CONGRESSIONAL WATCH
" A weekly look at the goings ons of our congressional delegation to Washington DC"Hirono, Rounds, Kilmer, Jones Introduce Bill to Cut Red Tape for Defense Department Employees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Mazie K. Hirono and Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee introduced a bipartisan, bicameral bill to repeal burdensome Department of Defense requirements for service members and civilian employees. The bill would correct a Department of Defense rules that increase the burden of finding affordable lodging while on assignment for individual employees rather than the department or service making the assignment.
“Military members and Department of Defense civilians should not have to worry about potential financial burdens and red tape related to travel away from home,” said Senator Hirono. “This commonsense legislation will continue to allow Department of Defense employees in Hawaii and around the world to do their jobs without jumping through unnecessary hoops.”
“Our service members and their families make incredible sacrifices to keep us safe,” said Senator Rounds. “They shouldn’t be faced with unnecessary stress or financial burdens when a service member is on a temporary assignment that could last for months. Our legislation would make sure no active duty service member would be denied reimbursements for off-base housing expenses when they are on long-term temporary duty. It is but one small step we can take to improve the quality of life for the men and women who are selflessly defending our country. This measure will support service members and their families serving at Ellsworth Air Force Base and Joe Foss Field as well as South Dakotans serving in our armed forces around the world.” ---press release issued 4. 12. 17
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-rounds-kilmer-jones-introduce-bill-to-cut-red-tape-for-defense-department-employees
With Budget Deadline Looming, Sen. Murray Visits Seattle Radio Station, Research Center—Just Two of Many Local Programs That Would Be Hit Hard By President Trump’s Proposed Budget Cuts
(Washington, D.C.) — Today, just two weeks from a deadline to reach a budget deal to avert a federal government shutdown, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) visited local radio station KEXP and nationally-recognized research center UW Medicine to speak out against President Trump’s harmful budget proposal released last month. First, Senator Murray visited KEXP’s new broadcast and education facility to hear from station representatives from not only KEXP but also KUOW, KNKX, and KCTS about the importance of federal funding and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Senator Murray then went to UW Medicine, the largest recipient of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in Washington state, and the top public university recipient in the country. She toured an immunology lab, then heard from a patient, researcher, and doctor about the potential impacts to critical, life-saving research being done at UW Medicine if President Trump’s budget were to be put in place.
“Both of these institutions are such important parts of the Puget Sound region, and are facing devastating cuts,” said Senator Murray. “I am very concerned about proposed cuts to the arts and public broadcasting, and to the National Institutes of Health which funds critical, life-saving research and is a key job creator in our region. Families in Washington state and across the country want a budget that invests in them, their communities, and their futures – and I will be fighting back against this budget as hard as I can.”---press release issued 4. 12. 17
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=C32E915C-3D75-4B26-8736-3AA9012F01FB
Sen. Murray Tours Naval Air Station Whidbey Island WIC Office That She Fought to Keep Open
(SEATTLE, WA) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) visited the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island to tour the base, meet staff members, and learn more about the services offered to Navy personnel and their families, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) office. In 2015, the Navy planned to close the WIC office on base in a Department of Defense-wide decision to remove non-federal organizations from military bases. Senator Murray fought back against this closing, working with the WIC office to prevent the closure and ensure these critical services continued to be offered to families at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. In December 2015, the Navy offered the WIC office a five-year lease without the previously-required fees that would have been expensive for the organization running the WIC office to compensate, allowing the office to remain open.
"After visiting base today, I can see the services offered here are clearly an important part of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island community,” said Senator Murray. “Making sure our military families have the support they need to put food on the table is the least we should be doing. I was proud to fight to reverse the decision to close the WIC office on base, and I will keep up the fight along with the strong support of the Navy to ensure we are doing everything we can to support the military community that sacrifices so much for their country."---press release issued 4. 12. 17
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=98A25CE0-FED1-41DF-9F60-752672C06C69
Murray, Cantwell to DHS: Do Not Fund Campaign Promises through Cuts to Security Programs That Keep Us Safe ----Apr 07 2017 press release issued
WASHINGTON, DC – A coalition of 21 U.S. Senators, including Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) today strongly urged U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to reconsider proposed budget cuts to airport, seaport, and mass transit security programs in order to fund President Trump’s request for more than $4 billion to construct a wall along America’s southern border.
“We are concerned that in furtherance of President Trump’s quest to build a concrete wall along our Southern border, his budget proposes drastic cuts for key agencies within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that are tasked with protecting our borders against current threats, including programs at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency which could include mass transit, aviation and port security grants,” the senators wrote. “We are concerned that the President’s budget request fails to address our real immigration challenges and trades proven programs – those that are currently protecting Americans from actual threats to our national security – for the purpose of aggressively implementing a campaign promise. We request that you take these immigration and national security concerns under consideration and modify the President’s Fiscal Year 2018 Budget accordingly.”
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=9058AD48-CB1D-4081-A6EA-BBF85F358ABC
Cantwell, Murray Send Letter to Attorney General on Administration’s Troubling Review of Consent Decrees
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA), along with 15 Senate Democrats, pressed Attorney General Jeff Sessions for answers on the Department of Justice’s plan to review consent decrees between the federal government and local law enforcement agencies. The Senators asked Attorney General Sessions to lay out the impact of the review, including if the Department of Justice’s actions could result in the termination or modification of existing consent decrees.
“Consent decrees offer both parties the opportunity to negotiate a mutually beneficial reform structure that seeks to both protect the constitutional rights of citizens and improve the working conditions and safety of police officers,” the Senators wrote. “It is a false choice to prioritize one over the other. These carefully crafted agreements are the products of long and thorough investigations and negotiations, and are subject to court approval. To undo the progress made by the DOJ and various police departments is to undermine the collaborative nature of these agreements.”---Press release issued 4. 12. 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-murray-send-letter-to-attorney-general-on-administrations-troubling-review-of-consent-decrees
Cantwell, Murray Tell Trump: Don’t Reverse National Monument Designations
Senators urge President Trump to uphold protections for Bears Ears National Monument, all 157 national monuments
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined a group of Western Democratic senators in calling on President Donald Trump to live up to his repeated promises on the campaign trail to protect public lands for all Americans and uphold the existing protections for the 157 national monuments, which have been designated throughout the decades by nearly every U.S. president of the last century. Washington state is home to four—Olympic National Park, the Hanford Reach National Monument, the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, and the San Juan Islands National Monument.--Press release 4. 12. 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-murray-tell-trump-dont-reverse-national-monument-designations-
Cantwell, Colleagues Call for Pruitt to Address Conflicts of Interest Regarding Clean Power Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, led colleagues in calling for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt to address the apparent conflict of interest regarding his participation in EPA’s review of the Clean Power Plan, which Mr. Pruitt formerly challenged in court as Oklahoma’s Attorney General. ---press release issued 4. 10. 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-colleagues-call-for-pruitt-to-address-conflicts-of-interest-regarding-clean-power-plan
Cantwell Statement on Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria and U.S. Military Action
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) released the following statement after the United States’ response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack on its own people:
“Last night’s targeted strike on assets to stop Assad’s chemical attack on innocent people, including children, was appropriate. The international community and U.N. should move more aggressively to counter Assad on his violation of Syria’s obligations to get rid of their chemical weapons.
“The President must lay out a comprehensive strategy for the conflict in Syria that includes clear goals, diplomatic objectives, partnership with the international community, and dealing with the refugee crisis.
“With more than five million refugees that have fled Syria, more needs to be done by the U.S. and international community to provide humanitarian support.”---press release issued 4. 7. 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-statement-on-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria-and-us-military-action
ADVOCACY NOTEBOOK
US DEPT. OF LABOR: Helping Homeless Veterans Get Back on Their Feet
oy, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, lost her business amid the 2008 financial crisis, and was forced to live out of her van. Being homeless made even relatively simple tasks complicated, but over time, Joy found that she was growing accustomed to homelessness, making it even harder for her to get back to work. It wasn’t until Joy enrolled in the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency’s Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program, or HVRP, that she was able to get back on her feet. The center helped her find a home and a sense of purpose, and even hired her as a veteran outreach specialist.
Funded by the Labor Department, HVRP provides services to help homeless veterans reenter the workforce, which in turn gets them back on track in other aspects of life. Services include occupational, classroom and on-the-job training, as well as job search and placement assistance, including follow-up services. Real employment opportunities help veterans reach both financial stability and independence.
HVRP programs are available throughout the country in different regions and neighborhoods, though the majority of these programs are in urban areas where homeless veterans tend to be heavily concentrated.
HVRP has been helping homeless veterans since it was authorized in 1987 under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. In 2010, the program expanded its scope to include services for homeless female veterans, veterans with families, and formerly incarcerated veterans. This year, the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service expects to award approximately $12 million in HVRP awards.
According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there were 39,471 homeless veterans as of 2016. Thanks to the efforts of HVRP and other local veteran assistance programs, this number has decreased 48 percent since 2009, but as long as any single veteran remains homeless, there is work to be done.
Through their admirable service, veterans like Joy who face adversity after transitioning back to civilian life have earned some help from their country. Through programs like HVRP, we honor the men and women who served by giving them an opportunity to reach their goals and become who they want to be.
Kenneth Fenner is the competitive grants lead at the department’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. Stay connected by following @VETS_DOL on Twitter and visiting www.veterans.gov
From the US LABOR DEPT Blog: https://blog.dol.gov/2017/04/11/helping-homeless-veterans-get-back-their-feet
Disability Scoop: Teacher, Students Shot In Special Ed Classroom
A gunman walked into a special ed classroom and opened fire on his wife, a teacher there, and then killed himself, police said. Stray bullets struck two students, one of whom later died.
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/04/11/teacher-students-shot-special-ed/23561/
Disability Scoop: Waterproof Power Wheelchair May Be Headed To Market
Most power wheelchairs are heavy and work well — but only if they stay dry. A new waterproof chair that's durable, lightweight and quick to recharge could be a game changer.
https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/04/11/waterproof-power-wheelchair-market/23564/
Editorial note: I sure could use of these chairs!
NEWS BUSTERS: Unhinged Journalist's Conspiracy: Is United Debacle a ‘Distraction’ From Trump?
Readers who haven't recently ventured into the fever swamp known as the Los Angeles Times may have a hard time fathoming how utterly obsessed what used to the be the West Coast's paper of record has become with the threat to civilization known as Donald Trump
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tom-blumer/2017/04/13/pulitzer-winner-michael-hiltziks-united-trump-conspiracy-tweet
FAO: BEGA VALLEY: FLUORIDE FEEDBACK WEBSITE CLOSES WITH A FLURRY OF SUBMISSIONS
More than 300 submissions have been posted on Bega Valley Shire Council’s ‘Have Your Say’ website on fluoride since it was set up four months ago.
http://fluoridealert.org/news/bega-valley-fluoride-feedback-website-closes-with-a-flurry-of-submissions/
Rights of refugees and migrants with disabilities must be priority in new global action plan – UN experts
12 April 2017 – Accessible social and health services, with dedicated human and financial resources must be addressed and made available for persons with disabilities in the new global framework on refugees and migrants, a group of United Nations human rights experts have urged, as UN-led intergovernmental talks on the issue are set to launch consultation in 2018.---UN NEWS CENTER
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56555#.WO-iYvkrIps
DAILY DEVOTIONAL
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.---Romans 3:23-24 NIV
Free bible study offered by World Bible School
https://www.worldbibleschool.org/
