May 05, 2009

The following is a statement by Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director, Global AIDS Alliance, Washington, DC on President Obama's global health funding for FY10 as released by the White House, Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Full release.

As climate bill negotiations reach their apex this week, Members of Congress, religious and military leaders are intensifying their efforts to ensure the legislation prioritizes the most vulnerable at home and abroad. Bolstered by the results of a new national poll that shows strong support among key religious groups for action on climate change and its impact on the most vulnerable, U.S. Reps. Heath Shuler and Tom Perriello joined religious and military leaders today to discuss the importance of these principles and announce a new radio and email campaign pressing this message in key districts across America. Full release.

It is a very special day indeed. The Speaker of the House has the privilege of welcoming the President of Israel to the Capitol of the United States. President Peres is a hero to many of us. He is a great visionary and has been recognized by the world as such. The President is a tremendous leader, a fighter for peace, a Nobel laureate recognized for his vision, his intellect, and his strategic thinking for peace. Full release.

A poll commissioned by National Media Inc. over the weekend demonstrates that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe that healthy banks should be allowed to repay TARP investments immediately. Of the one thousand respondents, 86 percent believe that banks should be allowed to repay the government immediately, if they are capable of doing so. Only 11 percent disagreed. Full release.

- Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, today announced plans to introduce legislation tomorrow to establish an enforcement framework for licensed gambling operators to accept wagers from individuals in the U.S. The legislation is expected to include a number of significant consumer protections, including safeguards against compulsive and underage gambling, money laundering, fraud and identity theft. Millions of Americans are wagering more than $100 billion annually with offshore Internet gambling operators despite the current prohibition imposed under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). Full release.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has fined Demon Demo Inc. a child labor civil money penalty following an investigation into the death of a teenage worker at the company's Gwinnett Place mall demolition site from a second floor fall. This penalty is the first assessed by the division under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. Full release.

A poll released today by Gallup and America's Promise Alliance shows that more than one-third of students surveyed in grades 5-12 are struggling or suffering, and half (50 percent) are not hopeful, as quantified by Gallup researchers. The findings mark the beginning of what will quickly become the largest-ever survey of American children, and will help school systems and communities benchmark progress and determine solutions to the dropout crisis. Currently, one in three American students does not graduate from high school. Full release.

Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) today praised U.S. Reps. Tim Murphy (R-PA), Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Tim Walz (D-MN), Shelley Moore-Capito (R-WV), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Lee Terry (R-NE) for their introduction of the American Conservation and Clean Energy Independence Act on Tuesday. Full release.

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