Category: Transport

MIL-OSI USA: Sorensen Announces Over $12.2 Million for Safety Upgrades at Local Airports

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17)

MOLINE, IL – Today, Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) announced $12,269,860 from the U.S. Department of Transportation for safety and infrastructure upgrades at Chicago-Rockford International Airport (RFD) in Rockford, the Quad Cities International Airport in Rock Island County, and the Central Illinois Regional Airport (CIRA) in McLean County.

“Too many of my neighbors across Central and Northwestern Illinois have to travel miles and sit through hours of traffic just to catch their flights at O’Hare or Midway,” said Sorensen. “By investing in safety upgrades at our local airports, our communities will have better access to affordable air travel right in their backyards. This important funding will be used to repair runways, prevent flooding, and purchase new safety equipment that will make our local airports sustainable for the future. I will always look for ways I can bring tax dollars back home to build up our communities through reliable transportation options.”

Northern Illinois

“We sincerely thank the FAA’s Airport Improvement Grant Program for the nearly $8 million in grant funding to support RFD’s taxiway replacement project,” said Zack Oakley, Executive Director of Chicago Rockford International Airport. “This vital taxiway section, used by all aircraft operating at RFD, was built during the early 1990s and has been crucial to our operations for over 30 years. With this support, we will replace the infrastructure and continue delivering safe, efficient, and excellent service to all, further strengthening our role as the economic engine of Northern Illinois and specifically the Rockford region.”

The Greater Rockford Airport Authority will receive $7,946,166 to reconstruct 2,624 feet of the existing paved Taxiway F pavement that has reached the end of its useful life at Chicago-Rockford International Airport.

Western Illinois

“The Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County appreciates the continued support of Senators Durbin and Duckworth as well as Congressman Sorensen in securing discretionary federal funding to support the Quad Cities International Airport,” saidBenjamin Leischner, A.A.E., Executive Director, Quad Cities International Airport. “This money will be used to improve airport safety by eliminating standing water on the airfield that has historically been an attractant to wildlife. Construction is estimated to begin next year with a local contractor.”

The Metropolitan Airport Authority of Rock Island County will receive $2,765,727 to construct new drainage improvements to adequately handle storm water runoff and mitigate substances that attract wildlife at the Quad Cities International Airport.

Central Illinois

“The Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority is grateful for Congressman Sorensen’s support of the Central Illinois Regional Airport and, specifically, for this new infrastructure and safety grant,” said Alan Sender, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority. “The federal grant announced by the Congressman will advance two major projects at CIRA in the years ahead: the rehabilitation of Runway 11/29 and the purchase of a new aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicle. Both components are key for the continued safe operation of the airport.”

The Bloomington-Normal Airport Authority will receive $1,557,967 for CIRA to replace one existing rapid response aircraft rescue and fire fighting vehicle to meet safety requirements. In addition, this funding will be used to rehabilitate 5,960 feet of the existing paved Runway 11/29 at CIRA to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and minimize foreign object debris.

Congressman Eric Sorensen serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Prior to serving in Congress, Sorensen was a local meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities for nearly 20 years. His district includes Illinois’ Quad Cities, Rockford, Peoria, and Bloomington-Normal.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Chair Bean Holds Hearing on Improving Teacher Preparation

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Aaron Bean Florida (4th District)

WASHINGTON – Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Aaron Bean (FL-04) today chaired a hearing titled, “Innovative Teacher Preparation: Properly Equipping America’s Educators,” and offered the following statement, as prepared for delivery:

Watch Congressman Bean’s opening remarks HERE.

“Have you ever been in your car when you get an alert notifying you something is wrong? Let’s face it. There is no such thing as a good time for a warning light to signal a problem. Having your morning commute interrupted by a mechanical failure is an inconvenience at best and a downright emergency at worst. But the warning lights are there to help signal that action should be taken.

I like to consider myself to be a very optimistic person, but I will say this: When it comes to our K-12 education system, we are facing a giant ‘WARNING!’

America’s teacher preparation pipeline is struggling.

And I’ll be blunt: the numbers are alarming. Eighty-six percent of public schools reported difficulties in hiring teachers for the 2023-2024 school year. Between 2020 and 2022, 16 percent of teachers left their schools. Teachers are feeling disheartened, and only 20 percent say they are very satisfied with their jobs. Just 16 percent would recommend the profession to others. With that said, it should be very apparent that these aren’t just statistics—they’re a flashing red light on the dashboard of our education system.

Part of the solution is more affordable, accessible pathways into the classroom. Traditional teacher preparation programs can take four to five years to complete and come with a sticker price of up to $100,000. These costs are simply too high for many prospective teachers. The upfront investment is enough to send teachers running for the exits before they even start.

That’s why alternative certification programs are gaining traction as a more efficient, cost-effective way to get talented individuals into the classroom. Between 2018 and 2021, enrollment in alternative programs increased by 20 percent. These programs offer a faster path to certification for individuals who already have expertise in other fields.

But it’s not just about getting teachers into the classroom—it’s about keeping them there. The reality is that too many teachers leave the profession because they don’t feel supported and valued. We need to rethink the way we structure the teaching profession. Innovative programs like Arizona State University’s (ASU) Next Education Workforce are doing just that. By reimagining the traditional model of one teacher, one classroom, new approaches can provide teachers and students room to flourish.

For example, third graders in ASU’s team-based teaching schools experience an extra 1.4 months of reading growth each year, and Algebra I students pass at rates four to seven percentage points higher than their peers in traditional classrooms. Teacher turnover and satisfaction also greatly improve. These results show that we can’t treat teachers like revolving doors and still expect our schools to thrive.

Other colleges such as Appalachian State have developed similar models. We must continue to press harder and expand these ideas further. It’s time to think boldly and spotlight changes that will not only bring more people into the teaching profession but will also ensure that they want to stay there.”

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Edwards’ bill to improve veteran access to commercial driver training heads to president’s desk

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11)

The U.S. House of Representatives today passed Senate bill S. 656, the Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License (VA CDL) Act, by a unanimous voice vote. Edwards introduced the House companion bill, H.R. 2830, which previously passed the House as part of H.R. 5914, the Veterans Education Transparency and Training (VETT) Act, in April 2023.

The VA CDL Act is the first bill that Edwards co-led to be sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

Edwards spoke on the House floor to highlight how the VA CDL Act will eliminate red tape that excludes veterans from accessing commercial driver-education programs using their GI Bill benefits.

The full remarks as prepared for delivery are below, or you may watch online here.

[embedded content]

“Thank you Mr. Speaker, and thank you to Senators Fischer and Padilla for their leadership on the Veteran Improvement Commercial Driver License Act. I was happy to introduce the House version of this very important bill, H.R. 2830, and I look forward to the benefit this language will add to veterans’ quality of life once it becomes law.

“Every day, brave men and women join our military to fight for the American dream so that each of us can live in a country where we have the opportunity to succeed and are free to pursue a better life.

“But all too often, when our service members are transitioning to civilian life, our government fails them in pursuit of their own American dream.

“A 2016 study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation found that 53 percent of all veterans were unemployed for at least four months after leaving the military. These are our country’s strongest citizens, yet we repeatedly fail to sufficiently support them as they make the biggest transition in their life – from service member to civilian.

“S. 656 and H.R. 2830 make a much-needed change to veteran educational assistance programs, expanding job opportunities for the brave men and women who serve our great nation.

“The VA CDL Act will increase veteran access to timely, quality commercial driver license training, reduce veteran unemployment or underemployment, and reduce the strain on our nation’s supply chain by increasing the truck driver workforce pool.

“Currently, roughly 8,400 commercial driving programs are approved for use by eligible veterans under the GI bill, but a bureaucratic ‘two-year rule’ prevents these training facilities from accepting GI benefits at secondary locations for two years.

“This burdensome red tape has excluded many veterans from attending closer ‘secondary branch’ training facilities and dissuaded service members from joining the trucking industry. Because of the rule, veterans must decide between finding a new career path, waiting two years to pursue their commercial driver’s license, or traveling hundreds of miles away from their home for immediate training.

“S.656 and H.R. 2830 fix that issue by exempting new branches of pre-approved training facilities located in the same state from the statutory two-year wait to accept veterans’ benefits.

“It’s high time we take meaningful steps towards better supporting a veteran’s transition into the civilian workforce.

“Too many arbitrary rules are impeding a veteran’s ability to achieve the very American dream that they are fighting for others to pursue, but the VA CDL Act helps to eliminate one of those barriers.

“Ultimately, this is a commonsense reform that will reduce unnecessary roadblocks to veteran training and workforce opportunities and I urge my colleagues to support.”

“When the brave men and women in our armed forces return home, the last thing they should have to worry about is red tape preventing them from achieving the American dream that they fought to defend,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear. “Improving veterans’ access to CDL programs will open the door of opportunity to good-paying, in-demand jobs in the trucking industry. We are appreciative of the leadership by Representatives Edwards and Pappas on this important bill, which will help veterans secure rewarding careers and alleviate the truck driver shortage.”

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Magaziner Co-Leads Bill to Crack Down on Fentanyl Trafficking at Southern Border
Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Committee on Homeland Security today passed H.R.9722: Contraband Awareness Technology Catches Harmful (CATCH) Fentanyl Act. This bipartisan legislation, co-led by U.S. Representative Seth Magaziner (RI-02), will establish a pilot program to use emerging technologies to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and speed up the inspection process at land ports of entry along the border.

“Fentanyl has claimed the lives of thousands of Americans, and we need to do more to stop the flow of illicit drugs at the southern border,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “This bill will leverage promising new technologies at land ports of entry to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and other contraband while allowing legal trade to flow more efficiently.”

The CATCH Fentanyl Act will require the Department of Homeland Security to establish a pilot program that tests the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing and other emerging technologies to detect contraband, including illicit fentanyl, illegal weapons and human trafficking. The bill also aims to increase efficiencies in inspections and reduce wait times at ports of entry.

Currently, the Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) system program used at ports of entry to scan vehicles and cargo for anomalies such as fentanyl only scans approximately 2% of passenger vehicles and less than 20% of cargo vehicles due to the following issues identified by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP):
- Only one-third of the passenger vehicle NII scanning systems CBP plans to use at ports of entry have the capability to adequately scan the undercarriage of vehicles, where fentanyl is often located;
- Certain NII technology can’t physically fit at ports of entry located on bridges and surrounded by privately-owned land;
- Machines that scan for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) can’t be placed near cargo scanning machines because of the radiation they release, which causes WMD scanning machines to make false detections;
- And lines at POEs continue to be eight to 12 hours long during peak times at busier ports.
The Senate version of this bill was introduced by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and passed out of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) earlier this year. The House companion is led by U.S. Representatives Clay Higgins (R-LA) and Seth Magaziner (D-RI). The bill text can be found here.

MIL OSI USA News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Global: B.C.’s plan for involuntary addiction treatment is a step back in our response to the overdose crisis

Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Kora DeBeck, Professor, School of Public Policy; Dorothy Killam Fellow; CIHR Applied Public Health Chair, Simon Fraser University

British Columbia Premier David Eby recently announced that his government plans to open highly secure facilities where people struggling with mental health, serious brain injuries and severe addictions will receive involuntary care.

The B.C. government describes the move as a new phase of its response to the addiction crisis that includes a promise to change the law to “ensure that people, including youth, can and should receive care when they are unable to seek it themselves.”

Unregulated drugs kill an average of six British Columbians every day. Since a public health emergency was declared in 2016, more than 15,000 people in B.C. have died from consuming unregulated drugs.

Interventions and services

Policymakers along with affected communities are struggling to identify, implement and scale up necessary interventions and services. Many highlight that we need all the tools in our toolkit to respond to this unprecedented crisis.

Currently, involuntary admissions to care facilities are possible for people with a “disorder of the mind” through B.C.’s Mental Health Act. Between 2011-12 and 2020-21, the number of voluntary admissions in B.C. remained relatively stable (10,000 to 12,000) but involuntary admissions increased from 11,000 to more than 17,000 during this time period.

Expanding involuntary care to people with addictions is intuitively appealing to some. Supporters of the idea position it as compassionate intervention that keeps the most vulnerable safe. But drug addiction and treatment are complex.

While parents, policymakers and others rightfully want to do everything they can to protect young people from harmful drugs, in the long run, involuntary treatment will cause more harm than good.

Involuntary treatment is dangerous

Scientific evidence is lacking that supports involuntary addiction treatment as an effective approach for reducing substance use and related harms among vulnerable populations. A 2020 study of more than 3,000 people who use drugs in Vancouver found no significant improvements in substance use outcomes among those who were coerced into addiction treatment compared to people who received no treatment.

We also know that substance dependence is a complex chronic condition and relapse is common. Relapse after a period of abstinence is a particularly dangerous time due to reduced tolerance. Indeed, the risk of overdose death has been found to be highest immediately after discharge from compulsory care, voluntary treatment and hospitals, as well as upon release from prison.

A lack of effectiveness paired with serious increased risk of a fatal overdose, particularly in the era of illicit fentanyl, are not the only weaknesses of involuntary treatment for people with addictions.

Involuntary treatment can undermine trust

Accounts from young people who have experienced being coerced into treatment highlight that involuntary care can be counterproductive and risks pushing vulnerable young people away from the very services they need most.

After consulting with young people who use drugs, the B.C. Representative for Children and Youth in 2021 cautioned that involuntary care “may create distress in young people to the extent that they may come to distrust the health-care system and be less inclined to seek support when it is needed.”

Research scientist Danya Fast, who has more than a decade of experience working with young people who use drugs, has described seeing “the lengths that some young people would go to in order to evade or escape from [institutional] places, often with devastating effects. I knew that even the threat of involuntary hospitalization could lead some to avoid calling 911 if someone was overdosing and needed help.”

Furthermore, a 2023 qualitative study with parents who resorted to involuntary treatment in Alberta describes how for some, forcing their child into treatment harmed their relationship, and for many, did not result in improvements in their children’s risky substance use behaviours.

Addiction treatment in the era of fentanyl

In the context of forced addiction treatment, it’s important to recognize that the effectiveness of current medications for opioid dependence (typically methadone and suboxone) is limited, particularly for young people.

In a study among young people who used opioids in Vancouver between 2005-2018, initiating an opioid agonist therapy (primarily methadone or suboxone) was not found to be protective for non-fatal overdose. In addition, 60 per cent of young people who initiated methadone prematurely discontinue their treatment.

This is consistent with emerging evidence from B.C. indicating that retention on methadone and suboxone have both been consistently declining over the last decade, which corresponds to the emergence of illicitly manufactured fentanyl in the province.

Given the volatility of street drugs and increasing exposure to and dependence on highly potent fentanyl, the clinical management of opioid dependence is increasingly complex. This reality makes forcing people into addiction treatment against their will particularly concerning.

There is also widespread evidence that the existing voluntary addiction treatment system is inadequate and fails to provide appropriate care. It is our view that resources are better directed towards improving the existing voluntary treatment system and ensuring there are comprehensive supports available throughout the continuum of care.

Alternatives to involuntary treatment

The safety of our children and communities would be enhanced if governments strengthened and expanded the voluntary treatment system and evidence-based prevention programs. Substance dependence is a chronic relapsing condition. Therefore, accessible harm reduction programs and addressing the toxic supply of drugs are critical steps to prevent overdose deaths and other drug related harms.

B.C.’s provincial health officer issued a report in July 2024 outlining how a public health approach could be leveraged to provide alternatives to the toxic drug supply.

While some may think we have already tried drug regulation, current prescribed “safe” supply programs include less than five per cent of the estimated 115,000 people in B.C. with an opioid use disorder.

Analyses of overdose fatalities also indicate that the majority of people who died from drug poisonings did not have a diagnosed opioid use disorder or use opioids on a daily basis. These individuals would not have been eligible for existing prescribed safe supply.

This underscores that current initiatives are not reaching the vast majority of the population at risk of a toxic drug poisoning. There are also many different approaches and models that could be considered for drug regulation.

As we have outlined previously, innovation and transformational policy action to strictly regulate the production, distribution and consumption of currently illegal drugs is a promising way forward.

Read more:
Drug prohibition is fuelling the overdose crisis: Regulating drugs is the way out

We empathize and relate to parents and caregivers who want to do everything possible to protect their children. However, we cannot “treat” our way out of our current crisis and involuntary treatment is a particularly risky and harmful tool.

Evidence-based interventions across the pillars of early prevention, voluntary treatment and harm reduction, along with rigorous drug regulation that tightly controls the production, distribution and consumption of currently illegal drugs, will give us the most control over the toxic drug supply. This mix of foundational and innovative public health tools will be best positioned to reduce risky substance use and related health and social harms.

Kora DeBeck receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the US National Institutes of Health and the National Killam Program. She is also a Research Scientist with the BC Centre on Substance Use.

Perry Kendall was a cofounder of Fair Price Pharma, a not-for-profit dedicated to providing low-cost Canadian access to diacetylmorphine morphine as a treatment option for individuals whose treatment needs are not met by first-line available medications for opioid substance use disorder. He is no longer on the board, but remains a vocal advocate for the expansion of evidence-based therapeutics for opioid substance use disorder.

– ref. B.C.’s plan for involuntary addiction treatment is a step back in our response to the overdose crisis – https://theconversation.com/b-c-s-plan-for-involuntary-addiction-treatment-is-a-step-back-in-our-response-to-the-overdose-crisis-239367

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI: Amalgamated Bank Issues Annual Environmental, Social and Governance Report for 2023

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amalgamated Bank, a subsidiary of Amalgamated Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: AMAL), today announced the publication of its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Report. The annual report provides a comprehensive overview of Amalgamated Bank’s performance in its approach to addressing ESG risk as a part of delivering value for clients and investors.

“Amalgamated Bank’s unwavering commitment to operating with the best interest of our clients in mind is a cornerstone of our mission. We take pride in partnering with companies who prioritize environmental stewardship, champion social justice, and demonstrate exemplary corporate governance,” said Priscilla Sims Brown, Amalgamated Bank’s President and CEO. “And we continue our commitment to using our financial resources and corporate influence to advance economic, social and environmental change.”

Highlights of the report include:

Business Impact: Redefining Success

In 2023, Amalgamated Bank achieved B-Corp recertification with a score of 155.3, almost double the score needed to qualify and over three times the score of an ordinary business; setting a new standard for corporate responsibility. Its funding to climate solutions totaled more than $2 billion representing more than 39% of its lending portfolio and Property Assessed Clean Energy (“PACE”) assessments. Nearly 70% of Amalgamated Bank’s lending portfolios are high-impact and 100% mission aligned.

Climate Action: Leading the Charge on Sustainability

Amalgamated Bank is also committed to aligning all of its business practices with the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. While growing its total amount of loans and investments, Amalgamated Bank reported a fifth consecutive year of increasing the share dedicated to climate solutions. In 2023, Amalgamated Bank reported an industry leading emissions intensity of 14.7 tons of CO2e per million dollars invested and supported clean energy projects that resulted in 243,010 tons of avoided emissions.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Workforce that Reflects Our Values

For the second year in a row, its pay equity analysis showed substantial parity in pay for women and minorities. Based on last year’s pay equity analysis, the Bank earned an “A” on Arjuna Capital’s Racial and Gender Pay Scorecard, the highest score in the financial sector. The Bank received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Index. The Bank’s workforce diversity data reveals that its commitment to building a diverse and vibrant workforce that reflects the communities it serves remains intact. In addition to EEO-1 aligned reporting, the Bank also discloses industry leading, workforce-related data on hiring, promotion, and departures.

“We continue to develop financial products that prioritize environmental and social benefits alongside financial returns,” said Ivan Frishberg, Amalgamated Bank’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Every product and service we offer is designed with more than the bottom line in mind, ensuring our impact extends far beyond financial success. We are proud to lead by example and set new standards for what it means to be a responsible and forward-thinking financial institution.”

About Amalgamated Financial Corp.

Amalgamated Financial Corp. is a Delaware public benefit corporation and a bank holding company engaged in commercial banking and financial services through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Amalgamated Bank. Amalgamated Bank is a New York-based full-service commercial bank and a chartered trust company with a combined network of five branches across New York City, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, and a commercial office in Boston. Amalgamated Bank was formed in 1923 as Amalgamated Bank of New York by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, one of the country’s oldest labor unions. Amalgamated Bank provides commercial banking and trust services nationally and offers a full range of products and services to both commercial and retail customers. Amalgamated Bank is a proud member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values and is a certified B Corporation®. As of June 30, 2024, our total assets were $8.3 billion, total net loans were $4.4 billion, and total deposits were $7.4 billion. Additionally, as of June 30, 2024, our trust business held $34.6 billion in assets under custody and $14.0 billion in assets under management.

Investor Contact:
Jamie Lillis
Solebury Strategic Communications
shareholderrelations@amalgamatedbank.com
800-895-4172

Source: Amalgamated Financial Corp.

The MIL Network –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Mullin Leads Colleagues in Urging Biden-Harris Administration to Remove Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Politics from Support Services and Nutrition Programs for Seniors

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator MarkWayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma)

Mullin Leads Colleagues in Urging Biden-Harris Administration to Remove Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Politics from Support Services and Nutrition Programs for Seniors

U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led his colleagues in authoring a letter to the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to express concern about its recent regulation to require states to prioritize delivering Older Americans Act meal and support services to individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity. The lawmakers outline the harmful consequences of this recent change and urge the ACL to reverse its rulemaking.
The Older Americans Act (OAA) authorizes support services and nutrition programs for older Americans such as congregate meal services, home-delivered meals (e.g. Meals on Wheels), transportation assistance, and caregiver respite. Since all older Americans qualify for services, states and area agencies on aging are required to prioritize the delivery of meals and support services to those with the “Greatest Social Need” and the “Greatest Economic Need.” The Biden-Harris administration’s new regulation under the OAA expands the definition of the “Greatest Social Need” to include social isolation caused by sexual orientation and gender identity among other factors. This expansion has not been approved by Congress and state administrators of OAA services have yet to determine how to comply with this new requirement.
“The Older Americans Act was designed to fulfill essential services for our seniors, not serve as a vehicle for Kamala Harris’ gender identity politics. This expansion diminishes the prioritization placed on serving rural seniors like those in my state of Oklahoma,” said Sen. Mullin. “The Biden-Harris administration has once again expanded bureaucratic overreach without the consent of Congress or any real plan of how states might carry out this regulation. I want to thank my colleagues for recognizing the harm this haphazard expansion will cause and joining me in this effort to reverse it.”
Sen. Mullin is joined by Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK).

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Video: Secretary Blinken hosted a Ministerial on the Los Angeles Declaration

Source: United States of America – Department of State (video statements)

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken hosted a Ministerial on the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection in New York City, New York, on September 25, 2024.
Transcript: https://www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-and-colombian-foreign-minister-luis-gilberto-murillo-at-the-ministerial-meeting-on-the-los-angeles-declaration-on-migration-and-protection/
———-
Under the leadership of the President and Secretary of State, the U.S. Department of State leads America’s foreign policy through diplomacy, advocacy, and assistance by advancing the interests of the American people, their safety and economic prosperity. On behalf of the American people we promote and demonstrate democratic values and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.

The Secretary of State, appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, is the President’s chief foreign affairs adviser. The Secretary carries out the President’s foreign policies through the State Department, which includes the Foreign Service, Civil Service and U.S. Agency for International Development.

Get updates from the U.S. Department of State at www.state.gov and on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statedept
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StateDept
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statedept
Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/statephotos/

Subscribe to the State Department Blog: https://www.state.gov/blogs
Watch on-demand State Department videos: https://video.state.gov/
Subscribe to The Week at State e-newsletter: http://ow.ly/diiN30ro7Cw

State Department website: https://www.state.gov/
Careers website: https://careers.state.gov/
White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/

#StateDepartment #DepartmentofState #Diplomacy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_J99AM1X4o

MIL OSI Video –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: House Passes Rep. Harshbarger’s H.R. 5526, The Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN)

Washington, D.C. – Monday, September 23, The United States House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Harshbarger’s H.R. 5526, The Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act of 2024 which ensures that medicare seniors have access to the critical medications they need. This legislation restores pandemic-era flexibilities issued by the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that allowed mail delivery of prescribed drugs to Medicare beneficiaries.

“We shouldn’t have obstacles in the way of patients receiving the prescription medications they need,” said Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger. “The bipartisan Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act simply ensures that cancer patients as well as other patients have timely access to the appropriate oral medications, by allowing delivery of these medications, or allowing family members or caregivers to pick them up on the patient’s behalf.”

Background

Under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS) interpretation of physician self-referral law (commonly known as “Stark law”), it’s unlawful for a medical practice — such as a community oncology practice — to deliver a prescribed and filled drug to a patient by mail, courier, or UPS. CMS’ interpretation doesn’t even allow for a family member or caregiver to pick up a patient’s drug on their behalf.

During the pandemic, CMS recognized these barriers and issued a Stark waiver lifting the restrictions that hindered patient access to these crucial medications. H.R. 5526, The Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act of 2024, restores these flexibilities.

See Rep. Harshbarger’s remarks on the House floor

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Van Orden Bill to Establish Educational Parity Between Reservists and Active-Duty Passes House

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Derrick Van Orden (Wisconsin 3rd)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Derrick Van Orden’s (WI-03) Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserves (MGIB-SR) Tuition Fairness Act passed the House on a bipartisan vote. The MGIB-SR Tuition Fairness Act establishes parity between reservists and active-duty personnel by requiring public higher education institutions to charge the same in-state tuition rates for veterans using MGIB-SR as veterans using other GI Bill programs.

Prior to its passage, Rep. Van Orden spoke on the House floor encouraging his colleagues to support the MGIB-SR Tuition Fairness Act.

[watch]

Congressman Van Orden’s floor remarks, as prepared for delivery:

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I am honored to speak today on behalf of my legislation, H.R. 7323, The Montgomery GI Bill-Selected Reserves Tuition Fairness Act.

This bill holds special meaning to me because the issue that this legislation addresses was raised by one of my constituents, Mr. Greg Tremeling, during a Veterans Day listening session.

His voice, along with many other reservists and veterans, made clear the need for this change.

This is what representative government should be—listening to our constituents and acting on their behalf.

I am proud to represent the brave men and women serving at Fort McCoy, who make sacrifices every day to keep our nation secure.

Earlier this year, we were tragically reminded of the ultimate sacrifice our servicemembers make when three Army Reserve soldiers lost their lives in a drone attack in Jordan.

These servicemembers gave everything to defend our country, a solemn reminder that reservists face the same risks and make the same sacrifices as their active-duty counterparts.

Their service must never be overlooked, and their sacrifices must always be honored.

By passing this bill, we take a step toward ensuring parity between reservists and active-duty service members.

By addressing a key disparity in educational benefits, my legislation will provide reservists with greater access to an affordable education.

This is about more than just policy—it is about giving reservists the opportunities they deserve when they come home.

Mr. Speaker, death does not care if you are in training, a reservist, or on active duty.

The strength of our nation lies not only in its military power but in how we care for those who serve—whether it’s the three soldiers we lost in Jordan or veterans like Mr. Tremeling, who raised the need for change.

By passing this bill, we honor their service and ensure future generations of reservists are supported.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and with that, I yield back.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Canada: Port of Vancouver grain terminal strike: Joint statement

Source: Government of Canada regional news

“Alberta’s government is extremely concerned about the grain terminal labour disruption at Canada’s largest port, the Port of Vancouver. Harvest is underway, and each day this strike continues will have far-reaching impacts on our agriculture industry, the supply chain and Canada’s economy.

“A strike at the West Coast terminals has the potential to back up the entire grain-handling system. Local elevators may stop taking grain and farmers have limited abilities to store grain on their farms for extended periods of time. This could lead to spoilage or severe quality downgrades for the grain, causing financial hardship for both farmers and grain handlers.

“While we respect the collective bargaining process and understand the parties have agreed to resume negotiations alongside federal mediators, the damage caused by this disruption will be devastating to our grain handling industry, disrupting about $35 million of grain exports each day the work stoppage continues, including $11 million of Alberta exports.

“Alberta has one of Canada’s most competitive agriculture sectors and our producers rely on grain terminal systems to remain up and running to meet international demand. According to the Grain Growers of Canada, more than 52 per cent of the grain produced in Canada was shipped through terminals at the Port of Vancouver last year.

“Our grain supply feeds Canadians and millions of people around the world. A prolonged work stoppage could undermine Canada’s position as one of the world’s most stable and reliable food suppliers. Over the past year, the world watched as labour disruptions in federally regulated sectors undermined our country’s reputation as a stable trading partner. We call, once again, on the federal government to step in and act now to avoid immediate and long-term damage to Canada’s economy and our farming families.

“Market access is critical for Alberta’s farmers, ranchers and agri-food businesses. This strike is another blow to the agriculture industry, following closely after China initiated an anti-dumping investigation into canola seed imports.

“The federal government must improve its approach to labour relations, particularly in federally regulated transportation sectors. The continuous strikes we have seen are a direct result of these failed relations and must be urgently addressed to restore stability in our supply chains.

“That is why Alberta’s government has sent a letter continuing to call on the federal government to respond proactively and more effectively to labour disputes that have potential to create widespread damage to critical supply chains, as well as to our country’s economy and reputation as a reliable trading partner.”

MIL OSI Canada News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: MATSUI APPLAUDS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S WORK TO LOCALIZE 988 CALLS

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement that wireless carriers will start to route callers to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by their approximate location, rather than their area code.

“Imagine the immense courage it takes to pick up the phone and dial 9-8-8 only to find you’re speaking with someone across the country,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “9-8-8 must be a reliable lifeline backed by a reliable crisis system. That’s why I’m thrilled that the Biden Administration took this significant step to ensure individuals in mental health crisis are linked with local support.”

Specifically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that geo-routing implementation began last week with two major U.S. wireless carriers that combined make up about half of all wireless calls to 988. Additionally, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced that next month, the FCC will vote on final rules to require geo-routing from all U.S. carriers in specified timeframes.

Congresswoman Matsui is a longtime champion of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and improving access to community mental health resources. She co-led the Local 988 Response Act of 2023, which would have required the FCC to promulgate regulations requiring carriers to geo-route 988 callers.

# # #

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Reps. McGovern, Adams; Sen. Booker Introduce Climate-Smart Farm Conversion Bill

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Jim McGovern (MA-02), U.S. Representative Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced the Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act (IACA), which would allow farmers to voluntarily convert their on-farm infrastructure toward more climate-friendly uses with USDA conservation dollars.

The IACA would use existing agricultural conservation funds to support farmers transitioning from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to more sustainable and humane production systems. Reps. Adams and McGovern are leading the bill in the House, and Sen. Booker introduced companion legislation in the Senate.

“We need a food system that feeds everyone while doing right by the people, the planet, and animals” said Congressman McGovern. “Farmers are at the center of that vision, and we need to do everything we can to support them. I’m proud to co-lead this bill with Representative Adams and Senator Booker so that we can empower farmers to break free from a broken system and thrive as independent producers.”

“Farmers want to produce food in ways that are good for people and the planet, but aren’t always empowered to do so in a consolidated food system like ours. I’m thrilled to introduce the Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act, which unlocks climate-forward conservation dollars to assist producers who want to transition out of the factory farm model,” said Congresswoman Adams. “Whether pasture-based or plant-based, farmers want to farm sustainably, humanely, and resiliently. I’m glad to support them in partnership with Representative McGovern, Senator Booker, and dozens of organizations on the ground.”

“Corporate meatpackers use their market power to trap producers in the factory farm system with terrible profit margins and unsustainable debt,” said Senator Booker. “Their practices contribute to climate change and destroy rural communities. This legislation leverages conservation funding to give farmers a completely voluntary new path forward by providing them with the resources they need to transition to a more climate-friendly and humane production system that is good for people, animals, and the planet.”

The IACA is the first stand-alone federal legislation to assist producers who want to make the move from intensive animal agriculture to pasture-based animal agriculture or specialty crop production. It would allow the USDA to create a grant program for eligible climate-smart conversion projects, funded by the Inflation Reduction Act’s pathbreaking investments in agricultural conservation. Earlier this year, Congresswoman Adams, Congressman McGovern, and Senator Booker all signed a letter cautioning against the use of IRA conservation money towards industrial agriculture; the IACA would ensure the integrity and effectiveness of these funds.

“Factory farming is not just a nightmare for animals—contract farmers who were promised easy profits and the chance to ‘feed the world’ find themselves taking on seemingly endless debt to raise animals in this cruel industrial model, threatening the security of their families and farms,” said Kara Shannon, director of farm animal welfare policy for the ASPCA. “The Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act offers resources to support farmers who are climbing the ladder out of the pit of factory farming and want to transition to more humane and economically sustainable practices. We commend Representatives Adams and McGovern, and Senator Booker for introducing this groundbreaking legislation to create a more compassionate food system that respects animals, farmers, rural communities and our environment.”

“The factory farming industry preys on our nation’s farmers by trapping them in exploitative contracts and depriving them of meaningful autonomy. The Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act seeks to promote competition in our food system by creating a program for farmers who wish to transition from the highly consolidated factory farming model to climate-smart practices, such as specialty crop production,” said Frances Chrzan, senior federal policy manager, the Transfarmation Project of Mercy For Animals. “We applaud Rep. Alma Adams, Rep. McGovern, and Sen. Cory Booker for introducing legislation to create kinder and more sustainable pathways for farmers, which will benefit not only farmers and our economy but human health, the environment, and farmed animals.”

“I know firsthand the difficulty both financially and socially in transitioning from a confinement animal system to a regenerative farming system, having transitioned our farm in 1996,” said Ron Holter of Holterholm Farms. “Financially there is often a lag time from the beginning of what can be an expensive transition to eventually achieving an improved income while the land heals and the livestock become accustomed to a healthier, happier lifestyle. Transitional funds like those provided in the Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act would be a blessing to farmers attempting to move to more regenerative, livestock friendly systems.”

“We took on over $400,000 in debt to become contract chicken farmers and came close to foreclosure when we decided to get out of industrial animal agriculture. When we cancelled our contract, the integrator came out to our farm, picked up their $20 sign and drove away without another thought,” said Paula Boles, co-owner of JB Farms. “We know too many farmers have similar stories of being exploited by integrators and left with few options to keep their farms going. The Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act would help support farmers like us across the country who want to transition to more sustainable and economically viable farming systems.”

“In North Carolina’s Duplin and Sampson counties, hogs outnumber people by approximately 30-to-1. The vast majority of these industrial agricultural operations use an outdated cesspit and spray field system in which hog feces and urine are flushed into open-air pits and sprayed onto nearby fields, causing higher rates of anemia, kidney disease, and infant mortality among local communities,” said Dr. Rania Masri, Co-Director of the NC Environmental Justice Network. “NCEJN applauds Rep. Alma Adams, from North Carolina, for introducing the Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act and speaking up for the contract farmers, trapped as serfs on their own land, and the communities who are struggling against this polluting industry.”

“Too many farmers have been exploited and trapped in the factory farm system for too long, which is why Farm Aid applauds the introduction of the Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act,” said Hannah Tremblay, Policy and Advocacy Manager of Farm Aid. “We’re especially excited that livestock farmers will have an opportunity to be a part of the solution to climate change through the funding for climate-smart conversion projects.”

“The Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act will release farmers ensnared in the highly flawed industrial animal agriculture model and usher in much-needed sustainable food and farm system reform. ‘Get Big or Get Out’ has failed farmers, rural communities, and our country. The IACA will help farmers and rural America get out from under CAFOs and thrive,” said Harry Manin, deputy legislative director of the Sierra Club.

“The factory farm system that traps farmers under mountains of debt and damages rural communities, public health and the environment didn’t happen by accident,” said Patty Lovera of the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment. “Factory farms are the result of decades of failed enforcement, bad farm policy and direct government support, including federally-guaranteed loans for new factory farms. The Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act would be a critical first step in the transition away from factory farms to a system based on independent, family farm livestock production.”

“Today’s factory farm system stacks the cards against farmers, workers, consumers, and the environment while letting Big Ag corporations reap all the rewards. The Industrial Agricultural Conversion Act is an important opportunity to transition our food and agriculture sector away from factory farms and an important lifeline for those squeezed by corporate consolidation,” said Rebecca Wolf, senior food policy analyst for Food and Water Watch.

“This bill would give small farmers more control over their operations to not have the larger corporations controlling what they do on their own farms. Factory farms put a strain on our health. This gives those farmers an opportunity to create a better product for our communities and consumers and improve our food system as a whole,” said Philip Barker, farmer and co-founder/co-project director of Operation Spring Plant, Inc.

“More than ever before, consumers want the assurance that the products they buy are aligned with their values. The data shows us that 80% of U.S. consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of the products they buy,” said David Levine, Co-founder and President of the American Sustainable Business Network. “In just the last few years, the sale of meat with labels boasting environmental and labor benefits increased 18% compared to conventionally labeled meat products. In addition, the sustainable fashion industry market is expected to more than double to $15 billion by 2030. Sustainable business is no longer just about doing the right thing, it’s also a wise investment and makes good business sense. Once farmers can move out of the industrial model, they will see higher profits and more resiliency to extreme weather and volatile markets, the Industrial Agriculture Conservation Act will begin to provide the needed support to take that first step to transition.”

“Over a decade ago I began to transition away from conventional cattle production to more sustainable, humane and regenerative practices and I’ve seen more benefits than I can name in the health of my animals and land. But without the kind of support this legislation offers, doing the right thing has been a slow and extremely risky process for myself and farmers like me across the country,” said Don Jackson, owner of Pompey’s Rest Farm. “The Industrial Agriculture Conversion Act gives farmers a way out of a destructive system that’s squeezing them dry, and that’s a wonderful thing.” Specifically, the IACA would:

Create a new grant program within the existing USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), using funds provided for climate-smart conservation practices by the IRA

Provide grants for on-farm infrastructure improvements to convert medium or large CAFOs to either crop production or pasture-based livestock operations

Require that grant recipients permanently cease operation of a CAFO within 180 days

Prevent grant funds from being misused for new unsustainable facilities, such as methane digesters or manure lagoons

Require 10% non-federal cost-sharing, with the option of lower cost-sharing amounts for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers

Protect grant applicants from retaliation under the Packers and Stockyards Act

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Burgess, Carter on the Passage of the HEALTH Panel Act in the House Budget Committee

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Michael C Burgess MD (R-TX)

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) released the following statement after the passage of the HEALTH Panel Act through the House Budget Committee.

Congressman Burgess and Congressman Buddy Carter (R-GA) introduced H.R. 9686, the HEALTH Panel Act which will give authority back to the House and the Senate to appoint the Panel of Health Advisors in the Congressional Budget Office. This bill will also require the CBO provide an annual report to the Budget Committee detailing the panel’s work and recommendations.

“The passage of the HEALTH Panel Act through the House Budget Committee is a major win for American patients, physicians, and the U.S. health care system,” said Congressman Burgess. “Unelected officials in the Congressional Budget Office should not have the power to influence the legislative process as it pertains to health care policies. This commonsense legislation will grant congressional authority to codify a bipartisan Panel of Health Advisors within the CBO that prioritize the needs of the patient and not their own partisan agenda. Thank you to Congressman Carter for joining me in revitalizing this panel with statutory authority.”

“It’s no secret that health care is expensive. As one of the primary drivers of our nation’s runaway $35 trillion in debt, it is critical that CBO have the authority required to accurately project the budgetary impact new health care policies will have. The HEALTH Panel Act is a necessary, common-sense step to improve both cost estimates and congressional oversight of this key panel, and I hope to see it on the House floor soon,” said Congressman Carter.

Click HERE for bill text.

Background:
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Panel of Health Advisors was informally established 20 years ago and consists of healthcare experts and stakeholders that advise CBO on issues pertaining to health care policy.

The core purpose of the panel is to provide technical and functional expertise and recommendations to CBO to improve its studies, analyses, and cost estimates related to health care issues and policies. Yet, there is no statutory authority for this panel, nor is there any clear guidance on the responsibilities of the panel.

This bill will establish congressional appointment authority and require the panel report to the Budget Committee.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Norma Torres Co-leads Reintroduction of Bicameral Legislation Holding Judiciary Accountable to Its Employees

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

September 25, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35), senior member of the Appropriations Committee and member of the Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee that oversees the Federal Judiciary alongside Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04), ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet, in concert with Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), and Sen. Mazie Hirono (HI), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) – reintroduced the Judiciary Accountability Act of 2024 (JAA).

The JAA would ensure the more than 30,000 employees of the federal judiciary have strong statutory rights and protections against discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and other forms of workplace misconduct.

The foundational federal anti-discrimination statutes — such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — still do not apply to the federal judiciary, making it one of the only employers in the entire country – public or private – whose employees are not protected by federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination and retaliation. The federal judiciary has faced sustained criticism for its approach to preventing, investigating, and redressing sexual harassment and discrimination by judges and other high-level judicial branch officials. This summer, back-to-back reports were released — one from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the other from the Federal Judicial Center and National Academy of Public Administration — underscoring that the internal dispute resolution mechanisms implemented by the judiciary to combat these issues have instead led to a lack of accountability for judges who mistreat employees.

“The Judiciary Accountability Act is a significant step towards ensuring the safety and rights of judiciary employees. It is crucial that judiciary employees feel secure in expressing concerns about misconduct without fearing for their safety or job security. All Judiciary members are entitled to fundamental workplace rights that safeguard them from harassment and discrimination,” said Rep. Norma Torres. “The era of judges abusing their power and instilling fear in the work environment is over. That is why I am honored to co-lead the Judiciary Accountability Act alongside ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Rep. Johnson. We are deeply committed to providing protections backed up by the full force of United States law for employees who come forward after experiencing sexual harassment. Our federal Judiciary must set an example of accountability in addressing sexual harassment, and the provisions outlined in this bill will help achieve that goal.”

“It is the height of injustice that judiciary employees who support the daily functioning of our courts lack basic workplace protections,” said Rep. Hank Johnson, Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts. “These protections are already provided to congressional and executive branch staff. Why should we continue to exempt our third branch of government? In the face of clear, repeated evidence of unaccountable judges committing egregious misconduct, Congress has the power and the duty to fix it and ensure judicial employees who use their voices and bravely sharing their experiences do not do so in vain. I’m pleased to lead the re-introduction of the Judiciary Accountability Act, which is common-sense legislation that would align the federal judiciary with not just the rest of the federal government but with private sector workplaces as well.”

“It is unconscionable that over 60 years after the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, employees of the federal judiciary are not protected from workplace discrimination,” said Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler. “The lack of protections undermines credibility in the court, which is why I’m proud to reintroduce the Judiciary Accountability Act, to bring the same basic rights available to congressional and executive branch staff to the judicial branch.”

“No one is above the law, but most federal judiciary employees lack essential workplace protections, preventing them from obtaining justice when they face discrimination and harassment,” said Senator Hirono. “Employees of the federal judiciary dedicate their careers to providing justice, and they deserve justice when they face misconduct in the workplace. Yet these employees are among the only ones in the United States who lack the right to sue when they face discrimination or harassment. The Judiciary Accountability Act will help to protect the 30,000 federal judiciary employees by extending basic anti-discrimination protections to cover them, giving them access to federal court to vindicate those rights, and helping to ensure more accountability in the federal courts.”

“The Judiciary Accountability Act expands federal laws that prohibit workplace harassment and discrimination to employees of the judiciary, putting them on par with executive branch, congressional, and private sector employees who have long-had these protections,” said Senator Murkowski. “This legislation not only helps safeguard employees from mistreatment at work, but also establishes a review system to foster accountability when those rights are violated. I appreciate the opportunity to lead this bipartisan legislation with Senator Hirono to cultivate transparency and a positive working environment within the judicial branch.”

Cosponsors: Reps. Madeleine Dean (PA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), Rashida Tlaib (MI), Adam Schiff (CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)

Full bill text

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: PASSED: Lee and Steel’s Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Unleash American Geothermal Energy Passes House

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03)

WASHINGTON –Congresswoman Susie Lee’s (NV-03) bipartisan, bicameral bill (H.R.6474) to expedite geothermal exploration and development passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation cuts government red tape by giving geothermal projects the same flexibility to explore and develop on previously disturbed or studied public lands that the oil and gas industry has had for nearly two decades. That means clean energy projects will be on a more level playing field while creating jobs, cutting emissions, and reducing foreign energy dependence.

Congresswoman Lee championed this legislation with Congresswoman Michelle Steel (R-CA-45) in the House and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in the Senate.

Nevada is already the second-largest producer of geothermal in the country, but government red tape is getting in the way of truly maximizing Nevada’s — and the nation’s — abundant resources with next-generation geothermal technology.

Nevada is now home to the country’s first enhanced geothermal plant, “Project Red,” the result of a partnership between Google and Fervo Energy — which is actively producing carbon-free energy to power Google Cloud operations in Las Vegas as well as data centers across the state. The U.S. Department of Energy has found that enhanced geothermal systems such as Project Red could extend geothermal energy production nationwide and affordably power the equivalent of more than 65 million U.S. homes.

“If we want to fully unleash our renewable energy potential, then we need to cut the red tape that has been a barrier to the growth of geothermal energy development,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I want to thank Congresswoman Steel for partnering on this commonsense, bipartisan bill to strengthen energy independence and help lower costs for the working families we represent.”

“Geothermal energy is a vital tool to make America more energy independent and less reliant on our adversaries. This legislation will provide a cleaner energy future and allow my home state of California to seize the reins as a leading national energy provider,” said Congresswoman Michelle Steel. “I was honored to work with Representative Susie Lee to successfully pass this legislation through the House of Representatives and look forward to its passage in the Senate.”

“The common-sense improvements to geothermal leasing and permitting passed by the U.S. House of Representatives will help expedite geothermal exploration,” said Tim Latimer, Co-Founder and CEO, Fervo Energy. “Thank you to Representatives Michelle Steel (R-CA) and Susie Lee (D-NV) for leading on this critical issue. We urge the U.S. Senate to pass similar improvements – like those in the Energy Permitting Reform Act — which the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced on a 15-4 bipartisan vote.”

Congresswoman Lee has made cutting government red tape a priority — in March, she sent a letter to Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland calling for the Department to reduce barriers to geothermal projects. Lee is also leading bipartisan legislation to cut red tape that is slowing down housing, infrastructure, conservation, and other projects on public lands, which passed the House in July and was endorsed by Republican Governor Joe Lombardo.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Improving resilience on State Highway 63 in Marlborough
Source: New Zealand Transport Agency

New resilience work is about to get underway on State Highway 63 in Marlborough, on the Blenheim side of The Wash Bridge.

New resilience work is about to get underway on State Highway 63 in Marlborough, on the Blenheim side of The Wash Bridge.

Contractors will be on-site from Monday, 7 October, with work expected to continue until early December.

They will raise the height of the road by 1.5 meters to minimise future flooding and carry out culvert improvements as well.

Mark Owen, Regional Manager Wellington/Top of the South, says this section of state highway between Blenheim and St Arnaud is prone to flooding.

“Making these improvements and increasing the highway’s resilience will help keep the road open in bad weather, and ensure people, products, and places remain connected.”

“It means the transport network will be stronger and better prepared for any future disruption,” Mr Owen says.

During the work, one lane of the highway will remain open under stop/go temporary traffic management. A 30 km/h temporary speed limit will also be in place. Road users can expect delays of up to 10 minutes.

Mr Owen says the work is funded by the Transport Resilience Fund.

“The fund is about covering the cost of resilience improvements on the state highway network and minimising damage from future weather events.”

“Marlborough residents know only too well how big an impact floods can have. Investments like this can make a big difference,” Mr Owen says.

Other resilience works are planned for Marlborough. They include State Highway 6 Canvastown at Racecourse Bridge, State Highway 6 Rai Saddle and State Highway 1 at Dashwood. More information about these projects will be shared before they get underway.

Works Schedule:
- Stop/Go temporary traffic management in place from Monday. 7 October to Friday. 6 December, 7:30 am – 5 pm – No work on Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays.
- The road will reopen to two lanes outside of work hours.
- A temporary speed limit of 30 km/h will be in place at the site 24/7.
- Expect delays of up to 10 minutes.
More Information:

MIL OSI New Zealand News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: English/Español:Díaz-Balart Leads Letter Condemning the Biden-Harris Admin for Allowing U.S. Entry of Cuban Communist Party Pilot Allegedly Linked to Brothers of the Rescue Aircraft Shoot Down

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Los legisladores Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28), y Alex Mooney (WV-2), enviaron una carta al Secretario de Estado Antony Blinken y al Secretario de Seguridad Nacional Alejandro Mayorkas expresando profundas preocupaciones sobre informes que indican que un alto operativo de la dictadura cubana, presuntamente involucrado en el atroz asesinato de americanos, fue recientemente admitido en Estados Unidos.

Lea la carta en ingles aquí o a continuación:

“As Members of Congress with constituents directly impacted by the brutality of the Castro regime, we write with profound concern regarding reports that a high-level operative in the Cuban dictatorship who is alleged to have participated in the heinous murder of Americans was recently admitted into the United States.

“According to numerous press reports, Cuban Lieutenant Colonel Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez entered the United States within the past few weeks. Additional reports, as well as a letter from survivors, contend that Gonzalez-Pardo participated in the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown of 1996. That shootdown resulted in the murders of three American citizens and one legal permanent resident, respectively: Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, Armando Alejandre, and Pablo Morales. These humanitarians were working to rescue refugees at sea who were escaping totalitarian Cuba, and saved countless lives since the Brothers to the Rescue’s founding. As both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) affirmed after the attack, these civilian, unarmed Cessnas were shot down by MiGs in international waters. This was a flagrant violation of international law.

“The families of these victims deserve justice. It was an insult to them and a disgraceful travesty of justice that the Obama Administration released the one person who had been held accountable for their murders, Gerardo Hernandez, in a concession to the regime in Cuba. Now, the possibility that another person who may have participated in that heinous act was granted the extraordinary privilege of U.S. entry is yet another affront.

“The remaining survivors of the Brothers to the Rescue shootdown have demanded an investigation into the vetting process that allowed González-Pardo into the United States, and whether he lied on his forms. We reiterate their call, and are deeply concerned about the seeming influx of high-level Cuban Communist Party operatives into the United States .”

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Woman Sentenced for Conspiring to Destroy the Baltimore Region Power Grid

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

Sarah Beth Clendaniel, 36, of Catonsville, Maryland, was sentenced today to 18 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release for conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland and a concurrent sentence of 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“Those who seek to attack our country’s critical infrastructure will face the full force of the U.S. Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Sarah Beth Clendaniel sought to ‘completely destroy’ the city of Baltimore by targeting five power substations as a means of furthering her violent white supremacist ideology. She will now spend the next 18 years in federal prison. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively counter, disrupt, and prosecute those who seek to launch these kinds of hate-fueled attacks that target our critical infrastructure, endanger entire cities, and threaten our national security.”

“The defendant plotted to disable the power grid around the entire Baltimore region and cause harm to thousands of people in pursuit of a racially motivated violent extremist agenda,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Her plan failed thanks to the great work of the FBI and our law enforcement partners. Today’s sentencing should serve as a warning to others that you will be held accountable if you attempt to carry out violent attacks on our infrastructure or threaten the safety of those in our communities.”

“Such cowardice, designed to disrupt and endanger the lives of Maryland’s citizens, will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron for the District of Maryland. “My office remains committed to protecting the security and well-being of the community by prosecuting such conduct to the full extent of the law.”

According to her plea agreement and other court documents, in 2018, Clendaniel became acquainted with Brandon C. Russell, a Florida resident, who is currently charged with conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland and is awaiting trial. Clendaniel and Russell espouse a white supremacist ideology and advocate a concept known as “accelerationism.” To “accelerate” or to support “accelerationism” is based on a white supremacist belief that the current system is irreparable and without an apparent political solution, and therefore violent action is necessary to precipitate societal and government collapse.

According to court documents, from at least December 2022 through February 2023, Clendaniel conspired with Russell to damage energy facilities involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid. The intended monetary loss associated with the planned attacks would have exceeded $75 million.

As set forth in her plea agreement, Clendaniel admitted that she communicated and planned over encrypted communication applications (ECA) to carry out attacks against energy facilities. Russell and Clendaniel communicated their plans to commit an attack on the Baltimore region power grid to a confidential human source (CHS-1).

Their plans began to coalesce on Jan. 12, 2023, when CHS-1 and Russell discussed the planned substation attack in Maryland with a goal of working with Clendaniel to “maximize impact” and “to coordinate to get multiple [substations] at the same time.” Later that same day, Clendaniel, using the moniker “Nythra88,” sent a message to CHS-1 on ECA confirming her support of the attack.

In the ensuing conversation, which continued through Jan. 14, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she lived near Baltimore. She also stated that she was a felon, and had previously, but unsuccessfully, attempted to obtain a rifle. She asked CHS-1 to purchase a rifle for her, stating that she wanted to “accomplish something worthwhile” and that she wanted the rifle “within the next couple of weeks” to “accomplish as much as possible before June, at the latest.” On Jan. 18, 2023, on ECA, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she had identified a few potential locations to target in her attack. CHS-1 stated that CHS-1 would have to be the “driver” and Clendaniel would have to be the “shooter” in the attack. Clendaniel confirmed that she was “determined to do this” and stated she would have done something earlier on her own if she had not lost her rifle “a few months ago.” The conversation continued with CHS-1 and Clendaniel discussing the specifics of the desired rifle and agreeing that Clendaniel would send CHS-1 a “wish list,” which she did the following day.

At various times from Jan. 21, 2023, through Jan. 29, 2023, CHS-1 exchanged encrypted messages, separately with Clendaniel and with Russell, in which they discussed in detail the rifle and specific firearms accessories that Clendaniel wanted and potential targets for their attack.

On Jan. 29, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that the five substations she planned to target included “Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall.” Clendaniel described how there was a “ring” around Baltimore and if they hit a number of them all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city.” She added that they needed to “destroy those cores, not just leak the oil . . . ” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” Further, she stated that: “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.” When CHS-1 asked if it would accomplish a “cascading failure,” Clendaniel replied, “[y]es . . . probably” and that the attack targets are all “major ones.” Clendaniel also said that the most difficult target that they would have to do together has “fire walls on three sides.”

During that conversation, Clendaniel sent CHS-1 five links to the “Open Infrastructure Map” which showed the locations of five specific Baltimore, Gas and Electric (BGE) electrical substations in Maryland. BGE is an energy company that utilizes substations, like the five targeted sites, to produce, convert, transform, regulate and distribute energy. Three of the five substations were located near the towns of Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall. The remaining two substations were in the vicinity of Baltimore City. Each location is a BGE substation with significant infrastructure.

On or about Jan. 31, 2023, Russell discussed with CHS-1 the attack of the targeted substations on ECA, including how to “make sure it’s done right,” how “it has been studied,” and how to make it “cascading” so as to maximize damage. Russell and Clendaniel believed that attacking these five electrical substations in the greater Baltimore area would serve accelerationism.

On Feb. 3, 2023, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Clendaniel’s residence in Catonsville, Maryland. During the search, law enforcement agents recovered from Clendaniel’s bedroom various firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Federal law prohibits Clendaniel from possessing these items because she is a convicted felon, including convictions in Cecil County, Maryland, for robbery in 2006 and robbery and attempted robbery in 2016.

The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Michael Aubin for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case with valuable assistance from the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is a partner in the Justice Department’s United Against Hate community outreach program. The United Against Hate initiative seeks to directly connect federal, state, and local law enforcement with traditionally marginalized communities in order to build trust and encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. Attorney General Garland announced the nationwide launch of the initiative and its expansion to all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: RM of Lac du Bonnet — Update – Lac du Bonnet RCMP respond to fatal two-vehicle collision

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On September 17, 2024, after an in-depth investigation and in consultation with Manitoba Public Prosecution Service, Lac du Bonnet RCMP arrested Paul Robinson, 37, from Winnipeg for Dangerous Operation of a Motor Vehicle Causing Death and Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle While Impaired by Drug. These charges are in relation to the death of an 82-year-old male from the RM of Lac du Bonnet in August 2023.

Robinson was released with a court date in Beausejour Provincial Court on November 4, 2024.

On August 1, 2023, at approximately 6:20 am, Lac du Bonnet RCMP responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Provincial Road 313 and Channel Drive, located approximately 15 kilometres east of Lac du Bonnet.

A pickup truck, being driven by a 32-year-old male from Winnipeg, was travelling eastbound on PR313 when it collided into the rear of a minivan, being driven by an 82-year-old male from the RM of Lac du Bonnet, which was in the process of making a left hand turn onto Channel Drive.

The driver of the pickup truck was transported to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening physical injuries. The driver of the minivan was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased on scene.

Lac du Bonnet RCMP, along with a Forensic Collision Reconstructionist, continue to investigate.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Woman Sentenced to 18 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Destroy the Baltimore Region Power Grid

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

Baltimore, Maryland – On September 25, 2024, Senior United States District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced Sarah Beth Clendaniel, a Catonsville, Maryland resident, to 18 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for conspiring to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1366(a), and a concurrent sentence of 15 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm, and 3 years of supervised release, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1).

The sentence was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office.

“Such cowardice, designed to disrupt and endanger the lives of Maryland’s citizens, will not be tolerated,” said Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. “My Office remains committed to protecting the security and well-being of the community by prosecuting such conduct to the full extent of the law.”

“Those who seek to attack our country’s critical infrastructure will face the full force of the United States Department of Justice,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Sarah Beth Clendaniel sought to ‘completely destroy’ the city of Baltimore by targeting five power substations as a means of furthering her violent white supremacist ideology. She will now spend the next 18 years in federal prison. The Justice Department will continue to aggressively counter, disrupt, and prosecute those who seek to launch these kinds of hate-fueled attacks that target our critical infrastructure, endanger entire cities, and threaten our national security.”

“The defendant plotted to disable the power grid around the entire Baltimore region and cause harm to thousands of people in pursuit of a racially motivated violent extremist agenda,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Her plan failed thanks to the great work of the FBI and our law enforcement partners. Today’s sentencing should serve as a warning to others that you will be held accountable if you attempt to carry out violent attacks on our infrastructure or threaten the safety of those in our communities.”

“Sarah Beth Clendaniel engaged in a hate-filled scheme to destroy the infrastructure Marylanders rely on every day,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office. “Through rigorous investigation and law enforcement partnerships, her radical plan was halted. Today’s sentence underscores the FBI’s commitment to protecting our national security and holding accountable those conspiring to commit violence.”

According to her plea agreement and other court documents, in 2018, Clendaniel became acquainted with Brandon C. Russell, a Florida resident, who is currently charged with conspiracy to damage or destroy electrical facilities in Maryland and is awaiting trial. Clendaniel and Russell espouse a white supremacist ideology and advocate a concept known as “accelerationism.” To “accelerate” or to support “accelerationism” is based on a white supremacist belief that the current system is irreparable and without an apparent political solution, and therefore violent action is necessary to precipitate societal and government collapse.

According to court documents, from at least December 2022 through February 2023, Clendaniel conspired with Russell to damage energy facilities involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid. The intended monetary loss associated with the planned attacks would have exceeded $75 million.

As set forth in her plea agreement, Clendaniel admitted that she communicated and planned over encrypted communication applications (“ECA”) to carry out attacks against energy facilities. Russell and Clendaniel communicated their plans to commit an attack on the Baltimore region power grid to a confidential human source (“CHS-1”).

Their plans began to coalesce on January 12, 2023, when CHS-1 and Russell discussed the planned substation attack in Maryland with a goal of working with Clendaniel to “maximize impact” and “to coordinate to get multiple [substations] at the same time.” Later that same day, Clendaniel, using the moniker “Nythra88,” sent a message to CHS-1 on ECA confirming her support of the attack.

In the ensuing conversation, which continued through January 14, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she lived near Baltimore. She also stated that she was a felon, and had previously, but unsuccessfully, attempted to obtain a rifle. She asked CHS-1 to purchase a rifle for her, stating that she wanted to “accomplish something worthwhile” and that she wanted the rifle “within the next couple of weeks” to “accomplish as much as possible before June, at the latest.” On January 18, 2023, on ECA, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that she had identified a few potential locations to target in her attack. CHS-1 stated that CHS-1 would have to be the “driver” and Clendaniel would have to be the “shooter” in the attack. Clendaniel confirmed that she was “determined to do this” and stated she would have done something earlier on her own if she had not lost her rifle “a few months ago.” The conversation continued with CHS-1 and Clendaniel discussing the specifics of the desired rifle and agreeing that Clendaniel would send CHS-1 a “wish list,” which she did the following day.

At various times from January 21, 2023 through January 29, 2023, CHS-1 exchanged encrypted messages, separately with Clendaniel and with Russell, in which they discussed in detail the rifle and specific firearms accessories that Clendaniel wanted and potential targets for their attack.

On January 29, 2023, Clendaniel told CHS-1 that the five substations she planned to target included “Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall.” Clendaniel described how there was a “ring” around Baltimore and if they hit a number of them all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city.” She added that they needed to “destroy those cores, not just leak the oil . . . ” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” Further, she stated that: “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.” When CHS-1 asked if it would accomplish a “cascading failure,” Clendaniel replied, “[y]es . . . probably” and that the attack targets are all “major ones.” Clendaniel also said that the most difficult target that they would have to do together has “fire walls on three sides.”

During that conversation, Clendaniel sent CHS-1 five links to the “Open Infrastructure Map” which showed the locations of five specific Baltimore, Gas and Electric (“BGE”) electrical substations in Maryland. BGE is an energy company that utilizes substations, like the five targeted sites, to produce, convert, transform, regulate and distribute energy. Three of the five substations were located near the towns of Norrisville, Reisterstown, and Perry Hall. The remaining two substations were in the vicinity of Baltimore City. Each location is a BGE substation with significant infrastructure.

On or about January 31, 2023, Russell discussed with CHS-1 the attack of the targeted substations on ECA, including how to “make sure it’s done right,” how “it has been studied,” and how to make it “cascading” so as to maximize damage. Russell and Clendaniel believed that attacking these five electrical substations in the greater Baltimore area would serve accelerationism.

On February 3, 2023, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant at Clendaniel’s residence in Catonsville, Maryland. During the search, law enforcement agents recovered from Clendaniel’s bedroom various firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Federal law prohibits Clendaniel from possessing these items because she is a convicted felon, including convictions in Cecil County, Maryland for Robbery in 2006 and Robbery and Attempted Robbery in 2016.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended the FBI for its work in the investigation and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen O. Gavin and Michael Aubin who are prosecuting the federal case.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland is a partner in the U.S. Department of Justice’s United Against Hate community outreach program. The United Against Hate initiative seeks to directly connect federal, state and local law enforcement with traditionally marginalized communities in order to build trust and encourage the reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents. Department of Justice Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the nationwide launch of the initiative and its expansion to all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

MIL Security OSI –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI: H&R Block Publishes Fifth Annual ESG Report
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) today published its fifth Annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report for fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024). The Annual ESG Report reflects H&R Block’s ongoing commitment to transparency, sustainability, and responsible business practices in key areas such as environmental impact, social responsibility, corporate governance, stakeholder engagement, and more.

“At H&R Block, our Purpose is to provide help and inspire confidence in our clients and communities everywhere. As part of this Purpose, we believe in doing our part to be a responsible corporate citizen – which has been a part of our culture and aspirations from the very beginning,” said Jeff Jones, president, and CEO of H&R Block. “Together, we can continue to deliver on our Purpose and make a positive impact.”

Notable highlights from the 2024 Annual ESG Report include:
- On the Environmental front, H&R Block’s ‘Path to Print Less’ initiative reduced the number of total pages printed across its retail footprint by 36%. The company also introduced a new associate-led composting program at its corporate headquarters’ public cafeteria and sharpened its GHG emissions inventory by adding additional categories to its Scope 3 calculation.
- Within the Social category, the company furthered its commitment to easing the financial burdens of clients, continued to honor co-founders Henry and Richard Bloch’s legacy of service, and gave back to local communities through its Make Every Block Better impact platform.
  - Spruce¹, H&R Block’s mobile banking platform, is delivering on its mission to help people be better with money
    
    Since launch through June 30, 2024, Spruce had 476K sign ups and is nearing a milestone of $1B in customer deposits. The company saw positive deposit trends, indicating Spruce is empowering clients to grow their financial health, and build financial literacy.
  - The launch of H&R Block’s AI Tax Assist tool in all DIY Online paid SKUs
    
    The genAI powered experience was designed to streamline the tax preparation process for clients to file and manage their taxes confidently. The technology performed well as feedback indicated that the tool was easy to use, helpful in the tax prep process, and clients found value in it.
  - The inaugural year of ‘Fund Her Future’, H&R Block’s small business grant program
    
    H&R Block provided $100K in funds and services to empower select women-owned businesses—particularly those focused on making a difference in their communities—to reach their full potential.
  - Supporting Connected Culture and more in-person engagement through Block Party events
    
    Centered around bringing local associates and teams together, H&R Block introduced quarterly Block Party events at their corporate headquarters in Kansas City. Attendees had the opportunity to attend several Belonging events, networking sessions, professional panels, and other various engagement activities.
- Regarding Governance, H&R Block strives to maintain a culture of integrity, transparency, and accountability throughout all levels of the organization. The company is committed to strong ethical practices, responsible decision-making, and effective governance structures.
For more information and to read H&R Block’s FY24 Annual ESG Report, click here.

¹Spruce fintech platform is built by H&R Block, which is not a bank. Spruce℠ Spending and Savings Accounts established at, and debit card issued by, Pathward^®, N.A., Member FDIC.

About H&R Block

H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE: HRB) provides help and inspires confidence in its clients and communities everywhere through global tax preparation services, financial products, and small-business solutions. The company blends digital innovation with human expertise and care as it helps people get the best outcome at tax time, and be better with money using its mobile banking app, Spruce. Through Block Advisors and Wave, the company helps small-business owners thrive with year-round bookkeeping, payroll, advisory, and payment processing solutions. For more information, visit H&R Block News.

The MIL Network –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of 1 October, Rosen Gives Speech on Senate Floor Honoring Victims of Tragic Shooting, Calling on Congress to Ban Bump Stocks

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Watch Senator Rosen’s Speech HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, ahead of what will be seven years since the 1 October shooting in Las Vegas, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) delivered remarks on the Senate floor to honor the sixty lives lost and highlight how Nevada was forever changed by this senseless violence, the deadliest mass shooting in American history. She also recognized the heroism of Las Vegas’s first responders and urged further action by Congress to prevent gun violence, including banning bump stocks.
Senator Rosen has been a leader in the fight against gun violence. Following this year’s Supreme Court decision to reverse the Trump-era bump stock ban, Senator Rosen joined bipartisan legislation to permanently ban bump stocks. Last year, she helped introduce the Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act to provide all victims of gun violence and their loved ones with the resources to help meet medical, legal, financial, and other needs. Senator Rosen also recently helped introduce the Background Check Expansion Act to expand federal background checks to all commercial gun sales, including those made online and at gun shows. She helped pass the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to enhance background checks on firearm purchases for individuals under 21, fund the implementation of red flag laws, combat firearms trafficking, and invest in school safety and mental health programs.
Below are Senator Rosen’s floor remarks as delivered:
Mr. President,
This year will mark seven years since my community of Las Vegas was forever changed on October 1st, 2017.
On that night, we experienced a tragedy on a scale far worse than anyone could have ever imagined.
Ten minutes. Ten minutes is all it took for a gunman to open fire on an unsuspecting crowd at a music festival, killing 58 innocent lives, injuring thousands, and leaving a permanent scar on our state.
Sadly, in the years since, two more victims of that night’s attack died because of injuries they received during the shooting, bringing the death toll to 60.
It remains the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
The families of the victims of that tragedy had their worlds shattered that day, their lives forever changed.
Families who didn’t get to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. And the families who never got to say goodbye to their loved ones.
That night also changed the lives in our city. People who were attending or working at the Route 91 Harvest festival, the first responders who ran towards danger to save lives.
And in the following days, we saw lines of people, lines of people around entire blocks willing to donate blood, willing to help in any way they could.
This kind of selflessness embodies the incredible spirit of our community. It showed the country why we’re Vegas Strong.
And as we remember and as we reflect on this tragedy, we must also commit ourselves to action so that no community has to experience the pain and suffering like we did.
The 1 October shooter was able to inflict as much pain and carnage as he did by using bump stocks.
This dangerous modification allowed his weapon to fire more bullets faster, as a way to inflict the most amount of pain on our city. Over 1,000 bullets, 1,000 bullets in just a matter of minutes.
And it was in response to this carnage that then-President Donald Trump issued a federal rule banning bump stocks. It helped save lives from these deadly modifications.
But unfortunately, the Supreme Court overturned this common-sense federal ban, allowing bump stocks to flow into our streets once again.
This shameful decision, shameful decision by the Supreme Court will put more lives at risk, which is why I joined bipartisan legislation to restore this common-sense federal ban on bump stocks.
And when members of this chamber tried to pass this bipartisan legislation, extremists in this body, what did they do? They blocked us, and some even had the audacity to say this legislation was trying to solve a “fake problem.”
A “fake problem.”
Mr. President, should we tell the families who lost a loved one at the hand of a firearm using a bump stock on 1 October that it’s a “fake problem?” A fake problem that they’re sad at every holiday, and every meal, and every Thanksgiving table that their loved one is missing? A “fake problem?”
Their grief is real. Their loss is real, and their loss is forever. This is not a “fake problem.”
It’s a very real problem, and there are real solutions. But once again, Congress has failed, year after year, to act.
Las Vegas knows how the real threat, what the real threat of bump stocks are and why we must act.
And as we approach the seventh anniversary of this unthinkable tragedy, I ask all my colleagues in this chamber to remember and to honor the memories of the victims, to honor their families, to honor everyone whose lives were forever changed from the night and the shooting on October 1st, 2017.
I also ask that we come together, Republicans and Democrats, in a bipartisan way to save lives by just passing common-sense legislation to ban bump stocks.
Thank you.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Baldwin, Shaheen Lead Bill to Make Affordable Care Act Premium Tax Breaks Permanent, Lowering Costs for Millions of Americans

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Health Care Affordability Act—legislation to make permanent the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) for millions of Americans who use the Health Insurance Marketplace for coverage. The enhanced PTCs, which have made health care more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans, are currently set to expire at the end of 2025. If this provision expires, over 20 million Americans will see a sudden increase in their health insurance costs, an estimated three million Americans could lose their health insurance entirely, and nearly nine million people will pay more—roughly $406 per person—for coverage.
“I’m focused on the kitchen table issues that keep families up at night and the skyrocketing cost of health care and prescription drugs is high on that list. I fought hard to cut health care costs for Wisconsinites – saving thousands of families hundreds of dollars each year – and I refuse to let us go backward,” said Senator Baldwin. “Our legislation will stop millions of hard-working Americans from having their healthcare costs jacked up, giving families peace of mind that they can get the quality health care they need at a price they can afford.”
“For years, the ACA enhanced premium tax credits have significantly lowered costs and increased access to health insurance for families in New Hampshire and across the country. But let’s be very clear: if Congress fails to act before these tax credits expire, tens of millions of Americans will suffer a substantial increase in health care costs and millions of individuals could lose their health insurance entirely,” said Senator Shaheen. “It’s time to extend these highly effective tax credits to keep costs from skyrocketing and ensure health care is within reach for every American, and I’m proud that our Health Care Affordability Act does just that.”
In Wisconsin, over 230,000 Wisconsinites are receiving advanced premium tax credits, averaging a monthly savings of over $500. Senator Baldwin first voted to expand the premium tax credit in the American Rescue Plan Act. This expansion of premium tax credits marked the biggest improvement to the ACA since it became law over a decade ago. When the tax credits were set to expire at the end of last year, Baldwin voted to extend their authorization through December 2025 in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Cosponsors of Shaheen and Baldwin’s bill include U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR), and U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tina Smith (D-MN), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Peter Welch (D-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), John Tester (D-MT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Gary Peters (D-MI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Bob Casey (D-PA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Ed Markey (D-MA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), George Helmy (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: McConnell: VP Harris’ Willingness To Throw Away Senate’s Guardrails As Disqualifying As Her Record

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
‘There is nothing normal or rational about blowing up the dam holding back simple majority rule. And the fact that a major political party has welcomed this short-sighted radicalism into the mainstream will be to their eternal shame. To lean on today’s fill-in-the-blank justification is to miss entirely what’s at stake. The Senate’s protections against the vacillations of simple majority rule are bigger than Washington Democrats’ policy preferences.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the filibuster:
“’I am prepared to get rid of the filibuster to pass a Green New Deal.’
“‘I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe.’
“These are the words of the Vice President of the United States and the Democratic nominee for President.
“Her willingness to shatter the institution of the Senate is not unique. Nearly every single one of our Democratic colleagues was willing to do it two years ago. And they would have succeeded had two members of their own caucus not stood in the breach.
“Nor is this campaign to rip up precious safeguards for political minorities confined here to the Senate. From a sitting President all the way down to grassroots activists, Democrats have made smashing institutions a core pillar of their party’s platform.
“The Vice President’s latest comments are not novel. But they are shocking – no less so than the votes our colleagues cast here on January 19, 2022.
“There is nothing normal or rational about blowing up the dam holding back simple majority rule. And the fact that a major political party has welcomed this short-sighted radicalism into the mainstream will be to their eternal shame.
“To lean on today’s fill-in-the-blank justification is to miss entirely what’s at stake. The Senate’s protections against the vacillations of simple majority rule are bigger than Washington Democrats’ policy preferences. They’re bigger than my own.
“A Senate that can steamroll a legislative minority to codify Roe v. Wade or enshrine the lunacy of the Green New Deal into law…
“…is a Senate that will drive a stake through liberal hopes as soon as the political winds change.
“To gamble the guardrails that make the Senate what it is… To short-circuit the process by which dissenting views are guaranteed a hearing… That ought to be disqualifying, by itself.
“Then again, so should the Vice President’s record on the issues.
“In November, the Democratic nominee will own the worst border crisis in American history, and the broken policies that invited it.
“She will own the worst inflation in forty years, and the reckless spending and tie-breaking votes that enabled it.
“The American people may well worry, like I do, about the future of an institution designed to be the world’s greatest deliberative body.
“But more than that, they worry about keeping their families safe and putting food on the table. And I expect they’ll vote accordingly.”

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: McConnell: Subservience To Autocrats Neither An American Value Nor Strategic Interest

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Kentucky Mitch McConnell
‘Hungary’s leaders have made no secret of their conviction that the future is one of American decline. They’re not hiding the ways they’re preparing for American weakness and betting on our failure. There’s nothing tough about bowing to autocrats. And there’s nothing for America’s leaders to gain by praising those who do.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding NATO:
“I’ve spoken frequently about the welcome signs that America’s European allies are waking up to the strategic challenge posed by the PRC, and to the dangers of predatory Chinese influence in their own backyards.
“Like America, our allies are watching the flaws of China’s statist economic model laid bare. They’re increasingly wary to hitch their wagons to a totalitarian system that stifles innovation, discourages free thought, and complicates free enterprise.
“They’re hesitant to take risks in a system where the rule of law is trampled by the whims of the state, and assets are subject to expropriation by the regime.
“Encouraging progress, like a German security strategy that explicitly recognizes the Chinese threat, and efforts across the EU to reduce reliance on Chinese technologies, presents opportunities for the West to work closer together. To secure supply chains. And to lower barriers to cooperation among allies.
“Unfortunately, this progress is not across-the-board. China may not be a safe business partner, but it’s still an enticing one for far too many economies… including within the NATO alliance.
“I’ve spoken before about Hungary’s decade-long drift into the orbit of the West’s most determined adversaries. It’s an alarming trend. And nobody – certainly not the American conservatives who increasingly form a cult of personality around Prime Minister Viktor Orban – can pretend not to see it.
“Hungary’s leaders aren’t cozying up to Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran in private. They’re doing it publicly and vocally as well.
“The Orban government has welcomed China’s view of a ‘European bridgehead’ in Hungary as the perfect complement to its own declared policy of an ‘opening to the East.’ And it hasn’t been shy about turning words into actions.
“When Chinese state enterprise has said jump, Hungarian officials have asked, how high?
“As European allies began to heed warnings from the Trump Administration to reduce reliance on Chinese industry and technology, Budapest repeatedly blocked EU progress and welcomed a geyser of Chinese Belt-and-Road investment.
“Included in the torrent of PRC influence was five-hundred-million Euros from a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer to build a new facility on Hungarian soil… and another seven-billion-euro investment in a new EV battery plant.
“Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of a former vassal of Russian communism has nothing but praise for the neo-Soviet imperialist responsible for the first major land war in Europe since 1945.
“Viktor Orban describes the regime that has sacrificed tens- if not hundreds of thousands of Russian lives and more than $200 billion dollars in military force for its unprovoked – and thus far unsuccessful – aggression against Ukraine as ‘hyper-rational’.
“But this NATO Prime Minister doesn’t just admire Putin. He helps him. His government runs interference for Moscow, gumming up European and trans-Atlantic efforts to combat Russia’s unlawful aggression at every turn.
“European allies are providing more assistance to Ukraine than the US is, but Americans who complain the EU isn’t doing more to help Ukraine should look no further than to Budapest’s efforts to block additional EU assistance for the answer.
“And then there’s Budapest’s relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hungary’s Foreign Minister has bemoaned that ongoing international sanctions make it ‘really challenging to build effective economic and trade cooperation’ with the world’s most active state sponsor of terror.
“I have little sympathy for Hungarian companies that struggle to profit from their ties to the genocidal regime in Tehran.
“Of course, that hasn’t stopped Hungarian firms from committing tens of millions of dollars to financing joint nuclear projects with Iran.
“It didn’t stop a national Hungarian university from inviting the former Iranian President to a conference on ‘common values in the global environment’.
“’Common values’ with Tehran. And here I thought it was American conservatives who claimed shared values with Hungary’s ruling party. Has the Orban government forgot its adoring fans on this side of the Atlantic?
“No. Hungary’s leaders have made no secret of their conviction that the future is one of American decline. They’re not hiding the ways they’re preparing for American weakness and betting on our failure.
“There’s nothing tough about bowing to autocrats. And there’s nothing for America’s leaders to gain by praising those who do.
“Subservience to revanchist powers is not an American value. But far more importantly, it is not in America’s interests.”

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: House Foreign Affairs Committee Passes Salazar’s Legislation to Fight Fentanyl Crisis
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar’s (FL-27)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Joaquin Castro’s (D-TX) DISPOSE Act (H.R. 9172) in a bipartisan, unanimous vote.

“The fentanyl crisis has become a scourge of the Western Hemisphere,” said Rep. Salazar. “By passing the DISPOSE Act, the Foreign Affairs Committee is committing to working with our partners to destroy fentanyl precursor chemicals well before they reach Miami and the rest of the country.”

In 2023 alone, Customs and Border Protection seized over 23,000 pounds of fentanyl at the Southern Border, providing a critical source of income for Latin American cartels. Most of this fentanyl is created using Chinese chemicals that are shipped to the Americas, turned into drugs in clandestine labs, and trafficked into the U.S. by Mexican cartels through drug mules. The DISPOSE ACT keeps Americans safe by cutting off their supply and targeting the precursor chemicals foreign criminal cartels use to produce fentanyl, ensuring they can be destroyed and disposed of well before they reach the United States. This will also cut off crucial income for the cartels.

The DISPOSE Act establishes the Precursor Chemical Destruction Initiative to fight drug trafficking with our partners in the Western Hemisphere. Working directly with partner countries, the Initiative will:
- Increase rates of seizure and destruction of listed chemicals in beneficiary countries;
- Alleviate the backlog of seized chemicals and dispose them in an environmentally safe and effective manner;
- Ensure that the seized chemicals are not reintroduced into the illicit drug production network within beneficiary countries;
- Free up storage space for future chemical seizures within beneficiary countries; and
- Reduce the chemicals’ negative environmental impact.
“In San Antonio and communities across the world, families have endured unimaginable tragedy as a result of the fentanyl trade,” said Rep. Castro. “The DISPOSE Act is an important step forward to support our neighbors in the Western Hemisphere as they work to curb the trafficking of fentanyl within their own nations. This bill will save lives at home and abroad, and I am honored to work with Chairwoman Salazar and a bipartisan coalition in the House and the Senate as we move this much-needed progress closer to the president’s desk.”

Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ), an original cosponsor of the bill, was instrumental in advancing this bill through the Committee. Rep. Salazar is working to get this bill passed by the full House of Representatives. The Senate version is led by Senators Grassley (R-IA), Shaheen (D-NH), and Risch (R-ID).

To read the full text of the legislation, click here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Mann Rejects Continuation of Fiscal Insanity

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Tracey Mann (Kansas, 1)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Tracey Mann (KS-01) voted against H.R. 9747, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025. The legislation, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 341-82, fails to reduce government spending, protect the integrity of the upcoming U.S. election, or tackle America’s $35 trillion debt. Rep. Mann released the following statement after the vote.

“I did not come to Congress to be a caretaker in the slow demise of America,” said Rep. Mann. “Our country currently has $35 trillion in debt that our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will be responsible for. We cannot continue to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Kansans regularly tell me that the economy and the federal government’s reckless spending are two of their top concerns. I will not contribute to the decimation of America’s fiscal house by supporting spending bills that fail to prioritize the real needs of America. It is Congress’ job to pass 12 individual appropriations bills each year to fund the government. We must return to regular order, stop kicking the can down the road, and do our job.”

In March 2024, Rep. Mann voted against H.R. 1061, the first part of a $1.66 trillion spending package. Mann also opposed the second vehicle in the spending package that further exceeded spending caps and ballooned the national debt.

H.R. 9747 will now go to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

###

For more information about Representative Mann, visit: www.mann.house.gov

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK provides essential humanitarian supplies to civilians in Lebanon as the situation deteriorates
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Government re-opens portal for British nationals in Lebanon to register their presence following deployment
Government re-opens portal for British nationals in Lebanon to register their presence

Follows deployment of military, Border Force and Foreign office officials to Cyprus to support contingency planning

£5 million humanitarian package will support thousands of people who have been displaced or forced to flee

The UK is sending £5m to Lebanon to support humanitarian response efforts, where the United Nations [UNICEF] will distribute supplies to those in need.

It comes as the UK also re-opens the Register Your Presence service to support British nationals and provide vital updates.

The UK has been calling for British nationals to leave Lebanon since October 2023. Yesterday, 700 troops, alongside Border Force and Foreign Office officials, also deployed to Cyprus to continue contingency planning for a range of scenarios in the region.

The essential humanitarian support comes after further civilian casualties following air strikes in recent hours. Thousands more have been displaced or forced to flee their homes.

The package includes essential medical supplies, hygiene kits and fuel for water stations, to help thousands of displaced civilians across Lebanon meet their basic needs.

It will also help emergency teams respond to urgent health and nutrition needs, and provide a series of training sessions for key delivery partners and frontline workers to ensure an effective emergency response.

Anneliese Dodds, Minister of State for Development and Minister of State for Women and Equalities, said:

The situation in Lebanon is deeply concerning. While we continue to urge British nationals to leave and have launched our ‘register your presence’ portal to aid their departure, the UK will always be a strong supporter of the Lebanese people. That is why we are providing £5m to UNICEF to support civilians who have been displaced and are facing a humanitarian emergency.

We need to see an immediate ceasefire from both sides to prevent further civilian casualties and ensure that displaced people can return to their homes.

At UNGA this week the Foreign Secretary emphasised the need for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanese Hizballah when he met G7 ministers. The UK was the first G7 country to call for an immediate ceasefire. The Foreign Secretary will deliver the UK’s intervention at the UN Security Council session on Lebanon.

Flights from Beirut continue to run, and British nationals should depart on the first available carrier.

The military teams have joined the already significant UK diplomatic and military footprint in the region, including RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus and Royal Navy ships RFA Mounts Bay and HMS Duncan, which have remained in the eastern Mediterranean to support British nationals and allies over the summer.

The Royal Air Force also have aircraft and transport helicopters on standby to provide support if necessary.

Notes to editors

Today’s funding announcement comes from pre-existing Official Development Assistance budgets and is already accounted for.

The UK is committed to supporting the most vulnerable in Lebanon, including refugees and Lebanese communities, with timely, flexible assistance to address basic needs and reduce suffering.

The UK’s bilateral humanitarian support to Lebanon this financial year (up to £21m through the Lebanon Humanitarian Programme, including this £5m for UNICEF) is focussed on:

supporting the most vulnerable refugee and Lebanese communities to meet their basic needs;

providing essential education and child protection services to over 5,000 of the most vulnerable and marginalised out of school children; and

supporting the Government of Lebanon to develop more inclusive, sustainable, and accountable social protection systems.

Through the Lebanon Humanitarian Programme, the UK is one of the largest donors to OCHA’s Lebanon Humanitarian Fund which has allocated $14.7m to a range of NGOs for preparedness and response to displacement.

Earlier this year, a Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocation of $9m was released to support UN partners response to the rising needs in Southern Lebanon. The UK is one of the largest donors to the CERF globally.

$2.2m Education Cannot Wait (ECW) funding has been released to support 5,000 children affected by the crisis. The UK is the second largest donor to ECW.

Media enquiries

Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

Telephone 020 7008 3100

Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)

Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Updates to this page

Published 25 September 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Europe: SDG Flag Day in Lugano: Cities play a key role in implementing sustainable development goals

Source: Switzerland – Federal Administration in English

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 25.09.2024 – Since 2019, SDG Flag Day has been held every year on 25 September on the initiative of the business community (via the UN Global Compact). Schools, communes, organisations, companies and governments fly flags to symbolically express their support for the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the SDG Flag Day event in Lugano, the two Federal Council delegates for the 2030 Agenda, Markus Reubi and Daniel Dubas, emphasised the key role of cities in implementing the 2030 Agenda.

Whether it’s access to green spaces and public areas, sustainable transport systems, waste sorting or involving all stakeholders in urban planning, cities face particular challenges in the field of sustainability. Although they only cover 3% of the earth’s surface, they consume three quarters of global resources and are responsible for 75% of global emissions. The 2030 Agenda therefore also addresses this topic in SDG Goal 11, ‘Sustainable cities and communities’.

Swiss cities and communes need to become inclusive, resilient and environmentally friendly. To mark this year’s SDG Flag Day, the city of Lugano is providing various examples of how it is driving forward the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

“Through its #luganosostenibile programme, Lugano is one of the many cities using their proximity to citizens to implement solutions in different areas of the 2030 Agenda,” says Markus Reubi, deputy head of the Prosperity and Sustainability Division (PSD) of the FDFA and one of the Federal Council’s two delegates for the 2030 Agenda. Mr Ruebi took part in SDG Flag Day in Lugano together with the other Federal Council delegate for the 2030 Agenda, Daniel Dubas. According to Mr Dubas, who heads the Sustainable Development Section of the Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), ‘cities are a key driver of sustainable development in Switzerland, especially as almost three quarters of the population live in cities and peri-urban areas.’

Today’s event in Lugano marks the start of a deeper collaboration between the FDFA and a range of cities in the field of sustainability, a development that will be highlighted at a city symposium on SDG Flag Day 2025.

2030 Agenda

The 2030 Agenda is the global frame of reference for local, national and international efforts to find joint solutions to major international challenges such as climate change, resource consumption, biodiversity conservation and health crises. The 2030 Agenda was adopted on 25 September 2015 by 193 UN member states, including Switzerland. It applies to all countries and sets the SDGs to be achieved by 2030. In Switzerland too, the 2030 Agenda is the guiding framework for sustainability policy.
At the heart of the 2030 Agenda are the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets. These are structured around five guiding principles: people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership. With these five principles, the 2030 Agenda aims to safeguard human well-being, economic development and environmental protection as well as addressing aspects such as peace, the rule of law and governance. SDG Flag Day is an initiative of the UN Global Compact, a global network of companies that are committed to the goals of the 2030 Agenda.

Address for enquiries

FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55
E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch
Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html

MIL OSI Europe News –

September 29, 2024