PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 2/ 17
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) has introduced legislation to unleash the bargaining power of seniors for a better deal on prescription drug costs. The legislation would allow for Medicare to negotiate the best possible price of prescription drugs to cut costs for nearly 41 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Part D. Current law only allows for bargaining by pharmaceutical companies and bans Medicare from doing so.
“Our seniors should not have to choose between lifesaving medicine and other vital necessities,” said Senator Cantwell. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this legislation, which allows Medicare to leverage its purchasing power to lower prescription drug prices for seniors. When you buy in bulk, you should get a discount.”
The legislation would allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to directly negotiate with drug companies for price discounts in the Medicare Prescription Drug Program, eliminating the “non-interference” clause that expressly bans Medicare from negotiating for the best possible prices. By harnessing the bargaining power of nearly 41 million seniors, Medicare could negotiate bigger discounts and thus lower prices for seniors.
In addition to her Medicare negotiation bill, Cantwell has been working with her Senate and House colleagues to drive down the rising costs of prescription drugs. Earlier this year, Cantwell cosponsored legislation with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would allow the safe prescription drug importation from Canada. In the Affordable Care Act, Cantwell secured a provision to require reporting and transparency from pharmacy benefit managers – the middlemen between health insurance plans, pharmaceutical companies, and pharmacies – to ensure that savings from drug price negotiations are being passed on to consumers and not contributing more to pharmaceutical companies’ bottom lines.
VETERANS: Sen. Murray Applauds Big Step Forward on Effort to Expand G.I. Bill
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 2/ 17
Includes much-needed relief for student veterans who have been defrauded by institutions like Corinthian and ITT Tech
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) and the Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, applauded Senate passage of bipartisan legislation that seeks to improve veterans’ education benefits and enhance the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. Significantly, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 (S. 1598) eliminates the arbitrary 15-year period within which a veteran is required to use their G.I. Bill so they can use their benefits at any time in life, beginning with new recruits entering service in January 2018. After passing in both the House and the Senate, the legislation is now headed to the President’s desk.
“When young men and women sign up to serve our country, we make a promise to be there for them when they return,” said Sen. Murray, an original cosponsor of the Senate bill. “This legislation is a strong step toward that pledge by making sure those who have served have the tools they need to pursue a high-quality education and a find a career that fits their goals and experience. I’m proud to fight for this legislation, and I will keep doing everything I can to make sure we truly honor our veterans and military families by making sure that schools are held accountable and veterans can fairly use the benefits they earned in their service to our country.”
According to VA, there are currently more than 25,000 G.I. Bill students in Washington state, including nearly 19,000 Post-9/11 G.I. Bill students.
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 makes much-needed updates for reservists; Purple Heart recipients; surviving family members; and, especially important to Sen. Murray, veterans who were defrauded by now-defunct for-profit colleges. Murray has been a leader in holding the U.S. Department of Education to its commitment to students who are still being forced to pay back loans from predatory institutions, including Corinthian and ITT Tech, which defrauded and closed their doors on students. Former veteran students at Corinthian and ITT Tech will have their G.I. Bill benefits fully restored within 90 days of the bill’s signing.
Additionally, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017:
Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists mobilized under selected reserve orders for preplanned missions in support of the combatant commands or in response to a major disaster or emergency;
Provides G.I. Bill eligibility for reservists undergoing medical care;
Provides full G.I. Bill benefits for Purple Heart recipients regardless of length of service;
Ensures relief in event of future school closures by restoring G.I. Bill benefits for the credits or training time lost and continuing housing allowances up to 120 days;
Extends Yellow Ribbon Program benefits to Fry scholarship recipients;
Offers an extension of eligibility for veterans who pursue longer-term science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs or related teaching certifications;
Increases G.I. Bill payments by $2,300 per year for veterans with less than 12 months of active service.
Improves oversight of schools by state approving agencies with the goal of improving education and training and preventing school closures.
The legislation is named in honor of Harry Walter Colmery, an Army Air Service veteran and former national commander of the American Legion who drafted the original G.I. Bill in 1944 to improve the transition for World War II veterans back to civilian life.
RELATED STORY
Cantwell-sponsored Bill Expanding Education Opportunities for Veterans Heads to President’s Desk
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 2/ 17
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the United States Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to modernize and strengthen education benefits for Washington state veterans, Reservists, and their families. The legislation is now headed to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
The Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2017 will break down barriers to education benefits by getting rid of the arbitrary 15-year window, allowing veterans to use their GI Bill education benefits for life. Cantwell has worked to remove the time limit placed on accessing GI Bill benefits since 2007 when she introduced the Montgomery GI Bill for Life Act.
"For more than 70 years, the GI Bill has opened the door to higher education for millions of service members and veterans who wouldn't otherwise have had the chance to pay for college. By removing the arbitrary time limits, our veterans can get the valuable skills training and education they need to succeed in life outside the military when it is the right time for them to do so,” said Cantwell.
Of particular importance to Cantwell, the bill makes critical investments in student veterans who pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering or math fields, as well as technical and vocational careers. The bill also allows Guardsmen and Reservists to count their training, deployments, and medical treatment related to their service towards accruing education benefits like their active duty counterparts.
“In Washington state, our tech industry is booming and creating new jobs every day,” said Cantwell. “By ensuring our veterans can access STEM education or use their on-the-job computer science training, they can fill these jobs and power the 21st century economy.”
Computing jobs are growing in every industry and in every state. There are currently more than 20,000 open computing jobs in Washington state, and more than 500,000 nationwide. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates there will be 4.4 million jobs in computer and information technology occupations by 2024. Despite the clear need for a workforce with coding and programming skills, many veterans have been unable to use their GI benefits to access coding and computer science training programs.
Page 2: STATE & REGIONAL
Governor's blog post: Civil legal aid funding at risk
Decrease in federal funding would hinder low-income Washingtonians in pursuit of justice
From the Governor's office blg page posted 8/ 2/ 17
The legal system is a complex web of civil and criminal laws, procedures and rules. And for people who don’t have the means to hire a lawyer, the pursuit of justice is too expensive to bear.
That’s why civil legal aid is a crucial component of the legal system. Legal aid services help people who cannot afford an attorney navigate the justice system and provide legal assistance on everything from health care and housing to employment and consumer exploitation. It is often the only source of help for those who have experienced trauma and find themselves in positions of extreme vulnerability.
It helps victims of family and intimate-partner violence navigate the justice system and secure protection orders, according to attorneys with the Northwest Justice Project, Washington state’s flagship civil legal aid provider.
“Northwest Justice Project attorneys understand the life-long impact that legal protections from family and intimate partner violence has for everyone involved, especially children, and for the broader community,” attorneys with the organization said in a statement. “Our state’s strong support for civil legal aid makes it possible for NJP and partner legal aid advocates to provide legal assistance and representation that secures justice and safety for all Washington families.”
But legal aid services are under threat. Last month, President Donald Trump proposed the elimination of the federal Legal Services Corporation, the single largest source of federal funding for civil legal assistance in the United States. If Trump’s proposal to eliminate the LSC were enacted, the Northwest Justice Project would lose roughly $6.5 million in legal aid funding each year.
Gov. Jay Inslee swiftly responded to the president’s proposal, challenging Congress to reject the president’s budget and labeling it “a betrayal of American values.” The governor drew the Washington congressional delegation’s attention to the detrimental effect the elimination of the LSC would have on the state.
Legal aid provides crucial justice system safety net
Originally conceived during President Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty, the Legal Services Corporation was established through legislation in 1974. While programs receive support from state funding and pro bono services, the LSC is now the single largest funding source for civil legal assistance in America and has consistently provided money for Washington’s civil legal aid programs for decades.
Outside of the LSC program, Congress in 2015 substantially increased the amount of Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding made available to states. That money comes from the U.S. Crime Victims Fund, which collects fees from people convicted of federal offenses.
The Washington Office of Civil Legal Aid, along with the governor’s office, worked to steer a portion of that money through the Department of Commerce’s Office of Crime Victims Advocacy to statewide legal aid organizations such as the Northwest Justice Project, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and Sexual Violence Legal Services. Last year, the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy directed about $7.8 million in VOCA funds for legal aid services in Washington.
The new funding allowed legal aid organizations to hire dedicated crime-victim attorneys who work with service providers, law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys and others to meet the critical civil justice needs of crime victims, including people who have experienced domestic violence, human trafficking, child abuse, workplace sexual assault, wage theft and hate crimes.
Jim Bamberger, director of the state’s Office of Civil Legal Aid, said that the effort also resulted in the Department of Commerce to, for the first time, identifying civil legal aid as an essential service for victims of crime.
“The governor’s legal and executive policy staff have been extremely helpful in encouraging executive branch agency leaders to consider the role that civil legal aid might play in furthering important policy and consumer service goals,” Bamberger said.
The $7.8 million represented the largest one-time infusion of new funding into the state’s legal aid system in more than 30 years. It paid for 35 additional attorneys across the state, and has already helped more than 1,500 low-income victims of crime, an overwhelming majority of them survivors of domestic violence.
In one case, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office referred a single mother of a teenage daughter to the VOCA-funded Eastside Legal Assistance Program. The mother reported that another family member had sexually assaulted her daughter, and the woman believed her daughter needed immediate protection.
Legal aid attorneys helped the woman secure a one-year protection order for herself and her daughter. The accused, the girl’s father, was represented by a private attorney. He filed a motion to overturn the protection order, but the mother’s VOCA-funded attorney successfully blocked the appeal.
In another case, a man living outside of Washington contacted the Northwest Justice Project to report that his daughter was being sexually abused by her half-brother in Washington. The father sought to modify his daughter’s custody order so that she could live with him rather than her mother while authorities investigated the report. The man’s VOCA-funded attorney secured the temporary change of custody to protect the daughter.
Legal leaders ready to fight to protect access to legal aid
A 2015 Civil Legal Needs Study, commissioned by the Washington Supreme Court, reported that low-income Washingtonians often face multiple civil legal problems, but too often these low-income individuals do not realize that their problems are legal in nature, and they do not receive the help they need. In fact, more than 70 percent of Washington’s low-income households experience at least one civil legal problem each year.
Leaders in Washington’s legal aid community met in June in Yakima for the 2017 Access to Justice Conference to discuss the state of legal aid in Washington and collaborate on efforts to defend attacks on legal aid funding.
Advocates have been working with Washington’s federal congressional delegation to encourage their support for continued LSC funding. As a result, most of the Washington delegation, including members of both political parties, support the continued funding of the LSC and have sent letters to the congressional subcommittees responsible for LSC funding.
Advocates realize, however, that the fight to secure and maintain reliable funding for legal aid is far from over.
Legal aid advocate and former president of the LSC, John McKay, has seen efforts in the past to eliminate the LSC.
“Ultimately, support for legal aid and access to justice requires bipartisan support,” McKay said. “Our system of justice presumes fair and equal treatment of the poor and marginalized in a court of law. Politics and partisanship cannot be allowed to distort this truth.”
By the next Access to Justice Conference in 2019, legal aid advocates hope LSC funding for civil legal aid will still be there.
Washington state’s 2017–19 operating budget approved this year and signed by the governor includes more than $5 million for civil legal aid programs, including money to pay for the full-time equivalent of 15 more attorneys.
Inslee said he will continue working with leaders in the legal aid and business communities and others to assure that federal funding for civil legal aid from VOCA, LSC, and other programs remain available to people in need.
page 3: ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH
EPA Continues to Work With States on 2015 Ozone DesignationsPRESS RELEASE ISSUED: 8/ 2/ 17
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with 2015 ozone designations, working with states to help areas with underlying technical issues, disputed designations, and/or insufficient information. This will help ensure that more Americans are living and working in areas that meet national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).
“We believe in dialogue with, and being responsive to, our state partners. Today’s action reinforces our commitment to working with the states through the complex designation process,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
The Clean Air Act gives EPA the flexibility to allow one additional year for sufficient information to support ozone designations. EPA may take future action to use its delay authority and all other authority legally available to the Agency to ensure that its designations are founded on sound policy and the best available information.
Earlier this summer, it was evident that the Agency would not meet the October 1 deadline to designate all areas, due to underlying complexities, methodological, and informational questions with regard to this new ozone NAAQS standard. For example, the question of whether or not this ozone NAAQS was set so low as to implicate natural "background” ozone levels in some parts of the country has repeatedly been raised.
In June, EPA issued a Federal Register notice announcing that it was delaying its deadline for designations by one year, from October 1, 2017 to October 1, 2018. Previous EPA administrations had repeatedly invoked this statutory power to delay designations for part or all of the country. Today’s announcement replaces our earlier action that delayed the Agency's designation deadline on a nationwide basis and clarifies our path forward, so that the Agency can be more responsive to local needs.
“Under previous Administrations, EPA would often fail to meet designation deadlines, and then wait to be sued by activist groups and others, agreeing in a settlement to set schedules for designation,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “We do not believe in regulation through litigation, and we take deadlines seriously. We also take the statute and the authority it gives us seriously.”
EPA Declares Outdoor Burn Ban for Yakama Nation
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is declaring a ban on all outdoor open burning on the Yakama Reservation due to stagnant air conditions and elevated air pollution, effective noon, August 2, 2017 through Monday August 7, 2017 unless extended.
The burn ban applies to all outdoor and agricultural burning—including camping and recreational fires—in all areas within existing reservation boundaries regardless of ownership or tribal membership. Ceremonial and traditional fires are exempt from the burn ban. For areas outside reservation boundaries, please contact your local clean air agency, fire department, or the Washington State Department of Ecology.
EPA requests that reservation residents reduce all sources of air pollution as much as possible, including excess driving and idling of vehicles.
Air pollution can seriously harm your health. Community-wide cooperation during the ban will help people who are most at risk, including children, the elderly, pregnant women, people with asthma or difficulty breathing, diabetes, heart problems or whose breathing is otherwise compromised. Those sensitive groups should avoid outdoor exercise and minimize exposure to outdoor pollution as much as possible. Under the most severe pollution levels all residents should restrict their activities.
Air Quality Continues to Improve, While U.S. Economy Continues to Grow
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 2/ 17
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual report on air quality, showing the significant progress the United States has made to improve air quality across the country. “Our Nation’s Air: Status and Trends Through 2016” documents the steady and significant progress made in improving air quality across America, over more than 45 years under the Clean Air Act.
This progress is often overlooked; the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies has called it “The Greatest Story Seldom Told,” explaining that “Through the Clean Air Act’s framework of cooperative federalism, hard-working state and local air agencies have been responsible for tremendous progress in virtually every measure of air quality.”
EPA’s most recent report highlights that, between 1970 and 2016, the combined emissions of six key pollutants dropped by 73 percent, while the U.S. economy grew more than three times. A closer look at more recent progress shows that between 1990 and 2016, national concentration averages of harmful air pollutants decreased considerably:
• Lead (3-month average) ↓99 percent
• Carbon monoxide (8-hour) ↓ 77 percent
• Sulfur dioxide (1-hour) ↓ 85 percent
• Nitrogen dioxide (annual) ↓ 56 percent
• Ground-level ozone (8-hour) ↓ 22 percent
• Coarse Particulate Matter (24-hour) ↓ 39 percent and Fine Particulate Matter (24-hour) ↓ 44 percent
“Despite this success, there is more work to be done,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Nearly 40 percent of Americans are still living in areas classified as ‘non-attainment’ for failing to achieve national standards. EPA will continue to work with states, tribes, and local air agencies to help more areas of the country come into compliance.”
This year’s update to the report includes new, interactive graphics that enable citizens, policymakers, and stakeholders to view and download detailed information by pollutant, geographic location, and time period.
EPA Awards Palm Beach County, Florida $133,135 to Reduce Air Pollution
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 2/ 17
ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded two grants totaling $133,135 to Palm Beach County, Florida aimed at reducing air pollution. A $109,792 grant will be used by the county to support their ongoing program to protect air quality so that it achieves established ambient air standards and protects human health. Additionally, a $23,343 grant will be used to support compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards by continuing the ongoing collection of data on the ambient air concentrations of fine particulate matter in Palm Beach County.
“A fundamental part of EPA’s ‘back-to-basics agenda’ is strengthening our state and local partnerships. Grants like this are an example of how we can work together with states and municipalities to make significant investments and progress in cleaning up the air,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
“These grants are great news. Clean air is not only important for public health and our quality of life in Palm Beach, but it’s critical to our tourism economy as well. As a member of the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus, I remain committed to strengthening efforts to protect our air quality,” said U.S. Representative Brian Mast (FL-18).
Air pollution can affect heart health and even trigger heart attacks and strokes. That’s important information for the one in three Americans who have heart disease, and for the people who love them. In a recent study in Environmental Research, EPA scientists looked at data from NASA satellites and EPA ground-based air monitors, and confirmed that heart disease and heart attacks are more likely for individuals who live in places with higher air pollution. The study found that exposure to even small additional amounts of fine particle pollution averaged over a year could increase a person’s odds of a heart attack by up to 14 percent.
For more than forty years, the Clean Air Act has cut pollution as the U.S. economy has grown. It has also lowered levels of six common pollutants -- particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide -- as well as numerous toxic pollutants. The progress of the Act reflects efforts by state, local and tribal governments; EPA; private sector companies; environmental groups and others.
Editorial note: With all the wildfire smoke from Canada is hoovering over Port Angeles this week the above stories on air quality is appropriate to share.
page 4: WORLD & NATIONAL
UN NEWS CENTER: Mauritania: UN rights office voices concern about unrest ahead of constitutional referendum
3 August 2017 – The United Nations human rights office today expressed concern about the ongoing unrest in Mauritania, ahead of the constitutional referendum scheduled for Saturday, particularly the apparent suppression of dissenting voices and the reported use of excessive force by the authorities against protest leaders.
Adopting new resolution, UN Security Council moves to thwart terrorists' access to weapons
2 August 2017 – The United Nations Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution aimed at preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons, particularly small arms and light weapons, the “destabilizing accumulation and misuse” of which the 15-member body said “continue to pose threats to international peace and security and cause significant loss of life.”
IRS: National Harbor IRS Tax Forum Registration Deadline is Aug. 8
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED:
WASHINGTON — Tax professionals wishing to attend the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum in National Harbor, Md., can save $115 by registering soon, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
The Washington, D.C. area IRS Nationwide Tax Forum will take place Aug. 22 to 24.
Enrolled agents, certified public accountants, certified financial planners, Annual Filing Season Program (AFSP) participants and other tax professionals can register at the standard rate of $255 through Tuesday, Aug. 8. Attendees registering after that date or on-site will pay $370.
Seminars and Workshops
Tax professionals attending a 2017 Tax Forum can earn up to 18 continuing professional education credits. They will get the latest information on federal and state tax issues presented by experts from the IRS and partner organizations in a wide variety of seminars and workshops. Seminar topics range from data security and identity theft prevention to future IRS digital services, the gig economy, working with private collection firms and much more.
Case Resolution Program
The Nationwide Tax Forums offer tax professionals with unresolved client cases the opportunity to meet face to face with IRS representatives in the Case Resolution Program. Since 2011, case resolution staff has worked nearly 4,500 cases with a resolution rate of over 97 percent. A Forum attendee must bring a valid power of attorney for any case he or she wishes to work with the IRS. Tax businesses should bring only one client case per Forum to the Case Resolution Program.
Exhibit Hall
The Forums also feature a two-day expo with tax and financial businesses offering products, services and expertise designed with the tax professional in mind. In a survey of 2016 attendees, the forums received an overall 97 percent satisfaction rate. Presentations from the 2016 Tax Forums are available on IRS.gov.
IRS: Don’t Take the Bait, Step 4: Defend against Ransomware
PRESS RELEASE ISSUED 8/ 1/ 17
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry today warned tax professionals that ransomware attacks are on the rise worldwide as bad actors here and abroad infiltrate computer systems and hold sensitive data hostage.
The IRS is aware of a handful of tax practitioners who have been victimized by ransomware attacks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently cautioned that ransomware attacks are a growing and evolving crime threatening the private and public sectors as well as individuals.
The “Don’t Take the Bait” campaign, a 10-week security awareness campaign aimed at tax professionals, hopes to increase awareness about these attacks. The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, working together as the Security Summit, urge practitioners to learn to protect themselves. This is part of the ongoing Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself effort.
“Tax professionals face an array of security issues that could threaten their clients and their business,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We urge people to take the time to understand these threats and take the steps to protect themselves. Don’t just assume your computers and systems are safe.”
Ransomware is a type of malware that infects computers, networks and servers and encrypts (locks) data. Cybercriminals then demand a ransom to release the data. Users generally are unaware that malware has infected their systems until they receive the ransom request.
The 2017 Phishing Trends and Intelligence Report issued annually by Phishlabs named ransomware one of two transformative events of 2016 and called its rapid rise a public epidemic.
In May 2017, a ransomware attack dubbed “WannaCry” targeted users who failed to install a critical update to their Microsoft Windows operating system or who were using pirated versions of the operating system. Within a day, criminals held data on 230,000 computers in 150 countries for ransom.
The most common delivery method of this malware is through phishing emails. The emails lure unsuspecting users to either open a link or an attachment. However, the FBI also has warned that ransomware is evolving and cybercriminals can infect computers by other methods, such as a link that redirects users to a website that infects their computer.
Victims should not pay a ransom. Paying it further encourages the criminals. Often the scammers won’t provide the decryption key even after a ransom is paid.
Tips to Prevent Ransomware Attacks
Tax practitioners – as well as businesses, payroll departments, human resource organizations and taxpayers – should talk to an IT security expert and consider these steps to help prepare for and protect against ransomware attacks:
Make sure employees are aware of ransomware and of their critical roles in protecting the organization’s data.
For digital devices, ensure that security patches are installed on operating systems, software and firmware. This step may be made easier through a centralized patch management system.
Ensure that antivirus and anti-malware solutions are set to automatically update and conduct regular scans.
Manage the use of privileged accounts — no users should be assigned administrative access unless necessary, and only use administrator accounts when needed.
Configure computer access controls, including file, directory and network share permissions, appropriately. If users require read-only information, do not provide them with write-access to those files or directories.
Disable macro scripts from office files transmitted over e-mail.
Implement software restriction policies or other controls to prevent programs from executing from common ransomware locations, such as temporary folders supporting popular Internet browsers, compression/decompression programs.
Back up data regularly and verify the integrity of those backups.
Secure backup data. Make sure the backup device isn’t constantly connected to the computers and networks they are backing up. This will ensure the backup data remains unaffected by ransomware attempts.
Daily Bible Verse: But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
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