March 31, 2010

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement this afternoon after President Barack Obama delivered his speech on energy: "We appreciate the President's ongoing commitment and call for comprehensive energy reform legislation that is critical to America's energy independence, economic growth and national security. It was important for the American people to hear from the President about the steps being taken by the federal government and the military to lower our nation's dependence on foreign oil. We welcome the President's announcement that tomorrow the Administration will finalize standards to increase vehicle fuel efficiency for the first time in more than 30 years. And we support the President in highlighting the federal government's investment in clean energy that will not only create good-paying American jobs, but also help the environment." Full release.

During today's high-level international donor conference to coordinate and secure funding for recovery and rebuilding in Haiti, InterAction announced the U.S. NGO pledge of $918 million towards Haiti efforts, with over $400 million dedicated to recovery efforts and the remainder allocated for reconstruction. "This signifies a significant level of support from the American people towards the plight of Haitian citizens and a belief in the effectiveness of relief and humanitarian NGOs. We are committed to investing a tremendous amount of financial and human resources in Haiti, and should be recognized by nation-states as a key partner in the reconstruction effort, " said Samuel A. Worthington, President and CEO of InterAction. Full release.

Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) today praised President Obama's announcement that the federal government will pursue oil and gas development in areas off the Atlantic Coast and in new areas in the Gulf of Mexico, but also cautioned that much work remained to open some of the nation's most productive offshore areas to energy production. "The Obama administration deserves credit for signaling its intention to pursue policies that will lead to safe domestic production of energy off the Atlantic coast," SAFE Senior Vice President Jonathan Grella said. Full release.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is making a publication on reducing Bullying in Schools available at no-cost in support of renewed local efforts to prevent the consequences of bullying. Bullying in Schools provides school administrators, teachers, counselors, and law enforcement officials with practical information on how to identify bullying behavior, reduce the incidence of bullying, and mitigate its impact. The publication also provides guidance to officials on how to determine the extent of bullying in their schools, to address its causes, and to develop effective practices that contribute to student safety. Full release.

A recent article in The Triangle Tribune pointed to good news for members of the black community, highlighting new medicines in development to fight diseases of particular concern to African Americans. America's pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies are developing new medicines to help fight asthma, diabetes, sickle cell anemia and cancer. African Americans have higher asthma rates than any other racial and ethnic group in the United States, and are three times more likely to die from asthma, according to the American Lung Association. One new medicine now being developed represents a new generation of inhaled corticosteroids. The medicine is intended to reduce inflammation in the lungs and airways. Full release.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), working in collaboration with the Ad Council and the Inspire USA Foundation, announced today the launch of a national public service announcement campaign designed to reduce the incidence of suicide and suicide attempts among teens in the United States. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds, following unintended injuries and homicide. Full release.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today formally opened its Washington, D.C.-based Veterans Curation Program laboratory, the third of three such laboratories funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The lab is housed in The Historical Society of Washington, D.C. building. The Corps is funding the three Veterans Curation Program laboratories with $3.5 million from the $4.6 billion appropriated for the Army's Civil Works program in the Recovery Act. The other two labs previously opened in Augusta, Ga., in October 2009 and in St. Louis, Mo., in December 2009. Full release.

Consumer Watchdog called on the Obama Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services today to probe insurance giant WellPoint Inc. in light of an electronic message to investors describing how it would simply re-label administrative costs as "medical care" in response to the new health reform law. The message follows revelations that WellPoint, parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, also intentionally padded already huge premium increases in California, just in case regulators demanded reductions. Full release.

According to a press release from the United States Federal Reserve Board, big banks are in for some big changes this summer, reports Solomon Finance. Regulation E, in summary, is a new regulation that will go into effect July 1st, 2010. This regulation prohibits banking institutions from charging "Overdraft" or "NSF" fees to a customer without receiving consent from the customer to "Opt-In" to the bank's "Overdraft Services." What this means for customers is they now have a choice in whether or not they would like to have the option to overdraft on their checking or savings account, or rather to simply be "declined" on the transaction that would overdraft the customer's account. Full release.

The Obama Administration has a ready-made opportunity to improve the public's perception of the federal government through improved communications, but first it must do a better job of overcoming a "crisis of complexity" that leaves a majority of Americans unclear about the nature and breadth of services federal agencies provide, according to a new telephone poll of 1,000 adults created by Siegel+Gale and conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Two-thirds of American adults (65%) say the U.S. government does not do a good job of communicating what benefits and services its agencies provide to its citizens, according to the poll released today. Full release.

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