Thursday, December 8, 2016

News Tidbits and Info to Ponder on December 8, 2016

New York Representatives ask Congress to allocate funds to pay for Trumps Pre-Inauguration Security in New York. I thought Trump was going to pay for all that himself. Click HERE to read it.

The Transparent Insurance Standards Act of 2016, a measure to provide greater transparency and congressional oversight of international insurance standards setting processes, and for other purposes, passed the House of Representatives today.

Astronaut John Glenn died at the age of 95 today.

According the the Saipan Tribune, A bill that increases the numerical cap of the CNMI-Only Transition Worker Nonimmigrant Visa program has passed the U.S. House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate for another round of deliberation, with the hope to have President Barack Obama sign it into law before his term ends on Jan. 20 next year. Click HERE to read more about this

The Senate Passed the National Defense Authorization Act. It now heads to the President's Desk.

The Army Corps of Engineers has transferred lands around Lake Sakakawea to be held in trust by the Department of Interior for the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation.

Trickett Wendler Right to Try Act of 2016 is a bill that bars the federal government from prohibiting or restricting the production, manufacture, distribution, prescribing, or dispensing of an experimental drug, biological product, or device that is: (1) intended to treat a patient who has been diagnosed with a terminal illness; and (2) authorized by, and in accordance with, state law. The federal government may not restrict the possession or use of such a treatment by a patient certified by a physician as having exhausted all other treatment options. The bill was not allowed to pass the Senate because of ONE objection that was (of all things) unrelated to the bill.

Acting in his role as President Pro Tempore, Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, invited Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to join him in opening the Senate floor with a prayer. Elder Christofferson is the first LDS Apostle in United States history to offer an invocation on the Senate Floor. Hatch also invited Elder Christofferson to bear testimony of the Book of Mormon at the Library of Congress in an event honoring the book’s special place among influential works of American literature.

On Dec. 6, The Heritage Foundation honored U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) with its first “The Distinguished Intern Alumni Award.” The award was presented at Heritage’s annual President’s Club Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Trust for America's Health was deeply disappointed that Congress will utilize the Prevention and Public Health Fund as an offset for the legislative package known as 21st Century Cures, claiming that cutting the Prevention Fund will limit the nation’s ability to improve health and quality of life and prevent disease.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced final changes to increase access to healthy food choices for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The provisions in this rule require SNAP authorized retail establishments to offer a larger inventory and variety of healthy food options.

On Thursday, December 8, 2016, the President signed into law:

H.R. 4665, the "Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016," which requires the Department of Commerce to conduct an assessment of the outdoor recreation economy of the United States;

H.R. 4902, which amends the overtime compensation system for U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations officers to Law Enforcement Availability Pay;

H.R. 5785, which exempts retired air traffic controllers under contract with the Federal Aviation Administration as full-time air traffic control instructors from a reduction to their Federal Employees Retirement System annuity supplement;

H.R. 5873, which designates the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 511 East San Antonio Avenue in El Paso, Texas, as the R.E. Thomason Federal Building and United States Courthouse; and

S. 2754, which designates the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 300 Fannin Street in Shreveport, Louisiana, as the Tom Stagg Federal Building and United States Courthouse.







Scott, Levin, Pallone Statement on Court Order to Delay House v. Burwell

Washington, D.C. - December 8, 2016 (The Ponder News) -- Ranking Members Bobby Scott (D-VA), Sandy Levin (D-MI), and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) of the House Committees on Education and the Workforce, Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce respectively, made the following joint statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued an order to delay the consideration of House v. Burwell:

“This decision to delay the consideration of House v. Burwell until after Inauguration Day puts millions of Americans at risk of losing their health insurance coverage next year. Republicans have relentlessly attempted to repeal and undermine the Affordable Care Act since the law was enacted. If the incoming Trump Administration decides not to defend the legality of the ACA’s cost-sharing subsidies in court, the lower court ruling stands; and we would see the undermining of the insurance market as a whole – both the coverage of those American families who rely on the financial assistance, as well as those who purchase coverage on their own. President-elect Trump promised to stand up for working Americans, but this action would make people worse off, not better, and he hasn’t even taken office yet. Instead of rallying behind partisan attacks without proposing a real replacement to strengthen the law, we urge the incoming Trump Administration and Republican-led Congress to stand on the side of America’s families, students, and working people.”