January 29, 2010

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a government wide Strategic Plan to increase support and access for Veterans seeking employment with the Federal government. The plan is part of President Obama's Veterans Employment Initiative, a pragmatic, straightforward approach to helping the men and women who have served our country in the military find employment as civilians in the Federal Government. "This is America's first strategic blueprint to increase and support the hiring of Veterans throughout the Federal workforce," said OPM Director John Berry. "This plan aggressively dismantles barriers for Veterans seeking Federal employment. Additionally, it provides ongoing career support to Veterans working within the Federal workforce and specifically looks to support new veterans as they adjust to civilian work life." Full release.

The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division today announced that it has filed a motion for immediate relief to protect individuals confined in seven state-run psychiatric hospitals in Georgia from the imminent and serious threat of harm to their lives, health and safety. The motion, filed late yesterday, seeks appointment of a monitor who will set binding targets and timetables for reducing the number of residents at the hospitals and expanding appropriate community based services. A year ago, the state of Georgia and the Justice Department entered into an agreement to ensure that individuals in the hospitals were served in the most appropriate integrated settings and that unlawful conditions in the hospitals were remedied. The agreement was filed in United States v. Georgia, and the parties asked U.S. District Judge Charles A. Pannell Jr. to approve the agreement. However, the court has not yet approved the agreement. Full release.

A new poll by the Alliance to End Hunger shows that voters are hurting economically and they want Congress and the Administration to put the needs of Americans first. Tony Hall, director of the Alliance to End Hunger, former Member of Congress (D-OH) and Ambassador to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Agencies, said today, "Voters are very anxious about how they are going to make ends meet and feed their families. Congress should move swiftly to meet the needs of people who are hurting." One in two voters report that they are living paycheck-to-paycheck and that is having a real impact at the kitchen table. Forty-two percent of voters are buying less food or worrying about going hungry because of the recession. Households with children are especially vulnerable. Fifty-nine percent of households with children under the age of 18 say they are living paycheck to paycheck and forty-six percent say the recession has impacted their ability to provide food for their families. Full release.

AJC applauded the U.S. Senate for passing last night the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act (S.2799). The measure will impose sanctions on companies that export gasoline to Iran or assist in the expansion of Tehran's oil-refining capacity. "In his State of the Union address, President Obama warned Iran's leaders of 'growing consequences' because of their continued defiance of legally-binding UN Security Council Resolutions dealing with their nuclear program," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "This Senate measure is another welcome demonstration of the determination of the United States to prevent the Iranian regime, a grave threat to its people and its neighbors, from arming itself with a nuclear weapon." The Senate bill combines and enhances several sanctions initiatives. It would facilitate the divestment by state and local governments and other entities of stock in companies investing in Iran, and identify countries of concern with respect to transshipment, re-export, or diversion of certain sensitive items to Iran. Full release.

The development of a new series of weather and environmental monitoring satellites has marked a significant milestone with the delivery and the beginning of spacecraft integration efforts for a key science instrument. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) will be one of five instruments to fly on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP) spacecraft. VIIRS is regarded as a key component in NPP's suite of instruments because it will provide highly detailed imagery of clouds, vegetation, snow cover, dust storms, sea surface temperature and other environmental phenomena. Full release.

The U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Treasury today jointly issued new rules providing parity for consumers enrolled in group health plans who need treatment for mental health or substance use disorders. "Today's rules will bring needed relief to families faced with meeting the cost of obtaining mental health and substance abuse services," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The benefits will give these Americans access to greatly needed medical treatment, which will better allow them to participate fully in society. That is not just sound policy, it's the right thing to do." "The rules we are issuing today will, for the first time, help assure that those diagnosed with these debilitating and sometimes life-threatening disorders will not suffer needless or arbitrary limits on their care," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. Full release.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on news that the gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter, the fastest pace the economy has grown in more than six years. "Today's GDP numbers are a sign of economic progress, marking another step forward on the road to recovery and job creation, clear evidence that our efforts to revitalize the economy are starting to pay off. "From the first days of the 111th Congress, we have worked to create and save jobs, help small businesses, restore opportunity and economic security to the middle class, and lay a stronger foundation for the future. Economists of every stripe agree that our actions helped avert even greater economic catastrophe — from the Recovery Act and Cash for Clunkers to the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Full release.

AT&T* and Call For Action, a consumer mediation and education organization, announced today a new program that will focus on educating and empowering consumers on a variety of privacy-related topics. As the nation recognizes January 28, 2010 as Data Privacy Day, AT&T is using the opportunity to further highlight online privacy practices. Consumers are being encouraged to examine how they are currently protecting themselves online, and what steps they can take to ensure their privacy is secure whether connecting through their mobile device, home broadband connection or any other Internet connection. Call For Action, with support from AT&T, is developing an interactive webpage which will be housed on Call For Action's Web Site. Full release.

As the role of religion in public life continues to spark intense political debate and high-profile court cases, a group of diverse leaders from religious and secular organizations has issued the most comprehensive joint statement of current law to date on legal issues dividing church and state. Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Christian leaders from the evangelical, mainline and Catholic traditions joined with civil liberties leaders to draft Religious Expression in American Public Life: A Joint Statement of Current Law. Are persons elected or nominated to serve as government officials required to place their hands on the Bible when making oaths or affirmations? May elected officials reference religious ideas and discuss their personal religious beliefs while operating in their official capacities? Full release.

Bill and Melinda Gates announced today that their foundation will commit $10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world's poorest countries. The Gateses said that increased investment in vaccines by governments and the private sector could help developing countries dramatically reduce child mortality by the end of the decade, and they called for others to help fill critical financing gaps in both research funding and childhood immunization programs. "We must make this the decade of vaccines," said Bill Gates. "Vaccines already save and improve millions of lives in developing countries. Innovation will make it possible to save more children than ever before." Bill and Melinda Gates made their announcement at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting, where they were joined by Julian Lob-Levyt, CEO of the GAVI Alliance. Full release.

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