Press release issued 12/ 21/ 17 (link source)
(Washington, D.C.) – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) strongly urged her Republican colleagues to finally pass the DREAM Act and uphold Congress’ promise to find a permanent solution for hundreds of thousands of young people enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. President Trump and Attorney General Sessions rescinded the program last September, impacting an estimated 800,000 young men and women, including nearly 17,000 in Washington state. In her speech, Senator Murray shared stories from young Washingtonians enrolled in DACA, underscoring the fear and confusion President Trump’s reckless decision has posed on their lives, families, and futures, and stressed the urgent need to pass the DREAM Act to alleviate their uncertainty. Senator Murray also highlighted the moral and economic costs of not honoring the commitment made to young people who signed up for DACA, and underlined the immeasurable value recipients of DACA contribute to their communities in Washington state and nationwide.
Excerpts from Senator Murray’s floor speech:
From health care to tax reform, there’s no doubt that some days it feels impossible to get the majority of Republicans on-board with policies that truly help the families we represent. But there is one thing that unites not only a large, bipartisan contingent in Congress, but also the vast majority of the American people. And that is finding a path forward for the estimated 800,000 young men and women whose lives are right now in limbo. Eight hundred thousand people—including nearly 17,000 men and women, boys and girls, from my home state of Washington who shared their information, paid a large fee, and upheld their end of the bargain, only to have President Trump rip the rug out from under them three months ago when he and Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the end of the DACA program.
This Congress may not be able to change the Trump Administration’s hateful rhetoric or short-sighted policies overnight, but we can and should pass the DREAM Act as soon as possible. And that’s why we need more members of Congress—on both sides of the aisle—ready to roll up their sleeves and get this done. Because every single day Republican leaders refuse to bring the DREAM Act to the floor to a vote, another 122 young people lose their DACA status, lose their ability to work legally, and lose their protection from deportation. That means 122 of our neighbors, students, coworkers and friends could be forced from the only country they know, despite the promise the federal government made to them when they signed up for DACA, and despite their immeasurable contributions to our schools and hospitals, our universities and stores, our farms and churches, our offices and so much more.
Stop letting so many promising young men and women fall off the rolls of this program each and every day. Stop kicking this can down the road, and come together to do what’s right for these young people. Ending the DACA program is not what our country is all about. It doesn’t do anything to fix our broken immigration system, prepare for the future or grow our economy. Ending DACA won’t heal the divisions we’ve seen in our communities, or make them any easier to fix. And ending the DACA program certainly doesn’t reflect a country of opportunity or promise—something the U.S. has always aspired to be.
I urge my colleagues here in the Senate and over in the House: think about the communities you represent. Think about the young men and women who are currently studying for finals, caring for our sick, teaching our children, responding to natural disasters and opening businesses in the communities that you travel to and live in. Think about the young men and women who hope to serve in the military and defend your freedoms someday. Think of the Dreamers who have grown up in our country—and whose children are the future of our nation. Think about how much good we could do for these young men and women if my Republican friends brought the same commitment and zeal to this task as they did to their tax bill, and finally worked with Democrats to find a real solution to end this unnecessary uncertainty.
I want to thank Paul—as well the other advocates from Washington state who I met this morning in my office—and the many thousands of others who are showing up in every way that they can to make their voice heard and call on Congress to act. Dr. Martin Luther King once said that justice too long delayed is justice denied. And Dreamers aren’t asking for anything other than what we’ve promised to them. This is an incredibly difficult and uncertain time for so many. But Dreamers need to know, many of us in Congress—and so many others across the country—have your back. We will get this done. We have to get this done.
(read more from link source)
New Year brings with it higher minimum wage and paid sick leave for Washington workers
WA Labor & Industries press release dated 12/ 20/ 17
Final rules detail how new requirements for employers will be enforced
Tumwater – Many more workers around Washington will have paid sick leave soon. The state's new mandatory paid sick leave law takes effect in less than two weeks, on Jan. 1, 2018. Voters approved the change as part of Initiative 1433, which passed in November 2016.
The initiative also included annual increases to the state minimum wage through 2020. In 2017, the minimum wage climbed to $11 an hour; that'll change to $11.50 when we ring in the 2018 New Year.
Under the new paid sick leave law, employees will earn at least one hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked. The law also requires employers to carry over up to 40 hours of an employee's unused sick leave from one year to the next.
"Paid sick leave is important for all of us. No one wants employees to come into work sick. It's bad for them, their coworkers, and customers," said Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Director Joel Sacks. "The new law allows employees to take care of themselves, or their family members, when they're sick. It makes our state a better place to work."
This week, L&I adopted final rules with specifics on how the law will be enforced. The rules explain how L&I will respond to employers who violate the paid sick leave law, fail to pay employees the tips and service charges that they're owed, or retaliate against an employee. Employees can file a complaint with L&I if they believe their employer is not complying with the new law. Businesses can face fines and have to provide back pay.
Resources to help employers prepare
To help employers get ready, L&I has launched an online Employer Resource Center that covers key topics like how to implement a paid sick leave policy and how to notify employees of their paid sick leave rights.
Businesses can also sign up for a webinar, scheduled through February 2018, to learn more about the new requirements. Some webinars already held were full to capacity because of the high amount of interest in learning more about implementing the new law.
Along with webinars and other in-person outreach, L&I has a paid campaign with TV, online, radio and social media ads to make sure employers know that the new law is coming, and what it entails.
L&I also mailed a new required workplace poster - updated with paid sick leave information — to all employer worksites in Washington. The Your Rights as a Worker poster is available for downloading in eight languages on L&I's website.
Washington is the seventh state to have a paid sick leave law. Others include California, Oregon, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Arizona, as well as the District of Columbia.
PAGE 2: U.S. Chamber’s Donohue: These Are ‘Bold Reforms for Lasting American Growth’,Wednesday, December 20, 2017 - 1:00pm
LINK SOURCE
Policymakers Deliver on Their Promise of Pro-Growth Tax Reform
WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue today issued the following statement after final passage of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” sending the legislation to President Trump to sign into law:
“Today, Congress achieved what many said was impossible – overhauling our country’s broken, outdated tax code and updating it with bold reforms for lasting growth.
“American businesses will become more competitive around the world. The business community has long called for lower rates for all businesses, full and immediate expensing, and a territorial tax system because we know these elements are the pro-growth reforms our economy needs to thrive.
“We applaud the House and Senate Republican leadership, especially Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, for their hard work and dedication to ensuring this tax reform is as pro-growth as possible. Our country will reap the benefits of this once-in-a-generation achievement for years to come. When this legislation is signed into law, Americans will see bigger paychecks as well as more opportunities for jobs and for energy development from Alaska.”
In July, the Chamber said tax reform failure is not an option, so we engaged on all fronts to ensure its passage. Below is additional background information on the Chamber’s efforts to date:
Engaged state and local Chambers of Commerce across the country to weigh in with their members of Congress in support of tax reform;
Educated and activated hundreds-of-thousands of grassroots supporters on the merits of the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” and urged engagement with legislators through phone calls, letter-writing campaigns, and social media engagement;
Communicated feedback from the business community to the Senate and House throughout the entire process, starting with our principles and continuing with guidance on specific provisions in the final legislative text;
Ran a seven-figure paid media campaign in targeted districts and states across the country, including through television, digital, and radio mediums, encouraging action on tax reform;
Organized more than 300 in-district tax events with leaders from local business communities;
Created Tax Reform for America, a microsite dedicated to providing constituents with a platform to communicate with their legislators while also hosting historic facts, testimonials, polls, and talking points; and
Prepared and distributed 435 district-specific and 50 state-specific one-pagers on the economic impact of tax reform for members of Congress.
IRS Statement – Withholding for 2018
IRS press release issued 12/ 26/ 17 (Link source)
The IRS is working to develop withholding guidance to implement the tax reform bill signed into law on December 22. We anticipate issuing the initial withholding guidance in January, and employers and payroll service providers will be encouraged to implement the changes in February. The IRS emphasizes this information will be designed to work with the existing Forms W-4 that employees have already filed, and no further action by taxpayers is needed at this time.
Use of the new 2018 withholding guidelines will allow taxpayers to begin seeing the changes in their paychecks as early as February. In the meantime, employers and payroll service providers should continue to use the existing 2017 withholding tables and systems.
IRS Criminal Investigation Releases Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report
Press release issued 12/ 20/ 17 (link source)
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced the release of the Criminal Investigation Division’s (CI) annual report, reflecting significant accomplishments and criminal enforcement actions taken in fiscal year 2017.
Focusing on employment tax, refund fraud, international tax enforcement, tax-related identity theft, public corruption, cybercrime, terrorist financing and money laundering, CI initiated 3,019 cases in FY 2017. The number of cases initiated is directly tied to the number of special agents that CI has.
“We have the same number of special agents—around 2,200—as we did 50 years ago,” said Don Fort, Chief, CI. “Financial crime has not diminished during that time– in fact, it has proliferated in the age of the Internet, international financial crimes and virtual currency. Despite these challenges, we continue to do amazing work, investigating some of the most complicated cases in the agency’s history. Criminals would be foolish to mistake declining resources for a lack of commitment in this area.”
The annual report is released each year for the purpose of highlighting the agency’s successes while providing a historical snapshot of the make-up and priorities of the organization. The very first Chief of IRS CI, Elmer Lincoln Irey, served from 1919 to 1946 and envisioned releasing such a document each year to showcase the agency’s investigative work.
CI is the only federal law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over federal tax crimes. This year, CI again boasted a conviction rate rivaling all federal law enforcement at 91.5% while spending more than 72% of their investigative time working tax cases. That conviction rate speaks to the thoroughness of the investigations and CI is routinely called upon by prosecutors across the country to lead financial investigations on a wide variety of financial crimes including international tax evasion, identity theft, terrorist financing and transnational organized crime.
CI investigates potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes in a manner to foster confidence in the tax system and compliance with the law. The interactive report summarizes a wide variety of CI activity throughout the fiscal year and includes case examples from each field office on a wide range of financial crimes.
“Since taking over as the Chief of CI this summer, I could not be prouder to lead the men and women of this organization,” said Fort. As financial crimes—and the way we investigate them—continue to evolve, CI continues to set the standard for financial investigations worldwide.”
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AWARDS NEARLY $60 MILLION IN GRANTS TO STRENGTHEN LABOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COMBAT CHILD LABOR AND MODERN SLAVERY AMONG TRADE PARTNERS
Press release issued 12/ 22/ 17 (link source)
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced nearly $60 million in grants to NGOs and a range of organizations to promote labor law enforcement and help end exploitative labor practices in 25 trade partner countries. The grants will support projects to combat some of the most abusive labor practices, including the use of child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking in global supply chains. New technical assistance will also support trade partners’ compliance with the labor requirements of U.S. trade agreements and preference programs.
The new grants are part of a broader departmental effort to combine direct enforcement of trade-related labor commitments with targeted technical assistance to help trade partners who share our commitment, but lack the means, to strengthen the rule of law and fully comply with commitments made in trade agreements.
“Meeting trade agreement labor standards helps to shine a light into the shadowy acts of offenders who use the deplorable path of exploitation of their own people to try and gain an unfair advantage over U.S. competition,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta. “These grants are a useful tool for the U.S. and our allies in our goal of permanently rooting out the despicable practice of labor exploitation.”
Grants announced today by the Department will strengthen and expand efforts to identify, monitor, and combat abusive labor practices abroad that put U.S. businesses and workers at an unfair disadvantage.
Specific issues the projects will address include encouraging partnerships between the coffee industry in Latin America and buyers in the U.S. to develop social compliance systems to combat exploitative labor in their supply chains; working with labor ministries and other labor stakeholders to build their capacity to identify indicators of forced labor and human trafficking; and developing a toolkit to help program implementers reduce the risk of child labor and unacceptable conditions of work in women’s economic empowerment initiatives. Another project will help improve enforcement of minimum wage laws, hours of work and occupational safety, and health laws in the agricultural export sector, helping to ensure U.S. trading partners comply with their labor commitments.
The grants are made available through the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, whose mission is to promote a fair global playing field for workers in the U.S. and around the world by enforcing trade commitments, strengthening labor standards and combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking.
PAGE 3: WORLD NEWS
Ambassador Haley on the United States Negotiating a Significant Reduction in the UN Budget
From a US MISSION to the UN press release dated 12/ 24/ 17
Today, the United Nations agreed on a budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. Among a host of other successes, the United States negotiated a reduction of over $285 million off the 2016-2017 final budget. In addition to these significant cost savings, we reduced the UN’s bloated management and support functions, bolstered support for key U.S. priorities throughout the world, and instilled more discipline and accountability throughout the UN system.
“The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known. We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked. This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable UN – is a big step in the right direction. While we are pleased with the results of this year’s budget negotiations, you can be sure we’ll continue to look at ways to increase the UN’s efficiency while protecting our interests,” said Ambassador Haley.
UN NEWS CENTER
Field teams working 'around the clock' in wake of deadly storm in the Philippines – UNICEF
25 December 2017 – Relief supplies prepositioned by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are ready for dispatch to areas of Philippines hit by Tropical Storm Tembin (known locally as “Vinta”) and its field teams are working around the clock to assess the scale of damage, the UN agency has said.
https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58350
Vital that all Yemeni ports kept open for aid and commercial vessels, stresses UN humanitarian chief
24 December 2017 – With close to three-fourths of all people in Yemen in need of humanitarian assistance, the United Nations top relief official has underscored the need to keep all ports open to both aid and commercial vessels so that life-saving assistance reaches those in desperate need.
https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58349
Nigeria: Cholera outbreak in restive Borno state successfully contained, says UN health agency
24 December 2017 – A five-month long cholera outbreak in Nigeria's conflict-affected Borno state has been successfully contained, the United Nations health agency has announced.
https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58348
Security Council further tightens sanctions against DPR Korea
22 December 2017 – The United Nations Security Council today imposed new sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), increasing the depth of measures imposed on the country in the wake of its continued nuclear and ballistic weapons programme, including the ballistic missile launch on 28 November.
https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58345
PAGE 4: NATION
US STATE DEPT: Three Notable Nonproliferation Milestones in 2017
Blog posting 12/ 26/ 17
By Jennifer Bavisotto on December 26, 2017
Over the years, foreign policy successes ebb and flow in nonproliferation. Our victories are—at times—marked by how far we’ve moved a pebble forward. Sometimes we liken our efforts to Sisyphus, refusing to give up. But eventually, through patience, persistence and perseverance, we celebrate diplomatic achievements that have a real world impact.
Regardless of the level of success, our work in the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation continues unabated: we work every day to keep the world’s most dangerous weapons out of the hands of the most dangerous people. As we wind down 2017, we’re taking stock of our year and sharing three notable nonproliferation successes.
1. The U.S. Launched its “Pressure Campaign” Against the DPRK
Early in the year, President Trump and Secretary Tillerson announced a new, more aggressive approach toward dealing with the burgeoning crisis from North Korea. In April, Secretary Tillerson chaired a special ministerial meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the threat to international peace and security posed by the DPRK’s unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The meeting gave UN Security Council members an opportunity to discuss ways to improve implementation of UN sanctions and to show their resolve to respond to further provocations. In his remarks, Secretary Tillerson called on UN members to take three actions against the DPRK:
Isolate North Korea financially
Suspend or reduce diplomatic relations
Enforce all UN sanctions
Since the Secretary’s remarks in April, more than 20 nations have acted to restrict North Korean diplomatic activities. Several countries halted military cooperation or suspended trade relations, and the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council continue to expand.
2. The Global Health Security Agenda was extended until 2024.
In October, nearly 50 nations met in Kampala, Uganda for the Ministerial of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA)—a partnership of nations, international organizations and NGOs to help build capacity to create a world secure from infectious disease threats and elevate health security as a global priority.
GHSA launched in 2014 as a five-year initiative to increase country-level health security capacity to stop outbreaks at their source. GHSA now includes more than 60 nations all working to close gaps that allow infectious disease to take root and spread. More countries have strengthened their surveillance and laboratory capacity to diagnose dangerous pathogens. Yet there is much work to be done to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks, whether naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberate.
Our highest priority at the Kampala meeting was to get international consensus on extending GHSA for an additional five years through 2024, which would offer an opportunity for the global health security community to continue working together to enhance data sharing, preparedness planning, epidemiological and laboratory surveillance, risk assessment, and response to infectious diseases and other health threats.
Now that the GHSA has been extended, the U.S. government will continue to work with partners to strengthen the next phase of this multilateral initiative, and shape the GHSA mission and structure to reflect the current global health security environment. These important efforts will help lead us all closer to a world that is both healthier and more prosperous.
3. States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention adopted a four-year workplan.
For more than four decades, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) has embodied the norm against the use of disease as a weapon, and we are all safer because of it. That norm remains strong, as does the U.S. commitment to work with other BWC Parties to combat this threat.
At its annual Meeting of States Parties (MSP) in December 2017, countries were able to complete the unfinished work of the BWC’s Eighth Review Conference by agreeing on a new, more ambitious workplan for the next four years, leading to the next Review Conference not later than 2021. Nations came ready to negotiate, robustly supported by civil society, ready to remedy the less-than-satisfactory outcome of the BWC’s Eighth Review Conference in Geneva in November 2016. The positive outcome was based on the groundwork that Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States had laid, combined with the skillful chairmanship of Indian Ambassador Amandeep Singh Gill and a keen recognition among all States Parties of the importance of continued work to combat the threat of biological weapons. In kicking off the MSP, U.S. Special Representative for the BWC Ambassador Robert Wood said, “From adversity springs determination,” and he called upon States Parties to make good use of the second chance afforded by the MSP, and not walk away “from the opportunity to combat the threat of biological weapons.”
The work plan focuses on five distinct meetings of experts. Each meeting will have a designated chairperson. We look to this “core group” of five expert group chairpersons to help steer efforts in this rejuvenated workplan to successful outcomes.
As the life sciences rapidly evolve, it is vital that the international community cooperate to prevent the acquisition or use of biological weapons by anyone.
While these are just three of ISN’s more notable nonproliferation successes in 2017, others deserve a well-publicized shout out as well.
After many years of strong U.S. diplomatic support, the IAEA Fuel Bank opened in August 2017
India entered the Wassenaar Arrangement in December, bringing the number of countries participating in this important body to 42.
Our nuclear security partnership with China took a significant step forward in November when we conducted our first-ever bilateral scenario-based policy discussion on countering nuclear smuggling.
Looking forward to 2018, we will continue the work we do every day with our partners to disrupt WMD shipments, to prevent WMD terrorism, and to enforce UN sanctions. Maybe some of these efforts will make splashy headlines. But if they don’t, our efforts to work bilaterally, multilaterally, and in partnership with like-minded countries to prevent the proliferation of WMD will not be diminished. As long as the proliferators are at work, our efforts will continue.
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He's in your corner
Daily Bible Verse: he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Luke 2:28-32 NKJV
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Editorial note:
Readers I have decided to try doing a weekly edition instead of a daily. Saturday's seem the right time to publish since the weekly meetings are usually posted on the local governmental sites by then. So bare with me while I'm trying this out. Also my health issues seems to drain my enthusiasm a bit. Saturday's seem to be a good day to publish, so I'll try it and see how it works out for me, that way I can spend time dealing with my health issues more fully.
