Tag Archives: Congress

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

We’re Above Ground

06/27/2014 Nativegrl77

As you may know the National Museum of African American History and Culture was established through Congressional legislation and signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2003. In April 2009, a design competition jury selected the Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup as the Museum’s architectural and engineering team. From our humble beginnings in 2003, the Museum broke ground on a five-acre site adjacent to the Washington Monument and in view of the White House, on February 22, 2012. These amazing moments will go down in history and it is thanks to donations and support from Charter Members and friends like you!

Since 2012 we have made large strides in the construction of our Museum.In Spring 2014 we poured concrete over the roof of the History Gallery, one of our underground exhibitions. This monumental moment enabled us to rise above ground in late April 2014. Since breaking ground, the Museum is meeting construction deadlines and is scheduled to open in 2016. We wanted to take the opportunity today to let all of you know that that we are finally Above Ground! Thank you for all your support!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

‘Serious and Disturbing’ Picture of VA’s Failure to Provide Timely Access to Care

06/23/2014 Nativegrl77

by Patty Murray

Stop Child Summer Hunger

Stop Child Summer Hunger Act

During the school year, low-income children have the opportunity to receive free or reduced-priced meals at school. However, millions of these same children go hungry during summer break. That’s why I was proud to introduce the Stop Child Summer Hunger Act, a long-term, common-sense solution to reducing child hunger during school breaks. This legislation will provide families who have children eligible for free or reduced-price school meals with an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card. This EBT card will include funds that the family can use to purchase food to replace the meals that the children would otherwise be receiving at school. The threat of hunger doesn’t take a summer break. We shouldn’t either. We must do more to make sure kids get the nutrition they need to learn, grow, and thrive.

Learn more about my bill.

“Sen. Murray proposes summer food benefits for low-income kids”
– KUOW

“Bill would buy summer lunch for kids out of school”
– The Olympian

“To fight students’ ‘summer hunger,’ Sen. Murray pushes debit cards for lunches” – KPLU

‘Serious and Disturbing’ Picture of VA’s Failure to Provide Timely Access to Care

The release of the VA’s Nationwide Access Audit of veterans health facilities paints a serious and disturbing picture of the VA’s system-wide failure to provide timely access to care for our nation’s heroes. I am especially concerned by the number of facilities that serve Washington state veterans that have been flagged for further review and investigation. This information confirms what I have been hearing from so many veterans who are struggling with extended wait times in the Pacific Northwest.

Thankfully, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Sanders-McCain compromise, legislation aimed at addressing transparency, wait times, and accountability issues at the VA. This legislation is a critical step toward addressing some of the immediate accountability and access concerns plaguing the VA. In addition, as further investigations and reviews are completed, we need to keep working to ensure the VA continues to take substantive action to address any management, resource, and personnel shortcomings that have contributed to today’s findings.

Critical Federal Funding for Washington State in Appropriations Bills

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I was proud to deliver for Washington state in the Appropriations bills passed last week. Funding will go toward projects in Seattle, Spokane, Pullman, Walla Walla and more, and includes everything from funding for the FAA Center of Excellence for Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment led by Washington State University, to new requirements for oil train safety, to funding for airport improvement projects, and more.

The Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill included funding for additional immigration judges to reduce case backlog, a new report on the next generation of polar icebreakers, and funding for pacific salmon restoration.

Find a list of selected projects and programs in the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations bill that benefit Washington state.

I’m a mom with a rare form of cancer. ~~~ Victory

06/22/2014 Nativegrl77

On February 18, Florida Hospital Healthcare System agreed to cover Holly’s surgery in DC. Holly said “I just received word that Florida Hospital/FHHS has formally signed the agreement and that my surgery can proceed as normal. I can’t even begin to thank you enough for your support and willingness to share this petition to help make this happen. I’m in the process of developing a CaringBridge link where my family and caregivers can share my progress once I’m hospitalized. THANK YOU!!”

Florida Hospital/FHHS: Authorize a single case contract with Dr. Sugarbaker / Washington Hospital Center so I can have my lifesaving surgery

By Holly Freuler

St Cloud, Florida

My name is Holly Freuler. I am a 35 year old married mother of 2. I have a very rare form of cancer: Multicystic Peritoneal Mesothelioma. Only 130 cases have been reported worldwide.
I was first treated for this cancer back in June of 2012. Unfortunately, my most recent CT scan indicated a recurrence of my disease.
This type of disease requires a specialized surgery (Cytoreductive Surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC). No doctor within my insurance network has ever treated a case like this before and no doctor performs the surgery necessary to save my life: Cytoreductive Surgery with HIPEC (open perfusion). My local surgeon who is considered, “in network” recognizes this fact and is also recommending I have surgery with Dr. Sugarbaker in Washington, D.C. He has stated that, “No one here can cure what you have. You need to go to Dr. Sugarbaker.”
Cytoreductive surgerywithHyperthermic Peritoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) is the standard treatment for my disease. There is NO alternative curative treatment.Itis approved by the FDA and my surgeon has a 90% survival rate at 5 years (well above the rest).

In 2012, my health insurer, Florida Hospital/FHHS, authorized the surgery with the same surgeon/hospital I am requesting now after I created a Change.org petition. Now, I need FHHS to authorize this treatment and sign a single case contract with Dr. Sugarbaker/Washington Hospital Center again. Since they have set a precedent of treatment and clearly agreed with the points I raised in my appeal in 2012, I hope they will authorize this treatment once again.

My surgeon’s office has been attempting to obtain authorization in a timely manner prior to my surgery date of February 26th, 2014. Unfortunately, they have been given incorrect fax numbers, claims of numerous lost received faxes, and other roadblocks preventing us from receiving the authorization.
I am proud to have been a Florida Hospital employee for 3 years. I’ve been a registered nurse for over 10 years. Through my work not only as a registered nurse but also in Information Technology, I strive to provide the best solutions for our patients. It’s time for Florida Hospital to “extend the healing ministry of Christ” to one of their own employees: Me. They can do this by signing a single case contract to let me have my life saving surgery to cure me of cancer.
Please sign my petition and help me once again to convince Florida Hospital Healthcare System to give me the same chance at beating cancer as they did in 2012.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A Win For Workplace Fairness

06/21/2014 Nativegrl77

CAP Action War Room

President Obama Just Announced The Single Largest Expansion Of LGBT Workplace Protections In Our Country’s History

Progress

As many as 9 out of 10 voters believe federal law already protects LGBT workers from discrimination. But it doesn’t. And while the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was passed by the Senate this year, it has stalled in the House; Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has made it clear that there is “no way” ENDA will pass this year.

Enter the latest chapter of the Obama Administration’s “year of action.” The White House announced today that President Obama will issue an executive order requiring that all companies who contract with the federal government must not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Think Progress reporter Zack Ford has the details:

The order, expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, is an extension of orders previously issued by past presidents — most recently Johnson — similarly banning employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin among all contractors and subcontractors who do over $10,000 in business with the government in any one year.

The protections will reach over one million LGBT workers across the country, making it the single largest expansion of LGBT workplace protections in our country’s history. There continue to be 29 states that offer no employment protections on the basis of sexual orientation and 32 with no protections based on gender identity, but many LGBT workers in those states will now have workplace protections for the first time ever. As many as 43 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and 90 percent of transgender people have experienced some form of harassment or discrimination in the workplace.

As with Obama’s executive order raising the minimum wage for employees of federal contractors to $10.10, this order will cover an enormous number of people but still relies on Congress to pass a law making sure that millions more LGBT Americans have the freedom to work.

Recently, some LGBT advocates have been giving second thoughts to the current ENDA bill in Congress, based on a religious liberty exemption that could have the potential interpreted too broadly. Here’s Zack Ford again:

The LGBT movement has also become increasingly divided over whether ENDA in its current form is worth pursuing. After two decades of failed consideration in Congress, the bill has been weakened by an exemption that would grant religious organizations unprecedented privilege to continue discriminating against LGBT people. A number of state groups and legal organizations have recently dropped their support for ENDA because they believe that the exemption goes too far and codifies into law the idea that LGBT identities are incompatible with faith. The executive order is thus an important step even if ENDA eventually passes.

BOTTOM LINE: Americans of any sexual orientation and gender identity should have the freedom to work and the right to equal treatment in the workplace. President Obama’s latest executive action is the biggest expansion of those rights in American history. There is more left to be done when it comes to giving all Americans equal protection, and Congress should follow the President’s lead by passing a federal law that ends unfair and discriminatory workplace practices that hurt LGBT workers and their families.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Some Bee Pollen Weight Loss Products Are a Dangerous Scam

06/19/2014 Nativegrl77

Some Bee Pollen Weight Loss Products Are a Dangerous Scam

06/19/2014 2:00 PM EDT

Bee pollen is not a miracle ingredient. It’s a gimmick, and a dangerous one for consumers. FDA is warning consumers to stop usingZiXiu Tang Bee Pollen, whichcontains potentially harmful pharmaceutical ingredients.Read the Consumer Update to learn more. Also available in Spanish (Español), Vietnamese (Trên trang này), Simplified Chinese (中文) and Tagalog (Tagalog).