Press release issued 12.11.20
Senator Murray: “As a voice for our servicemembers, veterans, and military families in Washington state and across the country, I will continue working to ensure their needs, and the needs of our country in this moment, are met”
(Washington, D.C.) — U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released the following statement in response to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA) passing the Senate by a vote of 84-13. Senator Murray voted in favor of the bill.
“I’m glad that the Senate and House were able to come together on a bill that takes some important steps to support our brave servicemembers at home and abroad, continues the fight against sexual assault in the military, begins reckoning with our nation’s history of racial injustice in the military, and authorizes additional funding for military child care centers.
“There is no question, however, that we have much more work ahead of us to ensure every one of our servicemembers and military families can trust their country will honor their sacrifices. We need to ensure members of the transgender community who want to serve their country are able to do so, that all our servicemembers and their families have a fair shot at accessing retirement benefits they’ve earned, and that we address the growing issue of food insecurity for military families. Additionally, we have more to do to stop weapons of war and federal law enforcement from being used against Americans exercising their First Amendment rights.
“As a voice for our servicemembers, veterans, and military families in Washington state and across the country, I will continue working to ensure their needs, and the needs of our country in this moment, are met.”
Senator Murray is a former chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and a longtime advocate for veterans and those actively serving in the military, working to bolster federal support for military child care center construction and other critical services for servicemembers and military families. This summer, Senator Murray also introduced legislation to improve financial security and access to retirement benefits for military families, and cosponsored amendments to the NDAA to end President Trump’s hateful transgender service ban, rename Confederacy-inspired military basses and assets, stop the transfer of tear gas and other military equipment to police departments, and block federal law enforcement from occupying American cities.
Cantwell Touts Wins for Washington, Environment, Coast Guard as Final NDAA Bill Passes the Senate
Legislation formally authorizes six icebreakers, three of which Coast Guard intends to homeport in Seattle.
Press release issued 12.11.20
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) authored and helped secure a number of provisions to help Washington state, protect the environment, and support Coast Guard members and their families in the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021, which passed the Senate today by a vote of 84-13. Cantwell’s Coast Guard Reauthorization Act, which was passed by the Senate Commerce Committee last July and is included in this year’s final NDAA, formally authorizes six polar icebreakers (three of which the Coast Guard intends to homeport in Seattle), establishes new protections for Southern resident orcas, strengthens oil spill prevention measures, and enacts provisions to protect the environment and promote the recruitment and retention of women in the Coast Guard. The NDAA passed the House of Representatives earlier this week by a vote of 335-78.
Provisions Cantwell helped secure as part of the Coast Guard Reauthorization Act will:
Authorize six icebreakers and advance U.S. Arctic leadership
The legislation authorizes three heavy icebreakers that the Coast Guard intends to homeport in Seattle. It also formally authorizes three additional icebreakers for the first time, for a total of six icebreakers.
Building the icebreaker fleet will help improve American competitiveness in the Arctic. Shipping via the Northern Sea route can decrease shipping transit times by as much as two weeks. Icebreakers in Seattle ensure that the State of Washington continues to play a leadership role in Arctic exploration, trade, security, and environmental protection.
“The reality is, there is a race on for the Arctic passageway, and we need to be ready,” Senator Cantwell said. “This formal authorization of six polar icebreakers will send a strong message to the rest of the world: the United States is showing up in the Arctic. And with three of the icebreakers homeported in Seattle, this is a big win for the State of Washington and an opportunity for us to continue to pave the way in Arctic exploration, scientific research, and protecting our nation’s foreign policy interests.”
Protect Southern resident orcas
The legislation requires the Coast Guard to work with the State of Washington, Tribes, and others to establish a pilot program modeled after the ECHO Program in British Columbia to reduce impacts of vessel noise from large shipping traffic on Southern resident orcas. NOAA research indicates that vessel noise is a significant risk factor facing Southern residents. This program will bring the Coast Guard, NOAA, our ports and Tribes together to develop a program to reduce vessel noise in Puget Sound. More information is available HERE.
It also requires the Coast Guard to increase the enforcement of orca protection regulations and policies, such as small vessel traffic buffer zones, speed reduction, boater education and no go zones in Puget Sound to protect orcas. The 2018 Soundwatch annual report found that when Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife enforcement vessels are present, orca-related vessel violations decrease. By building the enforcement activity with the Coast Guard, the hope is that interactions between vessel traffic and orcas will continue to be reduced.
Improve oil spill prevention and research
The legislation codifies a number of recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to reduce the risk of vessel accidents and oil spills and improve vessel safety. Specifically, the bill improves coordination and operations of Vessel Traffic Service Centers, which act similar to air traffic control for some of America’s busiest waterways, including Seattle.
The bill amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which was put in place after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, to direct the Coast Guard to lead and revitalize interagency efforts to coordinate oil spill research and response technology development. The evaluation must include research on oil sands, or heavy class oils, which current oil spill technology is not able to sufficiently clean up in the event of a spill. The Coast Guard would also be required to coordinate with the National Academy of Sciences to complete this report every 10 years to ensure the most up-to-date science is applied to our oil spill response framework.
It also requires research and technology evaluations for all classes of oil, including heavy oils, to ensure the Coast Guard and other agencies have the knowledge and technology necessary to clean up tar sands oil.
Improve commercial fishing safety
The bill also includes a Cantwell-authored provision to improve the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Advisory Committee and increase the frequency of committee meetings. The Committee’s purpose is to ensure representatives from the fishing industry, boat building industry and safety advocates have the ability evaluate fishing vessel safety issues, review fishing vessel accidents and provide recommendations to the Coast Guard to reduce vessel accidents and improve safety at sea.
These provisions are in response to repeated requests from Washington state fishermen to Congress to ensure that their voices are heard, as numerous recommendations from the Committee have not resulted in meaningful action from the Coast Guard.
Ensure tsunami safety
The legislation requires a study and recommendations needed to plan tsunami vertical evacuation infrastructure for Coast Guard members and their families stationed in Grays Harbor, as well as to understand the evacuation needs of the surrounding Grays Harbor community. This is particularly important as that the Coast Guard unit is located in an inundation area that would be impacted by a Cascadia Subduction Zone Tsunami.
Speaking on the Senate floor about this legislation on Tuesday, Senator Cantwell said: “And so I hope that my colleagues will look favorably on this legislation. We all know how important the Coast Guard is to—we all know how important the Coast Guard is to our nation, and an example of that ice-breaking capacity, but there are other aspects of this Coast Guard bill that we're also proud of. Making sure that it works more robustly with fishermen on fishing safety, do more to examine the impacts of tar sands, to make sure that our orca population is saved from noise impact, and further reducing that impact on our orca population.”
Support Coast Guard women and families
It makes significant improvements to the Coast Guard policies needed to recruit, retain, and invest in women in the Coast Guard. A 2019 report titled Why Do Women Leave the Coast Guard, and What Can Be Done to Encourage Them to Stay? made a number of recommendations to help improve retention of women in the Coast Guard. The bill requires the Commandant implement these recommendations.
The bill creates two new advisory boards to support women throughout their Coast Guard careers, from the academy to leadership. Both advisory boards would bring recommendations to support women serving in the Coast Guard directly to the Commandant to ensure women’s voices are heard.
The legislation requires the Coast Guard to create a public strategy to improve leadership development and improve the culture of inclusion and diversity in the Coast Guard. The bill also includes a number of reforms to improve diversity and inclusion at the Coast Guard Academy.
It also creates new programs and resources to improve access to child care for Coast Guard families, which women have identified as a key barrier to long-term success in the Coast Guard.
The bill establishes a public-private partnership pilot program to expand access to childcare facilities for Coast Guard children in underserved areas.
The bill also establishes procedures to enable more Coast Guard family child care centers to be established in off base housing, creating entrepreneurship opportunities for interested spouses as well as additional childcare options for Coast Guard families.
Senator Cantwell has worked to improve access to medical care for Coast Guard members and families, especially for members serving in remote locations. This directs the Government Accountability Office to do a thorough analysis to identify access barriers to medical care for all Coast Guard members and families, especially members stationed in remote areas.
In her Senate floor speech, Cantwell highlighted the impact these reforms could have on women serving in the Coast Guard: “[We are] Instituting new reforms within the Coast Guard to really help and empower women… and to make sure that they have what they need, [including] vital child care opportunities for Coast Guard families. And to make sure there is zero tolerance in the approach to any kind of sexual assault or sexual harassment.”
IN OTHER STATE NEWS:
COVID-19 trends uncertain following increased activity before Thanksgiving
OLYMPIA – Today the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report on COVID-19 transmission. Because people’s decisions about whether to get tested or seek healthcare tend to change around holidays, case and hospitalization data over the week of Thanksgiving may not accurately represent disease activity. Therefore, the report uses data with a longer than usual lag time and reflects considerable uncertainty in the current situation.
$10 million in pot seized at illegal grow operation, Washington cops say. Look inside--Bellingham Herald
Outdoor dining anchors some restaurants around Puget Sound
For some, serving customers on sidewalks and in the street has been a way to stay in business.--Everett Herald
https://www.heraldnet.com/business/outdoor-dining-anchors-some-restaurants-around-puget-sound/
Hundreds of reports on businesses violating COVID rules flood Washington agencies daily--The Olympian
https://www.theolympian.com/news/state/washington/article247770970.html#storylink=topdigest_latest
IN OTHER HEADLINE NEWS
WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:
Live coverage of the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, an important step forward in the battle against the climate crisis, with several major economies announcing new commitments to cut their carbon footprints and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.---UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079862
World must invest in strong health systems that protect everyone — now and into the future
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed just how important it is for all countries to have strong health systems that provide the entire population with quality services when and where they need them, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has stressed.--UN NEWS CENTER
https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/12/1079902
General Assembly Adopts 34 Draft Resolutions, Decisions from Fourth Committee, Including Texts on Middle East, Decolonization, Information Questions
Upon the recommendation of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), the General Assembly adopted 34 draft resolutions and 3 draft decisions today, on questions ranging from the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict and decolonization to the effects of atomic radiation and the peaceful uses of outer space.--UN PRESS RELEASE
https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/ga12299.doc.htm
Joint Statement on the Human Rights Situation in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(The following is a joint statement delivered by the Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of the German Mission to the United Nations, on behalf of Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.)---USUN
NATIONAL.
Justice Department Files Statement of Interest in Michigan Religious Schools' Challenge to COVID-19 Closing Order
Constitution Requires State to Justify Why Exemptions for Trade and Technical Instruction and College Sports Cannot Be Extended to Religious Instruction--DOJ
FDA Takes Key Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing Emergency Use Authorization for First COVID-19 Vaccine
Action Follows Thorough Evaluation of Available Safety, Effectiveness, and Manufacturing Quality Information by FDA Career Scientists, Input from Independent Experts
Trump Administration purchases additional 100 million doses of COVID-19 investigational vaccine from Moderna.
The Trump Administration, through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD), will purchase an additional 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine candidate, called mRNA-1273, from Moderna.--HHS
EPA Celebrates Superfund - 40 Years of Cleaning Up and Transforming Communities Across the Country.
WASHINGTON (December 11, 2020) — This month, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) marks its 50th anniversary, we also celebrate one of the cornerstone environmental laws– the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) – commonly known as Superfund. Enacted on December 11, 1980, Superfund authorized the nation’s signature land contamination cleanup program and has served as a model of environmental protection around the globe. Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has re-emerged as a priority to fulfill the Agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment by addressing environmental issues communities across the country are facing on a daily basis.
BUSINESS & FINANCE:
Without Action from Congress, Utah’s Cuisine Unlimited and Many Other Small Businesses May Be Forced to Close Their Doors--US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
https://www.uschamber.com/series/above-the-fold/without-action-congress-utah-s-cuisine-unlimited-and-many-other-small
Federal Reserve releases illustrative examples of new charts that will be included in the Federal Open Market Committee’s quarterly Summary of Economic Projections (SEP)--The Fed
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20201211a.htm
IRS: Volunteers needed for free tax prep help.
WASHINGTON — Safety and social distancing, along with virtual options, will be the emphasis now and for the upcoming tax season as the Internal Revenue Service seeks volunteers to provide free tax return preparation through its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Tax Counseling for the Elderly programs.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the IRS is rolling out new ways to make volunteering easier and safer.
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-volunteers-needed-for-free-tax-prep-help
U.S. DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND THE TREASURY ISSUE FINAL RULE TO PROVIDE GREATER FLEXIBILITY FOR GRANDFATHERED GROUP HEALTH PLANS--US LABOR DEPT.
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ebsa/ebsa20201211
Spotlight story:
Trump Slams Barr, SCOTUS Decision in Twitter Attacks.
President Donald Trump on Saturday took to Twitter to slam Attorney General William Barr for not revealing "the truth" about Hunter Biden before the election and to rail against the Supreme Court's decision not to take up a Texas lawsuit filed against four states, calling the ruling a "legal disgrace."--NEWSMAX
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/twitter-tweetstorm-barr/2020/12/12/id/1001215/
LOCAL MEETINGS & AGENDAS.
CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:
COUNTY COMMISSION WORK SESSION FOR 12.14.20
https://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=1241
CLALLAM COUNTY BUSINESS MEETING FOR 12.15.20
https://clallam.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=7243
CLALLAM COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH MEETING FOR 12.15.20
CITY OF PORT ANGELES COUNCIL MEETING FOR 12.15.20
https://www.cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/8992/Final-Packet-12152020-Amended
SEQUIM CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR 12.14.20
https://www.sequimwa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2341
FORK CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR 12.14.20
https://forkswashington.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Agenda_20201214.pdf
CLALLAM COUNTY PUD meeting for 12.14.20
https://clallampud.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Board-Packet-WEB-1.pdf
OMC BOARD MEETING for 12.16.20
https://www.olympicmedical.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/AGENDA-December-16-2020.pdf
JEFFERSON COUNTY MEETINGS:
Jefferson County Commission meeting for 12.14.20
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