Press release issued 11/ 6/ 17
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/kilmer-and-newhouse-bill-to-fix-veterans-healthcare-system-mismanagement-passes-house
Legislation follows Government Accountability Office review that uncovered problems
Washington, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed a bill originally introduced by U.S. Representatives Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Dan Newhouse (R-WA) to force the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to move forward on fixes to its management issues. The VA Management Alignment Act of 2017 would direct the head of the VA to issue a report to Congress detailing the steps they will take to reorganize and effectively improve veterans’ access to quality care. It is now heads to the Senate for a vote before reaching the President’s desk.
The legislation, supported by the American Legion and the American Federation of Government Employees, follows the release of comprehensive studies that uncovered management problems at the VA. The reports that have been issued so far, and others written by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), have uncovered that the VA did not follow through on internal and Congressional recommendations to fix the problems of manipulated wait times and management failures, and highlighted problems with the VA’s human resource department. Additional reports will be released to the public this year.
“We need to have the backs of those who serve,” said Rep. Kilmer. “Stories and reports about manipulated wait times and mismanagement in our VA system proved that systemic reforms are needed. I’m glad our bill is moving forward so we can improve care and get veterans the services they have earned.”
“This Friday is Veterans Day, when we honor the sacrifice of the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces,” said Rep. Newhouse. “I can think of no better way to honor our veterans than improving the care that they have earned and that our nation has promised. I am grateful that this legislation has been approved by the House to address mismanagement in the VA.”
“AMVETS thanks Representatives Kilmer and Newhouse for their leadership in offering this important bill to better serve those who have stood up to serve this country” said AMVETS National Executive Director Joseph Chenelly. “The VA Management Alignment Act will ensure that those in all levels of employment are upholding their commitments and dedication to serving veterans.”
The bill from Kilmer and Newhouse calls for the VA to deliver their report to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives within 180 days of the act being signed into law. The report would spell out the roles and responsibilities for senior staff and organizational units within the VA and how they work together to promote efficiency and accountability.
In 2014, news reports exposed patient delays at the Phoenix VA and other facilities across the country. A national audit of the VA was conducted and it was found at the time that the VA Puget Sound hospital had new patients waiting an average of 59 days for an appointment. Nearly 100,000 veterans use the VA Puget Sound system. Nationally, the audit found that 13 percent of VA schedulers reported that supervisors told them to manipulate appointments to make wait times look shorter.
The original GAO report evaluated how well the VA followed through on recommendations to change management practices from internal and outside reviews of the organization. It also looked at how well a realignment of Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) from 21 to 18 was being carried out. Each VISN oversees all VA facilities and personnel in separate regions of the country.
Senator Murray Calls For Comprehensive Disaster Relief for Millions of Americans Impacted by Recent Hurricanes & Wildfires
Press release issued 11/ 6/ 17
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=55E04ABB-05F6-438B-A4AC-AD1515D2353B
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined Senate Democrats to call on the Trump administration to put forward a comprehensive package to provide relief from the onslaught of natural disasters in recent months, including hurricanes that have caused unprecedented damage to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, leaving millions without access to electricity, and wildfires that have devastated communities across the West. The Trump Administration has committed to releasing such a package in the coming weeks.
In a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Senator Murray outlined what must be included in a comprehensive package that would allow adequate investment in technology, conservation, and infrastructure that will mitigate further damage in future disasters and make our communities more resilient. As a voice for Washington state, Senator Murray made sure the Senators’ letter included the request to end fire borrowing, an issue especially important to Washington and other Western states.
“This year our country has experience devastation and destruction as not one but three hurricanes made landfall on U.S. soil within a matter of weeks. At the same time, our Western states have been battling wildfires that have caused terrible loss of life and left thousands homeless,” wrote the Senators. “In these times of need, we must demonstrate our commitment to the Americans affected by these disasters and engage the full force of the federal government to assist those in need.”
Cantwell Questions Equifax, CEOs on Massive Data Breaches, Encourages Vigorously Pursuing Cybersecurity Measures
Press release issued 11/ 8/ 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-questions-equifax-ceos-on-massive-data-breaches-encourages-vigorously-pursuing-cybersecurity-measures
Equifax hack exposed personal information of 3 million Washingtonians
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a hearing today of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Technology, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) questioned the CEOs of several companies that have failed to protect consumers from massive data breaches, including Equifax and Yahoo!. The senator highlighted the importance of cybersecurity and drilled down on how the companies can bolster their cybersecurity hygiene, the ‘locks on the door’ that keep cyber intruders at bay, to better protect consumers’ sensitive information.
“The issue of cybersecurity is here. It’s a national security issue. It’s a consumer issue. It’s a future issue on identity theft and the ability for individuals to protect things they hold dear,” said Cantwell.
Cantwell also suggested that companies and the federal government must work in concert on cybersecurity: private companies must put in place their own robust security measures, while the government must do more to counter state-owned bad actors and invest in critical security infrastructure.
“We need companies to follow a cyber hygiene regimen with great, religious fervor. I believe that we have to help do our part too. Because if state-owned actors are going to continue to hack, we need to do something,” the senator continued. “We have to, at the federal level, up our game and make sure that we’re making investments to help on critical infrastructure and certainly we should be addressing this issue on an international basis.”
Cantwell Calls for Action on Affordable Housing Crisis
Press release issued 11/ 8/ 17
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-calls-for-action-on-affordable-housing-crisis
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) took to the Senate floor to call for action on addressing the affordable housing crisis in America. Cantwell specifically highlighted her bill with Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that would expand the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC).
“We need a very big systematic investment in affordable housing all across the United States. And expanding the Low Income Housing Tax Credit is one way to do that,” said Cantwell. “The most damning part of the housing crisis is that we know how to solve it. We just need the courage to act.”
Currently, the House GOP tax bill would eliminate private-activity bonds and repeal the 4 percent LIHTC for these tax-exempt bonds – key drivers of affordable housing production. Private-activity bonds are used in conjunction with the 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit to finance new affordable housing units. It is estimated without the private-activity bonds and the 4 percent LIHTC, between 788,000 to 881,000 fewer affordable housing units would be built over the next 10 years. Overall, it is estimated that the House GOP tax bill would reduce the amount of affordable housing built by up to 983,000 over ten years.
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NEWS FROM OLYMPIA...
AGO WINS UNANIMOUS APPEALS COURT DECISION IN FREEDOM FOUNDATION CAMPAIGN FINANCEPress release issued 11/ 8/ 17
http://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ago-wins-unanimous-appeals-court-decision-freedom-foundation-campaign-finance
OLYMPIA — A Washington state appeals court unanimously ruled in favor of Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s campaign finance lawsuit against the Freedom Foundation, overturning the trial court’s decision to dismiss the case. The court sent the case back to the lower court for further proceedings.
“This ruling is a victory for transparency in our democracy,” Ferguson said. “Voters have a right to know who is influencing their elections, and I am committed to enforcing the campaign finance laws that protect that right.”
The unanimous decision issued yesterday by the state Court of Appeals, Division 2, completely rejects the Foundation’s position and sends the case back to the trial court.
“The Foundation’s interpretation of [the relevant statute] would lead to an absurd result,” the court writes.
“As the State points out, adopting the Foundation’s position would create a large loophole in the [Fair Campaign Practices Act’s] reporting requirements,” the court continues. “The public would be precluded from receiving information regarding the financing of local initiatives at the most critical time — when signatures in support of the initiatives are being collected. On the other hand, the State’s position is consistent with the primary purpose of the FCPA — to fully disclose to the public political campaign contributions and expenditures.”
The case relates to a 2015 lawsuit, alleging the Freedom Foundation failed to properly and timely file independent expenditure reports disclosing the value of the legal services it provided to support ballot propositions in the cities of Sequim, Chelan and Shelton, as required under the state’s campaign finance laws.
In 2014, the Freedom Foundation staff created a set of sample ordinances and ballot propositions to change local laws related to collective bargaining between municipalities and their employee bargaining representatives. These drafts were publicly available via the Freedom Foundation’s website.
Using the draft documents from the website, community activists from Sequim, Chelan and Shelton gathered signatures from citizens in their communities and filed ballot propositions. None of the ballot propositions were accepted for submission to voters.
In response, Freedom Foundation staff served as counsel for the community activists and filed separate lawsuits against those cities. The lawsuits requested that the courts order the propositions be placed on their corresponding ballots.
Throughout the lawsuits, the Freedom Foundation paid their staff attorney his normal salary, and the community activists did not pay the Freedom Foundation or its staff for legal counsel. Ferguson’s lawsuit argues that providing this legal counsel at no cost to the community activists constitutes an independent expenditure, which should have been reported to the Public Disclosure Commission under state law.
By not reporting its contributions to these efforts, the state argues, the Freedom Foundation inhibited the public’s right to know the source of funds supporting these proposed ballot measures.
This is unrelated to another campaign finance case pending against the Freedom foundation. That case involves allegations that the Freedom Foundation paid its staff to engage in activities opposing an initiative and did not report the expenditure as required by law.
The Attorney General’s Office enforces the state’s campaign finance disclosure law to ensure free, open and fair elections in Washington state. A summary of campaign finance case resolutions is available here.
Among the campaign finance lawsuits filed by the office are the political party central committees for six counties: King, Pierce, San Juan, Kittitas and Spokane Democrats, and Clark County Republicans.
11 years after near-fatal crash, woman continues fight against drowsy driving
Press release from the Governor's webpage, issued 11/ 7/ 17
https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/11-years-after-near-fatal-crash-woman-continues-fight-against-drowsy-driving
Eleven years after Mora Shaw nearly died in a vehicle crash caused by drowsy driving, the 29-year-old Issaquah native says she will never get over it.
The crash occurred on a remote highway in the Cascade Mountains after her friend dozed off at the wheel at 65 mph, slamming the vehicle into a tree. Mora would later learn that her friend had been awake for almost 24 hours before deciding to drive that day.
Mora’s body was pinned inside the front passenger seat of the crumpled car; emergency crews were more than a half hour away. If not for the help of a trauma nurse who happened upon the scene of the wreck, Mora’s family believes she would have died.
“In the accident, my ankle was crushed so bad that I am never able to run again, and I will need more surgery on it throughout my life,” Mora said. “From my hips to my feet, my body is held together with plates and screws. I received a traumatic brain injury and lost over two years of my life at the hospital and in rehab.”
Mora shares her story every November as part of Drowsy Driving Awareness and Prevention Week in Washington, proclaimed this year by Gov. Jay Inslee for Nov. 5–12. The statewide proclamation coincides with National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation’s Drowsy Driving website.
Being continuously awake for 18 to 24 hours, or longer, makes someone unfit to drive. Driving during hours normally spent sleeping also increases the risk of drowsy driving.
“My damaged body, brain and spirit will never get over it,” Mora said. “Every single day, my aches and pains remind me of that driver’s poor decision to drive a car when she had not slept for almost 24 hours.”
There is a simple solution, she added. “It can so easily be avoided with proper sleep and mindfulness when getting behind the wheel of the car.”
WASH. STATE LABOR & INDUSTRIES: Construction firm fined $115K after fatal fall at Clark Co. housing development
Press release issued 11/ 7/ 17
http://lni.wa.gov/News/2017/pr171107a.asp
Tumwater – An Oregon construction company is facing a substantial fine for workplace safety violations after a worker fell nearly 20 feet from a house under construction in north Clark County. Rodrigo Baltazar-Martinez died in the hospital from injuries associated with the April 2017 fall.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) recently cited Sayde Construction, Inc., for seven violations, with penalties totaling $115,740.
So far this year, seven construction workers in Washington have fallen to their deaths. The most recent was in September, when a worker in Moses Lake fell through an unguarded skylight.
"We're seeing a continuing pattern of these uncontrolled risks in the construction industry, and as a result, there's been a significant number of deaths and severe injuries," said Anne Soiza, L&I's assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health. "The death of this Sayde Construction worker could have been prevented if the employer had made certain that workers were using appropriate fall protection."
The Sayde investigation began on April 28 after L&I was notified that Baltazar-Martinez had fallen from a second story while installing roof trusses at the Bella Noche subdivision in Ridgefield. L&I's six-month investigation found two willful violations, the most serious; both were related to fall protection.
One of the willful violations, with a penalty of $63,000, was for failure to ensure that workers were provided with and used appropriate fall protection. The second willful violation was cited because the company didn't have a written fall protection work plan that addressed each area of the worksite where employees were exposed to potentially deadly falls. That violation came with a $27,000 fine.
The company was also cited for not ensuring it had an effective accident prevention program in place. That "serious" violation included a $2,700 penalty. In addition to the willful and serious violations, the employer was fined $23,040 for not correcting a general violation it was cited for in January for not having someone with a valid first-aid certificate at the worksite.
L&I cited the company for three additional general safety violations that did not include a financial penalty but must be corrected.
As a result of the willful violations that contributed to the death of a worker, Sayde Construction has been placed on the severe violator list and is subject to follow-up inspections to determine if the conditions still exist in the future.
The company has 15 business days to appeal the citation.
Penalty money paid as a result of a citation goes into the workers' compensation supplemental pension fund, helping injured workers and families of those who have died on the job.
DNR: Board of Natural Resources Selects Course for Long-Term Species Conservation and Rural Economic Stability
Press release issued 11/ 8/ 17
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/news/board-natural-resources-selects-course-long-term-species-conservation-and-rural-economic
Crucial step for supporting threatened species and rural economies 20 years in the making
Yesterday the Board of Natural Resources (BNR) selected a path forward to protect the marbled murrelet and comply with the Endangered Species Act. Today’s approach is intended to provide long-term certainty for murrelet conservation practices, and for public services and local jobs that rely on revenue from timber harvests on state trust lands. This action, the selection of a preferred alternative for the Marbled Murrelet Long Term Conservation Strategy (MMLTCS), will take the form of a Habitat Conservation Plan Amendment (HCPA). This decision has been 20 years in the making since the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) voluntarily entered into a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) with the federal government in 1997.
The 1997 HCP, which was in part designed to cope with declining numbers of marbled murrelets along the Washington coast, was meant to be a temporary plan pending the availability of better science and understanding of how to support the threatened bird. Now, nearly two decades of research has yielded more information about how to help the notoriously shy marbled murrelet. In the interim, murrelet populations have continued to decline, and affected rural communities have suffered reduced revenues and economic activity as a result of the state lands set aside by the 1997 HCP.
Today’s selection of a preferred alternative strategy put in motion the first of several steps that will deliver long-awaited answers to conservationists and timber-dependent communities located in the murrelet’s range. The BNR approved a preferred alternative that:
Complies with ESA and the 1997 State Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan;
Reduces the short-term impacts of take by using strategies such as metering of harvest of habitat until habitat in long-term forest cover develops;
Appropriately mitigates uncertainties and risks associated with the long-term habitat conservation strategy, and;
Ensures that no trust or beneficiary is unduly impacted.
“From today’s decision, we can now move on to develop the conservation strategy that will serve our state for the next 50 years. After 20 years of people and ecosystems held in limbo, we are now closer than ever to achieving long-term legal certainty for marbled murrelet conservation, our trust beneficiaries and ongoing timber harvest,” said Commission of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who chairs the BNR.
The selection of a preferred alternative sets up further work to be completed over the next one to two years. DNR will prepare a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement assessing the preferred alternative and submit a draft Habitat Conservation Plan Amendment to the USFWS by the spring of 2018. Both documents will include an opportunity for public comment. After consideration by the USFWS — their final response is expected in 2019 — the BNR will adopt a final Marbled Murrelet Long Term Conservation Strategy. The final strategy may change based on public comments, input from the USFWS and any relevant scientific data.
The HCPA alone is not enough to help the marbled murrelet increase its struggling numbers in our region. Additionally, the timber supply stability that the HCPA will bring will likely not be enough to balance out the economic impact several communities have faced under the 1997 HCP. Traditionally, these problems have been viewed through the lens of saving the species or saving a community. Commissioner Franz has said repeatedly in recent months that she and DNR plan to break that mold by approaching the issue as a challenge facing us all, as one state and one community, of how to save the species and save our communities.
(See link source for full story)
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WORLD AND NATIONAL HEADLINES FROM REUTERS
Syria declares victory over Islamic State
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria’s army declared victory over Islamic State on Thursday, saying its capture of the jihadists’ last town in the country marked the collapse of their three-year, hardline reign in the in the region.
Putin says doping allegations against Russia meant to stir discontent
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on Thursday that allegations of a state-sponsored doping program in Russia were an attempt to sow discontent ahead of the country’s presidential elections.
FBI may have lost critical time unlocking Texas shooter's iPhone
SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For about 48 hours after a deadly rampage at a Texas church, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies did not ask Apple Inc to help them unlock the gunman’s iPhone or associated online accounts, a person familiar with the situation told Reuters on Wednesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-shooting-apple-fbi/fbi-may-have-lost-critical-time-unlocking-texas-shooters-iphone-idUSKBN1D833F
Democrats ride grassroots wave to major statehouse gains
(Reuters) - Democrats claimed historic gains in Virginia’s statehouse and booted Republicans from state and local office across the United States on Tuesday, in the party’s first big wave of victories since Republican Donald Trump’s won the White House a year ago.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-democrats/democrats-ride-grassroots-wave-to-major-statehouse-gains-idUSKBN1D82RC
Daily Bible Verse: “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.
Isaiah 1:18 NKJV
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