Monday, March 4, 2019

NY Assembly Passes Legislation Requiring Safe Storage of Guns


by: New York Assembly

New York, NY - March 4, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Speaker Carl Heastie today announced the Assembly passed legislation which will expand current requirements that guns are kept in safe storage repositories, especially in households with children (A.2686A, Paulin).

"Today's bill is another important step in preventing gun violence," Speaker Heastie said. "Earlier this year we passed a package of legislation that addressed some of the root causes of gun violence. I am proud of our continued work with our Senate colleagues to ensure New York has the strongest and safest possible gun laws, and help keep our kids safe in our homes and in our communities."

"Today's legislation is the next logical step in keeping our children and families safe from gun violence," Codes Committee Chair Joseph Lentol said. "The Assembly Majority is dedicated to keeping weapons out of the hands of people who should not have them - whether that's dangerous criminals or kids who are playing around the house and come upon them."

"Despite all our progress, it is still simply too easy for guns to fall into the wrong hands," said Assemblymember Amy Paulin. "Preventing children from obtaining access to firearms by requiring safe storage will enable us to prevent accidents, suicides, and school incidents that put our children in harm's way. It is an important step that will keep our families safe without impinging on the rights of law-abiding citizens."

Under current law, safe storage of guns is only required if a person living in the household is federally prohibited from owning a gun, but not if there are children in the house. Today's legislation would require that, in households with children and individuals prohibited from possessing a gun by federal or state law, all guns are safely stored when not in possession of the gun owner. In homes with children, failure to safely store guns would be a class A misdemeanor. Individuals would also be required to safely store their guns when children are present in their homes, even if the children do not reside there. The bill would also require licensing officers to provide notice about safe storage of firearms. In addition, people, firms or businesses who sell firearms, rifles or shutguns would be required to conspicuously post notification of safe storage laws where guns are displayed or transferred to the buyer.

A 2017 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that between 2012 and 2014, on average nearly 1,300 children die and 5,790 are treated for gunshot wounds each year. Of these, 53 percent were homicides, 38 percent were suicides and six percent were unintentional deaths. Preventing children from obtaining firearms by requiring safe storage would help prevent child accidents and suicides.

Oksana Naumkin, whose 12 year old son Nicholas was unintentionally shot and killed by a friend who was playing with an unlocked and loaded gun, said, "I am grateful that the New York State legislature finally passed Child Access Prevention legislation and would like to thank all of the wonderful people whose passion and determination prevailed. It took a village but we did it, and we are finally moving in the right direction with regard to sensible gun laws! My son Nicholas loved Charlie Chaplin, the รข€˜Honeymooners' and the Beatles. He was quite an actor and an artist, loved computer animation and wanted to study journalism. Nicholas was a kind soul and befriended new kids on the bus and at school and stood up to bullies. His future was supposed to be very bright and it was senselessly taken from him and all of us. A grief such as this never leaves you; you learn to live with it! As we continue to struggle every day for the past eight years, we have fought hard alongside New Yorkers Against Gun Violence to make New York safer for our children. I am glad that we are now able to honor Nicholas's memory as he would never have had it any other way. We look forward to seeing Governor Cuomo sign this life-saving bill, so that no other family has to live with the pain my family will live with for the rest of our lives."

Rebecca Fischer, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence executive director, said, "Today, New York State has again made it a priority to protect our communities by passing this sensible gun violence prevention legislation. For over twenty years, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence has been fighting for a child access prevention law in New York State to prevent unintentional shootings, teen suicides, school shootings, and gun thefts. After Nicholas's death, the Naumkin family came to us with both sorrow and hope that together we could strengthen our laws to protect children living in homes with guns. We are grateful to now have New York lawmakers who have the courage to pass this common sense bill that will prevent tragedies and protect all children and communities across New York."

NFIB Files Amicus Brief in Fort Bend County, Texas v. Davis, Urging Supreme Court to Protect Small Businesses’ Ability to Resolve Title VII Discrimination Claims Outside of Court


by: National Federation of Independent Business

Fort Bend, TX - March 4, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- NFIB filed an amicus brief in the case of Fort Bend County, Texas, v. Davis today, arguing that the United States Supreme Court should preserve the right of employers and employees to work through discrimination claims first outside of costly litigation.

“Small business owners work hard to ensure that they are compliant with employment laws,” said Karen Harned, Executive Director of the NFIB Small Business Legal Center. “Because of their good faith efforts, businesses would much prefer to resolve problems without costly court battles. Moreover, Congress also expressed preference for reconciliation of Title VII discrimination claims through the administrative process. Allowing employees to go directly to court would undermine the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s mandate to resolve these costly claims quickly and outside of the court system.”

Fort Bend County, Texas, v. Davis concerns whether an employee’s failure to exhaust Title VII administrative remedies by first raising a discrimination claim with the EEOC is a jurisdictional prerequisite to filing a lawsuit in a federal court. In our brief, NFIB argues that, “One of the bedrock policies underlying Title VII is that the favored means of resolving employment discrimination issues is not through litigation, but through voluntary compliance and cooperation.”

The NFIB Small Business Legal Center protects the rights of small business owners in the nation’s courts. NFIB is currently active in more than 40 cases in federal and state courts across the country and in the U.S. Supreme Court.


MHA Statement on House Resolution 1112


by: Mental Health America

Washington, D.C. - March 4, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- “Mental Health America is deeply disappointed that in HR 1112, language is included that perpetuates historic, unfair and unfounded assumptions and prejudices about people experiencing or living with a mental health condition. It is built upon the widely held, but erroneous, belief that equates mental illness with violence.

“Studies confirm that less than 4% of violent crime, of any type, is committed by persons with a diagnosed mental illness. The greatest indicator of violence is past violence, not a mental illness diagnosis. Millions of people have mental illnesses and never have a violent thought or idea. In fact, people with severe mental illnesses are more likely be victims of violence.

“This is why what may be a well-intentioned move away from the antiquated term “mental defective,” to “adjudicated with mental illness, severe developmental disability, or severe emotional instability” stills fall far short, and remains blatantly discriminatory in its substance and implications.

“Experiencing an episode that affects one’s mental health, living with a mental illness, experiencing emotional disturbance, or having developmental disability is not something to which a person is or should be adjudicated by the judicial system, nor should it or does it automatically imply dangerousness.

“MHA is working closely with its allies to see that legislative language regarding prohibitions or restrictions regarding firearms reflects the fact that there are times when a person may be and should be deemed to be ineligible to purchase or possess a firearm due to their mental status, it is not solely because they experience or have experienced a mental condition.”

LIUNA signs letter supporting permanent protections for recipients of TPS and DACA


LIUNA signs letter supporting permanent protections for recipients of TPS and DACA
by: LIUNA
March 4, 2019
Read the letters to Congress signed by LIUNA and 30+ unions asking them to provide permanent protections for TPS and DACA holders.

Read more...



House Judiciary Committee Unveils Investigation into Threats Against the Rule of Law


House Judiciary Committee Unveils Investigation into Threats Against the Rule of Law
by: Judiciary Committee
March 4, 2019
Today, House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) unveiled an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into the alleged obstruction of justice, public corruption, and other abuses of power by President Trump, his associates, and members of his Administration. As a first step, the Committee has served document requests to 81 agencies, entities, and individuals believed to have information relevant to the investigation.

Read more...



House Chairmen Request Documents and Interviews on President Trump’s Communications with Putin


This again? Seriously?

by: House Committee on Intelligence

Washington, D.C. - March 4, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Today, the Chairmen of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Committee on Oversight and Reform wrote to Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to request documents from and interviews with personnel of the White House, Executive Office of the President, and Department of State related to communications between President Donald J. Trump and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation.

Their requests follow up on a February 21, 2019 letter to the White House in which the Chairmen requested answers to five questions relating to the records maintained surrounding President Trump’s communications with Vladimir Putin. The White House failed to provide a response by the due date.

In today’s letters, the Chairmen announced that they are examining a number of issues surrounding these communications, including the substance of any communications during in-person encounters and phone calls, the existence and contents of any documents related to the communications, what the effects of the communications have been on the nation’s foreign policy, whether the President or anyone acting on his behalf have sought to conceal those communications, and whether the President or anyone acting on his behalf have failed to create records or mishandled those records in violation of federal law.

Chairmen Adam Schiff, Elliot Engel and Elijah Cummings wrote:

According to media reports, President Trump, on multiple occasions, appears to have taken steps to conceal the details of his communications with President Putin from other administration officials, Congress, and the American people. The President reportedly seized notes pertaining to at least one meeting held with President Putin and directed at least one American interpreter not to discuss the substance of communications with President Putin with other federal officials.

On February 21, 2019, we wrote a joint letter to the White House requesting basic information about whether the President in fact destroyed records relating to his conversations with President Putin—in violation of the Presidential Records Act—or if he did not, where those records are currently located. The White House failed to provide any response to our inquiry. As a result, we are now expanding our investigation.

These allegations, if true, raise profound national security, counterintelligence, and foreign policy concerns, especially in light of Russia’s ongoing active measures campaign to improperly influence American elections. In addition, such allegations, if true, undermine the proper functioning of government, most notably the Department’s access to critical information germane to its diplomatic mission and its ability to develop and execute foreign policy that advances our national interests. Finally, these allegations present serious concerns that materials pertaining to specific communications may have been manipulated or withheld from the official record in direct contravention of federal laws, which expressly require that Presidents and other administration officials preserve such materials.

Congress has a constitutional duty to conduct oversight over the Department and the White House to determine, among other things, the impact of those communications on U.S. foreign policy, whether federal officials, including President Trump, have acted in the national interest, and whether the applicable laws, regulations, and agency procedures with respect to diplomatic communications with President Putin and other foreign leaders have been complied with and remain sufficient.

“New overtime salary threshold ignores the economic realities middle-class workers are facing”


by: Mark Takano (D-CA, 41st)

Washington, D.C. - March 4, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA, 41st) released the following statement following reports that the U.S. Department of Labor plans to raise the overtime pay threshold to $35,000 from $24,000 through new rule making

“The Department of Labor’s new overtime salary threshold ignores the economic realities middle-class workers are facing across the country. The $35,000 overtime pay threshold is woefully inadequate compared to the Obama-era regulations that would have increased the threshold to nearly $50,000 a year.

“The fact that there hasn’t been a meaningful update to overtime rules in more than four decades presents the Trump Administration with an opportunity to implement significant reforms to how workers are compensated for overtime hours. Unfortunately, this new proposed threshold falls drastically short of what is needed to bring overtime compensation up to date for our current economy.

“It’s clear that President Trump and his Administration are not doing enough to change the rules that have long been rigged against American workers. Therefore, it is up to Congress to step up and take bold steps on behalf of middle-class families – that includes expanding overtime pay for millions of Americans. In the coming days, I plan on introducing the Restoring Overtime Pay Act to codify into law a meaningful overtime pay threshold that is responsive to the current needs of workers.”

Monday, February 25, 2019

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Democrats' Socialist Green New Deal


by: Freedom Works Foundation

Democrat extremists like Al Gore and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez want to completely ELIMINATE every single coal plant and mining job in the country by imposing their socialist Green New Deal on America.

Their disastrous scheme would devastate our military, eliminate nearly 90% of the U.S. energy sector, and even ban cars!

They don’t care about how horribly this will impact working families. All they care about is advancing their radical socialist agenda.

Help stop the Democrats’ socialist Green New Deal by signing the petition.

Report Warns of ‘Tariff Turmoil’ Absent Sweeping U.S.-China Trade Deal


by: Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce

Arlington, VA - February 25, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- The Trump administration rightly delayed an increase in tariffs from 10 to 25 percent on March 2nd because it would devastate U.S. producers, workers, and consumers, according to a new analysis from Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and Americans for Prosperity (AFP), entitled “Tariff Turmoil: The Effects of Section 301 Tariff Increases Told Through Businesses & Consumers.” In conjunction with the special report, at the online grassroots portal www.TradeBuildsAmerica.com, a new feature lists sortable, state-by-state warnings about the negative impact of higher tariffs.

Freedom Partners Executive Vice President Nathan Nascimento issued the following statement:

“The Trump administration is right to delay the March 1 deadline and give U.S.-China trade talks more time. As our report illustrates, it is critical for Washington and Beijing to swiftly reach an agreement for both sides to eliminate tariffs and other non-tariff protectionist measures. Hundreds of job creators speak with one voice in our report: this 25 percent tariff endangers American prosperity. From rural farmers and small business manufacturers to national retailers and large corporations, trade builds America. Increasing the tariffs would mean higher costs for consumers, job losses for workers, and catastrophic harm for small businesses.”

AFP Senior Policy Fellow Alison Acosta Winters issued the following statement:

“The administration is right to delay increasing tariffs to 25 percent as negotiations continue and we continue to urge them to remove this tariff threat hanging over the country. Across thriving communities and bustling industries, trade is part of our economic powerhouse helping drive growth and improve lives. This new report gives a voice to hundreds of U.S. job creators warning of the devastating impact increasing tariffs to 25 percent on a vast array of Chinese imports would have on their businesses. The Trump administration should avoid the damage these tariffs would wreak on Americans by forging an agreement with Beijing that eliminates trade barriers.”





PRO-INFANTICIDE U.S. SENATE DEMOCRATS BLOCK BORN-ALIVE ABORTION SURVIVORS PROTECTION ACT


by: Faith and Freedom Coalition

Washington, D.C. - February 25, 2019 - (The Ponder News) -- Today, pro-infanticide Democrats in the United States Senate blocked cloture on S. 311 the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act” to ensure legal protections for children who are born alive despite attempted abortion procedures.

Forty-four Democrat Senators, including all six of the Democratic senators currently running for President, Cory Booker (NJ), Sherrod Brown (OH), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Kamala Harris (CA), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Elizabeth Warren (MA), plus Bernie Sanders (VT), voted against the bill. Only three Democrats, Bob Casey Jr. (PA), Joe Manchin (WV), and Doug Jones (Ala.), voted in favor of the legislation.

“Today is a dark day in American history as Senate Democrats, including all those running for President, chose to support the murder of innocent babies alive outside the womb,” said Faith & Freedom Coalition Executive Director Tim Head. “The American people understand that the Supreme Court legalized abortion over 40 years ago; however, infanticide and abortion on demand violates our collective conscience. An overwhelming majority of Americans support common-sense restrictions on abortion, including this legislation to stop the abhorrent practice of denying medical care and taking the life of a child after they have been born.”

The Born Alive Survivors Protection Act would have amended Title 18 of the United States Code to provide legal personhood rights to any “infant born alive after an abortion or within a hospital, clinic, or other facility has the same claim to the protection of the law that would arise for any newborn, or for any person who comes to a hospital, clinic, or other facility for screening and treatment or otherwise becomes a patient within its care.”

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed for cloture to end debate and allow a straight up or down vote on this critical pro-life legislation to extend legal protections to children born alive in health care facilities nationwide, but S. 311 failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to end debate.

“Senators who voted against this bill to provide legal and health protections to children who have survived failed abortions have much soul searching to do,” added Head. “The barbaric practice of leaving young children to die despite their having survived an abortion procedure should not be tolerated in our country. But, unfortunately, purveyors of abortion-on-demand blocked this common-sense restriction on infanticide.”

Faith & Freedom Coalition will score each Senator’s vote against cloture as a vote in favor of abortion-on-demand, and those recorded votes will appear in tens of millions of Congressional Scorecards and voter guides which will be distributed to tens of millions of voters and over 100,000 churches during the 2020 election cycle.