Trade Associations
Here's a look at documents from national and international trade associations
Featured Stories
Missouri Hospital Transparency Data Updated, Now In One Central Location
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Feb. 14 -- The Missouri Hospital Association posted the following news:
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Missouri Hospital Transparency Data Updated, Now In One Central Location
To make health care information easier for Missourians to access and understand, the Missouri Hospital Association has consolidated all statewide and hospital-specific price, quality and community investment data into a single public hub: MissouriHealthMatters.org.
This move is part of a broader effort to better inform the public, streamline reporting processes and meet statutory requirements.
"This transition not only
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JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri, Feb. 14 -- The Missouri Hospital Association posted the following news:
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Missouri Hospital Transparency Data Updated, Now In One Central Location
To make health care information easier for Missourians to access and understand, the Missouri Hospital Association has consolidated all statewide and hospital-specific price, quality and community investment data into a single public hub: MissouriHealthMatters.org.
This move is part of a broader effort to better inform the public, streamline reporting processes and meet statutory requirements.
"This transition not onlystreamlines reporting for our hospitals but also enhances the overall experience for patients, providers and policymakers who rely on accurate, timely health care information," said MHA President and CEO Jon D. Doolittle.
As part of this change, the Focus on Hospitals platform will be sunset, and all resources will be fully integrated into Missouri Health Matters.
The transparency data will be refreshed annually to ensure the information is up to date, comprehensive and fully audited before publication. Quarterly quality updates will continue to be available to member hospitals through HIDI Advantage Optics.
The latest updates to the data dashboards are live and include the following.
* Pricing data reflect July 2024 to June 2025.
* Quality outcomes data include July 2024 to June 2025 data for infections and harm, and June 2022 to May 2025 data for all readmissions measures.
* Pediatric hospitals' quality data reflect July 2024 to June 2025 data for infections, and June 2022 to May 2025 for all readmissions measures.
* Critical access hospitals' quality data reflect July 2022 to June 2025 data for infections and harm, and June 2022 to May 2025 for all readmissions measures.
* Community investment data and self-pay discount percentages reflect 2024 data.
For questions regarding the data, please contact the following MHA staff.
* Price: Josette Bax | jbax@mohospitals.org or 573-893-3700, ext. 1379
* Quality: Stephen Njenga | snjenga@mohospitals.org or 573-893-3700, ext. 1325
* Community Investment: Farrah Fite | ffite@mohospitals.org or 573-893-3700, ext. 1303
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About Missouri Hospital Association
The Missouri Hospital Association is a nonprofit association in Jefferson City that represents 135 Missouri hospitals. In addition to representation and advocacy on behalf of its membership, the association offers continuing education programs on current health care topics and seeks to educate the public about health care issues.
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Original text here: https://www.mohospitals.org/newsroom/missouri-hospital-transparency-data-updated-now-in-one-central-location
[Category: Health Care]
GSA Video Series Guides Primary Care Teams to Implement Comprehensive Dementia Care
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Gerontological Society of America issued the following news release:
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GSA Video Series Guides Primary Care Teams to Implement Comprehensive Dementia Care
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) has released a new four-video series highlighting how The GSA KAER Toolkit for Brain Health supports primary care teams to improve timely detection of cognitive impairment, care, and outcomes for people with dementia.
The four steps of the KAER framework -- kickstart, assess, evaluate, and refer -- are designed to achieve greater awareness of cognition and brain health
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 -- The Gerontological Society of America issued the following news release:
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GSA Video Series Guides Primary Care Teams to Implement Comprehensive Dementia Care
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) has released a new four-video series highlighting how The GSA KAER Toolkit for Brain Health supports primary care teams to improve timely detection of cognitive impairment, care, and outcomes for people with dementia.
The four steps of the KAER framework -- kickstart, assess, evaluate, and refer -- are designed to achieve greater awareness of cognition and brain healthin older adults, increase detection of cognitive impairment, initiate diagnostic evaluation, and make referrals for educational and supportive community services for people with dementia.
"The KAER toolkit helps normalize conversations about brain health in primary care so patients and families can have meaningful conversations earlier. This creates opportunities for timely assessment, evaluation, and referral, leading to earlier action and support," said video series narrator Theodore "Ted" M. Johnson II, MD, MPH, the Paul W. Seavey Endowed Chair, chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, and chair of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at Emory University.
Filmed at Emory Integrated Memory Care (IMC), each five-minute video describes a step in the KAER framework and describes how primary care teams can use the tools and resources of that step to improve care. Clinicians of multiple disciplines, including nurse practitioners, social workers, and physicians, offer clinical insights into how to implement the KAER framework in practice throughout the videos.
"What makes this video series transformative is that it centers the voices of patients and care partners who tell us that early, compassionate conversations about cognitive changes are life-changing -- they open doors to both disease-modifying treatments and essential support services while there's still time to plan," said Carolyn K. Clevenger DNP, RN, GNP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA, FAAN, who participated in the videos. She is the founder and former director of IMC, and now the dean of the School of Nursing and a professor in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Georgia.
"Primary care providers will see how a timely diagnosis isn't just about identifying impairment; it's about activating an entire ecosystem of care that includes the family, community resources, and specialists working together," Clevenger added. "These videos show clinicians that comprehensive dementia care is both achievable and deeply meaningful in primary care settings."
Support for the new KAER Brain Health video series was provided by Eisai and Lilly.
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The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), founded in 1945, is the nation's oldest and largest interdisciplinary organization focused on aging. It serves more than 6,000 members in over 50 countries. GSA's vision, meaningful lives as we age, is supported by its mission to foster excellence, innovation, and collaboration to advance aging research, education, practice, and policy. GSA is home to the National Academy on an Aging Society (a nonpartisan public policy institute) and the National Center to Reframe Aging.
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View videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhP9UJqutyv-kH_JylETHX865cNeYuqC1
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Original text here: https://www.geron.org/News-Events/GSA-News/Press-Room/Press-Releases/gsa-video-series-guides-primary-care-teams-to-implement-comprehensive-dementia-care
[Category: Health Care]
Farmers Appreciate Release of House Farm Bill Text
NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 14 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following statement on Feb. 13, 2026:
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Farmers Appreciate Release of House Farm Bill Text
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the House Agriculture Committee release of its version of the farm bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
"Farmers appreciate Chairman G.T. Thompson and the House Agriculture Committee for their work in drafting a new, modernized farm bill. The legislation is needed more than ever as America's farmers and ranchers struggle through
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NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Feb. 14 -- The American Farm Bureau Federation issued the following statement on Feb. 13, 2026:
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Farmers Appreciate Release of House Farm Bill Text
American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall commented today on the House Agriculture Committee release of its version of the farm bill, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
"Farmers appreciate Chairman G.T. Thompson and the House Agriculture Committee for their work in drafting a new, modernized farm bill. The legislation is needed more than ever as America's farmers and ranchers struggle throughthe worst economic storm in generations.
"We're still reviewing the text of the bill, but it includes important updates to credit, conservation, research, and rural development programs, and calls for expansion of specialty crop programs. The bill also preserves interstate commerce to enable farmers to remain competitive in the evolving marketplace.
"We urge the House Agriculture Committee to work in a bipartisan manner to find consensus and move the bill forward. Additionally, in light of the ongoing economic conditions plaguing rural America, Farm Bureau will continue to work with congressional leaders on our top priorities including additional funding for bridge assistance payments, year-round E15 and a solution to our agricultural labor crisis."
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Original text here: https://www.fb.org/news-release/farmers-appreciate-release-of-house-farm-bill-text
[Category: Agriculture]
American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries: Roth Accounts One Step Closer for Mississippi Public Employees
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Feb. 14 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries issued the following news:
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Roth Accounts One Step Closer for Mississippi Public Employees
By John Iekel
Roth accounts are one step closer to being an option for public employees in the Magnolia State.
A bill that would make that reality is halfway there, at least legislatively -- the Senate has passed it and now it's the House's turn before it goes to the governor for his signature.
On Jan. 19, 2026, Sen. Daniel Sparks (R-Belmont) introduced Senate Bill 2912. Sparks is Chair of the state Senate's
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ARLINGTON, Virginia, Feb. 14 -- The American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries issued the following news:
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Roth Accounts One Step Closer for Mississippi Public Employees
By John Iekel
Roth accounts are one step closer to being an option for public employees in the Magnolia State.
A bill that would make that reality is halfway there, at least legislatively -- the Senate has passed it and now it's the House's turn before it goes to the governor for his signature.
On Jan. 19, 2026, Sen. Daniel Sparks (R-Belmont) introduced Senate Bill 2912. Sparks is Chair of the state Senate'sEconomic and Workforce Development Committee. Sen. David Blount (R-Hinds) is a cosponsor of the bill.
Sparks' bill would expand the retirement accounts available to public employees in Mississippi by adding Roth accounts to those options. It further provides that contributions a participant makes to a Roth account would be treated as includable in the participant's income at the time the participant would have received if it had not been deferred.
Status
The Mississippi Senate acted quickly on the bill. It was immediately referred to the Senate Finance Committee; 10 days later, the committee voted in favor of the measure. In another week, the Senate as a whole passed it unanimously on Feb. 5.
The day after the Senate passed the bill, it went to the state House of Representatives. It is now before two House committees: (1) State Affairs and (2) Ways and Means.
Effective Date
If Senate Bill 2912 is enacted, it will be in force from and after July 1, 2026.
Broader Growth
If Mississippi enacts the measure and expands the options available to participants in its PERS, they'll be in good company. The Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) reports that by the end of 2024, 95.6% of private-sector plans offered a Roth option to their participants -- a jump of 36 percentage points since 2015.
And bipartisan legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives would further enhance Roth-related options. The Retirement Rollover Flexibility Act -- which the American Retirement Association (ARA) has endorsed -- would allow retirement savers to roll over savings they accumulated in a Roth IRA they had established themselves into a Roth account that was available in a workplace retirement plan.
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Original text here: https://www.asppa-net.org/news/2026/2/roth-accounts-one-step-closer-for-mississippi-public-employees/
[Category: Human Resources/Personnel]
Ag Groups Applaud Senate Hearing on USMCA, Call for Renewal of Agreement
CHESTERFIELD, Missouri, Feb. 14 -- The National Corn Growers Association issued the following news:
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Ag Groups Applaud Senate Hearing on USMCA, Call for Renewal of Agreement
Over 40 ag groups applauded the Senate Finance Committee for holding a hearing today to highlight the importance of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to the U.S. economy and emphasizing the need to renew the trade deal.
"Today's hearing made clear that USMCA is vital to the U.S. economy and an important economic engine for rural America," said Bryan Goodman, a spokesman for the Agricultural Coalition for the United-States-Mexico-Canda
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CHESTERFIELD, Missouri, Feb. 14 -- The National Corn Growers Association issued the following news:
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Ag Groups Applaud Senate Hearing on USMCA, Call for Renewal of Agreement
Over 40 ag groups applauded the Senate Finance Committee for holding a hearing today to highlight the importance of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to the U.S. economy and emphasizing the need to renew the trade deal.
"Today's hearing made clear that USMCA is vital to the U.S. economy and an important economic engine for rural America," said Bryan Goodman, a spokesman for the Agricultural Coalition for the United-States-Mexico-CandaAgreement. "Renewing the agreement builds on the president's success, and we encourage its extension due to the vast benefits to U.S. agriculture."
Former House Ways and Means Chair Kevin Brady, who was influential in shaping USMCA during the first Trump administration, testified and emphasized the agreement's importance.
"If your country was a successful company, and America is, and you had a business partner that was your largest customer by far, your biggest investor and most important supplier, would you scrap that partnership or strengthen it, especially as China prepares to pounce," Brady asked during his testimony. "If American wants to win, and we do, we would strengthen it, improve it, preserve the special design that works and extend it for the longest term possible to keep winning."
The hearing comes as a key deadline for renewing USMCA approaches. Under the agreement, leaders of all three nations must begin a formal review by July 2026 to determine whether to renew the agreement. If renewed, the agreement would remain in effect for an additional 16 years, with another review scheduled in 2032. If the countries fail to reach an agreement and move to terminate, USMCA will expire in 2036. The review could also enter a period of annual consultations with no clear path forward, creating significant uncertainty for the farm economy.
The Trump administration has acknowledged that USMCA has been successful to a certain degree, though it has indicated the renewal of the agreement is not guaranteed.
USMCA was signed by leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2018 during President Trump's first term and was implemented in 2020 to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The creation of USMCA significantly increased U.S. agriculture exports to Canada and Mexico, provided more certainty between the three nations and created a mechanism for resolving trade disputes.
Ted Vander Schaaf, owner of Vander Schaaf Farms in Kuna, Idaho, testified about the importance of the USMCA for his farm while also emphasizing needed improvements to the agreement.
"Strong enforceable trade agreements are essential to the U.S. dairy industry," Vander Schaaf said. "The United States exported approximately $9 billion in dairy products in 2025, including a record 559,000 metric tons of cheese last year through November. "Mexico and Canada account for 44% of all those exports, making USMCA essential to my livelihood and millions of jobs across rural America."
Dozens of ag groups, representing a range of commodity and livestock associations, recently launched the Agricultural Coalition for the United-States-Mexico-Canda Agreement to push for renewal of USMCA.
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Original text here: https://www.ncga.com/stay-informed/media/in-the-news/article/2026/02/ag-groups-applaud-senate-hearing-on-usmca-call-for-renewal-of-agreement
[Category: Agriculture]
ASA Welcomes House Ag Action on 2026 Farm Bill
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Feb. 14 -- The American Soybean Association issued the following statement on Feb. 13, 2026:
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ASA Welcomes House Ag Action on 2026 Farm Bill
The American Soybean Association commends the House Agriculture Committee on advancing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
"We appreciate that Chairman Thompson heard the concerns and needs of soybean farmers and addressed them in the bill," said Scott Metzger, ASA president and a soybean farmer from Ohio. "The provisions included will provide much-needed market and regulatory certainty for producers facing new
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ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Feb. 14 -- The American Soybean Association issued the following statement on Feb. 13, 2026:
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ASA Welcomes House Ag Action on 2026 Farm Bill
The American Soybean Association commends the House Agriculture Committee on advancing the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
"We appreciate that Chairman Thompson heard the concerns and needs of soybean farmers and addressed them in the bill," said Scott Metzger, ASA president and a soybean farmer from Ohio. "The provisions included will provide much-needed market and regulatory certainty for producers facing newrisks and difficult business decisions."
Over the past two years, ASA has advocated for strengthening the farm bill to meet the pressing needs of soybean farmers. The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 includes significant enhancements to improve access to credit, meaningful investments to promote expansion and diversification of markets, and support for vital provisions such as the BioPreferred Program, pesticide labeling uniformity, full access to domestic markets for the meat products of our livestock customers, and investments in precision agriculture.
Strengthening the farm bill is critical for the future of U.S. soybeans, and ASA stands ready to work with lawmakers to advance this legislation and help stabilize today's challenging farm economy.
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Original text here: https://soygrowers.com/news-releases/asa-welcomes-house-ag-action-on-2026-farm-bill/
[Category: Agriculture]
ALPA Statement on Pilot Training and Qualification Standards
MCLEAN, Virginia, Feb. 14 -- The Air Line Pilots Association International issued the following statement:
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ALPA Statement on Pilot Training and Qualification Standards
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA), issued the following statement today after the Department of Transportation issued a new mandatory "Operations Specification" requiring all commercial airlines to formally commit to merit-based hiring for pilots:
"All ALPA pilots are trained and evaluated to the same uncompromising standard regardless of race, gender, or background.
... Show Full Article
MCLEAN, Virginia, Feb. 14 -- The Air Line Pilots Association International issued the following statement:
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ALPA Statement on Pilot Training and Qualification Standards
WASHINGTON, D.C.--Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA), issued the following statement today after the Department of Transportation issued a new mandatory "Operations Specification" requiring all commercial airlines to formally commit to merit-based hiring for pilots:
"All ALPA pilots are trained and evaluated to the same uncompromising standard regardless of race, gender, or background.A pilot's identity has no bearing on their ability to safely operate an aircraft. What matters is training, experience, and qualification -- and on that front, there are no shortcuts and no compromises.
"At ALPA, our work to advance aviation safety never stops, and as always, ALPA airline pilots remain ready to safely transport passengers and cargo to their destinations. Safety is, and always will be, our number one priority."
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents more than 80,000 pilots at 42 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit ALPA.org.
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Original text here: https://www.alpa.org/press-room/2026/02/alpa-statement-on-pilot-training-and-qualification-standards
[Category: Transportation]
