    “The Conrad 30 program continues to be a vital lifeline for rural and underserved communities facing physician shortages. However, without reforms, recruiting and retaining international medical graduates (IMGs) will become increasingly difficult. This reauthorization strengthens incentives for IMGs and streamlines the waiver process for employers, making it easier to recruit physicians in areas with persistent shortages. These updates will strengthen the U.S. position in the global competition for top medical talent and uphold access to care in underserved areas. Physicians for American Healthcare Access applauds Senators Klobuchar, Collins, Rosen, and Tillis for their leadership on this bipartisan legislation,” said Physicians for American Healthcare Access President Ram Alur, M.D.
    The full text of the bill can be read here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: At Hearing, Warren Warns Republican Cuts to Medicaid Would Harm Millions of Americans Struggling with Opioid Addiction

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    February 27, 2025

    One study found that the health care and criminal justice systems save up to $100,000 over the course of a person’s life when they are treated with medication for opioid addiction. 

    “If Republicans really wanted to save money, they’d be expanding treatment to folks they claim they want to represent here, rather than ripping it away so that we can bankroll tax cuts for billionaires.”

    Video of Exchange (YouTube)

    Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Aging, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slammed Republican proposals to cut Medicaid, which would harm the millions of Americans struggling with opioid addiction who rely on Medicaid to receive treatment. Medicaid is the single largest payer of substance use disorder services in the entire country. 

    Republicans’ plan would pay for more tax cuts for billionaires by slashing Medicaid funding by over $800 billion.

    Dr. Malik Burnett, Assistant Professor in Addiction Medicine at the University of Maryland Midtown Campus, testified that capping Medicaid funding would limit patients’ options for addiction treatment. It would also reduce access to in-network providers for Medicaid patients as more providers would disenroll from the Medicaid network, denying patients the ability to access treatment close to where they live. 

    Dr. Burnett also testified that receiving opioid addiction treatment allows people to return to work sooner and become productive members of society, ultimately reducing strain on the social safety net. As a result, cutting Medicaid funding would actually force states to spend more. 

    Senator Warren called on Republicans in Congress to deliver real solutions to the constituents they represent instead of pushing for tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations while ripping away people’s health care.

    Transcript: Hearing to Examine Combating the Opioid Epidemic
    U.S. Senate Committee On Aging
    February 26, 2025

    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you and Ranking Member Gillibrand for holding this hearing today. It’s a really important topic, and I appreciate the care with which you treat this issue. 

    Since 2017, the opioid epidemic has taken the lives of nearly half a million Americans. Their families—and so many more—need Congress to come up with real solutions. For example, I know Chairman Scott and I agree on the need to close a trade loophole that lets China ship fentanyl precursors into the country uninspected, and it’s time to put a stop to that.

    But, as we sit here today, President Trump and Congressional Republicans are working hard to advance budget legislation that would make the opioid epidemic worse, not better. They have proposals to cut over $800 billion from Medicaid, which is the largest single payer of substance use disorder services in the entire country. Why? So they can fund tax cuts for billionaires.

    Let’s be clear about this: slashing Medicaid funding either through per capita caps or back door cuts like work requirements in an area that already has work requirements would mean ripping away health care from millions of vulnerable Americans, including about a million people right now, who are getting treatment for their opioid addiction. 

    Dr. Burnett, you’ve worked on the front lines of the opioid crisis. You have helped countless people overcome addiction. I want to thank you for your work and express my admiration for that, but tell me, in this budget space, what percentage of your patients rely on Medicaid for their treatment?

    Dr. Malik Burnett, Assistant Professor in Addiction Medicine at the University of Maryland Midtown Campus: I would say, currently, about 80% of our patients rely on Medicaid for treatment. 

    Senator Warren: Wow. So, in other words, Medicaid, as I understand it, is not just one option for how people get treatment. It is the backbone of the entire system for treating opioid addiction. Is that fair? 

    Dr. Burnett: That’s a fair comment.

    Senator Warren: All right, and yet, Republicans are talking about gutting that system to the tune of nearly a trillion dollars. So, I’d like to look at just a little deeper level about what those cuts would actually mean for our country’s battle against the opioid crisis. Two of the policies proposed by House Republicans are capping Medicaid payments to states and imposing red tape like additional work requirements. 

    Dr. Burnett, can you just talk for a minute about how those changes would affect access to treatment if they were put into law? 

    Dr. Burnett: Absolutely. I think one, there was a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study that talks about the work requirements issue, and that actually almost 92% of people on Medicaid already are either working or involved in some sort of part-time or full-time work. So, the work requirements situation would just really add a lot of administrative burdens, ultimately resulting in people getting kicked off of Medicaid. 

    Senator Warren: So I just want to make sure we say that again: what proportion of people are now already subject to work requirements?

    Dr. Burnett: 92% 

    Senator Warren: 92%. All right, so adding more work requirements on top of this has what impact?

    Dr. Burnett: It would certainly increase the administrative burdens of keeping people on Medicaid. 

    Senator Warren: That’s right. And what’s the consequence of increasing those administrative burdens? 

    Dr. Burnett: They would lose access to their addiction.

    Senator Warren: That’s right. So, people just can’t get the paperwork filled out. More people fall by the wayside. I think that was the Arkansas experiment, as I recall. 

    Dr. Burnett: That’s correct. 

    Senator Warren: Yeah. But there’s another part to this as well. What about capping the funding?

    Dr. Burnett: Yeah, capping the funding would create two problems. One, it would definitely curtail the amount of choice that patients have relative to the types of addiction treatment that they would have, and then capping the funding would also create a network adequacy problem because more providers would disenroll from accepting patients on Medicaid, so patients would not have the ability to access treatment close to where they live.

    Senator Warren: Yeah, in fact, we don’t have to speculate on what the consequences would be. In states expanding Medicaid treatment for opioid addiction, it increased over four times faster than in states that refused the expansion. Meanwhile, Republican states that imposed so-called work requirements did not actually increase employment, because that was never the point. Instead, opioid overdoses went up and access to treatment actually went down. So look, there is no denying the critical role that Medicaid plays in fighting the opioid epidemic. Cutting that program is not just cruel, it’s totally backwards in what we’re trying to accomplish. 

    Might I ask one more question, Mr. Chairman? Thank you.

    Dr. Burnett, I want to ask about something you’ve done some scholarly work on and you’ve published. You’ve written extensively about the positive effects of investing in treatment and how that ultimately lowers costs down the line, so that if you cut the investments for treatment like cutting Medicaid, the question is, is that really going to save any money? 

    Dr. Burnett: No, I think, as I said in my testimony, people who experience treatment are much faster to return to work, be productive members of society, and ultimately not be a burden on the social safety net. So it would actually be more detrimental to cut Medicaid funding in terms of the amount of expenditure that states and public dollars would be needing to use.

    Senator Warren: So, this treatment gets people back to work, fewer trips to the emergency room?

    Dr. Burnett: Totally.

    Senator Warren: The long-term cost is that we save money by making these investments. One study found that for every patient treated with medication for opioid addiction, the government saves up to $100,000 over the course of that person’s lifetime. Let’s be clear: the budget cuts the Republicans are proposing are not about saving money. If Republicans really wanted to save money, they’d be expanding treatment to folks they claim they want to represent here, rather than ripping it away so that we can bankroll tax cuts for billionaires. 

    Families and communities across this country are counting on us to deliver real solutions to the opioid epidemic, not play politics, and I won’t stop fighting for that. Thank you very much. Thank you all for being here. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: WATCH: Padilla Warns Against Trump’s Push to Install His Personal Lawyers to Top Department of Justice Positions

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    WATCH: Padilla Warns Against Trump’s Push to Install His Personal Lawyers to Top Department of Justice Positions

    WATCH: Padilla calls out DOJ nominees for loyalty to Trump above the Constitution

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, warned against President Trump’s alarming pattern of nominating lawyers who have previously represented him for senior Department of Justice positions, and called the nominees out for refusing to commit to uphold key Constitutional provisions. He voted against advancing Trump’s nominee for U.S. Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, who served as Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney in several cases, including Trump’s New York hush money trial, in which the President was convicted of 34 felony counts.

    Padilla underscored the refusals of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Solicitor General nominee John Sauer to commit to protecting birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He also highlighted the conflicts of interest Bondi, Blanche, Sauer, and other top officials at the Justice Department have due to their previous representation of Trump — raising concerns about both their independence from Trump and how many officials might need to recuse themselves from important cases.

    In light of these dangerous nominations, Padilla voiced his concerns about eroding public trust in Congress and the Justice system.

    Key Quotes:

    • I can’t recall a time when not just any nominee by any President, but specifically high-ranking positions within the Department of Justice when those nominees would not clearly and strongly respond to the questions that we’ve been asking, about what if you are asked to do something unconstitutional or illegal or unethical? What would you do in that instance?
    • As we zoom out and in the aggregate, it’s not just individual concerns, nominee by nominee by nominee, but collectively speaking, you know, when given so many of these people’s personal history with President Trump, having been his personal lawyer, the concern about true independence and conflict of interest is stronger than ever.
    • There’s so many people now and soon to be at the highest levels of the Department of Justice, we’re at an unprecedented point of where does the conflict stop? Where is the independence, the commitment to the people of the United States and the Constitution? Not fealty to the President of the United States, that not just us as the Senate Judiciary Committee or Congress as a whole, but the American public, they’re losing confidence and faith in this most important of institutions.
    • As we are expressing our concern or even outrage with some of these specific nominees and individual nominees, let’s not lose sight of what’s happening collectively as these nominees are flying through because we’re not hearing any question, any concern from our Republican colleagues in this committee, let alone in the Senate as an entire body, with what’s going on here.

    Video of Senator Padilla’s remarks is available here.

    Footage of his remarks can be downloaded here.

    Senator Padilla has fought to hold Trump’s DOJ nominees accountable. Earlier this month, he questioned Blanche on his personal ties to the President and the Trump Administration’s unlawful firings of more than a dozen Inspectors General. Padilla previously opposed advancing Attorney General Bondi’s nomination after she refused to affirm birthright citizenship, which is constitutionally guaranteed, and declined to disavow the false claim that the 2020 election was stolen during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing. He also sounded the alarm on Kash Patel’s reckless nomination to be Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), delivering remarks ahead of Patel’s confirmation at a press conference outside FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. and in a speech on the Senate floor. Yesterday, Padilla questioned three of President Trump’s DOJ nominees, raising concerns over Republican DOJ nominees’ apparent willingness to disregard the rule of law and ignore court orders they disagree with. Additionally, Padilla joined Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats last month in demanding answers from Bondi, Blanche, Patel, and other Trump Administration nominees and officials on the removal or reassignment of career law enforcement officials across the DOJ and FBI.

    More information on today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner and Boozman Introduce Legislation to Expand Veteran Suicide Prevention Efforts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and John Boozman (R-AR) introduced legislation to renew and expand the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-administered program that provides essential funding for mental health outreach in veteran communities. The Fox Grant Program was created through a Warner- and Boozman-led bill, passed as part of the broader Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, and it has distributed millions in grants to community and veteran service organizations (VSOs), as well as mental health providers across the country. Without further intervention, the program is scheduled to sunset later this year.

    “Veterans put an enormous amount on the line to serve our nation, and we owe them the best benefits available when they come home – including robust mental health resources,” said Sen. Warner. “For the past several years, the Staff Sergeant Fox Grant Program has played an invaluable role getting organizations already doing life-saving mental health outreach more support, including many incredible organizations in Virginia. We cannot back down on our commitment to preventing suicide in veteran communities – it’s time for us to extend and expand this essential grant program.”

    “Veterans who struggle with mental health have responded well to support provided by those they know and trust,” said Sen. Boozman. “When our former servicemembers have access to assistance within their own communities, from organizations with demonstrated ability to build strong relationships and foster hope, they are less likely to take their own lives. Reauthorizing funding for this life-saving initiative is part of the commitment we made to fulfilling what was promised to our veterans struggling to carry the invisible weight of their mental and physical sacrifice.”

    Suicide is the 12th-leading cause of death for veterans, and the 2nd-leading cause for veterans under 45. Over 131,000 veterans have died by suicide since 2001, withveterans being 72% more likely than the civilian population to die by suicide. Since its original passage, the Fox Grant Program has worked to end this crisis by distributing hundreds of millions in funding to organizations that provide critical, frontline mental health services to veterans. In 2024 alone, Virginia organizations received $4.5 million from these grants. The program honors Veteran Parker Gordon Fox, a veteran and former sniper instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Ft. Benning, GA. SSG Fox died by suicide on July 21, 2020 at the age of 25.

    Specifically, this reauthorization of the Fox Grant Program would:

    • Reauthorize the Fox Grant Program until Sept. 30, 2028.
    • Increase the total authorized funding for the grant program from $174 million to $285 million.
    • Expand the maximum potential award from $750,000 to $1.25 million.
    • Direct the VA to collect additional measures and metrics on performance to better serve veterans.
    • Require annual briefings for VA medical personnel to improve awareness of the program, and coordination with providers.

    The legislation has strong support from Veterans of Foreign Wars and Blue Star Families.

    “The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) strongly supports the bipartisan legislation introduced by Senators Warner and Boozman to reauthorize and expand the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program,” said Joy Craig, Associate Director of Service Member Affairs with the VFW’s National Legislative Service. “Veteran suicide remains a national crisis, and increasing the maximum grant amount while improving oversight and coordination will help ensure life-saving resources reach those in need. The VFW has long advocated for community-based solutions, and this legislation strengthens critical partnerships between the VA and local organizations working to prevent suicide. We urge Congress to swiftly pass this bill and reaffirm its commitment to those who have sacrificed for our nation.” 

    “The SSG Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program is a lifeline for Veterans and military families facing the invisible wounds of service,” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO, Blue Star Families. “Blue Star Families has seen firsthand the impact of these critical resources—support that saves lives and strengthens communities. This program ensures that Veterans and their loved ones get the help they need before a crisis turns tragic. We are proud to support its reauthorization and urge Congress to continue investing in solutions that honor the service and sacrifice of those who’ve given so much for our country.”   

    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Thune, Malliotakis & Peters Introduce Legislation to Address Student Debt Crisis

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner

    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD), alongside U.S. Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11) and Scott Peters (D-CA-50), introduced the Employer Participation in Repayment Act – bipartisan legislation to help Americans tackle their student loan debt by making permanent a provision that allows employers to contribute up to $5,250 tax-free to their employees’ student loans.

    In 2020, Sens. Warner and Thune along with Rep. Peters negotiated the inclusion of a provision in the CARES Act that allowed these contributions temporarily. Later that year, as part of the government spending package, they secured an extension allowing this benefit until January 1, 2026. By making this tax benefit permanent, today’s legislation would provide employees with much-needed relief and employers with a unique and permanent tool to attract and retain talented employees.

    “As the first in my family to graduate from college, I wouldn’t have been able to afford my tuition without the help of student loans,” said Sen. Warner. “Unfortunately as the cost of higher education continues to skyrocket, so has the rate of Americans who turn to student loans to pay for college. Today too many Americans are saddled with tough-to-manage student loan debt, with no end in sight. That’s why I’ve teamed up with Sen. Thune to create an innovative, bipartisan approach to help ease the burden of student loans. By making employer student loan repayments tax-exempt, employers will have a tool to recruit and retain a talented workforce while also helping working Americans manage their financial future.”

    “Incentivizing employers to help repay their employees’ student loans was a common-sense step Congress took to address the high levels of student debt that borrowers face,” said Sen. Thune. “This bill would permanently equip employers with this unique tool to help attract and retain talented employees while protecting American taxpayers from costly burdens. This is a win-win for graduates and their employers, and I hope it will once again garner strong, bipartisan support.”

    “Over the past 20 years, the cost to attend college has risen 45 percent, forcing students to choose between pursuing higher education and taking on tens of thousands of dollars in burdensome student loan debt,” said Rep. Malliotakis. “Our bipartisan legislation enables employers to contribute up to $5,250 per year, tax-free, toward their employees’ student loans—helping those entering the workforce pay down debt faster and build a stronger financial future. This tax incentive will continue to strengthen our workforce, increase our nation’s competitiveness, and provide much-needed economic relief to millions of Americans.”

    “I relied on student loans to get through college when the cost of higher education was much lower than it is today. Now, the collective debt among Americans is $1.7 trillion, which limits our economic growth and the economic prospects of young adults,” said Rep. Peters. “Over the last five years, this program has been a huge success — employers have helped pay off thousands of employees’ loans and it gave employers a tool to compete for the best talent. This public-private collaboration has proven itself as a cost-effective solution to the student debt crisis and it is imperative that we make it permanent.” 

    Americans owe a combined $1.77 trillion dollars in student loan debt, according to the most recent quarterly report from the Federal Reserve. This debt is a significant financial burden that not only influences the way the American workforce saves and spends, but also has a stifling effect on the economy. This legislation would update an existing federal program so that it works better for employees living with the reality of burdensome student loan debt.

    The legislation has support from numerous educational organizations and business groups.

    “The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is pleased to support bipartisan legislation that would make permanent the expansion of IRC Sec. 127. This expansion to allow student loan repayment assistance should absolutely be a permanent benefit and not expire next year as currently scheduled.  This assistance helps working students, employers, and ultimately the U.S. economy. Section 127 benefits play a critical role in maintaining U.S. competitiveness and preventing the accumulation of student debt by enabling employers to fund the training, development and education of their employees, without imposing tax burdens on those employees for the education they receive.  Employees use these benefits to pursue their educational and career goals and use amounts provided by their employer to either help pay for the cost of tuition or repay student loans,” said Karin Johns, Director of Tax Policy, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

    “The bipartisan and bicameral Employer Participation in Repayment Act will reduce borrowers’ student loan burdens and encourage successful repayment. In turn, it gives employers a permanent tool with which to attract a stable workforce. EFC is proud to endorse this legislation, and we look forward to collaborating with you to advance public policies that appropriately balance the interests of student loan borrowers, employers, and taxpayers,” said Gail daMota, President, Education Finance Council.

    “The U.S. Chamber supports the Employer Participation in Repayment Act because it allows employers voluntarily to provide a valued employee benefit that helps their employees’ financial well-being,” said Chantel Sheaks, Vice President, Retirement Policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

    “Candidly has facilitated more than $100M in tax-free Student Loan Employer Contributions to help employees pay down their debt faster, as a workplace benefit, resulting in a whopping 67% reduction in turnover across participating workers. Permanency is crucial to sustaining and scaling this highly efficacious new category of benefit into a new normal,” said Laurel Taylor, CEO, Candidly.

    “Fidelity Investments commends the bipartisan re-introduction of the Employer Participation in Repayment Act. Permanently extending this important incentive is critical to the American workforce’s financial wellness. As a market leader for student debt workplace benefits since 2016, Fidelity has enabled hundreds of employers across a wide range of industries to seamlessly contribute to and ease the student debt burden for their employees. To date, these employers have helped more than 100k employees save more than $500mn and an average of 3-4 years in payments. The growth and popularity of these benefits have accelerated since the introduction of this provision as part of the 2020 CARES Act, and we look forward to working with Congress to enact this legislation permanently into law,” said Jesse Moore, Senior Vice President, Head of Student Debt at Fidelity Investments.

    “We commend Senators Thune and Warner, along with Representatives Malliotakis and Peters, for their leadership in introducing the Employer Participation in Repayment Act. Making the student loan repayment expansion permanent is a critical step toward easing the financial burden on millions of Americans while empowering businesses to attract and retain top talent. This bipartisan, bicameral effort underscores a shared commitment to workforce development, economic growth, and financial well-being for employees nationwide. We urge Congress to pass this legislation and ensure long-term support for student loan repayment benefits,” said Chatrane Birbal, Vice President of Policy and Government Relations at the HR Policy Association. 

    “SHRM strongly supports the reintroduction of the Employer Participation in Repayment Act, a bipartisan bill that would permanently allow employers to assist employees in repaying their student loans. At SHRM, we have long championed policies that empower employers to provide education assistance programs that align with the evolving needs of the workforce. This legislation is key to strengthening the education-to-employment pipeline—ensuring that individuals can pursue and complete their education without being burdened by overwhelming debt, while also helping employers build a skilled and competitive workforce. This legislation provides a commonsense solution that would benefit workers, workplaces, and the economy,” said Emily M. Dickens, Chief of Staff and Head of Government Affairs at the Society for Human Resource Management.

    “We commend the introduction of bipartisan legislation to permanently extend the student loan repayment benefit under Section 127. Supporting efforts by employers to offer education or debt relief to their employees is both economically and fiscally responsible. This bill is a crucial step towards modernizing Section 127 of the tax code, addressing the evolving needs of employees, and ensuring our workforce remains competitive. InStride is dedicated to reducing the burden of student debt and expanding economic opportunities through innovative employer-sponsored education programs. This legislative effort aligns with our mission and helps create a more financially resilient workforce,” said Craig Maloney, CEO, InStride.

    “The National Association of REALTORS ® (NAR) has long supported efforts to ease the burden of student loan debt. The Employer Participation in Repayment Act is a useful tool in easing the weight of student debt. NAR applauds the leadership from Representatives Peters and Malliotakis and Senators Warner and Thune in making this change permanent. This legislation creates a win-win for both employers in search of attracting and maintaining talented workers and employees who will receive relief on their debt, enabling them to save money for important life decisions like purchasing a home,” said National Association of Realtors® President Kevin Sears.

    “Extending the tax exclusion for employer-provided student loan repayment assistance is crucial for today’s U.S. workforce and is 100% aligned with employer perspectives on these benefits,” said Scott Thompson, CEO of Tuition.io. “As the cost of higher education continues to skyrocket, this benefit enables companies to foster a more educated and skilled workforce, while helping their employees cover basic living expenses, a challenge for so many people today. Since Tuition.io started administering contributions in 2016, employers on our platform have helped pay down student loan debt for hundreds of thousands of employees in key sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and technology. We at Tuition.io strongly support making these benefits under Section 127 permanent, as their removal would be a significant setback for both corporations and their employees.”

    “The introduction of this bill is a huge step in the right direction and, when passed, will be a major win for companies, employees, and society at large. Tax-free employer contributions to student loans is a great way to help employees pay back student loans while providing a unique incentive for employees to align with company priorities. As the cost of education has and will likely continue to rise, this benefit will help alleviate the financial stress employees have incurred in order to gain employment. Permanently including employer student loan contributions under tax-free educational assistance will help pave the way for more employers to play a massive role in solving the student debt crisis,” said Mick MackLaverty, CEO of Highway Benefits.

    “We are proud to support this initiative and grateful to Congressmember Peters for his dedication to San Diego’s small businesses,” said Jessica Anderson, Interim President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The Employer Participation in Repayment Act of 2025 will expand the benefits employers can offer by assisting with student debt repayment, in turn helping small businesses attract and retain talent in a competitive workforce. 

    Full text of the legislation can be found here. A summary of the legislation can be found here.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: B.C. will strengthen biofuel industry with Canadian-content requirements

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    The Province is taking action to strengthen British Columbia’s energy resilience and support local biofuel producers, ensuring cleaner transportation fuels and greater energy security for people in B.C.

    “British Columbians deserve a reliable, sustainable and Canadian fuel supply,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “By increasing the Canadian biofuel content in our transportation fuels, we will support local producers, protect jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign energy. This action reflects our commitment to cleaner energy, economic growth and a resilient future for British Columbians.”

    B.C. and Canadian biofuel producers have long felt the impact of the competitive advantage American producers have over Canadian producers because of U.S. subsidies, which have increased under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

    To support B.C. and Canadian biofuel producers, protect local jobs throughout the supply chain and strengthen British Columbia’s energy security, the Province is making key amendments to regulations under the Low Carbon Fuels Act that prioritize the inclusion of Canadian biofuels in B.C.’s transportation fuels. This action will stabilize the biofuel market and support B.C. companies such as Tidewater Renewables in Prince George, Parkland in Burnaby and Consolidated Biofuels in Delta.

    “We welcome the Government of B.C.’s changes to the Low Carbon Fuels Act and the commitment to strengthen the Canadian biofuel sector,” said Jeremy Baines, president and CEO, Tidewater Renewables. “This is a good first step in levelling the playing field with imported biofuels that take advantage of overlapping foreign and Canadian policies, and moving toward an economically viable Canadian renewable fuel industry. Tidewater is committed to being a leader in the energy transition, continuing to develop made-in-B.C. energy solutions, creating good-paying jobs in British Columbia and continuing to supply low-carbon fuels, helping British Columbia and Canada meet emission-reduction targets.”

    Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the minimum 5% renewable-fuel requirement for gasoline must be met with eligible renewable fuels produced in Canada. The renewable-fuel requirement for diesel is 4% and will immediately be increased to 8%. Beginning April 1, 2025, the renewable content of diesel fuel must be produced in Canada.

    The Province has been working closely with B.C. biofuel producers and suppliers to develop an approach that supports the entire industry and limits price impacts. This aligns with the Province’s commitment to sustainability and competitiveness, balancing environmental goals with economic development, signalling B.C.’s leadership in advancing a cleaner and more resilient energy future.

    Quotes:

    Dan Treleaven, chief executive officer, Consolidated Biofuels Ltd. –

    “This news is welcome support for local homegrown biofuel producers. Securing and growing local production reduces reliance on imports, while maintaining one of the most progressive carbon-reduction programs in Canada.”

    Mark Zacharias, executive director, Clean Energy Canada –

    “We are pleased to see today’s amendments to the Low Carbon Fuels Regulation. These changes will provide certainty to B.C. and Canadian biofuel producers, while connecting the Canadian biofuel supply chain and supporting the province’s clean-energy economy. In the face of potential U.S. tariffs, these changes will create jobs here in B.C., while doing our part for the climate.”

    Learn More:

    British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard:
    https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/electricity-alternative-energy/transportation-energies/renewable-low-carbon-fuels

    A backgrounder follows.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Appointments – Greymouth accounting firm welcomes new associate

    Source: ASHTON WHEELANS

    A leading South Island accounting firm has strengthened its presence on the West Coast with the recruitment of Greymouth local Kimberley Costelloe as associate.

    A chartered accountant with more than 19 years’ industry experience, Kimberley recently joined Ashton Wheelans, which has offices in Greymouth, Christchurch, Rangiora and Wānaka.

    She has worked alongside clients across a wide range of industries, including property investment, winemaking, mining, farming, hair and beauty, tourism, hospitality, trades, primary industry and manufacturing.

    “The best part of being an accountant and business advisor is getting to know my clients, their business and forming great relationships with them,” she explains. “I enjoy hearing their wins, challenges and aspirations. This also means I can keep my ear to the ground for emerging developments: legislative, technology and any opportunities that may arise and have an impact on their business.”

    Kimberley says she is delighted to work within a diverse team across the South Island, while still living in her hometown.

    “Ashton Wheelans has a wide network of experience, with a well-established and knowledgeable team,” she says. “Having the ability to tap into this level of expertise and resources anytime is excellent as I like to work collaboratively with colleagues to assess the best approach.

    “Knowing that I have that type of support is extremely valuable, as it means we get the best outcomes for our clients,” she adds.

    Ashton Wheelans partner Fergal O’Gara says Kimberley brings a wealth of experience to the team, and our clients.

    “Kimberley’s down-to-earth nature enables her to connect with people of any age or background,” he says. “It is great to have her in our Greymouth-based team.”

    Kimberley is a multi-generational West Coaster and is involved in several local community groups, including Big Brothers Big Sisters Westland, Paroa Playcentre and Paroa Park Redevelopment Inc. Her professional career has seen her work in various accounting practices in Nelson and Christchurch, before returning home to the West Coast.

    Ashton Wheelans has a longstanding history and has been operating for more than 60 years to provide accounting, tax, audit and business advisory services throughout the South Island. In April 2024, Ashton Wheelans merged with the team at Greymouth’s Marshall & Heaphy to become the firm’s West Coast-based office.
     
    About Ashton Wheelans
    Ashton Wheelans is one of the South Island’s leading chartered accountancy firms with a 60-year history of helping business owners and individuals achieve their goals and financial success. With offices in Rangiora, Christchurch, Greymouth and Wānaka, Ashton Wheelans provides innovative and forward-thinking financial advice to drive growth and success, from accounting, tax and auditing expertise to specialist advice on acquisitions, startups, mentoring, restructuring or insolvency, succession and strategic planning.
    www.ashtonwheelans.co.nz

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Illegal alien from Mexico sentenced to 27 months in federal prison, following US Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BOISE — Jose Salvador Alcaraz-Curiel, 31, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for being a deported alien found in the United States, following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation, Feb. 24, 2025.

    According to court records, Alcaraz-Curiel was previously removed from the U.S. in October 2018 and September 2020.

    “This conviction underscores the dedication of ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agents in safeguarding our nation’s laws,” said ICE HSI Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy. “By holding individuals accountable for illegally reentering the United States, we emphasize the vital role of immigration enforcement in protecting the safety and security of our communities. We remain fully committed to enforcing immigration laws to safeguard the American public.”

    After his second removal, Alcaraz-Curiel again reentered the United States illegally and without lawful authority. ICE encountered Alcaraz-Curiel in Canyon County in March 2024. Alcaraz-Curiel has history of state misdemeanor and felony convictions in Idaho, as well as a 2020 federal conviction in the District of Arizona for being a deported alien found in the United States.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the efforts of ICE for their work on this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis J. Zebari prosecuted this case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mount Vernon Native Sentenced To 11 Years In Prison For Orchestrating $7.6 Million COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacob Carter Personally Received Over $1.7 Million in Kickbacks for Obtaining U.S. Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loans for Over 1,000 Applicants

    Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JACOB CARTER, who led a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) of more than $7.6 million, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román to 11 years in prison.  CARTER and co-defendants Quadri Salahuddin and Anwar Salahuddin were convicted at trial on February 9, 2024, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “Jacob Carter took advantage of a taxpayer-funded program intended to help small businesses in desperate need during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Some small businesses that were eligible for and deserving of this money did not get it because funds ran out.  Carter used his ill-gotten gains for far more selfish pursuits, including expensive jewelry and a Lamborghini.  Thanks to the work of our law enforcement partners at the FBI and the career prosecutors of this Office, Carter has now received just punishment.”

    According to the Indictment, publics filings, public court proceedings and filings, and the evidence presented at trial and in connection with sentencing:

    The SBA is a federal agency of the Executive Branch that administers assistance to American small businesses. This assistance includes making direct loans to applicants through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) Program.  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress expanded SBA’s EIDL Program to provide small businesses with low-interest loans of up to $2 million prior to in or about May 2020 and up to $150,000 beginning in or about May 2020, in order to provide vital economic support to help overcome the loss of revenue small businesses are experiencing due to COVID-19.  Applicants seeking a loan under the EIDL program were also now permitted to request and receive an advance of approximately $1,000 per employee, for an amount up to $10,000, which the SBA has generally provided while the loan application was pending.

    From March through July 2020, CARTER and co-defendants Quadri Salahuddin, Anwar Salahuddin, and Crystal Ransom, used the identities of more than 1,000 other individuals (the “Applicants”) to submit more than 1,000 online applications to the SBA, seeking over $10 million of funds through the SBA’s EIDL Program (the “EIDL Applications”). In connection with the EIDL Applications, CARTER, Quadri Salahuddin, Anwar Salahuddin, and Ransom falsely represented to the SBA that the Applicants were the owners of businesses with 10 or more employees.  However, that was a lie – the individuals did not own businesses or employ people.  Based on the fraudulent EIDL Applications, the SBA made advance payments of more than $7.6 million to the Applicants, who then kicked back a portion of the advance payments to CARTER, Quadri Salahuddin, Anwar Salahuddin, and Ransom.  After the defendants collected millions of dollars in kickback payments, CARTER took photographs of his stacks of cash, purchased expensive jewelry, and leased a Lamborghini.

    *               *                *

    In addition to the prison term, CARTER, 39, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was sentenced to three years of supervised release.  CARTER was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $7,737,000 to the SBA and forfeiture in the amount of $1,720,950.

    Ransom pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced on April 24, 2024, to two years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release with the first six months under home confinement. The Court also ordered that Ransom pay restitution in the amount of $7,577,000 to the SBA and forfeiture in the amount of $99,000. Quadri Salahuddin and Anwar Salahuddin are scheduled to be sentenced on March 26, 2025.

    Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

    The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey C. Coffman, Courtney L. Heavey, and Jared D. Hoffman are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Involved in Shooting at Fayetteville Hookah Lounge Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    GREENVILLE, N.C. –A Robeson County man was sentenced today to the statutory maximum of 120 months in prison for possession of a machine gun, after he fired a string of shots from a .40 caliber firearm that was equipped with a switch that converts a pistol to a machine gun.  On October 9, 2024, Michai Jamill Caldwell, age 24, pled guilty to the charge.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, Caldwell was involved in a disagreement at the Anubis Hookah Lounge in Fayetteville on June 6, 2024. The disagreement ultimately led to an altercation between several patrons, including Caldwell, and the bouncer. After the altercation was diffused, all patrons were escorted out of the building and the lounge was closed. A short time later, Caldwell returned with another individual and was confronted by security as they reentered the establishment. During the confrontation, Caldwell fired a series of shots which struck multiple victims, including one victim who lost her right eye. Two other victims were seriously injured.

    After the shooting, Caldwell fled the scene and led officers from the Fayetteville Police Department on a high-speed chase, reaching speeds in excess of 120 mph swerving through traffic and disregarding traffic lights. He initially evaded law enforcement but was arrested on June 21, 2024.

    The conviction is a result of the ongoing Violent Crime Action Plan (VCAP) initiative which is a collaborative effort with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, working with the community, to identify and address the most significant drivers of violent crime. VCAP involves focused and strategic enforcement, and interagency coordination and intelligence-led policing.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The Fayetteville Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)  investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Foxx  prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:24-cr-66-BO-BM.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Felon In Possession Of Machinegun And Straw Purchaser Are Sentenced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte man who illegally possessed a machinegun and a straw purchaser of firearms were sentenced today, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Keon Deangelo Steele, 20, was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Steele’s girlfriend, Anna Micaiah Denise Mack, 22, also of Charlotte, was ordered to serve 24 months on probation under court supervision. 

    Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making today’s announcement.

    According to court documents and court proceedings, between May and June 2023, Steele sold multiple firearms to undercover officers. Specifically, on July 6, 2023, Steele communicated to an undercover officer that he had two firearms and two Glock switches for sale. A Glock switch is the common name for an illegal device that coverts a conventional firearm into a machinegun. Law enforcement arrived at the meeting location and observed Steele and Mack waiting inside a vehicle. The defendants were arrested and taken into custody. Law enforcement also searched the vehicle and found a backpack that contained a Glock 42, .40 caliber pistol outfitted with a Glock switch, and an additional Glock switch.

    During the investigation, law enforcement determined that, on June 13, 2023, Mack purchased two firearms, a Glock 22 and a Glock 48, from a federal firearms dealer in Gastonia. Mack completed ATF Form 4473 in connection with the firearms purchases. As Mack later admitted in court, she lied on the form, falsely representing that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms when, in fact, she was buying the firearms for Steele. Court records show that Mack straw purchased at least seven firearms for Steele within a span of a few weeks.

    On June 27, 2024, Steele pleaded guilty to possession of a machinegun. On April 4, 2024, Mack pleaded guilty to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron thanked the ATF and CMPD for leading the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Boykin of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office reminds the public that purchasing a gun for someone who is prohibited by law from possessing one, or for someone who does not want his or her name associated with the transaction, is a “straw purchase,” a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. For more information on what you can do to ensure that you do not knowingly or unknowingly participate in a straw purchase, contact your local ATF office or call 1-800-ATF-GUNS.

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charlotte Man With Prior Criminal Convictions Is Sentenced To Prison For Unlawful Gun Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Alijah Kajuan Rollinson, 23, of Charlotte, was sentenced today to 57 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for the unlawful possession of a firearm, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), join Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making today’s announcement.

    According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on May 6, 2023, at around 11:00 p.m., CMPD responded to a shooting incident at the parking lot of an apartment complex. Witnesses on the scene told the officers that there had been an argument between Rollinson and another individual prior to the shooting. Court documents show that CMPD officers recovered multiple cartridge casings from the scene, including from the doorway of Rollinson’s apartment. A subsequent search of the apartment yielded two firearms, a rifle and a stolen pistol. The rifle was loaded with ammunition that matched the discharged casings found at the doorway. The pistol was also loaded with a round of ammunition in the chamber. Rollinson is not permitted to possess a firearm or ammunition based on his criminal history that includes convictions for Assault with a Deadly Weapon with Intent to Kill. and Discharge a Weapon Into Occupied Property.

    On March 8, 2024, Rollinson pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He is in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

    In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron thanked the ATF and CMPD for their investigation of the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Boykin and Regina Pack of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

    The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about PSN in the Western District, please visit our website. 

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Man Indicted for Armed Rape Committed in January 2012 in NE Washington D.C.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Cristian Josue Arteaga, 35, formerly of Hyattsville, Maryland, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on multiple counts of first-degree sexual abuse while armed with aggravating circumstances, stemming from a January 22, 2012 armed rape of a victim in Northeast Washington D.C., U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced. 

                Arteaga will be arraigned before the Honorable Jason Park. If convicted of the charges, Arteaga faces a maximum of life in prison without possibility of release and lifetime sex offender registration. 

               According to the government’s evidence as summarized in the arrest warrant, on January 22, 2012, at approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim was walking home from the Ft. Totten Metro station after finishing her shift at work. As the victim approached her home, Arteaga—a stranger—approached her and asked what time it was. The victim responded by pulling out her phone and relaying the time. Arteaga then brandished a small black handgun, demanded money and made a crude sexual demand while pointing the gun in her face. Arteaga shoved the victim into her neighbor’s carport, pushed her down, and raped her multiple times at gunpoint. Following the assault, Arteaga threatened the victim not to report the assault to police, saying he would kill her if she reported, and then fled the scene.  

               Due to the threats, the victim was afraid to call police to her home and waited until the following morning to report the rape to police. The victim subsequently obtained a rape kit and crime scene technicians processed the crime scene for evidence. Evidence collected in connection with the offense was tested for DNA promptly in 2012. The DNA profile of an unknown male was obtained from the testing and entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a DNA database maintained by the FBI. There were no hits in the database and the case went cold.

                On December 19, 2023, the Texas Department of Public Safety issued an NDIS CODIS offender letter, reflecting a match between the unknown male DNA profile that had been entered in CODIS from the 2012 armed rape and Texas offender Cristian Josue Arteaga. Detectives traveled to Texas and lawfully collected a known DNA sample from Arteaga and submitted it for testing and comparison to the evidence from the armed rape that was previously tested in 2012. The DNA testing provided very strong support for inclusion of Arteaga’s and the victim’s DNA profiles being present in the evidence.

                Arteaga has been in custody since his arrest and was brought to the District of Columbia in January 2025 to face these charges.

               This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

               This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man sentenced to 20 years for armed robbery of an East St. Louis convenience store

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a man to 20 years’ imprisonment for an armed robbery of a convenience store in East St. Louis.

    Vernelle E. Hines, 31, arrested in Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery and one count of carry and use of a firearm during a crime of violence.

    According to court documents, Hines brandished a firearm to the store clerk and demanded two bottles of tequila from the Mega Supermarket in East St. Louis on Oct. 31, 2023.

    When the clerk refused, Hines assaulted the clerk, discharged his firearm into the ceiling and took two bottles of tequila and a couple hundred dollars by force. Hines wore a mask to conceal his face.

    The store clerk sustained serious and permanent injuries.

    “This 20-year sentence of a convicted felon who committed a brutal robbery is evidence of the Illinois State Police’s commitment to making communities safer,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP special agents will follow leads and track down those who commit evil until justice is served.” 

    At the time of the robbery, Hines was on federal supervised release for felon in possession of a firearm for charges in the Eastern District of Missouri.

    The Illinois State Police’s Public Safety Enforcement Group led the investigation with assistance in apprehending Hines from the U.S. Marshals Service in the Southern District of Illinois and Homeland Security Investigations in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Ali Burns prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Drug Trafficker Is Sentenced To 10 Years in Prison

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

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Bryan Torres, 24, of Cherryville, N.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release on drug and gun charges, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    According to court documents and court proceedings, between October 2022 to January 2023, Torres engaged in drug trafficking in Gaston County. During the investigation, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine, over 250 fentanyl pills, powder fentanyl, heroin, and other substances from the defendant. Torres was armed during at least one drug transaction. On February 2, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Torres’s residence. Investigators seized from the residence five firearms and ammunition, and additional amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

    On February 29, 2024, Torres pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He will remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

    The investigation was jointly conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Cherryville Police Department, and the Gaston County Police Department.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case. 

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. For more information about PSN in the Western District, please visit our website.

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Federal government invests in shoreline adaptation and restoration for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation

    Source: Government of Canada regional news

    From Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada:
    English: https://www.canada.ca/en/housing-infrastructure-communities/news/2025/02/federal-government-invests-in-shoreline-adaptation-and-restoration-for-the-tsleil-waututh-nation.html  
    French: https://www.canada.ca/fr/logement-infrastructures-collectivites/nouvelles/2025/02/le-gouvernement-federal-investit-dans-ladaptation-et-la-restauration-des-berges-de-la-nation-des-tsleil-waututh.html

    Erosion and flood protection improvements will help preserve the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) shores after a joint investment of more than $10.1 million from the federal government and the Nation.

    This project includes beach replenishment, which will involve concept planning and engineering, site preparation, marine riparian shoreline planting, and the installation of intertidal adaptation features.

    These improvements will protect the shoreline while promoting biodiversity, restoring habitat health, strengthening structural capacity, and improving ecological systems. This project will also increase the Nation’s resilience to climate change, natural disasters, and extreme weather events for years to come.

    Quotes:

    “Thank you to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation for their dedication, innovation, and hard work in restoring and protecting the shoreline from flooding and rising sea levels. Our government is working alongside Indigenous partners to tackle extreme weather, adapt to climate change, and build stronger, more resilient communities. Traditional Indigenous knowledge and experience from those living on this land since time immemorial is critical in fighting climate change and protecting our shared future. That’s why federal programs like this empower local leaders to drive the changes that work best in their communities.”

    – The Honourable Terry Beech, Minister of Citizens’ Services and Member of Parliament for Burnaby North – Seymour

    “These improvements to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation lands will protect the shoreline and marine habitat now and for future generations. The impacts of climate change make it essential that we act now to address potential hazards to make our communities stronger, preserve our natural ecosystems and keep people safe.”

    – The Honourable Kelly Greene, B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness

    “səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) is grateful for Green Adaptation, Resilience and Disaster Mitigation funding to support our reserve shoreline adaptation and resilience project. This funding will enable us to complete Tsleil-Waututh Nation Reserve shoreline protection, beach nourishment, and restoration works to address longstanding concerns with coastal erosion and flooding, and to strengthen community resilience to climate change. This project is also expected to enhance marine ecological health and biodiversity, protect səlilwətaɬ community lands and cultural sites, and improve community access to the shoreline for stewardship practices and intergenerational knowledge sharing.”

    – Chief Jen Thomas, səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation)

    Quick Facts:

    • The federal government is investing $7,599,914 through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) is contributing $2,533,305 with support from the Government of British Columbia.
    • This stream helps build greener communities by contributing to climate change preparedness, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting renewable technologies.
    • Including today’s announcement, over 150 infrastructure projects under the Green Infrastructure Stream have been announced in British Columbia, with a total federal contribution of more than $610 million and a total provincial contribution of more than $429 million.
    • Under the Investing in Canada Plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
    • Federal funding is conditional on fulfilling all requirements related to consultation with Indigenous groups and environmental assessment obligations.

    Associated Links:

    Investing in Canada: Canada’s Long-Term Infrastructure Plan:
    https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

    Green Infrastructure Stream:
    https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html

    Housing and Infrastructure Project Map:
    https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/gmap-gcarte/index-eng.html

    Strengthened Climate Plan:
    https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html

    For more information (media only), please contact:

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Suspicious building fire at Prospect

    Source: South Australia Police

    Police are investigating a suspicious building fire in Prospect in the early hours of this morning.

    About 12.30am on Thursday 27 February, emergency services were called to Prospect Road at Prospect after reports of a fire inside a business premises.

    Fire crews were quickly on scene and extinguished the blaze however there was significant damage caused to the shop.

    Prospect Road was closed to traffic for a period of time whilst emergency services were at the scene.

    Fire Techs attended to determine the cause of the fire, which is believed to have been deliberately lit.

    Western District Detectives are investigating the incident and ask anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area or has information that may assist to contact Crime Stoppers. You can anonymously provide information to Crime Stoppers online at https://crimestopperssa.com.au or free call 1800 333 000.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Alan Wilson announces “Triple Crown” State Grand Jury investigation update: Top target pleads guilty and is sentenced to 25 yearsRead More

    Source: US State of South Carolina

    (COLUMBIA, SC) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced today that Jonathan Wesley Cole, aka “Buckshot,” pleaded guilty in the “Triple Crown” investigation on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. 

    Cole pleaded guilty to charges in Kershaw, Sumter, and Richland counties including:  Trafficking Cocaine, 400 Grams or More (Conspiracy); Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl; Trafficking Marijuana, 10 Pounds or More, But Less Than 100 Pounds; Trafficking Cocaine, 400 Grams or More; Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl; Possession of a Weapon During a Violent Crime, Money Laundering; and Trafficking Marijuana, 10 Pounds or More, But Less Than 100 Pounds. 

    Cole was a top target of the investigation who was supplying other high-level targets with large quantities of cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana. Law enforcement learned that Cole would fly to California to obtain drugs and traffic them back to South Carolina in his luggage on commercial flights. On April 30, 2022, law enforcement detained one of Cole’s co-conspirators who had just flown back from California. He had approximately 12 pounds of marijuana in his suitcase and was directed by Cole to take the marijuana to another co-conspirator.

    On June 2, 2022, law enforcement executed a series of search warrants at properties owned or associated with Cole. At Cole’s residence, two vacuum-sealed bags were found buried in the wood line. The bags contained approximately 635 grams of cocaine and 1,437 grams of fentanyl. Only 2 milligrams of fentanyl can be considered a lethal dose, meaning a kilogram of fentanyl could potentially be enough to kill 500,000 people.  Law enforcement also located $27,384 in cash, an assault rifle, body armor-piercing ammunition, and approximately 16 pounds of marijuana. Cole was using an empty barber shop as a front to launder his drug proceeds. 

    Judge Paul Burch sentenced Cole to 25 years in prison.      

    Charges from the Triple Crown investigation are still pending and involve over 50 co-conspirators who are alleged to have been trafficking cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, marijuana, heroin, and fentanyl in Kershaw, Lee, Marlboro, Dillon, Sumter, and Richland Counties. A trial term is scheduled for the week of March 24 in Kershaw County. 

    The case was investigated by the South Carolina State Grand Jury and prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Savanna Goude. The State Grand Jury was assisted in this case by a partnership of the Attorney General’s State Grand Jury Division, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Camden Police Department, Florence County Sheriff’s Office, Dillon County Sheriff’s Office, Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office, South Carolina Highway Patrol, Department of Homeland Security, DEA, and FBI.

    Attorney General Wilson stressed that all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Millbrook — Millbrook RCMP charge a man with Attempt to Commit Murder

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Millbrook RCMP has charged a man with multiple offences, including Attempt to Commit Murder, following stabbings in the community.

    Yesterday, at approximately 1:45 p.m., RCMP officers responded to a report of stabbings that occurred at a residence on Coach Rd. RCMP officers learned that a man stabbed and robbed a man and then stabbed a woman before fleeing the scene in the male victim’s SUV. The three people are known to one another.

    The 64-year-old man and 41-year-old woman, both of Truro, suffered serious injuries. They were transported to hospital by EHS.

    A short time later, RCMP officers received information that the man involved had robbed a nearby gas station and continued to flee.

    Nearby officers quickly located the vehicle, a Kia Sportage, travelling south at Exit 10 on Hwy. 102 where it crashed into the ditch. At the scene, the 40-year-old Truro man was safely arrested. The man was in possession of two knives at the time he was arrested.

    Harry Arthur Cope has been charged with:

    • Attempt to Commit Murder (two counts)
    • Aggravated Assault (two counts)
    • Assault with a Weapon (two counts)
    • Uttering Threats (two counts)
    • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose (two counts)
    • Robbery (two counts)
    • Failure to Comply with a Probation Order (four counts)

    Cope was held in custody and will appear in Truro Provincial Court today.

    The investigation, led by Millbrook RCMP with assistance from Colchester County District RCMP, is ongoing.

    File# 2025-255350

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oxford — RCMP charge man with impaired operation and firearm offences

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The Nova Scotia RCMP has charged a man with impaired operation and firearms offences after responding to a report of an intoxicated man at a restaurant in Oxford.

    On February 23, at approximately 7:45 p.m., RCMP officers responded to a report of an intoxicated man at a restaurant in Oxford. Upon arrival, officers learned that the man, who was showing signs of impairment, had driven to the restaurant. The man provided breath samples into an approved screening device which resulted in a “fail”. He was arrested for impaired operation of a motor vehicle.

    While officers searched the man, they located and seized a loaded handgun*.

    Christopher Lamert Jobe, 42, of Warren, has been charged with:

    • Careless Use of Firearm
    • Possession of a Prohibited Firearm with Ammunition
    • Carrying Concealed Weapon
    • Unauthorized Possession of Loaded Firearm
    • Unauthorized Possession of Firearm
    • Unauthorized Possession of Prohibited Weapon
    • Unauthorized Possession in a Motor Vehicle
    • Possession of Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized
    • Possession of Ammunition Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized
    • Operation While Impaired
    • Operation of a Conveyance 80mg% or over

    Jobe was transported to Oxford RCMP detachment and provided breath samples that registered 260 mg% and 250 mg%. He was later released on an undertaking. Jobe is scheduled to appear in Amherst Provincial Court on April 14.

    Due to Jobe being an off-duty municipal police officer, the matter was referred to the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT), which oversaw the investigation.

    *The handgun was not a service weapon.

    File #2025-242858

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Shuttered car factories in Australia could be repurposed to make houses faster and cheaper

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ehsan Noroozinejad, Senior Researcher, Urban Transformations Research Centre, Western Sydney University

    studiovin/Shutterstock

    Australia is in the grip of a severe housing shortage. Many people are finding it extremely difficult to find a place to live in the face of rising rents and property price surges. Homelessness is rising sharply. Tent cities are becoming more common.

    The federal government has pledged to encourage the building of about 1.2 million new dwellings over the five years from mid-2024. The problem is, conventional building techniques are unlikely to be able to respond to the scale of demand quickly. Conventional building is expensive and slow. Faster, cheaper construction methods are needed.

    There might be a way to accelerate the build. In recent years, car manufacturers Ford, General Motors and Toyota have shuttered their Australian factories, due to intense global competition.

    Before these factories fell silent, they were home to trained workers, advanced machinery and efficient production systems. In Australia, companies such as Hickory Group are working to turn car factories into house factories. In Japan, Toyota has been making modular housing for decades, by adapting car production line techniques.

    Scaling this approach up in Australia could simultaneously address industrial decline and housing demand.

    Can mothballed car factories really make houses?

    After years of decline, Australia’s car manufacturing industry came to an end in 2017, when Toyota and General Motors’ factories stopped mass production. Ford’s local factories closed a year earlier. It was the end of 70 years of mass production, though companies such as Premcar are still making local versions of overseas cars.

    Thousands of factory workers lost their jobs. But the effect rippled outward, as about 40,000 workers in the supply chain lost their jobs.

    These automobile factories left behind more than just empty structures.

    Most of them have not been demolished. Some still have advanced manufacturing lines. Their former workers with automation and precise engineering training might be working in different fields, such as caravan manufacturing.

    Building a house in a factory has similarities to car manufacturing. Both use modular production, in which individual parts are manufactured and then assembled into a final product.

    That’s not to say this would be easy – there would be regulatory hurdles to overcome and the factories would need an overhaul.

    One tough part is figuring out how to use modern car-building tools (such as robotics) to make components of houses. While building cars and houses share some ideas, they’re not the same.

    Bringing these factories back into production would boost the economies of states such as Victoria.

    States such as South Australia have already started down this path, turning Mitsubishi’s defunct Tonsley Park factory into an innovation precinct hosting modular construction companies such as Fusco Constructions, which will begin operations next year.

    Meanwhile, much work has been done in Australia and overseas to find ways to mass-produce housing using factories.

    Imagine thousands of individual car parts were delivered to your front yard, where workers painstakingly put the car together. This seems crazy. But it’s essentially what we do with houses, especially freestanding ones. Advocates for modern methods of construction have pointed out the inefficiencies of transporting building materials to a site and assembling them there.

    Some large-scale builders are already working to automate more of the home-building process. Besides making houses more cheaply, the benefits include centralising production around a factory, protection from weather delays, and the ability to use industrial robots.

    Car assembly lines guarantee each component is manufactured to exacting specifications. Automobile manufacturing has been transformed by new technologies, including digital twin simulations, robotics and 3D printing. But the building industry has been slower to take these up. If we can bring these technologies to bear on how we make homes, we can accelerate construction, reduce errors and cut prices.

    In fact, we are seeing some car manufacturers moving into home building. Mercedes-Benz, Bugatti, Bentley, Aston Martin and Porsche are all putting their names on high-end homes in some way, while Honda has explored manufacturing smart, low-energy homes.

    Change is coming – but slowly

    Advanced building techniques are not new to Australia. Prefab buildings are already being built on factory lines by companies such as Fleetwood, ATCO Structures and Logistics and Modscape.

    Here, building components are produced in a controlled factory setting before being delivered to the construction site for prompt assembly. Dozens of companies are working in this space. To date, however, most of these buildings will be used as schools, police stations or temporary housing for mining workers.

    Last year, the federal government set up a A$900 million fund as an incentive for state and territory governments to accelerate building approvals and take up prefab techniques. To date, the sector is struggling to scale up due to a lack of infrastructure and too few manufacturers.

    Other countries are further along the path. In Sweden, up to 84% of detached homes are made with prefabricated components, compared with about 15% in Japan and 5% in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

    One option is to adopt yet more advanced techniques, such as lean manufacturing and automated assembly. Both of these are well established in car-making, and could be used to increase the speed and accuracy of prefab home construction.

    What would it take to make this happen?

    Australia’s housing crisis has been years in the making. To solve it, we may need bold solutions.

    Converting old car factories into affordable home factories could help accelerate our response to the challenge – and reinvigorate industrial precincts.

    It would take work and funding to make this happen. But there are commonalities. Making prefab homes depends on precise, modular production methods that work best when automated. Transitions like these can happen.

    Dr. Ehsan Noroozinejad has received funding from both national and international organisations to support research addressing housing and climate crises. His most recent funding comes from the James Martin Institute for Public Policy. He has received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

    – ref. Shuttered car factories in Australia could be repurposed to make houses faster and cheaper – https://theconversation.com/shuttered-car-factories-in-australia-could-be-repurposed-to-make-houses-faster-and-cheaper-249709

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Intuitive Machines-2 Lifts Off

    Source: NASA

    A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander (IM-2) soars upward after liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. The lander is set to land on the Moon on March 6.
    The NASA science and technology demonstrations aboard the lander will, once on the Moon, gather data to support future human missions. NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, which launched as a rideshare with the IM-2 mission, also began its journey to lunar orbit, where it will map the distribution of the different forms of water on the Moon.
    Image credit: NASA/Cory S Huston

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: NASA Selects Participating Scientists to Join Lucy Asteroid Mission

    Source: NASA

    NASA has selected eight participating scientists to join its Lucy mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. These asteroids are remnants of our early solar system trapped on stable orbits associated with – but not close to – the planet Jupiter. 

    NASA’s Lucy in the L4 Trojans Participating Scientist Program supports scientists to carry out new investigations that address outstanding questions related to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids as part of the Lucy mission. Launched in 2021, the Lucy spacecraft is currently on its way to the L4 Trojan swarm, which leads Jupiter in its orbit around the Sun. This is the first selection of Lucy participating scientists, who will become mission science team members for the four major asteroid encounters that the Lucy spacecraft will have in the L4 swarm in 2027 and 2028, and who will remain on the team for subsequent scientific analysis until 2030. The newly selected participating scientists are:

    Harrison Agrusa, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, France
    Benjamin Byron, University of Central Florida in Orlando
    Emily Costello, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
    Masatoshi Hirabayashi, Georgia Tech Research Corporation [TSS1] in Atlanta
    Fiona Nichols-Fleming, Smithsonian Institution in Washington
    Norbert Schorghofer, Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona
    Jennifer Scully, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California
    Anne Verbiscer, University of Virginia, Charlottesville

    Lucy’s principal investigator, Hal Levison, is based out of the Boulder, Colorado, branch of Southwest Research Institute, headquartered in San Antonio. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built and operates the spacecraft. Lucy is the 13th mission in NASA’s Discovery Program. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Discovery Program for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. For more information on NASA’s Lucy mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lucy

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Liftoff! NASA Tech, Science En Route to Moon with Intuitive Machines

    Source: NASA

    The next set of NASA science and technology demonstrations is on its way to the lunar surface, where they will gather data about Earth’s nearest neighbor and help pave the way for American astronauts to explore the Moon and beyond, for the benefit of all.
    Carrying NASA instruments as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission launched at 7:16 p.m. EST, Feb. 26, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander is scheduled to touch down on Thursday, March 6, in Mons Mouton, a plateau in the Moon’s South Pole.
    “With each CLPS mission, the United States is leading the way in expanding our reach and refining our capabilities, turning what was once dreams into reality,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “These science and technology demonstrations are more than payloads – they represent the foundation for future explorers who will live and work on the Moon. By partnering with American industry, we are driving innovation, strengthening our leadership in space, and preparing for sending humans farther into the solar system, including Mars.”

    Once on the Moon, the NASA CLPS investigations will aim to measure the potential presence of volatiles or gases from lunar soil – one of the first on-site demonstrations of resource use on the Moon. In addition, a passive Laser Retroreflector Array on the top deck of the lander will bounce laser light back at any future orbiting or incoming spacecraft to give them a permanent reference point on the lunar surface. Other technology instruments on this delivery will demonstrate a robust surface communications system and deploy a propulsive drone designed to hop across the lunar surface.
    NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, which launched as a rideshare with the IM-2 mission, also began its journey to lunar orbit, where it will map the distribution of the different forms of water on the Moon. Lunar Trailblazer will discover where the Moon’s water is, what form it is in, and how it changes over time. Observations gathered during its two-year prime mission will contribute to the understanding of water cycles on airless bodies throughout the solar system while also supporting future human and robotic missions to the Moon by identifying where water is located. 
    NASA’s Artemis campaign includes conducting more science to better understand planetary processes and evolution, to search for evidence of water and other resources, and support long-term, sustainable human exploration.
    The NASA science and technology instruments that launched aboard the IM-2 mission are:

    Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1): This experiment will explore the Moon’s subsurface and analyze where lunar resources may reside. The experiment’s two key instruments will demonstrate the ability to extract and analyze lunar soil to detect volatile chemical compounds that turn into gas. The two instruments will work in tandem: The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains will drill into the Moon’s surface to collect samples, while the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations will analyze these samples to determine the gas composition released across the sampling depth. The PRIME-1 technology will provide valuable data to better understand the Moon’s surface and how to work with and on it.

    Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA): This collection of eight retroreflectors will enable precision laser ranging, which is a measurement of the distance between the orbiting or landing spacecraft to the reflector on the lander. The LRA is a passive optical instrument and will function as a permanent location marker on the Moon for decades to come.   

    Micro Nova Hopper: Funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate Tipping Point initiative, Intuitive Machines’ Micro Nova hopper, Grace, is designed to enable high-resolution surveying of the lunar surface under its flight path. This autonomous propulsive drone aims to deploy to the surface and hop into a nearby crater to survey the lunar surface and send science data back to the lander. It’s designed to hop in and out of a permanently shadowed region, providing a first look into undiscovered regions that may provide critical information to sustain a human presence on the Moon.

    Nokia Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS): Also developed with funding from NASA’s Tipping Point initiative, Nokia’s LSCS 4G/LTE communications system will demonstrate cellular communications between the Intuitive Machines lander, a Lunar Outpost rover, and the Micro Nova hopper. Engineered to transmit high-definition video, command-and-control messages, and sensor and telemetry data, the LSCS aims to demonstrate an ultra-compact advanced communication solution for future infrastructure on the Moon and beyond.

    Learn more about NASA’s CLPS initiative at:
    https://www.nasa.gov/clps
    -end-
    Karen Fox / Jasmine HopkinsHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1600 / 321-432-4624karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / jasmine.s.hopkins@nasa.gov
    Natalia Riusech / Nilufar RamjiJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov
    Antonia JaramilloKennedy Space Center, Florida321-501-8425antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032?

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Gordon Osinski, Professor in Earth and Planetary Science, Western University

    An artist’s rendition of one of the many thousands of near-Earth objects that could potentially impact Earth in the future. (European Space Agency/P.Carril)

    For a few days in mid-February, headlines around the world buzzed about the potential for an asteroid to hit the Earth in 2032 — specifically, asteroid 2024 YR4. The chance of this impact rose to a high of 3.1 per cent on Feb. 18.

    The number has since dropped to near zero, but this news was a real-life Don’t Look Up moment, and a stark reminder of the threat that asteroid impacts pose to life on Earth.

    As a planetary geologist, my research focuses on meteorite impact craters, the scars of large asteroid and cometary impacts in Earth’s past.

    Impact Earth

    There are countless numbers of asteroids and an unknown number of comets throughout our solar system. Most of these objects date back to the very beginnings of our solar system, around 4.5 billion years ago.

    Research has identified approximately 200 locations where these asteroids or comets have struck the Earth in the past to form meteorite impact craters. It’s very rare that planetary geologists can tell whether it was an asteroid or comet that hit.

    One of the most famous of these 200 or so impact craters is the 200 km diameter Chicxulub impact crater in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. This impact wiped out 65 per cent of all species on Earth, including the dinosaurs, 66 million years ago.

    One of the most recent and best-preserved craters on Earth is the 1.2 km in diameter Meteor Crater in Arizona, which formed 50,000 years ago.

    The Meteor Crater in Arizone is one of the most recent and best-preserved craters on Earth.
    (G.Osinski), CC BY

    Millions of craters

    Two hundred craters over 4.5 billion years hardly seems like a big number or cause for concern however, this number is a tiny fraction of the actual record. Most impact craters formed on Earth have been erased due to plate tectonics, volcanic eruptions, and erosion by water, wind and ice.

    To truly appreciate how common impact craters are, we need to look to Earth’s closest neighbour, the moon. Because of its proximity, objects that can hit the moon can also hit the Earth. In fact, because the Earth is bigger, which means our gravitational attraction is higher, more asteroids and comets would have hit the Earth over the past 4.5 billion years than the moon.

    The best estimate is 1.3 million craters over one kilometre in diameter on the moon, with another 700,000 or so smaller ones.

    The dots represent a snapshot of the population of near-earth asteroids that scientists think are likely to exist. The simulated near-Earth asteroids are blue, and Earth’s orbit is green.
    (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

    Updated calculations

    Asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered on Dec. 27, 2024 by the Chilean station of the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). It was immediately recognized to be a near-Earth object (NEO). Additional telescope observations enabled astronomers to better calculate its orbit.

    In January, the probability of this asteroid hitting Earth surpassed one per cent, which triggered a series of international responses. The International Asteroid Warning Network coordinates telescopes around the world to make further observations and narrow down uncertainties in its orbit.

    An image of asteroid 2024 YR4 captured by one of the ATLAS telesopes.
    (SOURCE)

    On Feb. 18, NASA and the European Space Agency announced that the probability of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2023 was 3.1 per cent, the highest ever recorded for an object of this size. This represents one in 32 odds. For comparison, the chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash in the United States is one per cent, or one in 95; the chances of the asteroid hitting Earth were pretty significant.

    Thankfully, the most recent estimates of the probability of impact have gone down to near zero, based on improved calculations of its orbit.

    We’re off the hook… for now.

    Potential impact

    Bruce Betts, chief planetary scientist at the Planetary Society, was quoted as saying: “If you put it over Paris or London or New York, you basically wipe out the whole city and some of the environs,” leading to asteroid 2024 YR4 being dubbed “a city-killer.”

    The average impact velocity for an asteroid on Earth is a whopping 17 km per second — this is 25 times faster than an F-35 Lightning strike fighter.

    To calculate the mass of an asteroid, we need to know its size. Estimates for 2024 YR4 range from 40 to 90 metres. If we take the upper estimate of 90 m, we can calculate the energy released at approximately nine megatons, the equivalent of the explosive energy of nine million tons of TNT. For comparison, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan in 1945 was only 0.015 megatons.

    The crater formed by this 90 m asteroid would be approximately 2.7 km in diameter. This is just over twice the diameter of the Meteor Crater.

    The destruction doesn’t stop there, however. Research on nuclear weapons suggests that each megaton can destroy roughly 50 square kilometres, so this impact could destroy up to 450 square km around the crater through a fireball, supersonic ejecta and seismic shaking.

    Would this be a city killer as some reports suggested? Absolutely. With an urban area of 232 square kilometres, my hometown of London, Ont., with a population of around 420,000 would be totally destroyed.



    Read more:
    Asteroid has a very small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, but a collision could devastate a city

    Actual risks

    The good news is that we estimate that the impact of a 90 m diameter asteroid will occur once in every 10,000 years. For a 40 m size asteroid, this drops to once every 1,000 years — but the destructive effects are drastically reduced. It’s worth pointing out that these numbers are very approximate, and they don’t really help us figure out when the next one might happen.

    As the story around asteroid 2024 YR4 shows, there is more good news in that we are getting better at detecting asteroids. Thanks to the coordination of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, many space agencies around the world are collaborating, with the knowledge that this is a problem for our entire planet.

    If the calculations had continued to show that the chance of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting Earth in 2032 was high, with enough time, an attempt to deflect the asteroid could have been attempted. In September 2022, NASA’s DART spacecraft provided the first demonstration that deflecting an asteroid from its path is possible, something that had been imagined in Hollywood movies, but not proven to be possible until then.

    Gordon Osinski receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency.

    – ref. What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032? – https://theconversation.com/what-are-the-chances-an-asteroid-will-impact-earth-in-2032-250463

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Baldwin Calls on Secretary Kennedy to Undo Drastic Cuts to Affordable Care Act Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is calling on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to reverse drastic funding cuts to an Affordable Care Act program that helps Americans access quality, affordable health insurance coverage, including for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. The Navigator program helps people enroll in the ACA and the Trump Administration slashed nearly 90 percent funding, threatening to leave millions of Americans without critical assistance to access the insurance they need and leading to a reduction in health care enrollment.  
    “This decision threatens to leave millions of Americans without critical assistance in choosing a health care plan, undermining longstanding efforts to enroll every American in quality, affordable health insurance coverage,” wrote Baldwin and the lawmakers.
    “In 2017 and 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) slashed funding for the Navigator program by 84 percent. […] Unsurprisingly, ACA enrollment shrank by more than 2.5 million over the course of the Trump administration. Once Navigator funding was restored in 2021, enrollment rose and reached historic levels for the 2025 plan year,” the lawmakers continued.
    “We strongly urge the administration to reconsider this harmful decision and restore full funding to the Navigator program. Cutting these vital resources will only create more barriers for individuals and families seeking coverage, ultimately increasing the number of uninsured Americans,” the lawmakers concluded.
    Full text of the letter can be found here and below.
    Dear Secretary Kennedy:
    We write today to express deep concern over the Trump administration’s recent decision to dramatically cut funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Navigator program by nearly 90 percent. This decision threatens to leave millions of Americans without critical assistance in choosing a health care plan, undermining longstanding efforts to enroll every American in quality, affordable health insurance coverage. 
    Congress created the Navigator grant program to provide consumers with “fair and impartial information and services” related to not just ACA Marketplace coverage, but assistance enrolling in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as well. Since its inception, Navigators have become a critical resource for individuals and families, especially those living in rural and underserved areas, by helping them purchase health coverage that meets their needs. Over the past decade, more than 49 million Americans have obtained health coverage through the Marketplace, and an additional 20 million enrolled in Medicaid expansion coverage last year alone. Navigators have played a significant role in those gains, working tirelessly to enroll Americans with the highest barriers to care that may otherwise go uninsured. 
    Every year, millions of Americans turn to professionals – including Navigators – for help purchasing health insurance. They assist enrollees with understanding their coverage options, application requirements and even basic health insurance terminology. For the 2025 plan year, 44 Navigator grantees across 28 states offered free assistance to people exploring health coverage options through the Marketplace, Medicaid and CHIP. They provide support in reviewing available plans, assisting with enrollment forms, educating enrollees on premium tax credit eligibility and even utilizing post-enrollment services such as using their coverage to get care. Increasingly, Navigators have also spearheaded state and local outreach initiatives, ensuring communities are aware of their coverage options not just during open enrollment but year-round. These campaigns both maximize enrollment and education for hard-to-reach individuals while decreasing the need for federal, nationwide outreach.
    Since the first Trump administration, Navigators have needlessly faced attacks for the services they provide. In 2017 and 2018, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) slashed funding for the Navigator program by 84 percent. Surveys following the decision to cut Navigator funding documented that consumers seeking coverage through the Marketplace under the Trump administration had a significant unmet need for enrollment help. Most commonly, people cited difficulty understanding coverage options or lack of knowledge about enrollment processes as why they chose to seek professional assistance. Unsurprisingly, ACA enrollment shrank by more than 2.5 million over the course of the Trump administration. Once Navigator funding was restored in 2021, enrollment rose and reached historic levels for the 2025 plan year. This administration’s decision to leave consumers without free, impartial assistance will likely lead to many more Americans without quality, affordable insurance.
    Navigators ensure that all people—regardless of income, geography, or background—can access quality, affordable health care. We strongly urge the administration to reconsider this harmful decision and restore full funding to the Navigator program. Cutting these vital resources will only create more barriers for individuals and families seeking coverage, ultimately increasing the number of uninsured Americans.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Military Sealift Command Continues Support to Operation Deep Freeze 2025

    Source: United States Navy

    The Military Sealift Command chartered ship MV Ocean Gladiator is conducting a cargo offload of supplies at McMurdo Station, Antarctica in support of the annual resupply mission Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2025.

    The second of two MSC chartered ships supporting ODF 2025, Ocean Gladiator arrived at McMurdo Station on Feb. 20, where they were met by members of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion ONE and began conducting the offload. The ship is delivering 321 pieces of cargo, consisting of containers filled with mechanical parts, vehicles, construction materials including cement pilings for a pier project, food, electronics equipment and comfort items; supplies needed to sustain the next year of operations at McMurdo Station, Antarctica.

    Following the offload, Ocean Gladiator will be loaded with 149 containers of retrograde cargo for transportation off the continent. This includes trash and recyclable materials for disposal and equipment no longer required on the station, as well as the 65-ton floating Modular Causeway System, which has been used in lieu of the ice-pier for cargo operations. Before departing McMurdo station, Ocean Gladiator will be loaded with ice core samples that will be stored on the ship in a sub-zero freezer. The ice core samples will be delivered to the United States for scientific study.
    Logistics moves are nothing new for MSC, in fact, they are almost a daily occurrence. Moving cargo in the harshest environment on Earth is a mission unto itself, as Marie Morrow, MSC’s ship liaison to the Joint Support Forces Antarctica staff can attest. On her third ODF mission, she has become something of an expert on how to move cargo while moored next to an ice-pier or a movable causeway, in sub zero temperatures and with high winds that whip over a snow-covered mountain and across an island.

    Working in Antarctica wasn’t something Morrow had even considered when she came to work at MSC’s Pacific area command, MSCPAC. In fact, a job in San Diego seemed like the perfect place to be, for someone who doesn’t like the cold.

    “I thought, San Diego, Southern California, that is exactly what I’m looking for,” said Morrow. “Then I got assigned to go to Antarctica. It wasn’t something I was looking for, or had even thought about to be honest, but, I really enjoy this mission. It is an experience that I share with only a very few people.”

    Few world travelers ever get the coveted passport stamp for all seven continents. Access to Antarctica is strictly controlled. As Morrow explained, the journey to the southern most part of the planet isn’t an easy, or short commute. Morrow’s journey began in San Diego, with a flight to San Francisco, followed by an 14-hour flight to New Zealand, and then an 8-hour flight on a military C-130, sitting in a mesh cargo seat.

    On the ice, Morrow serves as part of a team consisting of representatives of numerous government agencies including the National Science Foundation, Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Coast Guard. All working together to ensure a successful mission.

    “Nothing can happen without all of us working together,” said Morrow. “It is super cooperative and interoperative.”

    Everyone who is part of the ODF mission live in barracks at McMurdo Station, or on the ships. Life is communal with shared rooms and a dining hall. Those supporting the mission get to know each other personally and, like a combat unit, create their own support structure for each other.

    “Being at McMurdo Station is like being at summer camp for adults,” laughed Morrow. “It’s a very tight-knit group of people, working and living in a challenging environment. We get very close.”

    Weather is a constant factor in Antarctica. The continent is known for its extreme environment, particularly subzero temperatures and high winds. February is summertime in the Southern Hemisphere. In this small window of just a few weeks, ODF takes place. And while it is summer, temperatures on the ice still hover around freezing during the day and below zero at night. Cargo operations can move forward, despite the temperatures, but high winds can put a pause on work for hours, with the ships’ cranes unable to move cargo in winds over 25 knots.

    “The weather is everything,” explained Morrow. “The Southern Ocean is the most unforgiving and treacherous water way on Earth. The weather can keep flights and ships from coming into port. The weather can put the offload on pause. This can mean that some of the cargo may not be offloaded. It is the National Science Foundation who has to make the decisions on how to stay inside the mission window.”

    With all the challenges and unpredictabilities of the ODF missions, those who support these operations come away with a feeling of being a part of something special and important, something outside the normal course of their job description.

    “I never thought I would get to go on a mission to Antarctica,” said Morrow. “But I love going to McMurdo Station, and I’m proud to be a part of it and to represent MSC.”

    Following operations in Antarctica, Ocean Gladiator will travel to Japan to deliver the floating modular causeway, before sailing for Port Hueneme, Calif., where they will offload cargo, completing their mission.

    Operation Deep Freeze is a joint service, on-going Defense Support to Civilian Authorities mission in support of the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF is the lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program. Mission support consists of active duty, Guard and Reserve personnel from the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, and Coast Guard as well as Department of Defense civilians and attached non-DOD civilians. ODF operates from two primary locations situated at Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo Station, Antarctica. MSC-chartered ships have made the challenging voyage to Antarctica every year since the station and its resupply mission were established in 1955.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines – SSBN

    Source: United States Navy

    Features

    The Navy’s ballistic missile submarines, often referred to as “boomers,” serve as an undetectable launch platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). They are designed specifically for stealth and the precise delivery of nuclear warheads.

    Ohio Class

    Each of the 14 Ohio-class SSBNs originally carried up to 24 SLBMs with multiple, independently targeted warheads. However, under provisions of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, each submarine has had four of its missile tubes permanently deactivated and now carry a maximum of 20 missiles. The SSBN’s strategic weapon is the Trident II D5 missile, which provides increased range and accuracy over the now out-of-service Trident I C4 missile.

    SSBNs are specifically designed for extended deterrent patrols. To decrease the amount of time required for replenishment and maintenance, Ohio-class submarines have three large-diameter logistics hatches that allow sailors to rapidly transfer supply pallets, equipment replacement modules and machinery components, thereby increasing their operational availability.

    The Ohio-class design allows the submarines to operate for 15 or more years between major overhauls. On average, the submarines spend 77 days at sea followed by 35 days in-port for maintenance. Each SSBN has two crews, Blue and Gold, which alternate manning the submarines and taking them on patrol. This maximizes the SSBN’s strategic availability, reduces the number of submarines required to meet strategic requirements, and allows for proper crew training, readiness and morale.

    Columbia Class

    The Columbia-class SSBN is the nation’s future Sea Based Strategic Deterrent, is the Navy’s number one acquisition priority, and will provide the most survivable leg of the Nation’s strategic triad. It replaces the currently serving Ohio-class SSBNs and must be ready for patrol no later than October 2030 to meet United States Strategic Command requirements.

    Representing a generational recapitalization of the SSBN force, Columbia-class will ensure continuous sea-based strategic deterrence into the 2080s. The Columbia-class will be the largest, most capable and most advanced submarine produced by our nation.

    General Characteristics, Ohio Class Ballistic Missile Submarines – SSBN

    Builder: General Dynamics Electric Boat Division

    Propulsion: One nuclear reactor, one shaft

    Length: 560 feet (170.69 meters)

    Beam: 42 feet (12.8 meters)

    Displacement: 16,764 tons (17,033.03 metric tons) surfaced; 18,750 tons (19,000.1 metric tons) submerged

    Speed: 20+ knots (23+ miles per hour, 36.8+ kph)

    Crew: 15 Officers, 144 Enlisted

    Armament: Trident II D5 (LE), 20 missile tubes, Mk48 torpedoes 

    Ships:
    USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730) Bangor, Washington
    USS Alabama (SSBN 731) Bangor, Washington
    USS Alaska (SSBN 732) Kings Bay, Georgia
    USS Nevada (SSBN 733) Bangor, Washington
    USS Tennessee (SSBN 734) Kings Bay, Georgia
    USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) Bangor, Washington
    USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) Kings Bay, Georgia
    USS Kentucky (SSBN 737) Bangor, Washington
    USS Maryland (SSBN 738) Kings Bay, Georgia
    USS Nebraska (SSBN 739) Bangor, Washington
    USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740) Kings Bay, Georgia
    USS Maine (SSBN 741) Bangor, Washington
    USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) Kings Bay, Georgia
    USS Louisiana (SSBN 743) Bangor, WashingtonPoint of Contact
    Naval Sea Systems Command
    Office of Corporate Communications (SEA 00D

    General Characteristics, Columbia Class

    Lead Design Shipbuilder: General Dynamics – Electric Boat

    Propulsion: Electric-drive propulsion system

    Length: 560 feet

    Beam: 43 feet

    Displacement: 20,800 long tons

    Speed: 20+ knots (23+ mph)

    Crew: 15 Officers, 140 Enlisted

    Armament: Trident II D5 (LE), 16 missile tubes, MK48 torpedoes

    Ships:

    District of Columbia (SSBN 826) – Under construction

    Wisconsin (SSN 827) – Under construction

    Groton (SSBN 828)

    Point of Contact
    Naval Sea Systems Command
    Office of Corporate Communications

    Washington, D.C. 20376

    (202) 781-4123Washington, D.C. 20376

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Capito, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Increase Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Care Access

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025. The bipartisan legislation would expand and expedite access to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services by authorizing physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to order cardiac rehabilitation.

    “Our bill can reduce barriers to accessing cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation, thereby improving the health of those living with heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. This is particularly important in places like West Virginia, where these diseases impact the lives of far too many residents that often face shortages of health care professionals. I’m proud to re-introduce this legislation that offers solutions to increase the level of health services available to West Virginians and all Americans who need them most,” Senator Capito said.

    “Timely access to cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation care is critical to improving the lives of Americans with cardiac conditions or recovering from cardiac events, especially in rural areas,” Senator Klobuchar said. “Our bipartisan legislation will save lives by expanding which clinicians can refer patients to cardiovascular care so that all seniors can get the care they need in a timely manner.”

    BACKGROUND:

    Cardiac rehabilitation and pulmonary rehabilitation are medically directed and supervised programs designed to improve a patient’s physical, psychological, and social functioning. Currently, only physicians are authorized to order cardiac or pulmonary rehabilitation for Medicare patients. This restriction can create unnecessary obstacles, delays, and paperwork before patients can receive the rehabilitation services that are needed on a timely basis and make it challenging for programs to operate in areas where physicians are scarce. 

    The Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025 builds upon the innovative Improving Access to Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Act – legislation that was passed as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 – which authorized physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists to supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation beginning in 2024. Senators Capito and Klobuchar previously introduced this legislation in 2023.

    The Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025 is supported by several organizations, including: American Heart Association; American Lung Association; American Nurses Association; National Rural Health Association; American Academy of Physician Associates; American Association of Nurse Practitioners; American Association for Respiratory Care; American College of Cardiology; American Thoracic Society; Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association; and WomenHeart.

    MIL OSI USA News –