September 10, 2008

This week, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary James Peake reversed a decision issued earlier this year not to allow third party voter registration at VA offices. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee also postponed a hearing on S.3308, a bill that would require the VA to allow nonpartisan voter registration drives and agree to any state request that it offer voter registration at its facilities under the National Voter Registration Act. Full release

Associate Attorney General Kevin J. O'Connor today announced almost $10 million in additional funding to supplement existing task forces and to expand the number of task forces working with community-based organizations to combat human trafficking. The Associate Attorney General made the announcement at the 2008 National Conference on Human Trafficking, where more than 350 representatives from federal, state, and local organizations gathered to discuss methods of investigating human trafficking and servitude and how best to provide services to trafficking victims. Full release

Truth Wins Out (TWO) today urged GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin to speak out about her church's support for an "ex-gay" conference that will be in Anchorage on Saturday. Palin is scheduled to be in Alaska today and should use her visit as an opportunity to inform Americans whether she agrees with her church that homosexuals can be cured through prayer, says TWO. Full release

The Voters of Arizona gathered today simultaneously in Phoenix and Tucson for the official NO on 105 Campaign Kickoff. In opposition to Proposition 105, the "so-called" Majority Rules amendment, the Voters of Arizona Committee cited the pitfalls of this proposed constitutional amendment as an attack on the act of voting and on Arizona voters. Full release

A new report released today by Kearsarge Global Advisors (KGA), a Washington, D.C.-based government affairs and communications firm, projects that, during the 2008 election cycle, at least $66 million will be spent on paid political advertisements aimed at thwarting global economic policies and foreign direct investment in the U.S. These figures are based on research and data collected and analyzed in conjunction with CMAG. Full release

In response to the effects of Tropical Storm Hanna, the U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an initial $40,000 to the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica, for air support to transport relief commodities and personnel to affected communities. Full release

A first-of-a-kind study commissioned by the Center On Executive Compensation to identify the perspectives of the nation's largest 25 institutional investors on executive compensation matters confirms that making broad assumptions about their views on this topic often does not reflect realities, underscoring "a need for a thoughtful and reasoned approach to any executive compensation policy changes," according to the Center. Full release

Older Republicans and women report they are more likely to volunteer in their communities, according to a comprehensive report released today by AARP. More to Give, a joint production with Civic Enterprises, examines volunteerism among members of the Baby Boom and Silent Generations and offers a roadmap for increasing volunteerism through public and private initiatives, as well as renewed efforts by organizations like AARP. Full release

Sen. Barack Obama laid out strategies to reform education in Dayton, Ohio, today. The National Education Association applauded the comprehensive plan. "Sen. Obama gets it," said Dennis Van Roekel, president of NEA. "He knows that reform cannot take place overnight or by using quick fixes. Obama wants to invest in comprehensive strategies, both immediate and long-term, which will pay dividends for our children, our economy and our country." Full release

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