https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/sen-cantwell-announces-grant-to-bolster-economic-development-for-cowlitz-wahkiakum-counties
Cantwell-backed program will fund implementation of new strategy to diversify, strengthen the county economies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments has been awarded an Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to implement a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) for the region.
The grant contributes $70,000 to the $140,000 CEDS project, which establishes a roadmap for private and public sector collaboration to create economic development that strengthens and diversifies the regional economy, supports private investments, and creates jobs in the region.
“This grant is critical to helping provide the vision that Cowlitz and Wahkiakum counties need to continue to create sustainable jobs and spur diverse economic development,” said Cantwell, a member of the Senate Small Business Committee. “Creating strong private and public partnerships will help the region find new and innovative ways to increase job growth and economic opportunity.”
Senator Cantwell has been an ardent supporter of EDA grants during her career in the Senate. She consistently supports the program during the appropriations process, ensuring that strong economic development projects throughout the country receive the necessary funding.
Cantwell, Murray, Colleagues File Amicus Brief Challenging FCC’s Net Neutrality Repeal
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-murray-colleagues-file-amicus-brief-challenging-fccs-net-neutrality-repealPress release issued 8/ 28/ 18
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) joined 25 of their Senate colleagues and 76 members of the U.S. House of Representatives to file an amicus brief with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to eliminate net neutrality rules. The FCC’s December 2017 decision repealed the 2015 Open Internet Order, which established net neutrality by categorizing broadband internet access as a telecommunications service and prohibiting Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from engaging in discriminatory practices, such as blocking or throttling online content and establishing internet fast and slow lanes.
“The FCC’s reclassification decision in its 2017 Order is based entirely in the misuse of language,” the members of Congress wrote in their brief. “It is divorced from the practical realities that supported the FCC’s 2015 classification decision. And it leads immediately to absurd results. It is an abuse of discretion which this Court should overturn.”
In the brief, the members of Congress argue that under the plain language of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, internet providers offer a telecommunications service. Congress also intended that the definition of “telecommunications service” be applicable to changing technologies and markets on a technologically-neutral and forward-looking basis. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals previously upheld the Open Internet Order in 2016.
Both Cantwell and Murray have been leaders in the Senate to establish and protect net neutrality and equal access to the internet. Cantwell was an early advocate for the FCC to protect net neutrality and used her position on the Commerce Committee to keep continuous pressure on the Commission during the drafting and implementation of the Open Internet Order and net neutrality rules. Both Cantwell and Murray urged the FCC to delay the net neutrality vote pending its impact on students and schools. Additionally, after the FCC repealed the 2015 Open Internet Order, Cantwell – joined by Murray – led passage of a Congressional Review Act resolution to restore net neutrality protections and has called on the House of Representatives to do the same.
🌎WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:
From the UN NEWS CENTER AND OTHER SOURCES.
As conflicts become more complex, ‘mediation is no longer an option; it is a necessity’, UN chief tells Security Council
As war and the mediation of peace have become increasingly complex, innovative thinking is needed to save and improve the lives of millions, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1018012
UN rights office calls for action to end ‘repression and retaliation’ in crisis-torn Nicaragua
The United Nations on Wednesday called for urgent action to address the human rights crisis in Nicaragua, where “repression and retaliation against demonstrators continue … as the world looks away.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017992
Nuclear test ban treaty critical to global collective security – UN chief
Every effort should be made to bring a global treaty into force that prevents more countries from developing nuclear weapons, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017972
Syria: UN chief warns Idlib offensive may set off ‘humanitarian catastrophe’
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the growing risk of a humanitarian catastrophe should a full-scale military operation take place in Syria’s war-battered Idlib province.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1018002
UN envoy says he ‘is ready to go to Idlib’ to help ensure civilian safety amid rising fears of government offensive
A massive military escalation by the Government of Syria to retake Idlib risks a “worst case scenario”, United Nations negotiator Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1018042
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Cantwell, Colleagues Urge FCC to Maintain Focus on Maternal Health in Telehealth Pilot Program
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/-cantwell-colleagues-urge-fcc-to-maintain-focus-on-maternal-health-in-telehealth-pilot-programPress release issued 8/ 27/ 18
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, joined a group of her colleagues from the Committee in urging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to maintain focus on maternal health as the FCC moves forward with its proposed Connected Care pilot program. This pilot would support access to care using telehealth. The letter comes after the FCC released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) on supporting access to health care through telehealth in the Connected Care pilot program.
“Telehealth can potentially offer critical and cost-effective solutions to pregnant women, as some of the most common pregnancy-related complications can be avoided with routine monitoring and medical care,” the senators wrote to Chairman Pai. “As the FCC moves forward with this pilot program, we request that you maintain the focus on maternal health in the NOI. We also encourage you to work with the Department of Health and Human Services to identify best practices for positive outcomes for mothers and babies by using safe, effective telehealth applications and devices in the Connected Care pilot program.”
The senators emphasized the importance of telehealth to rural and low-income communities across the country and reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that such communities have access to the care they need.
“Getting additional resources to rural and low-income communities is crucial to solving our nation’s most pressing health care challenges, including for mothers and babies,” the senators concluded. “Telehealth services can provide an innovative way for individuals to access care, and we look forward to working with you to help connect our most vulnerable populations to the care they need.”
Kilmer talks trade, tariffs in Aberdeen
Congressman Derek Kilmer was in Aberdeen Wednesday to speak to local manufacturers about the impacts of the escalating trade wars and the uncertainty of tariffs on their businesses.---Congressman Kilmer shared news story, from Daily World.
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/in-the-news/kilmer-talks-trade-tariffs-in-aberdeen
🌎More World News Headlines...
Deadly swine fever threatens Asia, UN agriculture agency warns, urging regional collaboration
The rapid onset of the deadly African Swine Fever (ASF) in China has been detected in areas a thousand kilometres apart – posing an imminent threat to other Asian countries, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Tuesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/08/1017932
From the US Mission to the UN:
Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Mediation and Settlement of Disputes
"In August of 2012, Mr. Annan spoke to the press about his work as Special Envoy for Syria. Reflecting on his task, he said, “I accepted this task, which some called ‘Mission Impossible’ – for I believed it was a sacred duty to do whatever was in my power to help the Syrian people find a peaceful solution to this bloody conflict.”
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8562
Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Situation in Burma
" The United States, the United Kingdom, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru, and others have worked to keep the Security Council’s focus on the atrocities in Burma. We have worked to hold the Burmese security forces accountable. Many of us have heard the accounts of victims first hand. We’ve seen the sprawling refugee camps. And we’ve seen the bulldozed areas where villages once stood. We’ve seen where innocent human beings were raped, murdered, and burned alive for no other reason than their religious and ethnic identity."
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8560
Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in Syria
" The United States takes seriously the warnings from Special Envoy de Mistura and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator that a military operation in Idlib and surrounding areas would not only endanger the lives of many of the more than three million civilians sheltering there, but would also severely interfere with humanitarian partners’ ability to deliver life-saving assistance."
https://usun.state.gov/remarks/8559
US STATE DEPT: Foundation for Defense of Democracies' National Security Summit
Special Representative Hook (Aug. 28): "Secretary Pompeo and President Trump are fully committed to our strategy of pressure on the regime, deterrence from bad behavior, and support for the Iranian people. ... Nothing less than the security of the American people, and a brighter future for the Iranian people is at stake."
https://www.state.gov/s/p/rem/2018/285523.htm
PAGE 3
Senator Murray: “President Trump and his Administration are so passionate about attacking women’s access to health care that they literally can’t wait to get moving on it. Shortening these grants is a gimmick, plain and simple…”
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=6768E091-01E8-4CC0-B810-D65348B3624F
Press release issued 8/ 30/ 18
(Washington, D.C.) –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released the following statement on news that the Trump Administration plans to announce Title X funding grants for FY 2018 for a six-month grant cycle instead of a year-long cycle as has been the case in past years.
“President Trump and his Administration are so passionate about attacking women’s access to health care that they literally can’t wait to get moving on it. Shortening these grants is a gimmick, plain and simple—and it’s all about moving as quickly as possible to undermine health care access for millions of people and to gag providers from discussing the full range of reproductive care options with patients. Families across the country, and the providers that help them get the care they need, deserve better, and I’m going to fight this gimmick and keep fighting for them.”
The decision to end the grant cycle earlier than usual will open the door for the Trump Administration to more quickly implement changes it recently proposed to the Title X family planning program that will dramatically restrict the program and implement a domestic gag rule that will prevent providers from discussing patients’ full range of reproductive care options with them.
Senator Murray has previously criticized the Administration’s proposed changes to the Title X program, led 44 of her Democratic colleagues in submitting a comment opposing them, and recently sent a letter pressing the Trump Administration to provide any information, analyses, and evaluations it has conducted in regard to its proposed changes.
Senator Murray: Allow Working Families to See Trump Supreme Court Nominee’s Full Record of Undermining Workers’ Rights
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=AA136FD5-919D-486B-92E3-A5C03201C256
Press release issued 8/ 27/ 18
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, sent a letter today to Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, requesting that he make President Trump’s Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s record public so that Senators and working families can fully understand his anti-worker, anti-union views.
“I am writing to request that you release all records relating to Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s employment in the Executive Branch, especially considering the importance of shedding more light on Judge Kavanaugh’s concerning perspective on workers’ rights,” wrote Senator Murray. “Throughout his career on the bench, Judge Kavanaugh has displayed an alarming hostility toward workers—often writing separately from his colleagues to attack workers’ rights to unionize and bargain collectively with their employers.”
Because Judge Kavanaugh’s rulings make it clear that he is willing to put corporations and management ahead of workers and their rights, Senator Murray is requesting that all records related to Judge Kavanaugh’s time in the Bush White House be made public. During his tenure at the White House, the Bush Administration took many steps to undermine workers’ rights, including cutting worker safety rules, fighting against collective bargaining rights for federal workers, and suspending fair wage protections for workers after Hurricane Katrina.
🗽NATIONAL HEADLINES
WHITE HOUSE: Remarks by President Trump at Grant Announcement for Drug-Free Communities Support Program
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-grant-announcement-drug-free-communities-support-program/
WHITE HOUSE: Presidential Message on the 55th Anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “I Have a Dream” Speech
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/presidential-message-55th-anniversary-reverend-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-dream-speech/
DOD: U.S.-India Meeting Seeks to Deepen Cooperation
WASHINGTON --
Next week’s “two-plus-two” meeting of defense and diplomatic leaders in New Delhi will seek to deepen cooperation between India and the United States and bolster programs and policies to maintain the free and independent Indo-Pacific region that has been in place since World War II, the assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs said today.
https://dod.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1616137/us-india-meeting-seeks-to-deepen-cooperation/
Justice Department Settles Immigration-Related Discrimination Claim Against International Law Firm
The Justice Department today announced that it reached a settlement agreement with Clifford Chance US LLP, a large, international law firm with its U.S. headquarters located in New York. This agreement resolves the Department’s investigation into whether the law firm engaged in hiring discrimination by refusing to consider work-authorized non-U.S. citizens and dual citizens to staff a client project, in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-settles-immigration-related-discrimination-claim-against-international-law
Secretary DeVos Announces Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced today more than $63 million in new federal assistance for 47 institutions of higher education under the Emergency Assistance to Institutions of Higher Education program. The program provides funding to institutions and their students in areas directly affected by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, or Maria or the 2017 California wildfires
https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/secretary-devos-announces-emergency-assistance-institutions-higher-education
PAGE 4
Senator Murray Urges Education Secretary DeVos to Abandon Proposal to Use Taxpayer Dollars to Arm Teachers
https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ID=CCE87002-C610-4026-B268-6D3683F345B9Press release issued 8/ 30/ 18
(Washington, D.C.) – Led by U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), top Democrat on the Senate education committee, 44 Senate Democrats sent a letter to Secretary DeVos condemning her reported plans to allow states and school districts use federal funds to purchase firearms and firearm trainings for teachers and other school staff. The grants Secretary DeVos is considering using were created in the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and are intended to keep students safe and healthy, provide a well-rounded education, and help school districts more effectively use education technology. The letter follows Senator Murray’s vocal opposition to Secretary DeVos’ inaction to address the growing problem of gun violence in the nation’s schools.
“This plan runs counter to the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act and will make our schools more dangerous, and our students less safe,” wrote the Senators. “We urge you to abandon this proposal immediately, deny state and school district requests to use federal funds for this purpose, and instead work with us and other stakeholders to focus on other efforts that enhance student safety and prevent violence.”
If Secretary DeVos goes through with this plan, the New York Times reports it would be the first time a federal agency authorized the purchase of weapons without a Congressional mandate. Just a few months ago, Congress once again reiterated this position by preventing federal funds from being used to purchase firearms or firearms training in the bipartisan Stop School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training program.
“Students across the country deserve to learn in an environment that is safe and free of weapons. Introducing more guns into schools and classrooms is likely to lead to more, not less, violence. Reports of an unintentional firing in a classroom and even a gun being left in an elementary school bathroom illustrate the very real dangers to our children of arming teachers and other school staff,” continued the Senators.
🗽MORE NATIONAL HEADLINES
New CDC analysis shows steep and sustained increases in STDs in recent years
Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the United States in 2017, according to preliminary data released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the National STD Prevention Conference in Washington, D.C. This surpassed the previous record set in 2016 by more than 200,000 cases and marked the fourth consecutive year of sharp increases in these sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0828-increases-in-stds.html
HUD AWARDS $23 MILLION TO RENEW SUPPORT TO 22 LOCAL HIV-AIDS HOUSING PROGRAMS
Funding offers stable housing for individuals and families at risk of homelessness
https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_18_092
Secretary Zinke Will Lead U.S. Delegation to the 30th Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru
Will also make stops and meet with leaders in Papua New Guinea, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-zinke-will-lead-us-delegation-30th-pacific-islands-forum-nauru
EPA selects UVM and State Agriculture College for $100,000 environmental education grant
(BOSTON August 29, 2018) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected the University of Vermont and State Agriculture College for a $100,000 Environmental Education grant to enhance environmental literacy for future farmers. UVM and State Agriculture College was selected through a competitive process as one of 37 entities to receive this funding nationwide.
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-selects-uvm-and-state-agriculture-college-100000-environmental-education-grant
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., on FDA’s support for exempting coffee from California’s cancer warning law.
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm618883.htm
PAGE 5
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross Meets with President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, Announces Over $850 Million in U.S.-Kenya Commercial Deals and Engagements
https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2018/08/us-secretary-commerce-wilbur-ross-meets-president-kenya-uhuru-kenyatta
Press release issued 8/ 29/ 18
On August 27, 2018, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, along with four other senior U.S. Government officials and 30 U.S. business executives, met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and announced over $850 million in public and private commercial deals and engagements. For details, please see the U.S.-Kenya Commercial Announcements Fact Sheet.
The meeting was hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding and focused on the opportunities for expanding trade and investment between the United States and Kenya.
“Kenya is open for business, and all we want to do is package our partnership in a way that it is mutually beneficial to you as a private sector and the people of Kenya,” President Kenyatta said during the meeting.
Secretary Ross underscored the value of partnering with American companies and the United States Government by saying, “When you do business with American companies, you start a virtuous cycle of success on both sides of the Atlantic. You can be assured that there are no back-door deals, and no shady financing. The U.S. government is supporting U.S. companies as they seek to expand their engagements with your country. You have a true partner in the United States.”
The $850 million in deals and engagements announced includes the intention of the U.S. Government and Government of Kenya to collaborate on a $500 million project to develop a nationwide integrated digital information and communications technology infrastructure for the Government of Kenya. The collaboration will involve engaging and supporting American companies to provide the project solutions. This will be the first project for intended collaboration under the auspices of the new Kenya-U.S. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to focus joint efforts by the governments on developing infrastructure and priority projects to support President Kenyatta’s “Big Four” development agenda. The MOU was signed during the June 2018 visit to Kenya of members of the U.S. President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA), which was led by Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Gilbert Kaplan.
Other U.S. Government announcements include three investments by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to support food security ($5 million loan to Twiga Foods), affordable housing ($50 million loan to Acorn Housing), and renewable energy ($233 loan to Kipeto Energy) in Kenya, along with new initiatives by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency to improve Kenyan public procurement practices and connect American private sector solutions providers with Kenyan authorities seeking to improve emergency management systems.
Private sector announcements include Boeing’s $46 million deal with Kenya Airways to provide spare parts and on-demand servicing, Kenya Komposites’ $15 million investment to establish a manufacturing facility in Kenya for housing and infrastructure construction materials, and Kentegra’s $4 million investment to revitalize Kenya’s pyrethrum sector.
Combined with the announcement that Kenya Airways will soon launch non-stop direct flights between Nairobi and New York City, the commercial successes announced today build on the enhanced commercial engagement between the United States and Kenya that was ushered in via the June 2018 PAC-DBIA visit to Kenya. With the signing of $100 million in deals and the new Kenya-U.S. MOU during that trip, Secretary Ross referred to it as “a clear signal of our commitment to being a strong, long-term, and stable partner in Kenya’s economic development,” a signal that has been amplified via President Kenyatta’s visit to the United States.
💸In other business and finance news headlines...
Tax Security 101: Security Summit reminds professional tax preparers of data security plan requirements
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service and Security Summit partners reminded tax professionals that protecting taxpayer information isn’t just good for the clients and good for business – it’s also the law.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-security-101-security-summit-reminds-professional-tax-preparers-of-data-security-plan-requirements
USDA Announces Details of Assistance for Farmers Impacted by Unjustified Retaliation
(Washington, D.C., August 27, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced details of actions the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation by foreign nations.
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2018/08/27/usda-announces-details-assistance-farmers-impacted-unjustified
Federal Reserve Board issues interim final rule expanding the applicability of the Board's small bank holding company policy statement
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/bcreg20180828a.htm
FTC Seeks Public Comments on Proposal to Rescind Nursery Guides
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comments on a proposal to rescind its Guides for the Nursery Industry (Nursery Guides) as part of its systematic review of all current FTC rules and guides.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/08/ftc-seeks-public-comments-proposal-rescind-nursery-guides
Federal, State and Local Leaders and Experts Announce Results of Forest Watch, a Public Lands Marijuana Grow Eradication and Reclamation Project
Today, federal, state, and local leaders joined with experts to announce the results of Operation Forest Watch, a coordinated effort to address the devastating damage done to our national forests by illegal, public-land marijuana grows. This months-long effort, led by U.S. Forest Service and joined by various federal, state, county and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the California National Guard, focused on the eradication of marijuana grows on public lands and sought to remediate the environmental damage caused by such activity.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/federal-state-and-local-leaders-and-experts-announce-results-forest-watch-public-lands
PAGE 6
Washington ranked the best state to work
Oxfam America study ranks Washington best state — second only to D.C. — based on wage policies, worker protections, workers’ rights Washington is the best state for workers, according to a ranking released today by Oxfam America. The organization based its findings on wages, worker protections and workers’ rights in all 50 states and the nation’s capital — and only the District of Columbia had the Evergreen State beat.
https://medium.com/wagovernor/washington-ranked-the-best-state-to-work-4bed057ef20d
The state’s new paid family and medical leave program played an important part in securing Washington’s spot in the Best States to Work Index.
Last year, Washington passed the landmark bipartisan legislation, becoming the fifth state in the nation to get a paid family leave program, providing some of the most progressive benefits in the nation. Washington’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program will provide everyone in the workforce with up to 12 weeks of paid medical leave to care for their own serious health condition and up to 12 weeks of paid time off to care for a new child or an ailing family member.
Oxfam, an organization that aims to end poverty, also gave high marks to Washington state for not having a so-called “right to work” law similar to those that have weakened unions in other states. And the organization noted that Washington has rules to ensure equal pay, accommodations for pregnant workers, and sexual harassment protections, as well as laws that prohibit pay secrecy in the workplace.
According to the report, a correlation exists between top states for workers and states with better economic and social indicators, including higher median incomes, lower infant mortality rates and longer life expectancies.
Washington consistently appears at the top of favorable rankings, especially those related to economic opportunity.
Last year, CNBC named Washington the Top State for Business. This year, WalletHub listed Washington as the state with the best economy. And, Washington is in the top 10 of U.S. News & World Report’s Best States ranking.
“While Washington has enacted ground-breaking policies related to wages and benefits for workers, there’s still more to do to ensure all worker share in our state’s economic prosperity and that we put economic security within reach for every Washingtonian,” Inslee said.
The Oxfam report highlighted areas for improvement for Washington, including passing laws to accommodate breastfeeding mothers at work, regulating split-shift pay, restricting access to salary history during hiring, and further increasing the state’s minimum wage.
Across the nation, no state has a “minimum wage that exceeds even half of a living wage for a family of four,” according to the report. “The federal minimum wage has been stuck at the poverty level of $7.25 for nearly 10 years. In this eroding climate, states are making moves to keep workers and their families out of poverty, and to give them a decent chance.”
The minimum wage in Washington is $11.50 an hour, but it will rise to $13.50 an hour by 2020. Starting in 2021, the minimum wage will increase along with the rate of inflation. Local governments also can pass higher minimum wages, such as Seattle’s $15 an hour ordinance.
In other state related news...
COURT ORDERS ESTATE-PLANNING COMPANY TO IMMEDIATELY HALT DECEPTIVE “TRUST MILL” PRACTICES
CLA Estate Services, Inc. and CLA USA, Inc. made millions deceptively selling estate-planning services, annuities in a scheme targeting Washington seniors
https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/court-orders-estate-planning-company-immediately-halt-deceptive-trust-mill
DOE: Researchers pursue pools of cool water to support salmon
The saying "still waters run deep" doesn’t apply to the Yakima River. Especially this summer, where still waters run shallow and hot. As flows declined and air temperatures hovered at 100 degrees, water temperatures near Prosser mirrored those on coastal Hawaii.
https://ecologywa.blogspot.com/2018/08/floating-yakima-river-with-purpose.html
Fish and Wildlife Commission revises, proposed license fee increase.
OLYMPIA – The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is proposing a 15-percent boost in recreational hunting and fishing license fees for 2019, with caps on the increase for people who buy multiple licenses in "bundled" packages.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/aug2818d/
WDFW authorizes transfer of, Atlantic salmon into net pens.
OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has authorized Cooke Aquaculture to transport about 800,000 juvenile Atlantic salmon from the company's hatchery in Rochester, Wash., to existing net-pen facilities in Puget Sound.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/news/aug2818c/
DNR Announces First Good Neighbor Timber Sale
Harvest aimed at speeding up pace of restoring health of Washington’s forests
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has awarded its first Good Neighbor Authority restoration timber harvest sale. Colville-based Vaagen Brothers Lumber, Inc. was the successful bidder Tuesday for a project that will reduce hazardous timber overgrowth on 604 acres of forest in the Colville National Forest.
https://www.dnr.wa.gov/news/dnr-announces-first-good-neighbor-timber-sale
Supreme Court’s I-940 decision allows ballot printing to proceed.
OLYMPIA — In the wake of last week’s ruling on Initiative 1639, the Washington Supreme Court has issued another ruling that clears the way for ballots and voters’ pamphlets to be printed and delivered in time for November’s General Election.
https://www.sos.wa.gov/office/news-releases.aspx#/news/1312
LOCAL & REGIONAL MEETING AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS.
Clallam County Commission meetings:
Clallam County work session meeting for 9/ 4/ 18
http://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=1122
Agenda highlight:
Discussion on letter from the City of Sequim dated August 29, 2018 regarding the BOCC letter dated July 10, 2018 notice of intent to terminate interlocal criminal justice service agreement
County Commission regular session for 9/ 4/ 18
http://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=391
Agenda highlight:
Agreement with Department of Ecology for the Shorelands National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program
JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSON AGENDA for 9/ 4/ 18
https://media.avcaptureall.com/session.html?sessionid=e1c482e8-5e4e-430a-ab7a-fee1d32a33c0&prefilter=845,5958
Agenda highlight:
AGREEMENT re: 2018 Summer Homeless Shelter; In the Amount of $75,000; Jefferson County Administrator; Olympic Community Action Programs (OlyCAP)
City of Port Angeles for 9/ 4/ 18
http://wa-portangeles.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/5956/Final-Packet-09042018
Agenda highlight:
2018 Landfill Beach Nourishment, Project No. CON 2018-29 Final Acceptance
Bruch & Bruch Construction Inc., Port Angeles, WA, completed the 2018 Landfill Beach Nourishment project. The work was inspected and accepted as complete with the final project costs amounting to $30,784.71. A 5% retainage has been held for the project.
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🕂He's in your corner
WEEKLY BIBLE VERSE: Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.---Proverbs 22:6 NIV
Weekly Bible Study
The Purpose of Life: Our Reason for Living
Did you know that you can accomplish in your life the highest goal that any person could ever achieve? Many people in our society feel that their lives are empty, with no real sense of fulfillment or purpose. Do you feel this way?---Gospel Way
Free bible studies (WBS)
Learn english using the bible as text (WEI)
(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)
👲Riddle Genie
last week's question: A small defenseless animal lays on the ground in the heat of the sun. Suddenly, it is pulled up and beaten with sticks. The animal’s body is broken, but no one is punished for the crime. Why not?
Last week's answer: It was a pinata.
New Question: You are coming back from a vacation. You want to go to village A. People from Village A always tell the truth, never lie. People from Village B always lie and never tell the truth. So, you come across two paths one leads to village A and the other leads to village B. You don't know which is which. A person comes from behind you. You don't know whether he is from village A or B. What can you ask him to choose the right path to village A?
Answer next week!
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