November 03, 2009

As Congress debates financial regulatory reform and the Obama Administration advocates for greater consumer financial protection, a new study finds a need for Congressional action on fringe banking practices used heavily by financially vulnerable families. The study released today details the toll on communities with a high concentration of payday lending business and finds a clear association between the presence of payday lenders and neighborhood crime rates. The study recommends that Congress take action to cap payday lender interest rates at 36 percent, enacting for the entire country protections Congress put in place for U.S. military families. The new study, entitled "Does Fringe Banking Exacerbate Neighborhood Crime Rates? Social Disorganization and the Ecology of Payday Lending," was conducted by The George Washington University professors Charis E. Kubrin and Gregory D. Squires, along with Dr. Steven M. Graves of California State University, Northridge. "As a criminologist, I can attest to the fact that there is woefully limited research on the impact of the behavior of financial institutions on neighborhood crime. As our research demonstrates, these connections can no longer be ignored by criminologists and law enforcement officials across the country," said Charis Kubrin. Full release.

A new five-country study of senior staff in the U.S. Congress and European Parliaments released today revealed the influential role of online resources and social media networks in setting policy and communicating with constituents in political capitals across the Atlantic. The poll showed staffers regularly access digital outlets and social media to research, influence and set policy. Nearly every staffer (96%) uses online resources for public policy research, more than half (54%) reported learning of policy issues for the first time online and one in five (19%) actually changed policy positions based on information and opinions they found online. The Capital Staffer Index, conducted by StrategyOne and involving interviews of nearly 400 senior congressional and parliamentarian staff in Washington, D.C., Brussels, London, Paris and Berlin, revealed that social networks like Facebook are becoming an increasingly important resource for staffers. Full release.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Global Health is pleased to announce a partnership with International Medical Corps (IMC) to strengthen the human capacity of countries to identify and respond to outbreaks of newly emergent diseases in a timely and sustainable manner. IMC leads a distinguished team including Global Deterrence Alternatives (GDA), TriMed Inc., MedPrep Consulting, and World Learning. This is a three-year cooperative agreement with a ceiling of $6.65 million. This project, named PREPARE, is part of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats Program - a specialized set of projects that build on the successes of the Agency's 30 years of work in disease surveillance, training, and outbreak response. PREPARE will focus on the provision of technical support for simulations and field tests of national, regional and local pandemic preparedness plans to ensure that countries have the capacity to implement response plans effectively during pandemic events. This agreement builds on USAID experience in the planning, design and implementation of tabletop and field drill simulations to enhance the preparedness of countries and regions against avian and pandemic influenza. Full release.

The Justice Department announced today the largest monetary payment ever obtained by the department in the settlement of a case alleging housing discrimination in the rental of apartments. Los Angeles apartment owner Donald T. Sterling has agreed to pay $2.725 million to settle allegations that he discriminated against African-Americans, Hispanics and families with children at apartment buildings he controls in Los Angeles. The settlement must be approved by U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer. "Housing is a basic human need, and yet decades after passage of the Fair Housing Act, far too many still encounter barriers like discrimination. Particularly in times of economic distress and rising foreclosures, we must remain vigilant to ensure all individuals have equal access to housing," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "The magnitude of this settlement should send a message to all landlords that we will vigorously pursue violations of the Fair Housing Act." Full release.

Stress has a greater impact on young people than parents believe and Hispanics are more likely than whites or blacks to report an increase in stress levels over the last year, according to a new national survey released today by the American Psychological Association (APA). Teens and tweens were more likely than parents to say that their stress had increased in the last year. Nearly half (45 percent) of teens ages 13-17 said that they worried more this year, but only 28 percent of parents think their teen's stress increased, and while a quarter (26 percent) of tweens ages 8-12 said they worried more this year, only 17 percent of parents believed their tween's stress had increased. Similarly, only 2-5 percent of parents rate their child's stress as extreme (an 8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale) when 14 percent of tweens and 28 percent of teens say they worry a lot or a great deal. Full release.

The United States' extraordinarily high number of babies born too soon explains why the nation has an infant death rate significantly higher when compared to Europe, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics. Cutting the U.S. preterm birth rate nearly in half to match Sweden's would lower the US infant mortality rate one-third and mean nearly 8,000 more babies would live, the report found. Sweden has the second lowest infant mortality rate worldwide, 2.4 for every 1,000 live births, compared to the US rate of 6.9. "Too many U.S. babies are born too soon each year and don't live to celebrate their first birthday. This finding underscores the importance of supporting research to help us learn what causes preterm birth and how we can help give all babies a healthy start in life," said Alan R. Fleischman, MD, medical director of the March of Dimes. "No parent should ever have to experience the pain of losing a child from prematurity." Full release.

More than 35 percent (35.4) of patients served by hospices in 2008 died or were discharged in seven days or less reports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. This reflects a 4.6 percent increase from 2007, when 30.8 percent of patients had what is considered a short hospice experience. Patients and families receiving care for seven days or less are often unable to take full advantage of the range of benefits that the hospice interdisciplinary team provides. These benefits include psychosocial support and spiritual care for patients and their families as well as pain management and symptom control. While the average length of service increased from 67.4 days in 2007 to 69.5 days in 2008, the jump in patients receiving care for a short time is of concern to hospice providers and NHPCO. Full release.

Leo W. Gerard, International President of the United Steelworkers (USW) today announced strong support for the 'Trade Enforcement Priorities Act of 2009' (S. 1982) introduced by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would breakdown foreign barriers for exports to help create American jobs. Described as strengthening a trade law provision known as 'Super 301,' the legislation would require identification of priority trade barriers that hinder job creation and economic growth in the U.S. It would make sure foreign governments are living up to their trade agreements and not placing barriers that inhibit U.S. goods being shipped into their markets. Full release.

As recently as this August, StrategyOne's Beltway Barometer survey found 41% of DC's elite Democrats believed the 2010 midterm elections would bring additional Democrats to Congress. But now in light of polls showing a commanding double-digit lead for Republican candidate McDonnell in Virginia and a New Jersey race that is too close to call, just 3% of Washington's insider Democrats see gains in their party's future in 2010. "With pundits and analysts looking intensely at the 2009 gubernatorial tea leaves in Virginia and New Jersey hoping to divine the outcomes of 2010 Congressional elections, this survey marks a major sea change among Washington, DC's elite policy influencers," said Sparky Zivin, Vice President of StrategyOne. Full release.

Today, Canada has formally requested consultations at the World Trade Organization. This attempt to overthrow the EU seal product ban was met with derision today by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW - www.ifaw.org). "Apparently the sky's the limit when it comes to bailing out special interests like commercial seal clubbing. Canadian politicians seem to have no problem spending $10 million in tax payer dollars in a desperate attempt to save a dying $1 million industry," said Sheryl Fink, Senior Researcher with the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Statistics from a Department of Fisheries and Oceans report shows that the landed value of the 2009 seal hunt was the lowest in recent memory. Tax payer dollars aren't the only thing the Canadian government is willing to risk to secure this WTO challenge. Shockingly, the Canadian government is refusing to ban the importation of cat and dog fur into Canada in fears that this politically motivated WTO challenge would be jeopardized. Full release.

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