February 05, 2010

Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., and Ranking Member Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, today made the following comments in regard to President Obama's small business proposals to help create jobs: "While small businesses have borne the brunt of this downturn, they are also the ones who have the greatest potential to speed up our recovery and create jobs," Sen. Landrieu said. "I applaud President Obama for his continued focus to aid small businesses and for supporting the refinancing of small business real estate loans, a proposal that closely matches one I originally introduced as part of S.2869, The Small Business Job Creation and Access to Capital Act. Many viable small businesses now face a new hurdle, finding refinancing on their maturing real estate debt, without a fully-functional commercial real estate market. The President's proposal and my bill will help these businesses weather the latest storm. Full release.

"Hope for Haiti Now" (HFHN) today announced the distribution of $35M as the first installment of funds raised through the January 22nd telethon: "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief." Six of the telethon beneficiaries (Oxfam America, Partners In Health, the American Red Cross, UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme, and Yele Haiti Foundation) submitted proposals last week. After an intensive review process and guidance from the "Hope for Haiti Now" Advisory Committee and Bridgespan, a management consulting group that advises non-profits; the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), the 501(c)(3) organization providing pro bono philanthropic support and HFHN are allocating $35 million to begin funding both immediate disaster relief and reconstruction and recovery efforts in Haiti. With slightly more than half of the $66 million pledged being distributed now, the next allocation of funds is planned for May after all donations have been received. Full release.

The following is a statement from Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO, of Reading Is Fundamental: "On February 1, President Obama released his proposed FY2011 budget which eliminates the funding for Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and its nationwide services. Without this federal funding, over 4.4 million children and families will not receive free books or reading encouragement from RIF programs at nearly 17,000 locations throughout the U.S. "Unless Congress reinstates $25 million in funding for this program, RIF will not be able to distribute 15 million books annually to the nation's children at greatest risk for academic failure. RIF programs in schools, community centers, hospitals, military bases, and other locations serving children from low-income families, children with disabilities, homeless children, and children without adequate access to libraries. Full release.

Three weeks after the Haiti earthquake, experts at leading aid group World Vision, say the impact of a crippling recession and high unemployment on disaster donations has surprised them. The charity's disaster fundraising expert Randy Strash says Haiti is an example of "compassion resilience," or Americans' ability to remain generous in a mega disaster even as the economy makes giving difficult. "To many Americans, the Haiti quake feels more like Katrina than the Asia tsunami. Haiti is right on our doorstep, many of us have travelled there or have family there. It feels closer, so we give more sacrificially, even in these tough economic times," Strash explained. World Vision, which has worked in Haiti for 30 years and began distributing aid within 24 hours after the quake, has raised more than $30 million in the US so far. This is roughly five percent ahead of the charity's Asia tsunami fundraising at the same stage in the response. Full release.

The Spherion Employee Confidence Index increased by one point to 50.1 in January. The Index, which measures workers' confidence in their personal employment situation and optimism in the economic environment, shows that more workers are optimistic about the strength of the economy and job availability. However, workers also revealed that they are slightly less confident in their own job security and the future of their current employers. "I am pleased with the slight uptick in worker confidence this month," said Roy Krause, president and CEO of Spherion Corporation. "It aligns with encouraging signs from our customers. Many expect a better year in 2010 but remain somewhat conservative in their hiring plans, waiting for positive job creation. Many companies that cut staff levels to the bone over the last 18 months are starting to add more professionals on a temporary basis in order to meet renewed demand with a more variable workforce. Full release.

Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW), the global leader in weight-management services, today announced it has settled its legal dispute with Jenny Craig, Inc. ("Jenny Craig"). Under the terms of the settlement, Jenny Craig has permanently agreed to terminate its advertising campaign, which made false and misleading claims about the success of their program versus the Weight Watchers program. On January 19, 2010, Weight Watchers filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York charging that Jenny Craig's advertising campaign featured false and misleading claims. The Court granted Weight Watchers' request for a temporary restraining order prohibiting Jenny Craig from broadcasting, publishing or disseminating its deceptive advertisements. Full release.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement on the January 2010 Employment Situation report released today: "This past January, the economy lost 20,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate dropped to 9.7 percent. "While today's report shows positive signs that the economy is moving in the right direction, the numbers underscore that we still have work to do to get Americans back to work. "The president has made it clear that job creation is our number one focus in 2010. The president has proposed a broad approach toward job creation that includes assistance for small businesses, large-scale infrastructure projects, and investments in clean energy. "To get small businesses growing again, and growing our economy, the president has emphasized a focus on small businesses. Today, he'll outline his plan to help small businesses get access to credit to increase working capital, and the funds necessary for small business owners to grow their businesses. Full release.

The Justice Department today announced that it will monitor the Feb. 6, 2010, municipal primary election in the city of New Orleans to ensure compliance with the anti-discrimination requirements of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Act prohibits discrimination in the election process on the basis of race, color or membership in a minority language group. Attorneys from the department's Civil Rights Division will coordinate the federal activities and maintain contact with local election officials. Each year, the Justice Department deploys hundreds of federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, as well as departmental staff, to monitor elections across the country. Full release.

Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the nation's first and largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization representing veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, released a revealing new report highlighting the countless bureaucratic roadblocks, lengthy waits for care, and complicated disability systems facing wounded veterans. Red Tape: Veterans Fight New Battles for Care and Benefits presents a clear snapshot of the huge obstacles facing our nation's troops and veterans as they navigate the complicated and confusing military and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and disability systems. "IAVA's newest report should be a wakeup call for all Americans. Injuries sustained at war are proving to be just half the battle for our nation's veterans. IAVA receives phone calls and emails daily from veterans frustrated by the disability process. They are tired of fighting for their earned benefits," said IAVA Founder and Executive Director Paul Rieckhoff. Full release.

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