AG Ferguson, Rep. Leavitt propose legislation holding telecommunications providers accountable for allowing illegal robocalls.

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An estimated 835,000 Washingtonians lost money to scam robocalls in 2021

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that he is partnering with Rep. Mari Leavitt, D-University Place, on legislation to combat robocalls.

Washington’s current anti-robocalling law is weak and out-of-date. Ferguson and Leavitt’s Robocall Scam Protection Act, HB 1051, modernizes the law and makes it a violation of the Consumer Protection Act to:

Robocall someone on the Do Not Call Registry;

Deliberately falsify the caller ID display to disguise the caller’s identity; and

Knowingly facilitate illegal robocalls if you are a voice service provider.

The legislation is part of Attorney General Ferguson’s anti-robocalling initiative that he launched this year to combat fraudulent, harassing and illegal robocalls.

Robocalls are more than just annoying — robocallers who ignore the federal Do Not Call Registry are often scammers trying to steal a consumer’s money or identity. According to YouMail, Washingtonians received nearly 260 million scam robocalls in 2021 — nearly half of the 616 million total robocalls into Washington.

That adds up to an average of between three and four scam robocalls per month for every Washingtonian.

These robocalls have a cost. According to estimates based on TrueCaller survey data, more than 835,000 Washingtonians lost money to scam robocalls in 2021.

“It’s time to stop illegal robocalls,” Ferguson said. “The Legislature must give Washingtonians stronger and clearer legal protections against the daily bombardment of illegal robocalls — and provide additional tools to my office to hold bad actors accountable.”

“Our seniors, youth and most financially fragile neighbors are experiencing more and more scams in the form of robocalls and other electronic messages to cell phones,” Rep. Leavitt said. “These schemes aim to trick many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones. Our uncles, aunts, parents and grandparents are often anticipating calls to schedule needed care like medical appointments. But this also presents a prime opportunity for bad actors to prey on our senior citizens. Last year alone, these scam calls cost Americans billions. Addressing the gap in protections to root out these scams is the least we can do to protect our fellow Washingtonians.”

“Washingtonians have had it with the relentless barrage of unsolicited robocalls on our home and cell phones,” said AARP State Director Marguerite Ro. “Scammers often use caller ID spoofing to mask their true location, making it appear that they’re calling from a legitimate or local number to raise the odds that you’ll pick up. A 2019 AARP survey on robocalls showed that 60 percent of Washington adults are more likely to answer if caller ID shows a number with their area code. Whether it’s telemarketing spam from companies you haven’t authorized to contact you, or attempts at outright theft, more must be done to protect Washington consumers from this massive increase in unwanted robocalls.”

The bill strengthens state legal protections against scam robocalls

Currently, no Washington state law explicitly prohibits a company from contacting individuals on the federal Do-Not-Call registry against their will. The Robocall Scam Protection Act will make these calls a violation of the Consumer Protection Act.

This bill will prohibit robocallers from “spoofing” their calls — a technique where scammers use false or deceptive caller identifications. There is currently no specific state law that prohibits the use of “spoofing” for making deceptive calls.

Also, the new law will allow for civil litigation against telecommunications providers of all sizes that knowingly allow illegal robocalls through their networks. Telecommunications providers currently have no incentive to block robocalls under state law.

The bill empowers individuals harmed by this conduct to pursue their own legal action. Potential remedies under the bill include actual damages, injunctions and fines of up to $1,000 per violation. Finally, the bill will also allow the Attorney General’s Office to seek civil penalties under the Consumer Protection Act.

Two other states — Florida and Oklahoma — recently adopted similar protections.

The Act preserves businesses’ ability to use automatic dialers to contact their existing customers and customers who consented to receive the messages.

Further, businesses can also still use automatic dialers to contact customers if they have an established business relationship, as long as the sales message itself is delivered by a live person.

Ferguson’s focus on stopping illegal robocalls

In March, Ferguson launched an initiative to combat robocalls in Washington. The Attorney General’s Office created a new complaint portal for Washingtonians tailored for reporting robocalls. Since its launch, the Attorney General’s Office received approximately 6,500 complaints from Washingtonians about suspected illegal robocalls. The tailored complaint form gives attorneys, investigators and staff more precise information for quicker reactions to robocall complaints.

Additionally, as part of an effort to educate and inform Washingtonians, the Attorney General’s Office published a website with descriptions of robocalls and telemarketing scams, including strategies for combating them.

Ferguson’s recent legal wins against robocallers

In May, as a result of a lawsuit against the company, Global Grid, a Corvallis, Ore.-based company, and its owner shut down its illegal robocalling operation. The company stopped all deceptive marketing practices, including misrepresentations about a product it falsely promised could block robocalls. Global Grid will pay more than $8,000 to the Attorney General’s Office, which Ferguson will deliver to approximately 200 Washingtonians.

In August 2020, a King County Superior Court judge ordered Vancouver, Wash.-based air duct cleaning companies and their owner to pay civil penalties of $10 million in a lawsuit over deceptive advertisements and robocalls. The companies made over 13 million robocalls within Washington from 2017 to 2019, including calling more than 500 individual Washingtonians over 100 times. The judge’s order also permanently barred the companies and owner from making robocalls or deceptively marketing these services in the future.

In March 2021, as a result of a lawsuit brought by Ferguson, the Federal Trade Commission, and 39 other attorneys general, two national companies that made approximately 1.7 million robocalls for sham charities into Washington paid $495,000 to help fund legitimate charities.

What should you do if you receive a robocall?

The best advice for Washingtonians who receive a robocall without their permission is to hang up.

Some robocalls may give you an option to opt out of receiving future calls, but if the caller is a scammer, they are unlikely to honor your request. If you believe a call is a scam, report it to the Attorney General’s Office at https://atg.wa.gov/file-complaint or call toll-free 1-800-551-4636. Washingtonians also can report robocalls to the Federal Trade Commission at https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx.

Some phone and wireless services offer call blocking or labeling services to help individuals determine whether a call is a telemarketer or a scammer. Consumers should contact their service provider to find out what is available.

IN OTHER STATE NEWS...

AG Ferguson files lawsuit against Seattle-based plastic surgery clinic for bribing, threatening patients to falsely inflate its online ratings--WAAG

Temporary Location of Washington Supreme Court and State Law Library Open to Public January 4--WA COURTS

Stretch it out: The squat lobster finds strength in flexibility

Eyes Under Puget Sound – Critter of the Month--DOE

(2) NEWS FROM OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO DC:

Cantwell Statement on Southwest Airlines Flight Cancellations

LINK SOURCE: Sen. Cantwell's office

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, released the following statement regarding Southwest Airlines’ cancellation of thousands of flights:

“The problems at Southwest Airlines over the last several days go beyond weather. The Committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers. Many airlines fail to adequately communicate with consumers during flight cancellations. Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule.”

In November, Chair Cantwell and Sens. Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal filed a comment on the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) proposed rule on airline ticket refunds, urging DOT to strengthen and expeditiously finalize the proposed rule to ensure that consumers are fairly compensated when an airline cancels or significantly delays their flight – including secondary costs incurred from hotels, meals and transportation in the event of a cancellation or significant delay due to a problem within the airline’s control.

(3) WORLD & NATIONAL NEWS:

WORLD NEWS

With 100 Million People Worldwide Fleeing War, Natural Disasters, Poverty in 2022, Peace Needed Now ‘More Than Ever’, Secretary-General Urges in New Year’s Message--UN PRESS RELEASE

Following is the text of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres’ New Year’s video message 2023:

Every New Year is a moment of rebirth.  We sweep out the ashes of the old year and prepare for a brighter day.

In 2022, millions of people around the world literally swept out ashes.  From Ukraine to Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, people left the ruins of their homes and lives in search of something better.  Around the world, 100 million people were on the move, fleeing wars, wildfires, droughts, poverty and hunger.

In 2023, we need peace, now more than ever.  Peace with one another, through dialogue to end conflict.  Peace with nature and our climate, to build a more sustainable world.  Peace in the home, so women and girls can live in dignity and safety.  Peace on the streets and in our communities, with the full protection of all human rights.  Peace in our places of worship, with respect for each other’s beliefs.  And peace online, free from hate speech and abuse.

In 2023, let’s put peace at the heart of our words and actions.  Together, let’s make 2023 a year when peace is restored to our lives, our homes and our world.

In other world news headlines...

‘Unfathomable restrictions’ on women’s rights risk destabilizing Afghanistan; Security Council voices deep alarm--UN NEWS CENTER

The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, called on Tuesday for the Taliban de facto authorities to revoke immediately a raft of policies that target the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, saying that they cause “terrible, cascading effects” on their lives and risk destabilizing the nation.  

Statement by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Russia’s use of Weapons Illegally Acquired from the DPRK and Iran in its Brutal War Against Ukraine.--USUN

Four Year Anniversary of Paul Whelan’s Wrongful Detention in Russia--US STATE DEPT.

Today marks four years that Paul Whelan has spent wrongfully detained, away from his family, suffering through an unfathomable ordeal.  Russian authorities subjected him to a secret trial and sentenced him to 16 years in a Russian penal colony based on secret evidence.  His detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for his immediate release at every opportunity. I am committed to bringing home Paul and all U.S. hostages and wrongful detainees held around the world. As the President said directly to the Whelan family, our efforts to secure Paul’s release will not cease until he is back home with his family where he belongs.

Coast Guardsmen Swap Uniforms for Swimsuits in the Pacific--DOD

NATIONAL:

President Biden Signs legislation that codifies and expands DHS fight against human trafficking--DHS

WASHINGTON – On December 27, 2022, President Biden signed the “Countering Human Trafficking Act of 2022,” which codifies and expands the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT). The bill authorizes $14 million to carry out the Act and ensures that the CCHT is staffed with at least 45 employees to carry out the Department’s critical work to combat human trafficking.   

“This is a seminal moment in our fight against the scourge of human trafficking,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “With the increased funding and additional personnel dedicated to our leading DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking, we will advance our work to identify and support victims, conduct operations that hold the traffickers accountable, and strengthen our partnerships with non-governmental organizations.  We are grateful for this critical legislation that supports our victim-centered, all-of-society efforts to end human trafficking.”

“The Countering Human Trafficking Act will increase and expand the CCHT’s effectiveness in targeting human traffickers around the globe, protecting victims, and supporting counter-trafficking work throughout DHS,” said Cardell T. Morant, CCHT Director.  “Importantly, it will also facilitate the continued development of the Blue Campaign, the Department’s national human trafficking awareness initiative, designed to educate the American public about the signs of trafficking and the ways in which they can help trafficking victims and help bring suspected traffickers to justice. We are grateful to Congressional leadership and our partners for recognizing the value in this DHS center.”

“This is a significant milestone in the continued growth and advancement of the CCHT mission,” said Steve Francis, Acting Executive Associate Director for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “The signing of this legislation marks an important day that institutionalizes the DHS counter-trafficking mission, including victim identification and screening, victim protection and assistance, investigations and enforcement, and training, outreach, and engagement. I would like to highlight the importance of our partnerships with non-government organizations and their critical role in HSI’s victim-centered approach to human trafficking investigations.”

The mission of the CCHT is to advance counter human trafficking law enforcement operations, protect victims, and enhance prevention efforts by aligning DHS’s capabilities and expertise. CCHT is a DHS-wide effort led by HSI and comprising 16 supporting DHS offices and agencies. It is the first unified, inter-component coordination center for countering human trafficking and the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

CCHT leverages subject matter experts to drive criminal investigations of forced labor and sex trafficking, seeks improvements to the delivery of victim protections including through DHS policies and protocols, and increases victim identification through training and public awareness. During FY2022, CCHT hosted the first ever quarterly webinars for the law enforcement community to raise awareness of a temporary immigration designation for victims of trafficking in persons, improved victim screening tools, and delivered training through 53 events to nearly 6,000 participants – double the number of participants from the prior year.

Additionally, this past fiscal year the CCHT provided direct support – including financial, intelligence, and subject matter expertise – to criminal investigations focused on disrupting and dismantling transnational human trafficking organizations and identifying and investigating companies and individuals benefiting from forced labor abroad. In FY22, the work of the CCHT helped secure more than 3,600 arrests and 600 convictions. This represents an increase of more than 50 percent in human trafficking arrests and an increase of more than 75 percent in human trafficking-related convictions over the previous fiscal year.

At the Summit of the Americas in June, twenty countries signed the U.S.-led Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, which included a commitment to collaborate on saving lives, and combating migrant smuggling and criminal human trafficking organizations as well as their facilitators and money laundering networks. The CCHT will continue to build on the momentum and collaboration that started at the Summit.

More National news...

CDC Announces Negative COVID-19 Test Requirement from Air Passengers Entering the United States from the People’s Republic of China--CDC

EPA enters into Consent Agreement and Issues Final Order to Denka Performance Elastomer in LaPlace, La., for Violation of Hazardous Waste Regulations--EPA

FBI Atlanta Announces $10K Reward for Information About Ebenezer Baptist Church Vandalism--FBI

(4) BUSINESS HEADLINES

Owner of Farm Labor Company Sentenced to 118 Months in Prison for Leading a Multi-State Conspiracy Involving Forced Labor of Mexican Farm Workers

DOJ

Bladimir Moreno, 55, was sentenced for leading a federal racketeering and forced labor conspiracy that victimized Mexican H-2A agricultural workers in the United States between 2015 and 2017. U.S. District Court Judge Charlene Edward Honeywell of the Middle District of Florida sentenced Moreno to 118 months in prison with three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay over $175,000 in restitution to the victims.

Moreno, the owner of Los Villatoros Harvesting LLC (LVH), the labor contracting company that employed the workers, was charged in September 2021 and pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and conspiracy to commit forced labor. Two of Moreno’s co-defendants previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy under RICO, and a third, Guadalupe Mendes, 45, pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation. They were sentenced in October 2022. Rodas, a citizen of Mexico, who worked for LVH as a recruiter, manager and supervisor, received 41 months in prison. Gamez, a U.S. citizen, who worked for LVH as a bookkeeper, manager and supervisor, received 37 months in prison. Mendes, a U.S. citizen, who worked for LVH as a manager and supervisor, received eight months of home detention and a $5,500 fine to be paid over 24 months of supervised release.

“Human trafficking, including forced labor campaigns that exploit vulnerable workers, is unlawful, immoral and inhumane,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This defendant abused his power as a business owner to capitalize on the victims’ vulnerabilities and immigration status, luring those seeking a better quality of life with false promises of lawful work paying a fair wage. The defendant forced Mexican agricultural workers to labor under inhumane conditions, confiscated their passports, imposed exorbitant fees and debts, and threatened them with deportation or false arrest. The Department of Justice is committed to seeking justice for survivors of forced labor campaigns, holding perpetrators accountable and stripping wrongdoers of their illegal profits.”

“Forcing individuals to work against their will using abusive and coercive tactics is not only unconscionable but illegal,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “We will continue to work with our task force partners to combat human trafficking in all its forms, including prosecuting those who exploit vulnerable workers.” 

According to court documents, Moreno owned, operated and managed LVH — a farm labor contracting company that brought large numbers of temporary, seasonal Mexican workers into the United States on H-2A agricultural visas — as a criminal enterprise. Moreno compelled victims to work in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina, and he engaged in a pattern of other racketeering activity that included visa fraud and fraud in foreign labor contracting, among other things. In order to facilitate the enterprise, Moreno made false statements in applications to federal agencies for the company to be granted temporary, H-2A agricultural workers. Moreno and his co-conspirators also made false promises to the Mexican farm workers themselves to encourage them to work for LVH and then charged them inflated sums to come into the United States on H-2A visas.

Once the immigrants arrived in the United States, Moreno and his co-conspirators coerced over a dozen of them into providing long hours of physically demanding agricultural labor, six to seven days a week, for de minimis pay. Moreno and his co-conspirators used various forms of coercion, including imposing debts on the workers; confiscating their passports; subjecting them to crowded, unsanitary and degrading living conditions; harboring them in the United States after their visas had expired; and threatening them with arrest and deportation if they failed to comply with Moreno’s and his co-conspirators’ demands. Later, in an attempt to conceal the criminal enterprise from federal investigators, Moreno created and provided to investigators fraudulent records that contained falsified information about the workers’ pay and hours, and repeatedly made false statements to federal investigators.

Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Handberg and Acting Special Agent in Charge DeWitt announced the sentence.

The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Avner Shapiro, Maryam Zhuravitsky and Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.

Anyone who has information about human trafficking should report that information to the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at 1-888-373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information about human trafficking, please visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org. Information on the Department of Justice’s efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking.

IN OTHER BUSINESS NEWS...

Justice Department Files Nationwide Lawsuit Against AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Subsidiaries for Controlled Substances Act Violations--DOJ

Treasury Releases Additional Information on Clean Vehicle Provisions of Inflation Reduction Act--US TREASURY DEPT.

IRS issues standard mileage rates for 2023; business use increases 3 cents per mile--IRS

What to Expect for the Economy in 2023

The end of 2022 is shaping up to be strong, with fourth quarter growth projected to be over 2%. Here's what the Chamber's Chief Economists Committee predicts for the economic outlook in 2023.--US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

(5) LOCAL MEETINGS

CLALLAM COUNTY 

Clallam County work session or 1/3/23

Clallam County Commission meeting for 1/3/23

https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01032023-515

City of Port Angeles Council meeting for 1/3/23

https://www.cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/12560/01032023-Agenda

Housing solutions meeting for 1/6/23

https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01062023-513

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Jefferson Commission meeting for 1/3/23

https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/b40a82dd-51c7-4bce-83eb-626ce82689d4

PORT TOWNSEND CITY COUNCIL BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA FOR 1/3/23

https://cityofpt.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&event_id=3104

Weekly devotional

BIBLE VERSE:  Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 (New King James Version)

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea And a path through the mighty waters,

 

Weekly Bible Study 

Spiritually Blind, by Thomas Thornhill

Many years ago, a preacher who faithfully proclaimed the gospel was challenged by an unbeliever who stepped from the crowd and said, "I don't believe in heaven or hell. I don't believe in God or Christ. I haven't seen them."

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/SpirituallyBlind.html

Free bible studies (WBS)

https://www.worldbibleschool.org/

Learn English using the bible as text (WEI)

http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/

(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)

  1233 E Front St, Port Angeles, WA 98362

 The Chosen: About the life of Christ

 https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen

 

The Port Angeles Globe is a weekly Publication, every Saturday-- Publisher, Peter Ripley

Your donation is appreciated.

 This Week's Video:

 As 2022 nears its end, Glenn reflects on both the miracles and the tragedies that occurred over the last year. But, more importantly, he shares the biggest  and most important lesson he’s learned thus far: You shouldn’t be overwhelmed. Why? Because ‘we’re only fighting one thing,’ he explains. ‘It’s evil.’ But there IS a reason to be optimistic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUvMsK3YKuk

 HEADLINES FROM OTHER SOURCES:

 Use These Five Easy Tricks to Identify the Marxist in the Room--PJ MEDIA

Sin, Corruption, and the Fall of America

It is a tragic irony that in our quest for perfection, we have doomed ourselves to destruction.--Patriot Post

Cancel the Personal Income Tax

Red states are cutting and flattening it — and Americans are voting for it with their feet.--American Spectature

HAPPY 2023! READERS FROM THE PORT ANGELES GLOBE!
THIS YEAR LET US ALL STRIVE TO BETTER OURSELVES!
BY READING AND STUDYING THE BIBLE!

AG Ferguson files lawsuits against three national pharmacy chains for their role in fueling the opioid crisis...

  and announces five resolutions with drug companies totaling more than $400 million for Washington state.

LINK SOURCE: WA Office

Today’s announcement brings Washington’s total recoveries to more than $1.1 billion to address the epidemic

SEATTLE — Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a lawsuit today against Albertsons, Kroger and Rite Aid, whose pharmacy chains helped fuel Washington state’s opioid epidemic. Ferguson asserts the pharmacies served as the last line of defense in the opioid supply chain and failed in their collective responsibility to prevent the overuse of opioid prescriptions.

Ferguson also announced today resolutions with five other companies that produced or sold opioids. This will bring Washington state’s total recoveries to more than $1.1 billion for funding opioid abatement and treatment programs.

These announced resolutions are not final until certain conditions are met:

Each company will evaluate the number of states that join then decide whether to proceed with notices to local governments.

Each company will evaluate the number of litigating and non-litigating local governments in the states that join and then decide whether to finalize the agreements.

If the resolutions become final, these amount will be split between the state, county and city governments similar to Washington’s opioid distributor resolution.

“Opioids tore apart Washington families, overburdened our health care system and caused an epidemic of addiction we are still struggling to contain,” Ferguson said. “My office won a billion dollars to help fund recovery efforts, but I am not done. I will continue to hold accountable the corporations that enriched themselves off the suffering of Washington families.”

Ferguson filed the lawsuit in King County Superior Court against Albertsons, Kroger and Rite Aid. Those companies also acquired pharmacy chains like Safeway, QFC, Fred Meyer and Bartell Drugs. The lawsuit asserts they collectively ignored federal regulations, put profits over safety and knowingly oversupplied prescription opioids into Washington state. This oversupply led to a separate illegal market that flooded communities with highly addictive and dangerous drugs and local governments are still coping with the damage these pharmacies helped cause.

Pharmacies, the lawsuit asserts, serve as a final barrier that prevents overprescribing controlled substances. These companies illegally, recklessly and negligently filled opioid orders without adequately investigating “red flags” of fraud or overprescribing.

This led to predictable failures.

These national companies had a wealth of data at their fingertips to monitor and dispense prescriptions in a safe manner, but they failed to give it to their own pharmacists. The companies tied their pharmacists’ pay to how fast they filled prescriptions, hindering their pharmacists from doing their job and checking that a prescription was safe for that customer.

All three corporations have a history of filling prescriptions that came from medical providers whose prescribing license was suspended or revoked. All three corporations also previously paid penalties for violating federal rules regarding opioids. For instance, Bartell Drugs paid an $800,000 fine in 2020 for allegations it filled prescriptions from medical providers whose licenses had been suspended or restricted at least 400 times.

Ferguson asserts the pharmacies’ conduct was an unfair business practice that violated the state Consumer Protection Act. He also asserts their conduct violated the state’s public nuisance law by contributing to the opioid crisis in communities across the state. The lawsuit asks the court to award penalties of $7,500 for each violation of the Consumer Protection Act and take injunctive actions to prevent further damage to communities. Ferguson expects this could total hundreds of millions of dollars or more.

Assistant Attorneys General Kelsey Endres, Jonathan Guss, Susan Llorens and Martha Rodriguez-Lopez; paralegals Morgan Mills, Alicia Stensland, Kristina Clarke, Kellie Tappan and Robbyn Ramirez; and legal assistants Katy VanDeWalker, Tally Locke and Jennifer Wood from the Complex Litigation Division are handling the case for Washington.

Washington state signs new resolutions with other pharmacies, opioid producers

Ferguson also recently signed multistate resolutions with five other companies, which the Attorney General’s Office estimates could total:

CVS: $110.6 million to Washington state over 10 years;

Walgreens: $120.3 million to Washington state over 15 years;

Walmart: $62.6 million to Washington state and 97% of that paid in the first year;

Teva: $90.7 million to Washington state over the next 13 years; and

Allergan: $50 million to Washington state over the next seven years.

As part of the resolutions, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart will tightly monitor opioid prescriptions and prevent patients from seeking multiple prescriptions.

The estimated $434.4 million in resolutions from these companies as well as others like Purdue, McKinsey, Mallinckrodt and the three major opioid distributors will bring Washington state’s overall total to more than $1.1 billion to help fund the state’s opioid abatement and recovery programs.

In October, all 125 eligible local governments signed onto the $518 million resolution stemming from Ferguson’s earlier lawsuits against opioid distributors. Similarly, local governments will also need to sign onto these new resolutions to accept half of the funds from the CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva and Allergan resolutions. The sign-on process is expected to begin in early 2023. The other half of the funds will go to the state to fund opioid remediation.

All of the funds are restricted for use with opioid remediation programs consistent with the state Opioid Response Plan. Recoveries can be used to address the Fentanyl epidemic.

Approved strategies include:

Improving and expanding treatment for opioid use disorder;

Supporting individuals in treatment and recovery, including providing comprehensive wrap-around services to individuals with opioid use disorder, including housing, transportation, education, job placement, job training or childcare;

Addressing the needs of pregnant women and their families, including those with babies with neonatal disorder;

Preventing opioid misuse, overprescribing and overdoses through, among other strategies, school-based and youth-focused programs, public education campaigns, increased availability and distribution of naloxone and other drugs that treat overdoses, additional training and enhancements to the prescription drug monitoring program; and

Supporting first responders.

Lawsuit still pending against Johnson & Johnson

A January 2020 lawsuit Ferguson filed against Johnson & Johnson, one of the largest suppliers of the raw materials used to produce opioid pain medications, is currently on hold. An appellate court is reviewing, at Ferguson’s request, Johnson & Johnson’s attempt during discovery to gather medical information from millions of Washington residents that is protected from disclosure and irrelevant to the case. The trial is likely to be rescheduled in 2023.

Ferguson asserts Johnson & Johnson, along with several of its subsidiaries, fueled the opioid epidemic in Washington state by embarking on a massive deceptive marketing campaign and convincing doctors and the public that their drugs are effective for treating chronic pain and have a low risk of addiction, contrary to overwhelming evidence. Johnson & Johnson deceptively marketed the long-term use of opioids at high doses without documented evidence of their effectiveness, ignoring the well-documented risks of its drugs.

That lawsuit is also filed in King County Superior Court.

Key facts from the opioid crisis in Washington state

The following are some key facts about the opioid crisis included in the lawsuit against the pharmacies:

Between 2006 and 2021, opioid overdoses killed more than 12,000 Washingtonians, more than either car accidents or firearms.

In 2011 alone, 112 million daily doses of prescription opioids were pumped into Washington — enough for a 16-day supply for every woman, man and child in the state.

In 2015, eight Washington counties had more opioid prescriptions than residents.

In 2021, an average of four or more Washingtonians died each day from opioid overdoses.

Approximately 80% of heroin users report using prescription opioids before beginning heroin use.

Overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, doubled statewide from 2019 to 2020, then almost doubled again from 2020 to 2021. The numbers continue to rise, with the number of deaths in King County in the first three quarters of 2022 alone already exceeding the total deaths from overdoses in 2021.

IN OTHER STATE NEWS HEADLINES...

State disciplines health care providers.

Jefferson County

In November 2022 the Veterinary Board of Governors charged veterinary technician Sara Ruth Penhallegon (AT60337137) with unprofessional conduct. Penhallegon allegedly practiced outside the scope of a veterinary technician, by anesthetizing a dog patient without direct supervision or when it was an emergency, and by sedating a dog patient without indirect supervision.--DOH

JAPANESE BEETLE QUARANTINE BOUNDARIES EXPANDED BY EMERGENCY RULE

OLYMPIA – The Japanese beetle eradication project leaders confirmed Japanese beetles have spread beyond the initial quarantine area adopted earlier this year.--WSDA

Ecology completes environmental review for proposed Goldendale Energy Storage Project--DOE

(2) NEWS FROM CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION to DC

Skamania County to Gain More Than 23 Acres of Federal Land for Economic Development.

SOURCE LINK: SEN. CANTWELL OFFICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, a bipartisan trio of Washington lawmakers – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), and U.S. Representative-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) – announced that 23.4 acres of the Wind River Administrative Site will transfer ownership from the U.S. Forest Service to Skamania County for economic development projects in rural Southwest Washington.

Rep. Herrera Beutler’s bill, H.R. 5093, the Wind River Administrative Site Conveyance Act, was included in the in the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which funds government programs through September 30, 2023.

The Wind River Administrative Site is located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. In 2000, Congress passed legislation that allowed the Forest Service to transfer ownership of 187 acres of the nursey site, which included nursery fields and buildings, to Skamania County. The conveyance of the remaining 23.4 acres of the Wind River Nursery will allow Skamania County to take ownership of nearly the entire site. The U.S. Forest Service supports the land transfer as it no longer has a use for the site, and the legislation protects access to the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.

Skamania County has already invested nearly $200,000 into rehabilitation efforts and maintenance of the facilities covered under the conveyance and is committing to an estimated $800,000 in additional restoration efforts to prepare the site for economic development activities. 

Currently, Skamania County relies on just 1.8% of taxable land to generate revenue for public services. Once the land is conveyed, the redevelopment projects planned by the county will bring in an estimated $600,000 annually, boosting its revenue to fund critical public services.

“This bill is big win for Skamania County. Transferring a little over 23 acres from the Forest Service to the County will increase the County’s land base and open doors to economic development and recreational opportunities that will create more jobs in Skamania County and Southwest Washington,” Sen. Cantwell said. “I want to thank Representative Herrera Beutler for her steadfast support of this bill.”

“It’s been more than six years coming, but my Wind River Conveyance Act – a bill to transfer ownership of 23 acres of land out of federal control and over to Skamania County – is likely to head to the president’s desk before year’s end. So much of Skamania County’s land is locked away under federal control, and it’s contributed to the budgetary shortfalls impacting schools and even basic services in that community. This win-win agreement I first helped broker in 2016 moves the needle the other way; it puts land back with the county to use for economic and recreational opportunities. It’s supported by the county, by the Forest Service, and now with the strong support of Senator Cantwell, it’s heading across the finish line.  This is a nice win for a corner of Southwest Washington that needs more wins, and I’m grateful for the efforts of so many -- including Commissioners Hamlin and Lannen -- to serve the Skamania County community in this way,” Rep. Herrera Beutler said.

“As a Skamania County resident, I know firsthand that our county is missing out on much-needed revenue to support our communities, and conveying this land from the federal government to the county will make sure we’re getting the investments we need and deserve,” said Rep.-elect Gluesenkamp Perez. “I want to thank Rep. Herrera Beutler, a longtime leader on this issue, and Senator Cantwell for working with me to help get this legislation across the finish line for Skamania County. I’m looking forward to passing more bipartisan legislation as Southwest Washington’s independent voice in Congress.”

Rep. Herrera Beutler introduced the Wind River Administrative Site Conveyance Act and passed it out of the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year. Sen. Cantwell worked with her colleagues at the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources to get the bill included as part of a small package of public lands bills included in the Omnibus. Rep.-elect Gluesenkamp Perez, a Skamania County resident, advocated for the bill’s passage before the end of the 117th Congress.

“The bipartisan partnership between Senator Maria Cantwell, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler and Congresswoman-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to ultimately pass the Wind River Site Conveyance Act serves as example to the positive influence our policymakers can have on the communities they represent when they work together to find commonsense solutions,” said Skamania County Commissioner Tom Lannen. “For Skamania County, the passage of this legislation gives our community the opportunity to continue to strengthen our fragile economy.”

IN OTHER CONGRESSIONAL NEWS...

Cantwell, Murray, Kilmer and Strickland Secure Largest Ever Annual Investment in Puget Sound Clean-Up--Sen. Cantwell's office

KILMER-LED MODERNIZATION COMMITTEE RELEASES FINAL REPORT ON RECOMMENDATIONS TO STRENGTHEN THE PEOPLE’S HOUSE--REP. Kilmer

LANDMARK PUGET SOUND RECOVERY LEGISLATION LED BY KILMER AND STRICKLAND HEADS TO PRESIDENT’S DESK--Rep. Kilmer

Senator Murray Secures $284 Million in Congressionally-Directed Spending for Washington State--Sen. Murray' office

Senator Murray Announces Major Funding for Washington State Transportation, Housing Priorities in End-of-Year Package--Sen. Murray's office

(3) WORLD & NATIONAL HEADLINES:

Security Council Highlights Sanctions in Tackling Haitian Gangs, but Underscores Need for Dialogue, Effective Police, in Resolving Country’s Crises--UN PRESS REALEASE

Haiti is facing the worst human rights and humanitarian emergency in decades, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, stressing the urgent need for international support and solidarity to address its multifaceted crises.  

Amina Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, said efforts to engage in dialogue have failed to create consensus on a way forward.  Gang violence has paralysed the country, obstructed the freedom of movement of people, goods and humanitarian aid, fuelled the resurgence of cholera, increased food insecurity to unimaginable levels, displaced 155,000 people and disrupted the education of thousands of children.

Harrowing accounts in the report issued by the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) are a call for action and accountability, she stressed.  As such, the Organization will continue to provide a voice for women and girls living in communities controlled by gangs, work to reduce their vulnerability to violence and call for justice and accountability for perpetrators of these heinous crimes.  “It is time to step up and turn the crisis into an opportunity for Haiti to bounce back stronger,” she stressed.

Updating the 15-member organ on the latest political, security and human rights developments, Helen La Lime, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of BINUH, said that bilateral sanctions pursuant to Council resolution 2653 (2022) appeared to generate a renewed sense of urgency to restore democratically elected institutions.  As a critical tool in combating corruption and impunity, sanctions will be most effective as part of a comprehensive approach, which includes ongoing political dialogue and enhanced operational security support to the Haitian National Police, she underscored, emphasizing that “Haitians deserve no less”.

Michel Xavier Biang (Gabon), speaking in his capacity as Chair of the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 2653 (2022) concerning Haiti, delivered an overview of the Committee’s activities, including the nomination of four candidates for the Panel of Experts established by that resolution.  Nominations by the Secretary-General are expected at the end of the month, after which the Panel will conduct consultations with relevant stakeholders and submit a report by 15 March 2023.

Sharing his experiences from reporting on Haiti for the past 48 years, Kim Ives, Editor, Haiti Liberté, said the situation stems from a history of international law being violated and principles of peace and self-determination trampled.  Some 16 million Haitian people, both in the country and abroad, are almost universally opposed to more United Nations interventions, except for Haiti’s tiny bourgeoisie.  The Council has been given half-truths and has lumped together the “good guys” with the “bad guys” in one basket called “gangs”, he continued.  The situation in Haiti cannot be resolved through foreign intervention, military force or even sanctions, he said.

In the ensuing debate, Member States highlighted the need to address the multifaceted nature of Haiti’s political, economic, humanitarian and security crisis, offering suggestions or articulating differing views on the sanctions regime.

The circumstances that pushed the Government to require the assistance of a specialized international force have not changed, Haiti’s Minister for Foreign Affairs stressed.  It is urgent that friends of Haiti provide robust assistance to help the national police put an end to gangs.  The Council’s unanimous decision to sanction certain major actors who have been fuelling political instability should help enable inter-Haitian dialogue, facilitate a national compromise leading to elections in 2023 and prevent injection of dirty money into the electoral process, he said.

Sanctioning gang leaders and their sponsors, however, is not enough for security and stability, as the Council must also address the immediate challenge of the Haitian National Police, the representative for Ghana noted.  The international community must support and empower Haitian efforts to improve the security situation, his colleague from the United Kingdom added.

While there are no ready-made recipes to resolve the crisis, there must be a more thorough approach to sanctions, as the unilateral measures of the United States and Canada do not represent the will of the international community, the Russian Federation’s delegate emphasized.

The root cause of Haiti’s crisis is a governance deficit, the outcome of an outrageous history of economic punishment for that country’s revolution against slavery and colonialism, Kenya’s representative pointed out.  “We have listened keenly to Haitians and the Haiti they want”, he said as he highlighted the need for the Council to consider including key African and Caribbean contributions.

Solidarity in such a situation is a moral obligation, the speaker for Gabon underscored, adding that:  “When fire burns down your neighbour’s home, there’s no use closing your doors or windows.  The haunting stench of the smoke from the ruins of the neighbour’s house remains.”  Countries must cooperate in implementing Council resolution 2653 (2022), as “every day without acting is a day of distress and murder there”, he stressed.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic also spoke.( see full details on link source)

IN OTHER WORLD NEWS HEADLINES...

Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Haiti--USUN

Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a Press Availability.

"n the first year of our administration, we focused on rebuilding and revitalizing America’s alliances and partnerships, weaving them together as well in new coalitions of common purpose.  As you all saw, we reinvigorated our engagement with NATO, with the European Union, the United Nations, the G7, ASEAN, the OECD.  We elevated and strengthened the Quad.  We created AUKUS, the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council, among many other groupings." ---US STATE DEPT.

Biden Signs National Defense Authorization Act into Law--DOD

NATIONAL HEADLINE NEWS.

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Historic Investment to Electrify U.S. Postal Service Fleet--WH

Today, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) announced an historic, $9.6 billion investment over the next five years to electrify its delivery fleet. The USPS investment includes electrifying 75% of its new purpose-built Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) and a commitment to acquire 100% electric NGDVs starting in 2026. This $9.6 billion investment – which includes $3 billion in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act – installs modern charging infrastructure at hundreds of USPS facilities, electrifies 66,000 delivery vehicles, and modernizes mail delivery by creating a smarter network to more efficiently reach its 163 million delivery locations across the country and further strengthen the sustainability of this critical public service.

Earlier this year, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act to help bring down everyday costs – including costs for energy. The Inflation Reduction Act’s once-in-a-generation investment in America’s infrastructure delivers the most significant action ever to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen U.S. energy security, including $3 billion to modernize the USPS delivery fleet. The USPS actions announced today sustain reliable mail service to Americans while modernizing the fleet, reducing operating costs, increasing clean air in our neighborhoods, creating jobs, and improving public health.

President Biden’s ambitious goal for 50% of new vehicles sold in 2030 to be electric has accelerated investments and jumpstarted the EV market in America. Since President Biden took office, U.S. electric vehicle sales tripled and are now higher than ever before. One year ago, through the President’s Executive Order on Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, the Biden-Harris Administration released the most ambitious sustainability plan ever, establishing a goal for 100% acquisition of zero emission light-duty vehicles by 2027 and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2035. 

With today’s announcement, USPS will exceed President Biden’s requirement for each agency to electrify its Federal fleet. Over the next five years, the Postal Service will purchase 45,000 specialized USPS NGDV electric vehicles and 21,000 commercial off-the-shelf electric vehicles.

“We commend the U.S. Postal Service,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President. “The USPS plan leverages the $3 billion provided by the Inflation Reduction Act to hit the target of 100% electric delivery vehicle purchases in 2026, sets the postal fleet on a course for electrification, significantly reduces vehicles miles traveled in the network, and places USPS at the forefront of the clean transportation revolution.”

The U.S. government operates the largest vehicle fleet in the world, and USPS is the largest vehicle fleet in the Federal government. Through today’s action, USPS sets the bar for the rest of the Federal government, and, importantly, the rest of the world.

In the bold modernization plan unveiled today, the USPS invests the full $3 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds to increase ambition and pace in electrifying its fleet, including $1.3 billion for electric delivery vehicles and $1.7 billion for charging infrastructure. Coupled with $6.6 billion in USPS funds, the overall $9.6 billion, 100,000-vehicle modernization plan results in 66,000 electric delivery vehicles and tens of thousands of charging stations through 2028, and a target of acquiring only electric delivery vehicles after 2026. 

“The U.S. Postal Service plan sets the pace for other leading public and private sector fleets. It is clear that the future of transportation is electric – and that future is here,” said Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. “As electric mail trucks hit routes across the country, neighborhoods will see cleaner air, better health, and good-paying clean energy jobs.”

“Moving packages from point A to point B in a way that’s cleaner, more cost-effective, and accelerating toward an electric vehicle future stamped ‘Made in America,” said the President’s National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi. “This is the Biden climate strategy on wheels, and the U.S. Postal Service delivering for the American people.”

With this announcement, USPS demonstrates how it is leading by example for the Federal Government in achieving President Biden’s charge to electrify the U.S. Government’s 650,000 vehicles.

IN OTHER NATIONAL NEWS...

Justice Department Secures Agreement with Ohio State Agency to End Disability Discrimination.--DOJ

FDA Approves New HIV Drug for Adults with Limited Treatment Options--FDA

HUD, VA AWARD $25.4 MILLION TO PROVIDE HOUSING ASSISTANCE FOR VETERANS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS

Awards build on investments that resulted in 11% decline in Veterans homelessness from 2020 to 2022--HUD

(4) BUSINESS HEADLINES

$75 Million in Small Business and Nonprofit Grants Begin to Arrive: Working Washington Grants – Round 5 and Convention Center Grants Provide Much Needed Relief--WA Commerce Dept.

Olympia, WA – The holiday season will be slightly brighter for thousands of Washington small businesses and nonprofits as $75 million in pandemic relief grants start to arrive. Managed by the Washington State Department of Commerce with support from the Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWA), the Working Washington Grants: Round 5 and Convention Center grants were made possible by the State Legislature.

While both grant programs are still actively distributing funds to awardees, Washingtonians from every corner of the state have started to receive their grant awards. For Ben Grogan, co-founder of Sage Brewing in Pasco, Washington, these funds are the light at the end of a very long tunnel.

“COVID has been devastating to the bar and restaurant industry in general, and catastrophic to Sage Brewing as a brand new small business,” said Grogan. “Even now, almost three years after the beginning of the pandemic, our industry is struggling. Every dollar helps, and we are so thankful for the Working Washington Grants: Round 5 program for ensuring that we have the funding to continue to operate as the world slowly returns to normal.”

Approximately $45 million of the Working Washington Grants: Round 5 program is set aside for the arts, heritage and science sectors. The pandemic hit businesses and nonprofits in this sector particularly hard, as they were often the first to close and the last to reopen their doors.

“From stage actors to software developers, creative professionals draw visitors and drive innovation across the state,” said Karen Hanan, executive director of ArtsWA. “Washington’s creative sector is still reeling from the impact of COVID-19. We’re honored to work with Commerce to make this funding happen. It is our sincere hope that these businesses feel renewed confidence in doing what they do best: Enriching our communities and exciting our collective imagination.”

For Kate Peterson, Director of the Get Lit! program in Cheney, Washington, this funding will help them celebrate a 25 years of literary programming in their community.

“We build the Get Lit! Festival budget from scratch each year,” said Peterson, “and this funding not only helped us overcome struggles we faced—and continue to face—as a result of the pandemic, but it also helps us to present an exciting festival this April to celebrate our program’s 25th anniversary! We’re so thankful that this funding has helped us to reach this incredible milestone.”

For the Department of Commerce, the lead state agency charged with enhancing and promoting sustainable community and economic vitality in Washington, these positive outcomes are central to their work statewide.

“As 2022 comes to a close, it’s inspiring to see this round of Working Washington grants provide much-needed relief statewide,” said Department of Commerce Director Lisa Brown. “While the worst of the pandemic is behind us, many small businesses and nonprofits were disproportionately impacted and are still struggling to recover. Our hope is that this round of Working Washington and Convention Center grants will help stabilize our cultural community, building a vibrant Washington State in 2023 and beyond.”

IN OTHER BUSINESS HEADLINES...

Federal Reserve Board issues technical updates to its policy governing the provision of intraday credit in accounts at Federal Reserve Banks.

IRS releases frequently asked questions about energy efficient home improvements and residential clean energy property credits.

USDA Invests $9.5M to Develop New Bioproducts from Agricultural Commodities.

(5) LOCAL MEETINGS

CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:

Clallam County work session for 12/27/22

https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12272022-511

Clallam County Commission meeting for 12/27/22

https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12272022-512

Meeting Scheduled..

A Regular Meeting of the Forks City Council will be held online December 27, 2022 at 7:30 pm.

(No agenda was posted on webpage)

https://forkswashington.org/document-category/council-agendas/

Weekly devotional

BIBLE VERSE:  Luke 2:16-20 (New King James Version)

And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

 

Weekly Bible Study 

Spirits in Prison, by Jeffrey W. Hamilton

In a discussion on suffering for righteousness sake, Peter turns to Jesus as an example.

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/SpiritsinPrison.htm

Free bible studies (WBS)

https://www.worldbibleschool.org/

Learn English using the bible as text (WEI)

http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/

(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)

  1233 E Front St, Port Angeles, WA 98362

 The Chosen: About the life of Christ

 https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen

 

The Port Angeles Globe is a weekly Publication, every Saturday-- Publisher, Peter Ripley

Your donation is appreciated.

 This Week's Video:

Biden ENDORSES Radical Trans Agenda as It Gets EXPOSED in Shocking Videos

Glenn once predicted that soon our world would turn upside-down: ‘Everything that you thought was solid will be liquid; everything that is liquid will be solid.’ Well that day is OFFICIALLY HERE, Glenn says. So, in this clip, he explains why we cannot continue to follow our ‘feelings,’ why Biden’s recent message about transgender kids is incredibly harmful, and why we’re living a ‘complete lie.’ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9usDOnf040

 HEADLINES FROM OTHER SOURCES:

 Biden’s Disgraceful Border Evasions--NR

As Pelosi Departs Speaker Position, She Gets Herself Something Tucked Away on Pg. 610 of Spending Bill--WJ

Pres. Biden Omitted ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ’ from Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony for 2nd Straight Year – But, Trump Didn’t---CNSNEWS

 

Housing, homelessness and behavioral health top Inslee’s budget priorities for 2023–25.

 

LINK SOURCE: Governor's Inslee's webpage.

Gov. Jay Inslee released his 2023–25 budget proposals today, urging legislators to continue prioritizing investments in housing, homelessness, and behavioral health with urgency and audacity. His budgets also outline updated plans for climate, salmon recovery, education, public safety, state workforce, and more.

Housing referendum will front-load funding so we can build more, faster

At the heart of Inslee’s housing proposal is a referendum that will allow legislators to front-load $4 billion of housing construction over the next six years.

The underlying capital budget will fund approximately 2,200 housing units in 2023–25. The $4 billion referendum would add approximately 5,300 units additional units during that time, and 19,000 in the following three biennia.

“Unfortunately, we no longer have the influx of federal funding we are using today to quickly build thousands of new supportive housing units for people experiencing homelessness,” Inslee said. “I don’t want to lose momentum, and I don’t want the problem to get worse because we aren’t moving fast enough.”

The referendum would allow the state to issue bonds outside Washington’s debt limit. It requires approval by legislators and voters.

Washington state’s 2022 Point in Time Count indicates nearly 13,000 people are living unsheltered throughout Washington state, up from 10,506 in 2020. This follows a trend of skyrocketing housing prices and not enough housing supply.

“Our traditional systems for funding housing take an incremental approach, but if there was ever a time we need to move faster, it’s now,” Inslee said. “Homelessness and housing shortages are burdening every community in Washington. We can’t wait decades to build, we need housing now or the numbers of people sliding into homelessness will grow.”

Inslee proposes using the referendum funding to address several housing gaps:

· Emergency supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, such as those being built as part of the state’s Right of Way Safety Initiative.

· Housing for people with special needs such as developmental disabilities or chronic mental illness.

· Community capacity for behavioral health, including a new diversion and recovery center for people with behavioral health needs and criminal justice involvement.

· Affordable housing units for lower- and middle-income workers making less than 80% average median income.

· Down payment and closing cost assistance for low-income, first-time homebuyers.

The referendum proposal is in addition to a series of housing proposals Inslee has previewed in recent weeks to increase density near transit corridors and streamline the permitting process to speed up housing projects.

Behavioral health priorities include intensive services for youth and competency restoration reforms

Last week, Inslee previewed his behavioral health agenda during a visit to the site of a behavioral health teaching hospital being constructed at the University of Washington. The hospital is one part of a multi-year plan the governor and legislators launched in 2018 to transform Washington’s behavioral health system and build up a network of specialized care facilities across Washington.

Despite thousands of new beds becoming available for patients, demand for services and care is outpacing the state’s progress. Inslee urged lawmakers to maintain full funding for planned facilities. He also signaled reforms are needed to address the skyrocketing number of referrals for in-jail competency evaluation and restoration services. Court orders for competency services have increased by nearly 60% since 2018, and inpatient referrals have increased 145% since 2013.

“The exponential growth in court orders and forensic referrals is not sustainable, even with the state’s huge new investments in facilities, staffing, and programs,” Inslee said. “I will be asking local leaders to join me in crafting a plan that better ensures more people get the care they need and preserves forensic services for people who need to remain in custody for the safety of themselves and the community.”

Inslee’s proposed budget would:

Continue full funding for planned facilities, including the new 350-bed forensic hospital at Western State Hospital and new state-run facilities in Maple Lane, Clark County, and Stanwood. Continue expansion of non-state operated facilities, increase bed day rates, and establish a new acuity-based rate that addresses services for harder-to-place patients.

Respond to increased demand for forensic beds at Western State Hospital by contracting with two behavioral health hospitals and a treatment center, and expand early treatment, diversion and intervention services that will free up beds at forensic facilities.

Strengthen specialized community services and substance use treatment. This includes expanding the 9–8–8 program’s mobile crisis teams as well as specialty care for people with specific needs such as traumatic brain injury or dementia. Funds from the State v. McKesson Corp. lawsuit settlement will provide more than $60 million for various opioid and fentanyl prevention and treatment services.

Build on recent investment for intensive services for youth, including the Children’s Long-Term Inpatient Program (CLIP), additional navigator resources for families, and a pilot project with Seattle Children’s Hospital and Providence of Spokane that provides intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization services.

Support behavioral health workers with improved compensation rates, more training opportunities, additional safety measures at state hospitals, and modern technology such as electronic health records.

Budget takes prudent approach to implementing top priorities as economic uncertainties loom

Though state revenues remain healthy, economists remain leery about the prospect of a recession or economic slowdown. State revenues have increased, but so have costs resulting from inflation and demand for state services.

Federal pandemic funding is also winding down. Legislators used more than $14 billion of federal funding to help businesses, local governments, hospitals and families manage the impacts of COVID-19. Inslee’s proposed operating budget will direct remaining federal pandemic funds towards emergency housing, food programs, public health, and special education.

Inslee’s budget does not contain any general tax or fee increases. It leaves $2.6 billion in total reserves.

Beyond housing, homelessness and behavioral health, Inslee’s proposed budget continues services that have been helping working families, helps state agencies adapt to changing and competitive workforce conditions, and implements crucial climate, natural resource, education, and public safety priorities.

Workforce challenges

Like many public and private employers across the country, Washington state agencies are grappling with workforce challenges. Sectors such as behavioral health and transportation have been facing shortages for the past several years. The state’s 24/7 institutions, such as psychiatric hospitals and developmental disabilities facilities, are facing especially difficult challenges. This is impacting the ability of state agencies to reliably provide crucial services.

A number of factors affect the state’s workforce challenges but exit surveys show compensation and pay was the reason most often cited for leaving state government.

The governor’s budget proposal includes funding for collectively bargained provisions:

Most state employees will receive a 4% general wage increase in 2023, and 3% in 2024.

Some agencies negotiated larger increases for hard-to-retain positions, such as state ferry workers.

A $1000 incentive payment for employees who receive COVID-19 booster vaccines.

The governor’s budget also provides funding to support training, certification or other workplace safety and support efforts aimed at improving recruitment and retention for hard-to-fill positions.

Climate and salmon

In recent years, Washington enacted a comprehensive suite of policies to transition to clean, affordable energy and fight climate change. This includes requirements for 100% clean electricity, cleaner fuels, more efficient buildings and a cap-and-invest program that includes strong environmental justice and worker provisions.

Now, the focus is on implementing these policies. In the 2023 legislative session, the governor will request legislation and funding to:

Effectively site and permit clean energy and transmission infrastructure that ensures Washingtonians can power their homes, vehicles and businesses with 100% clean electricity.

Plan for livable, resilient communities with clean transportation and affordable housing options.

Mobilize a workforce and create a Climate Corps service program to build our clean-energy and climate-resilient future.

Establish a new Institute for Northwest Energy Futures at Washington State University’s Tri-Cities campus that will research new and emerging energy technologies and systems.

Improve indoor air quality and comfort in homes using energy efficiency and HVAC upgrades.

Reduce diesel emissions by electrifying medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Much of this work is funded by the Climate Commitment Act passed in 2021, which is expected to generate at least $1.7 billion over the next two years. The CCA directs numerous other climate and clean energy investments with significant resources directed to benefit tribes and overburdened communities. The CCA has also transformed the state’s ability to develop clean transportation options and infrastructure.

The governor is also proposing the strongest suite of budget and policy initiatives in Washington’s history to protect and restore salmon habitat and salmon populations. His budget includes funding to promote the highest priority actions in the governor’s Salmon Strategy that also align with known tribal priorities and regional salmon recovery plans:

Protect and restore riparian habitat.

Invest in clean water for salmon and people.

Correct fish passage barriers and restore salmon access to historical habitat.

Protect and manage our state’s waters.

Align harvest, hatcheries and hydropower with salmon recovery.

Address predation and food web issues for salmon.

Examples of funding in the governor’s budget include:

Outreach, education, and coordination efforts for riparian restoration.

A new voluntary riparian grant program with enhanced landowner assistance to emphasize and encourage riparian protection and recovery statewide.

Investments to reduce and monitor toxins in stormwater, improve infrastructure to reduce and treat stormwater runoff, and support good wastewater management.

Addressing the toxic chemical 6PPD-quinone, created when a commonly used chemical in tires interacts with ozone.

Integrated and collaborative watershed planning and projects that support communities, agriculture, and our natural environment.

Education

From early learning to college and career training, Inslee’s budget continues investing in high-priority areas that help students and families be successful. Examples include:

Early learning. As of December 2020, there were more than 33,500 children eligible for the state’s highly successful early childhood program but only 16,278 slots. Inslee’s budget adds 2,000 slots per year and increases the rate paid to providers by 40% to help with operation costs and retention and recruitment of staff. The budget also makes permanent the one-time subsidy rate increase for the Working Connections Child Care program that was funded in 2022.

K-12. To support educators, Inslee’s proposed budget expands mentoring for beginning teachers and also expands residency programs for teachers planning to specialize in special education, dual language or working in high-poverty districts. Funding is provided to expand teacher academies in high schools to help recruit a more diverse population of candidates to the profession and provide work experience at the same time.

Inslee’s proposal continues enhanced funding totaling $313 million for social-emotional and learning supports that enables schools to hire nurses, social workers, counselors and other intensive supports for students. Additional funding is proposed to provide all students access to outdoor learning experiences.

The governor also proposes more than $120 million for special education services and support, including additional funding for young students ages 3 to 5 years old.

Higher education and workforce. To help offset rising costs at the state’s colleges and universities, the governor’s budget increases the state’s share of higher education funding at 2- and 4-year institutions to at least 66% for four-year institutions. He also expands funding for Career and College Pathways Innovation Challenge Program and Career Connect Washington, two successful programs that partner with employers and industry leaders to connect thousands of students to career training opportunities.

The governor’s budget also prioritizes health care workforce training. It expands community and technical college slots for nursing students by 400 over the next four years, doubles the capacity of the new nursing program at Eastern Washington University, and establishes a public health degree program at WSU’s Pullman, Spokane and Vancouver campuses.

Economic support for working families

Washington’s job market remains strong but the economic recovery has been uneven and many families continue to grapple with inflation. The governor’s budget continues or adds funding for several programs that provide direct relief or support to lower-income households including:

The Working Families Tax Credit passed in 2021. Applications open February 1. About 400,000 households will be able to receive a check or direct deposit for up to $1,200.

Utility assistance for low-income households and assessments for possible cooling and heating system upgrades.

Subsidies to support access to Cascade Care, which includes public option health plans that result in health plans with $10/month or less premiums.

Cash benefits that help more than 9,000 families a month with diaper costs.

Broadband infrastructure to work towards the goal of universal broadband access throughout Washington by 2024, and digital equity programs that help connect the 280,000 Washington households without internet access to devices, subscriptions and digital skills.

A two-year expansion to the Economic Security for All program to provide employment and education supports that are helping move people out of poverty.

Detailed budget and policy information

Inslee has recently previewed several other priorities for the session, including proposals to expand law enforcement training capacity and to strengthen access and support for reproductive services. Complete budget highlights for these topics and all other issue areas are available from the Office of Financial Management.

IN OTHER STATE NEWS...

Inslee issues emergency proclamation for a series of severe autumn storms.--Gov. Inslee's office

Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation today related to a series of severe autumn storms that occurred between Nov. 3 and Nov. 8 in Clallam, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Lewis, Okanogan, Pierce, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, and Wahkiakum counties.  These storms caused significant power outages, road damage, temporary road closures and detours, and extensive damage to public utilities and electrical power systems. 

The Washington State Military Department has activated the State Emergency Operations Center to implement emergency response procedures, and is coordinating resources to support local officials in alleviating the immediate impacts. State agencies and departments are directed to utilize state resources in accordance with the Washington State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan and to do everything reasonably possible to assist affected political subdivisions in an effort to respond to and recover from the event.

https://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-issues-emergency-proclamation-series-severe-autumn-storms

BIRD FLU INFECTS FIRST COMMERCIAL FLOCK IN WASHINGTON--WSDA

OLYMPIA – Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) struck a large commercial flock last week in Washington state.

The highly contagious virus spreads rapidly in poultry environments, causing severe illness or death among infected birds or animals. There is little to no risk to the public. Although this is the first commercial detection in Washington, there have been more than 250 commercial flock detections in two dozen states across the country since the beginning of the outbreak in February of 2022. 

https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/news-and-media-relations/news-releases?article=36203

AG Ferguson: Walmart to pay $62.6 million to Washington for its role in opioid epidemic--AG OFFICE

https://www.atg.wa.gov/news/news-releases/ag-ferguson-walmart-pay-626-million-washington-its-role-opioid-epidemic

2. NEWS FROM OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO DC.

OLYMPIC PENINSULA RECEIVES $18.7 MILLION TO REMOVE FISH BARRIERS, RESTORE SALMON HABITAT.

LINK SOURCE: From Congressman Kilmer's office.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the agency will award $18,699,257 to Tribes, communities, and local governments across the Olympic Peninsula for removal of fish passage barriers like small dams and culverts, to open up salmon migration routes, and allow more salmon to return to their spawning grounds.

In total, NOAA will fund 10 projects across Washington state totaling $39.8 million. Together, these projects will help recover habitats for endangered migratory fish and support the sustainability of commercial, recreational, and Tribal fisheries.

“Through these awards, the federal government is moving to restore fish passages and provide critical access to upstream habitat. That’s critically important if we’re going to recover the salmon populations that are so vital to our region’s economy, culture, and way of life,” said Rep. Kilmer. “I'm grateful for Senator Cantwell's partnership and for the support of all those who know how important this effort is to protecting clean water and recovering salmon populations in our region.”

“These first projects from the NOAA’s Restoring Fish Passage Through Barrier Removal Program will jumpstart salmon recovery on the Olympic Peninsula by removing salmon-blocking culverts and other stream obstructions,” said Senator Cantwell. “Barriers like obsolete dams and impassable culverts prevent salmon from migrating to their spawning grounds in the Quillayute, Quinault, and Lower Chehalis watersheds. These first projects will make real progress in salmon recovery, including boosting stocks important to Southern resident orcas and coastal ecosystems, as well as commercial, recreational, and Tribal fishing communities.”

Included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding, Rep. Kilmer, who serves as Co-Chair of the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, and Sen. Cantwell championed $1 billion for a new program aimed at removing, replacing, or restoring culverts, the first federal program devoted to culvert restoration. Rep. Kilmer and Sen. Cantwell also secured $172 million for the NOAA Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, a grant program that provides funding to States and Tribes to protect, conserve, and restore West Coast salmon. Also included in the BIL funding, Rep. Kilmer and Sen. Cantwell secured $89 million for the Puget Sound Geographic Program, which provides critical support to state, local, and Tribal governments to implement projects that improve water quality, enhance fish passage, and restore salmon habitat.

Across the country, NOAA announced nearly $105 million for 36 fish passage projects this year, as well as an additional $61 million in future year funding under the BIL. This year, Washington state received the largest allocation in the nation in both the amount of money received and the number of projects funded.

The following organizations on the Olympic Peninsula received funding for fish passage projects.

$10.39 million for culvert removal in the Quillayute and Quinault watersheds

Wild Salmon Center and partners will be awarded $10,396,280 to design, permit, and remove nine culverts on county and Tribal reserve roads. The project is part of the Coldwater Connection Campaign, which is a partnership between non-profits, stakeholders, and state, federal, and local agencies to reconnect 125 miles of high-quality salmon and steelhead streams in Washington’s coastal areas.

The project was developed with the Quileute and Quinault Tribes and will increase tribal capacity for fish passage restoration. Culvert replacements in the Quillayute and Quinault watersheds will improve access for native migratory salmonids to their historic range while improving the durability of public infrastructure.

Project partners include the Coast Salmon Partnership, Trout Unlimited, the Quileute Tribe, the Quinault Indian Nation, the Hoh Tribe, and others.

 

“We thank the entire Pacific Northwest delegation, especially Senators Cantwell and Murray, and Representative Kilmer for securing generational federal investments that can change the trajectory of salmon and orca recovery in the Pacific Northwest," said Guido Rahr, CEO of Wild Salmon Center. “We are at a critical juncture for these species and the Tribes, economies, ecosystems, and local communities that depend on them throughout the region. This investment builds resilience in our communities and our watersheds, ensuring that wild salmon and steelhead can access cold water needed to thrive in the face of a changing climate."

 

$7.07 million for fish barrier replacements on the Olympic Peninsula

Trout Unlimited and partners will be awarded $7,071,627 to replace eight fish passage barriers as part of the Coldwater Connection Campaign.

The eight barriers were prioritized using a decision support tool that evaluated the potential ecological benefits of removing more than 500 fish passage barriers in the Olympic Peninsula. The culverts will be replaced with structures that fish are able to swim through to improve the resilience of salmon populations and transportation infrastructure.

The effort will open more than 7 miles of spawning and rearing habitat for commercially and recreationally important salmon species. Funding will also support hiring staff and support capacity building with the Hoh Tribe.

Project partners include the Wild Salmon Center, the Coast Salmon Partnership, the Quileute Tribe, the Quinault Indian Nation, the Hoh Tribe, and others.

“Trout Unlimited’s ongoing partnership with NOAA is helping us recover critical populations of salmon, steelhead, and trout and building resilience against the growing impacts of climate change for fish and communities. The new investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, made possible by the outstanding leadership of Senator Cantwell and Representative Kilmer, only accelerates this crucial work,” said Chris Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “This work is improving fish passage, but also helping rural communities by providing family-wage jobs, improving water quality, and helping prevent road failures and flood damage.”

 $1.23 million for Hoquiam River Dam removal feasibility assessment in the Lower Chehalis Watershed

The City of Hoquiam and partners will be awarded $1,231,350 to assess the feasibility of removing the West Fork of the Hoquiam River Dam in the Lower Chehalis Watershed.

The project will involve developing conceptual designs for dam removal and designing, permitting, and installing groundwater wells that will be tested to serve as an alternative water source for the City of Hoquiam.

Removal of the dam would open 13 miles of habitat for Chinook, coho, and steelhead, and would improve instream flows in the watershed.

If the wells can provide a reliable source of alternative water, and the dam removal is found to be feasible, residents of the City of Hoquiam will have a more reliable water supply, decreased likelihood of water supply contamination, reduced dam and fishway maintenance and repair costs, and updated infrastructure.

The project has been prioritized by Chehalis Basin restoration partners and Tribes due to its potential to provide access to high-quality habitat that will be more resilient to climate change because of the cooler waters, there. Cool water is critical to salmon survival.

Project partners include the Chehalis Basin Partnership and the Chehalis Basin Habitat Workgroup.

 

“This project provides tremendous long-term benefits for the citizens of Hoquiam, the environment, and our critical salmon stocks,” said Hoquiam City Administrator Brian Shay. “When this project is completed we will remove the second worst fish barrier in the entire Chehalis Basin Watershed opening up 13 miles of new salmon habitat, while also providing a new, safe, reliable drinking water source for our community. The City of Hoquiam has been working on this project since 2009 and hopes to reach completion by the end of 2027, subject to future grant applications for construction. This specific NOAA grant will allow the City to complete predesign of the dam removal and groundwater sources and initiate water right permitting.”

IN OTHER CONGRESSNAL NEWS:

HOUSE PASSES KILMER LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY AND SAVE TAXPAYERS MONEY--Congressman's Kilmer's office

REPRESENTATIVES KILMER AND GALLAGHER INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL LEGISLATION WITH SENATORS KLOBUCHAR AND GRAHAM TO BRING TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO ONLINE POLITICAL ADS--Congressman's Kilmer's office

Equal Pay for All Team USA Athletes One Step Closer as Cantwell-Championed Bill Passes Senate

Legislation ensures all Team USA athletes—regardless of gender—receive equal pay and benefits in global competition--Sen. Cantwell's office

Cantwell, Murkowski Bill Would Spur Hydropower Upgrades, Restore Free Flowing Rivers

Bipartisan legislation would establish new 30% tax incentive for dam safety and environmental improvements and to remove obsolete river obstructions--Sen. Cantwell's office

Major Upgrades Expected for Washington Ports, Rivers, Salmon, Wetlands, As Water Resources Development Act Heads to President’s Desk--Sen. Murray's office

Senator Murray Statement on Passage of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2023--Sen. Murray's office

3. WORLD NEWS HEADLINES.

General Assembly Adopts 51 Third Committee Drafts on Combating Glorification of Nazism, Refugees, Displaced Persons, Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation

Delegates Reject Country-Specific Texts as Political Tools to Interfere in Nations’ Internal Affairs.--UN NEWS RELEASE

The General Assembly adopted 51 resolutions and 1 decision recommended by its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, covering a range of issues, from the rights children, women, refugees and others forced to flee their homes, to combating the glorification of Nazism.

Amid spirited debate, the Assembly adopted a draft on combating the glorification of Nazism by a recorded vote of 120 in favour to 50 against, with 10 abstentions (Afghanistan, Ecuador, Myanmar, Palau, Panama, Papau New Guinea, Samoa, Switzerland, Republic of Korea and Türkiye).

The representative of the Russian Federation, describing the vote as shocking, said that, for the first time in the history of the United Nations, former Axis Powers voted against a text condemning Nazism.  Criticizing a country-specific approach to a thematic resolution, he rejected amended operative paragraph 4, which condemns Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.

Echoing his stance, China’s delegate opposed attempts to distort the history of the Second World War.  The practice of adding country-specific content to thematic resolutions by means of amendments is inconsistent with the established practice of the Third Committee, she noted.  In the same vein, Sri Lanka’s delegate criticized amended contents for politicizing the issue of combating racism and neo-Nazism through a country-specific approach.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s delegate stressed that operative paragraph 4 speaks about Moscow’s endeavours to justify its military invasion and territorial aggression on the purported basis of eliminating neo-Nazism.  “That is why we do not allow rapists to lecture us about how to fight rape,” he emphasized, adding that the summary executions of civilians by the Russians in Ukraine — documented in the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights — may constitute the war crime of wilful killing.  This is the fascism of today — the glorification of Nazism being executed by the Russian Federation — he asserted.

Along similar lines, the representative of the United States stressed that Moscow’s resolution is not a serious effort to combat Nazism and antisemitism; instead, it is a shameful ploy to justify its war of aggression in Ukraine.  In full support of the amendment that became a part of the resolution, she categorically rejected that the draft has turned into a country-specific resolution.  The representative of the Czech Republic, speaking on behalf of the European Union, rejected the term denazification, used by the Russian Federation to justify its illegal invasion of Ukraine, adding that such distortion erodes understanding of the Holocaust.

Also today, the Assembly passed five draft resolutions on country-specific situations.  Numerous delegates broadly rejected country-specific texts, with Iran’s delegate noting that such drafts are supported by countries with the darkest human rights records.  The resolution on the situation in Iran does not concern the protection of human rights; instead, it aims to exert political pressure, she stressed, criticizing attempts to marginalize Iran through exploitation of United Nations mechanisms.

Similarly, the representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, condemning the draft on the human rights situation in his country, criticized the United States and Western countries for abusing human rights issues as a political tool for interfering in internal affairs of other countries.

Three resolutions were adopted on questions relating to refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons.  The text on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) — adopted by consensus — had the Assembly express deep concern at the increasing number of people who are forcibly displaced due to conflict, persecution and climate.  Stressing the importance of responsibility-sharing, the Assembly urged States to uphold the civilian and humanitarian character of camps for refugees and allow unhindered access for UNHCR.

This year, the Assembly adopted by consensus a new text on protecting children from sexual exploitation.  By its terms, the Assembly voiced concern over the threat posed by “self-generated” child sexual abuse materials produced through coercion, as well as linkages between child sexual exploitation and trafficking in children for commercial sexual exploitation.  It urged States to criminalize all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse, including online, and provide tools to identify victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

A draft resolution on the world drug problem — adopted by a recorded vote of 124 in favour to 9 against (Belarus, Cameroon, Iran, Nicaragua, Niger, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Syria and Türkiye), with 45 abstentions — sparked controversy, with some delegates interpreting the text as a roll-over, while others refused to recognize it as the annual omnibus resolution due to extensive revisions.

In its one decision of the day, the Assembly adopted the work programme of its Third Committee for the seventy-eighth session.

Also speaking today were representatives of Nicaragua, Belarus, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Singapore, Cuba, Syria, Venezuela, Maldives, Philippines and Oman (on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council).

The Assembly will next meet at 3 p.m. on Friday, 16 December, to continue its work.

IN OTHER WORLD NEWS HEADLINES:

States Must Address Drivers of Radicalization, Technology Use by Terrorists, Speakers Tell Security Council, Urging Comprehensive Approach to Tackle Transnational Threat--UN PRESS RELEASE

https://press.un.org/en/2022/sc15141.doc.htm

Readout of Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield’s Meeting with Meeting with African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat--USUN

Secretary Antony J. Blinken at a Press Availability--US STATE DEPT.

"The reality is that the United States and African nations cannot deliver on any of the fundamental aspirations of our people – we can’t solve any of the big challenges that we face – if we don’t work together."

U.S.-Lithuanian Defense Leaders Consult at Pentagon.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has "rocked the foundations of Europe and the rules-based order," Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III at a Pentagon meeting today. --DOD

4. NATIONAL & BUSINESS HEADLINES

Justice Department Finds Alaska Unnecessarily Segregates Children with Behavioral Health Disabilities in Institutions--DOJ

The Department of Justice announced today that it found reasonable cause to believe that the State of Alaska violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide community-based services to children with behavioral health disabilities, relying instead on segregated, institutional settings — specifically, psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities. This finding comes at the conclusion of the department’s investigation into whether Alaska subjects children with behavioral health disabilities to unnecessary institutionalization in violation of Title II of the ADA.

“Each year, hundreds of children, including Alaska Native children in significant number, are isolated in institutional settings often far from their communities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Most of these children could remain in family homes if provided appropriate community-based services. We look forward to working with Alaska to bring the State into compliance with federal law and prevent the unnecessary institutionalization of children.”

Children who are segregated in psychiatric residential treatment facilities commonly stay there longer than six months, and some of them are sent to states as distant as Texas and Missouri, thousands of miles from their families.

The department’s investigation found that Alaska’s system of care is heavily reliant on institutions and that key community-based services and supports needed to serve children with behavioral health disabilities in family homes, such as home-based family treatment, crisis services and therapeutic treatment home services, are often unavailable. As a result, many children with behavioral health disabilities, including a substantial number of Alaska Native children, are forced to endure unnecessary and unduly long admissions to psychiatric hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities both within Alaska and in states across the country. 

With today’s announcement, the department has concluded its third investigation in 2022 involving the unnecessary institutionalization of children with behavioral health disabilities.

IN OTHER NATIONAL NEWS...

Five Individuals Sentenced in $12 Million Federal Financial Aid Fraud Scheme

Five individuals were sentenced yesterday for conspiring to defraud the U.S. Department of Education’s financial aid programs of over $12 million in federal funds.--DOJ

FHA ANNOUNCES NEW ASSISTANCE OPTION TO HELP SENIOR HOMEOWNERS WITH REVERSE MORTGAGES IMPACTED BY COVID-19

New COVID-19 Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Property Charge Repayment Plan allows servicers to offer homeowners up to five years to repay past-due property charges.--HUD

HHS Proposes Rule to Strengthen Beneficiary Protections, Improve Access to Behavioral Health Care, and Promote Equity for Millions of Americans with Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D--HHS

BUSINESS NEWS

FTC Action Leads to Permanent Ban for Scammers Behind ‘The Credit Game’ Credit Repair Scheme

Proposed court orders would ban Michael and Valerie Rando and their companies from credit repair and require them to surrender investments, properties, and cars--FTC

As a result of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, the operators of “The Credit Game,” a credit repair scheme that cost consumers millions of dollars, face a lifetime ban from the credit repair industry in proposed court orders filed today.

Michael and Valerie Rando and their companies, first sued by the FTC in May 2022, would also be required to turn over a wide array of property that would be liquidated and used to provide refunds to consumers harmed by the scam.

“These defendants falsely promised consumers improved credit based on tactics that were both illegal and ineffective,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Our proposed orders will permanently ban these fraudsters from peddling deceptive credit repair tactics to struggling consumers.”

In its complaint against the Randos and their companies, the FTC alleged that the scheme’s operators provided false information to credit reporting agencies regarding consumers’ credit reports. Additionally, the Randos perpetuated the harm to consumers by pitching their customers a supposed business opportunity to create their own bogus credit repair scheme. The complaint also alleged that the scammers encouraged consumers to pay for the bogus services using COVID-19 tax relief funds, which the FTC alleged was a violation of the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act.

The proposed court orders, which were agreed to by the defendants in the case, include a number of requirements:

Permanent ban on credit repair: The Randos and their companies are permanently banned from operating or assisting any credit repair service of any kind.

Prohibition against unsubstantiated claims: The orders would also prohibit the defendants from making claims about the benefits, performance, or efficacy of any good or service without sufficient supporting evidence. 

Turn over possessions: The orders would require the defendants to turn over numerous properties, including: their interest in numerous real estate investments; a Lamborghini, Maserati, Land Rover, and a golf cart; and the contents of numerous bank, investment, and life insurance accounts. These assets will be liquidated by a court-appointed receiver and the funds used by the FTC to provide refunds to consumers harmed by the scam.

The orders contain a total monetary judgment of $18,875,613, which is partially suspended based on the defendants’ inability to pay the full amount. If the defendants are found to have lied to the FTC about the financial status, the full judgment would be immediately payable.

The Commission vote approving the stipulated final orders was 4-0. The FTC filed the proposed order in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

NOTE: Stipulated final orders or injunctions have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.

IN OTHER BUSINESS NEWS...

IRS reminder: For many employers and self-employed people, deferred Social Security tax payment due Dec. 31--IRS

Calling on Congress: Grow and Modernize Our Workforce

Addressing the worker shortage crisis and preparing our workforce for the jobs of tomorrow can and must be addressed in the 118th Congress.--US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES ENHANCED EMPLOYMENT TRAINING FOR TRANSITIONING SERVICE MEMBERS, SPOUSES, CAREGIVERS--Dept. of Labor

5. LOCAL MEETINGS

CLALLAM COUNTY MEETINGS:

Clallam County Board of Health meeting for 12/20/22

https://www.clallamcountywa.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12202022-504

Note: There was no Clallam Commission meetings scheduled this week no agendas posted.

City of Port Angeles Council meeting for 12/20/22

https://www.cityofpa.us/DocumentCenter/View/12451/CC-Agenda-Packet-12202022

JEFFERSON COUNTY MEETINGS

Jefferson County Commission meeting 12/19/22

https://media.avcaptureall.cloud/meeting/21cbc419-5a76-442d-9672-52b4384ecad6

🙏Weekly devotional

BIBLE VERSE:  Matthew 1:20-21 (New King James Version)

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 

Weekly Bible Study 

Religion and War, by Doy Moyer

First, this type of statement assumes that all religions are essentially the same. They aren’t. Some religions actively teach peace. Biblical Christianity (not the perverted forms) is one of them.

http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/ReligionAndWar.html

Free bible studies (WBS)

https://www.worldbibleschool.org/

Learn English using the bible as text (WEI)

http://www.worldenglishinstitute.org/

(Join us in worship every Sunday starting at 10:30AM Church of Christ)

  1233 E Front St, Port Angeles, WA 98362

 The Chosen: About the life of Christ

 https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen

 

The Port Angeles Globe is a weekly Publication, every Saturday-- Publisher, Peter Ripley

Your donation is appreciated.

 This Week's Video:

 Glenn once predicted that soon our world would turn upside-down: ‘Everything that you thought was solid will be liquid; everything that is liquid will be solid.’ Well that day is OFFICIALLY HERE, Glenn says. So, in this clip, he explains why we cannot continue to follow our ‘feelings,’ why Biden’s recent message about transgender kids is incredibly harmful, and why we’re living a ‘complete lie.’ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZNVuudtzTQ

 HEADLINES FROM OTHER SOURCES:

Corporate Media Can Stomp And Cry All It Wants, Its Special Twitter Privileges Are Ending--THE FEDERALIST

Trump Lays Out Plan to Destroy ‘Censorship Cartel’ and Protect Free Speech--NEWS BUSTERS

Wash. State May Want to Back Off Opioid Litigation--NEWS MAX