Press release issued 10. 8. 19
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and leading House Democrats introduced legislation to combat foreign interference in American elections. The Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act will close loopholes that allow foreign spending in our elections, boost disclosure and transparency requirements with the inclusion of Kilmer’s Honest Ads Act, and create a duty to report illicit offers of campaign assistance from foreign nations or governments.
“Foreign interests shouldn’t be able to influence American elections, period,” said Rep. Kilmer. “With countless intelligence assessments confirming vulnerabilities in the American election system, and another election just over a year away, it’s vital that both sides of the aisle come together to take real action to fix the loopholes and protect our elections from foreign interference. I’m proud to see the Honest Ads Act included in this bill to ensure Americans know who is paying for the online ads they are seeing and to make it harder for foreign actors to use the internet to attack our democracy. Congress should take action to further protect our democracy without delay.”
“Most Americans know that foreign governments have no business interfering in our elections,” said Committee on House Administration Chairperson Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). “Instead, the Trump campaign and White House have welcomed and repeatedly solicited foreign assistance for his political activities. This behavior is unacceptable, and it is telling that the White House has gone to great lengths to hide it from the American people. The SHIELD Act will protect our elections from foreign interference by closing loopholes that allow dishonest behavior, increasing disclosure and transparency requirements, and ensuring that individuals engaging in conduct with foreign actors intending to influence the outcome of our elections will be held accountable by law.”
“Foreign adversaries attacked our elections in 2016 and they’re coming for us again in 2020,” said Congressman John Sarbanes, Chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force. “House Democrats have moved quickly to protect our democracy from foreign interference. As our first order of business, we passed H.R. 1, the For the People Act, which would modernize election infrastructure across the country, help block illicit foreign political activity online and crack down on secret foreign money and lobbying in our politics. We also swiftly passed the SAFE Act (H.R. 2722), a bill to help states upgrade and secure their voting systems. Today, we’re introducing The SHIELD Act, a bill to root out foreign influence, disinformation and interference in our elections. Senate Republicans and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell must take up these critical national security bills as soon as possible. There’s no time to waste.”
The SHIELD Act of 2019:
Creates a duty to report illicit offers of campaign assistance from foreign governments and their agents.
Helps prevent foreign interference in future elections by improving transparency of online political advertisements.
Closes loopholes that allow foreign nationals and foreign governments to spend in U.S. elections.
Restricts exchange of campaign information between candidates and foreign governments and their agents.
Prohibits deceptive practices about voting procedures.
Click here for a two-page summary of the SHIELD Act.
The SHIELD Act is sponsored by Committee on House Administration Chairperson Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and cosponsored by Representatives John P. Sarbanes (D-Md.), Chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force, Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, Stephanie N. Murphy (D-Fla.), Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Caucus, Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Susan A. Davis (D-Calif.), G. K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), Marcia L. Fudge (D-Ohio), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), A. Donald McEachin (D-Va.), and Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.).
The Honest Ads Act (H.R. 2592) is co-sponsored by 18 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the House. Companion legislation in the Senate was also introduced by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence,
The Honest Ads Act was included in H.R. 1, the For the People Act of 2019, a sweeping package of reform bills co-sponsored by Rep. Kilmer and passed by the House in March 2019. The For the People Act of 2019 aims to strengthen the voice of the American people in their democracy by making it easier to vote, ending the dominance of big money in the political process, and ensuring public officials work for the public interest.
Fife High School receives national award for fostering inclusion to support students with disabilities.
From the governor's medium page posted on 10/ 4/ 19The noise at Fife High School’s gymnasium this week was so loud that you had to yell in your neighbor’s ear just to be heard.
The student body gathered to cheer on their basketball team. And no one cared who won or lost. That’s because Fife’s Unified Basketball team is made up of students with and without disabilities, and making the student athletes feel like they belonged on the court was more important than winning.
Gov. Jay Inslee congratulated Fife High School students and educators Wednesday during a school assembly for winning a national award, saying all Washington schools need to follow Fife’s lead and embrace the spirit of inclusivity. ESPN and Special Olympics chose Fife High School as one of the top five schools in the nation that uphold the 10 national standards for student inclusion. A “unified school” is a school where students with and without disabilities play together.
“We’re celebrating together because you’ve created a school environment that is accepting of all type of talents and identities,” Inslee said. “I’m incredibly proud of this school. In your younger years, you’re becoming the kind of people that some adults still strive to be in their older years. I hope you always look for ways take care of people around you because that’s what builds strong communities.”
Now a Top 5 National Banner Unified Champion School, much of Fife High School’s inclusion efforts initially came about because of Fife senior Zoie Breland. She wanted students with disabilities to participate in sports with the rest of Fife’s student athletes. So, Breland researched what it would take to bring the Unified Sports program to Fife during her eighth grade year. She started a club, organized meetings, encouraged students to pack the stands at these sporting events, and applied for a grant from the Special Olympics to help with the program funding.
Brandon Bakke, Fife High School principal, said Fife High School is committed to the pursuit of inclusivity.
“We are not perfect, but as Special Olympics puts it, we are ‘on the right track,’” Bakke said. “We’re committed to overcoming the fear of difference and replacing it with the power of inclusion. We are a school filled with students from all walks of life, from different cultures and ethnicities, who are committed to becoming a Fife family.”
Last week, the governor asked a panel of education experts at a Results Washington meeting how to help students with disabilities succeed. While their success depends on a variety of factors, two of the most important are having supportive mentors in and outside of school, and fostering an inclusive school community.
Aaron James, college student, attended the Results Washington with his mother, Sarah, who has been an educator for 36 years. Aaron will earn his associate degree this year and plans to one day earn his bachelor’s as well. He also works part-time at Walmart. As a kindergartner at Summitview Elementary School, he signed up for karate to build up his relationships and continues the activity as an adult. He graduated from high school where he was successful in all of his general education classes with the exception of math — he got support for that one.
What sets him apart from many of his peers is that he accomplished all of this with a learning disability. Aaron told the governor that he succeeded in part because of his support network from advocates like his mother and teachers.
“They set me on a path that would lead me to success,” Aaron said. “And I believe challenges make you stronger in the long run.”
Sarah said she worked with Aaron’s teachers to find out what his issues were. Early on, Sarah had him assessed with the special education department.
“No parent ever wants a child to have a disability,” Sarah said. “It was a process. Once Aaron had a diagnosis, we met with the team and got the appropriate services. For the most part, his teachers all the way through both in the general education program and special education program were fabulous.”
That support network aligns with a gentle push for more inclusive school communities.
“It takes leadership to have a teacher in the classroom to do this but the impact on these students is enormous,” Inslee said. “Creating this culture in a school setting will set up our children with healthy support systems and help them with long-term success.”
Fostering inclusion is about creating a sense of belonging and increasing student access to high-quality instruction for students with disabilities. Cynthia Hollimon, K-12 budget assistant to the governor, said an important part of inclusion is keeping all students together when possible.
“Research has shown that students with disabilities have better outcomes academically and social-emotionally when they are educated with their peers in the regular classroom to the greatest extent possible,” Hollimon said.
Inslee has made special education a priority during his administration. He has proposed increased funding for both the special education formula provided to schools and the safety net that provides specific accommodation to students. The Legislature increased the formula last session and provided funds for professional development to increase educators’ skills in inclusive instruction.
Washington’s 2020 Teacher of the Year, Amy Campbell, fosters inclusion in her work as a special education teacher at Helen Baller Elementary School in Camas. She focuses on student’s’ strengths instead of deficits and promotes meaningful, inclusive relationships among students with and without disabilities.
Glenna Gallo — assistant superintendent of Special Education Services at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction — said while not every student can thrive in a traditional classroom, we need to acknowledge that we can do better with inclusion efforts.
“We’re seeing students removed from traditional class each year,” Gallo said. “Those students have a right to be with their peers.”
Based on post-school survey results, many students with disabilities drop out of school as a result of issues such as mental health needs, bullying, and unmet academic and behavioral needs.
Kris Hirschmann, director of transition services at the Center for Change in Transition Services at Seattle University, said the center helps collect data on students one year after they leave school. Data shows that if a student with a disability stays in school and graduates (because of support networks, an inclusive environment, a mentoring adult, etc.), then the student is more likely to move to the next growth phase of adulthood. This may include being employed, going to college, living independently and being part of their community.
“Inclusion in general education is a huge predictor of success,” Hirschmann said.
Carrie Basas is the director at the Governor’s Office at the Education Ombuds, an agency that works to reduce the opportunity gap in the K-12 system. Basas said being inclusive means celebrating all of the identities students bring to the table. She experienced the opposite of this growing up in Maryland. While she didn’t experience a mental or learning disability, she was placed in a separate program until third grade for students with disabilities because of her physical disability. It’s one reason why she didn’t feel included during her early years of school.
“We say special needs but they are really human needs,” Basas said. “I was bussed to another town to attend school in a separate program just for students with disabilities of all kinds. There was little to no differentiation in instruction based on student needs. My neighborhood school was across the street from my house. I was able to attend that school in third grade after much advocacy from my parents.”
Basas said many people were never taught how to talk about disabilities or even encouraged to learn about how they affect student peers. This ignorance can lead to disability discrimination, or ableism, which can also discourage communities to include people with disabilities.
Scott McCallum, superintendent at the Washington State School for the Blind said factors such as accessibility and inclusivity cannot be an afterthought when working with students with disabilities. In fact, these two things can’t be understated because they ultimately benefit everyone when recognized.
“Often, the most disabling aspect of being blind or visually impaired are the low expectations and limitations placed on them by others,” he said during last week’s meeting, stating that he gets emotional about this topic.
Inslee wants to explore how to increase the educator workforce for students who are visually impaired or hard of hearing, and explore ways to offer more resources to help students with disabilities stay on track with their learning and graduate.
“We know the incredible things these students are capable of and getting this type of assistance from communities is life-changing,” Inslee said. “I appreciate everyone in our schools who work to foster an inclusive, supportive environment for these students.”
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:
****************************
Afghanistan probe: ‘at least 60 civilians’ killed after US military airstrikes on alleged drug labs.
“Multiple” airstrikes by the US military on alleged methamphetamine drug labs in a remote area of western Afghanistan earlier this year, killed or injured dozens of civilians who should not have been treated as military targets, the UN said on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1048851
DR Congo political leaders urged to support ‘winds of change’
Recent positive trends could help transform the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) into a stable country, the head of the UN operation there told the Security Council on Wednesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1048891
Alarming number of women mistreated during childbirth, new UN health agency figures show
More than a third of women surveyed across four lower-income countries, reported being mistreated during childbirth, a new study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1048842
UN chief urges ‘maximum restraint’ following policy shift over northeastern Syria
The UN chief on Tuesday expressed “great concern” over recent policy statements made regarding northeastern Syria, following the announcement from the United States at the start of the week, that it would withdraw troops from the area close to the border with Turkey.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1048812
Dangerous nationalism’ seriously threatens efforts to tackle statelessness: UNHCR chief
Hate speech and misguided nationalism present a serious threat to efforts to tackle statelessness, despite growing public awareness of the problem, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said on Monday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/10/1048722
***********************************************************
IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION:
PAGE 2
Cantwell, Colleagues Press Trump Administration to Protect Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions
PAGE 3
AG FERGUSON’S INITIATIVE TO END NO-POACH CLAUSES NATIONWIDE REACHES 100 CORPORATE CHAINS.
PAGE 4
Ecology finds application incomplete for Kalama methanol project.
PAGE 5
USDA Announces $16.2 Million to Support Socially Disadvantaged and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers
PAGE 6
Cantwell Pushes FTC for Information on Facebook Settlement.
PAGE 7
DNR Releases New Maps to Help Residents Walk to Tsunami Safety.
NEWS STORY COMMENTARY: TRUMP GAVE A GREAT SPEECH IN Minneapolis, MN.
You wouldn't know that from the headlines of the Democrat press.
YOU TUBE: Gerry Rafferty - Right Down the Line
