Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Thousands Rally for Health and Recovery at Dodger Stadium
SANTA BARBARA, California, Feb. 18 -- Direct Relief issued the following news:
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Thousands Rally for Health and Recovery at Dodger Stadium
The Los Angeles Unified School District, with participation from health organizations and Direct Relief, held a massive community wellness event at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, for L.A. residents, including those still recovering from 2025's wildfires.
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Jubilation and a shared sense of belonging were in the air at Dodger Stadium last Saturday, when residents across the Los Angeles community gathered to move together. That was the goal
... Show Full Article
SANTA BARBARA, California, Feb. 18 -- Direct Relief issued the following news:
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Thousands Rally for Health and Recovery at Dodger Stadium
The Los Angeles Unified School District, with participation from health organizations and Direct Relief, held a massive community wellness event at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, for L.A. residents, including those still recovering from 2025's wildfires.
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Jubilation and a shared sense of belonging were in the air at Dodger Stadium last Saturday, when residents across the Los Angeles community gathered to move together. That was the goalfor Saturday's Move It 5K Health and Wellness Festival at Dodger Stadium, where the Los Angeles Unified School District welcomed over 10,000 guests and about 80 community partners, including Direct Relief, to its annual event.
Students, their families, and community members were encouraged to get active through movement while interacting with local health and social service organizations.
"The goal this year is to not only expose our students and their families to the resources around health and wellness that the district offers, but the resources that are in their community," said William Celestine, director of health and wellness programs within the district.
The annual event was introduced in 2017 and was held at Dodger Stadium until 2020 when the spread of Covid-19 prevented community gatherings. District staff revamped the event in May 2025 at the LA Coliseum. Saturday's event is the first year that the 5k event has returned to Dodger Stadium in six years.
This year's event also marked just over a year since the Eaton fire destroyed three of the district's school buildings and affected the lives of thousands of residents.
Comprehensive Community Health Centers was one of the many community health organizations at the event. Two of the health center's six locations were affected by the fires, but staff say that hasn't stopped them from engaging the community. During Saturday's event, the health center sent certified enrollment counselors to the 5k to help participants enroll in health insurance coverage.
During the fires, CCHC collaborated with local nonprofits to provide hygiene products, shoes, and backpacks, among other daily necessities, to district families. The health center has also partnered with the school district to provide primary care services for students through mobile clinics on school grounds.
Pedro Ramirez, director of outreach and community engagement, said they strive to be a trusted source in the community. Ramirez said their ongoing work is to ensure residents feel comfortable asking questions and seeking care when needed.
This year's 5K event featured student performances and had an intentional focus on local health and wellness partnerships. LAUSD officials say this year is another opportunity to remind residents that they have access to resources, since many are still recovering from the fires.
"We're just trying to bring attention to our school communities that were impacted by the fire, understanding that it's been more than a year, but letting them know that they haven't been forgotten," said Celestine.
When the fires broke out across the northwestern communities of Los Angeles, LAUSD contacted first responders who worked with residents from the Paradise fires to learn how to best provide mental health support.
Dr. Smitra Malhotra, chief medical officer for the district, said that district schools are pillars within communities. She said that it was important for staff to maintain consistency for students and to be a reliable source of help and information when their daily lives are constantly in flux. Over the past year, the district has prioritized community-building events to bring resources to students and their families.
LAUSD educates nearly 550,000 students across 1,535 schools and centers in the Los Angeles metro area. Staff from the large school district say they have a whole child philosophy, and that acknowledging their students' needs outside the classroom helps students succeed at school.
The district also distributed wellness coaches and psychiatric social workers to schools to ensure students and their families had access to crisis support and mental and physical health resources following the fires.
"It's a community where there's devastation around (the students), houses that are still not built. You can see the scars from the fires still around them," said Dr. Malhotra. "But then you drive up to the school, and you can hear laughter. You can hear parents greeting each other. You can hear children talking to each other, and it just feels like hope."
Housing is just one of the systemic issues affecting the health and well-being of Los Angeles residents, before and after the fires, according to Julie Kirk. She's the chief community and patient engagement officer at Westside Family Health Center, and said that job losses and food insecurity have also worsened since the fires, creating a source of anxiety.
"A lot of people's jobs were lost because they just didn't exist anymore," she said.
Kirk and members of the Westside staff also attended the event last weekend. Kirk said that she was excited to participate to further engage the neighborhoods that Westside serves. Every staff member of her team also lives within the community and has a deep understanding of what their neighbors have experienced over the past year. She hopes that through continued engagement, people will feel safe and welcomed to receive care.
Westside also has an ongoing relationship with the school district. Since 2011, the health center has sent a mobile unit to Venice High School to support immunizations, physicals, and reproductive health needs. Like CCHC, Westside also has enrollment counselors to help people find care. Kirk added that their work is all-encompassing and that the health center is working to address systemic issues to support healthier communities.
"If you're houseless, is your medical care your top priority? Not really," Kirk said. "Our providers want to treat the chronic conditions, and they want to make sure that if a person needs mental health services, they're making a direct hand-off to the mental health provider."
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Direct Relief has delivered more than $18 million in aid to communities throughout Los Angeles County since the January 2025 wildfires. Direct Relief was a co-sponsor of the LAUSD Move It 5K Health and Wellness Fair, and also donated medical aid to the Westside Family Health Center and Comprehensive Community Health Centers.
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Original text here: https://www.directrelief.org/2026/02/thousands-rally-for-health-and-recovery-at-dodger-stadium/
[Category: Health Care]
State of the State: WMC Highlights Wisconsin's Competitiveness Crisis
MADISON, Wisconsin, Feb. 18 -- Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce issued the following news release:
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State of the State: WMC Highlights Wisconsin's Competitiveness Crisis
In advance of Governor Tony Evers' State of the State address, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), warned that Wisconsin is falling behind on key competitiveness metrics, citing WMC Foundation's new Wisconsin Competitiveness Report. WMC President/CEO Kurt R. Bauer urged the Governor to address the state's workforce shortage, high tax burden, regulatory barriers, failing educational outcomes, and soaring health
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, Feb. 18 -- Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce issued the following news release:
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State of the State: WMC Highlights Wisconsin's Competitiveness Crisis
In advance of Governor Tony Evers' State of the State address, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), warned that Wisconsin is falling behind on key competitiveness metrics, citing WMC Foundation's new Wisconsin Competitiveness Report. WMC President/CEO Kurt R. Bauer urged the Governor to address the state's workforce shortage, high tax burden, regulatory barriers, failing educational outcomes, and soaring healthcare costs.
"Wisconsin is falling behind," said Bauer. "A declining population, a stagnant workforce, an unworkable regulatory environment, poor educational outcomes, unaffordable health care, and a hefty tax burden on middle-class families and businesses are all issues that threaten our state's future. These pressures erode affordability for families and employers, and ultimately drive up costs, making it harder for people to live, work, and build a future in Wisconsin."
METRICS THAT MATTER
Workforce
* Wisconsin's median age is 40.7. That's more than a year older than the national average (39.2).
* Wisconsin residents age 65 and older make up 19.6% of the population, compared to 18.0% nationally.
* Wisconsin's labor force participation peaked in 1997 and has steadily declined since.
* Sixty percent of employers say they cannot find enough workers.
Taxes & Regulations
* Wisconsin's top individual income tax rate is 7.65%, the 9th highest nationally.
* Wisconsin's corporate income tax rate is 7.9%, the 12th highest in the country.
* Wisconsin has the 8th highest property taxes in the country.
- If school districts take advantage of this new tax revenue, the school portion of property tax bills will double in about 21 years.
- By that time, the average residential property owner will have paid an estimated $21,107 in additional school property taxes solely because of the governor's veto.
* Sixteen states now have flat income taxes, and nine states have no income tax at all.
* Wisconsin is the 13th most regulated state in the country.
* The state administrative code contains over 165,000 regulatory restrictions.
Education
* State report cards say 94% of schools meet expectations, even though national tests tell a different story.
* NAEP data show nearly two thirds of Wisconsin students are below grade level in math.
* Seven in ten students are not reading at grade level.
* Since 2000, per pupil spending has more than doubled.
- Over the same period, enrollment fell by 65,000 students, while non teaching staff grew by more than 8,000.
- For every eight students lost, schools hired one additional non instructional employee.
Health Care
* Wisconsin's hospital costs the fourth highest in the nation and the costliest in the Midwest.
* Wisconsin hospitals charge 318% of Medicare rates, compared to the national average of 254%.
* Wisconsin has the highest workers' compensation medical costs among 36 states studied.
- Medical payments are 55% higher than the median state.
"Wisconsin has to decide whether it wants to be a state that rolls out the red carpet or red tape for families and businesses," said Bauer. "Despite the clear and present danger our state faces, for the last eight years, we have witnessed leaders implement destructive policies. By increasing workforce participation, modernizing tax and regulatory systems, and strengthening education and healthcare outcomes, Wisconsin can roll out the red carpet and regain what we've lost."
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Original text here: https://www.wmc.org/press-releases/state-of-the-state-wmc-highlights-wisconsins-competitiveness-crisis/
[Category: Business]
No Labels: Debt Is Headed to Record Levels - That's the Good News
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- No Labels, a political organization that advocates for centrism and bipartisanship, issued the following statement on Feb. 17, 2026:
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The Debt Is Headed to Record Levels. That's the Good News.
CBO's latest report predicts America will soon be in more debt than ever. The problem is, it's likely much worse than they're saying.
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The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released its annual debt and deficit forecasts for the federal government, and the numbers are bleak.
Deficits will continue to soar, and the national debt will reach record-breaking levels by
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 -- No Labels, a political organization that advocates for centrism and bipartisanship, issued the following statement on Feb. 17, 2026:
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The Debt Is Headed to Record Levels. That's the Good News.
CBO's latest report predicts America will soon be in more debt than ever. The problem is, it's likely much worse than they're saying.
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The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released its annual debt and deficit forecasts for the federal government, and the numbers are bleak.
Deficits will continue to soar, and the national debt will reach record-breaking levels by2030.
That alone would put the U.S. in territory we've never seen outside of World War II. But here's the catch: CBO's projections are essentially the best-case scenario. When No Labels ran the numbers of the last 25 years' worth of CBO projections, we found they underestimated the deficit 92% of the time and underestimated the debt 86% of the time.
CBO's Debt and Deficit Projections
CBO's newest outlook expects a deficit - the difference between how much money the government spends each year and how much it brings in through taxes - of $1.9 trillion this year. That's a bigger hole than we ever had before Covid. CBO expects annual deficits to reach $3.1 trillion by 2036, which would tie the record set during the pandemic.
As a result, the national debt held by the public is projected to soar. CBO says it'll hit $32 trillion this year and balloon to $56 trillion over the next decade.
Beyond the headline values, economists like to consider the size of the national debt in relation to the "gross domestic product" (GDP), a broad measure of the size and health of the economy. Think about it like this: if you have $30,000 in credit card debt and you're a millionaire, it's no big deal. But if you're $30,000 in debt and unemployed, you have a problem.
CBO says the public debt-to-GDP ratio will be over 100% by the end of this year. That is, the government will owe more in debt ($32 trillion) than the entire economy produces in a year ($31.9 trillion). That hasn't happened since World War II. Even in the height of the Covid pandemic and recession, the public debt-to-GDP ratio only reached 98%.
The highest the public debt-to-GDP ratio ever got was 106%, in 1946 shortly after the war ended. CBO says we'll break that record in 2030, and that by 2036 the national debt will be 120% the size of the GDP.
CBO Forecasts are Optimistic by Design
Even CBO's bleak numbers assume things won't get worse.
By law, CBO has to build its forecast using what's called a "current law baseline." Their forecasts show what would happen if all the laws stayed the same as they are now. That means they assume Democrats won't create new big-ticket spending programs and Republicans won't cut taxes in the future. They also assume there won't be any new wars, recessions, and/or global pandemics.
In other words, CBO's latest projections are what would happen if Washington left everything alone. History shows that never happens.
Congress routinely extends tax cuts, increases spending, responds to emergencies, and rescues programs before they run out of money. Each decision may be reasonable in the moment, but together they push deficits higher than the official forecasts.
CBO's Accuracy This Century
No Labels compared CBO projections from 2000 through 2025 to what actually happened. The pattern was unmistakable.
CBO makes forecasts for up to 10 years in the future. In the short term, they're pretty accurate. But the further out they go, the less reliable the numbers are.
This chart shows how far off CBO's debt forecasts were, on average, at each point in the 10-year projection this century - the gap between what they said the debt-to-GDP ratio would be and what it actually ended up being.
In the first five years, they're off by roughly 3 percentage points of GDP on average. After that, the miss grows to just over 5 percentage points.
These errors are almost always the wrong direction: CBO underestimates the deficit 92% of the time, and they underestimate the debt 86% of the time. And for forecasts over five years, CBO underestimated the debt and deficit every single time.
The worst offenses were made in the early 2000s back when the government was running surpluses - collecting more in taxes than it spent - and before the Great Recession happened.
In 2002, for example, the CBO projected that in 2012 the federal government would run a surplus equivalent to nearly 4% of GDP en route to paying the national debt down to about 7% of GDP.
In reality, Washington ran a 6.7% deficit in 2012 as the debt reached 70% of GDP.
The Latest Forecast, In Context
If CBO's track record holds, the national debt will reach historic levels just two years from now, not in 2030 as their report shows. And by 2036, it will be a staggering 161% of GDP instead of the current 120% they project.
This chart puts it into perspective. The light green bar shows CBO's projections for the national debt over the next decade; the dark green bar shows what the debt would actually be if CBO's historical forecast errors repeat themselves.
And here's how that same adjustment changes CBO's latest deficit projections.
[View chart in the link at bottom.]
Why It Matters
Running large deficits and carrying a large national debt may not trigger a crisis overnight, but the long-term consequences are real.
The federal government has to pay interest on the debt. The higher the debt goes, the more interest Washington has to pay. Already, interest payments are set to reach $1 trillion this year. Interest is the second-biggest item in the federal budget, behind only Social Security.
That money could be used to pay for national defense or health care, or it could be invested into things like education and transportation that will grow our economy, or it could even be given right back to Americans through tax cuts. Instead, it's tied up in interest that simply pays for past spending.
High debt also limits flexibility. In recessions, wars, or emergencies, the federal government historically borrows to respond. The more it is already borrowing just to operate, the harder it becomes to respond to the next crisis.
There's also the feedback loop: larger debt leads investors to demand higher interest rates, which means more interest spending by the government, which further increases the deficit, which leads to more borrowing, and the cycle continues.
That cycle could eventually force a reckoning. In the coming months, No Labels will release a short booklet exploring what a real debt crisis would look like for everyday Americans and why the consequences would reach far beyond Washington.
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Original text here: https://nolabels.org/the-latest/the-debt-is-headed-to-record-levels-thats-the-good-news/
[Category: Political]
First Focus Campaign for Children: 40 Senators, 80 Representatives, Named Champions or Defenders
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrpt) -- First Focus Campaign for Children issued the following news release:
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40 Senators, 80 Representatives, named Champions or Defenders
Amid the failure of this Congress to protect the nation's children, a new report finds that 120 lawmakers stand out for their efforts to fight harmful legislation and advance bills that promote children's best interests.
First Focus Campaign for Children's 2025 Legislative Scorecard, released today, identifies 40 senators and 80 members of the House of Representatives from both parties as "Champions" or "Defenders" of children.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 (TNSrpt) -- First Focus Campaign for Children issued the following news release:
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40 Senators, 80 Representatives, named Champions or Defenders
Amid the failure of this Congress to protect the nation's children, a new report finds that 120 lawmakers stand out for their efforts to fight harmful legislation and advance bills that promote children's best interests.
First Focus Campaign for Children's 2025 Legislative Scorecard, released today, identifies 40 senators and 80 members of the House of Representatives from both parties as "Champions" or "Defenders" of children.These are lawmakers who repeatedly used their legislative power to prioritize the well-being of children at home and abroad -- sometimes against the instruction of their party leadership. See the list of recipients here.
"America's children face rising poverty, widening inequities, and increasing threats to their health, safety, education, development, economic security, and well-being," said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley, "yet lawmakers continue to underinvest in them. In fiscal year 2025, just 8.57% of the federal budget supported children, a nearly 30% drop from the 2021 high of nearly 12%.
"And instead of acting to address those issues," Lesley continued, "congressional leadership and President Trump enacted legislation that slashed investments in Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program -- two of the most important lifelines for children -- and moved to weaken or dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, USAID, and other agencies that exist to serve and protect young people. That is why it is important to honor the members of Congress named in this report, who were brave and persistent enough to make their voices heard on behalf of children."
The First Focus Campaign for Children's 2025 Legislative Scorecard ranks lawmakers according to votes and bill sponsorships taken during the first session of the 119th Congress. The new report examines key pieces of legislation designed to protect children's access to high-quality health care; preserve the rights of children in the justice system; maintain funding for children overseas who are living with HIV and other diseases; shield children in schools and other sensitive locations; provide high-quality, affordable child care; prevent child labor; safeguard children's right to housing, equitable public education, and nutritious food; improve the child tax credit; and address other issues critical to advancing the needs of all children everywhere.
Female members of Congress are 2.9 times more likely than their male peers to be Champions or Defenders, the report finds. A total of 42% of all women currently serving in Congress earned the distinction compared to 15% of men. Women outnumber men on the scorecard by 64 to 56. Despite making up just 28% of lawmakers in the House and Senate, women comprise more than 50% of the Champions and Defenders of Children in the 119th Congress.
Support for our nation's children also breaks down distinctly by region.
* The Northeast is the region of Champions. 42% of House and Senate members (45 of 107 total members) from the Northeast (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware) were Champions or Defenders of Children in 2025.
* The West finished a strong second: Nearly 30% of House and Senate members from the West (Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Nevada) qualified as Champions or Defenders, with 27 of their 91 lawmakers making the cut.
* The Midwest made a decent showing: Just over 21% of House and Senate members -- or 21 of 98 -- qualified as Champions or Defenders in the Midwest (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri).
* Southeast states lagged behind: Of the 139 senators and representatives from the Southeast (Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas) just 16, or 11.9%, qualified as Champions or Defenders.
* The Southwest/Plains region came in last: Of the 104 members of Congress from the Southwest (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas) and Plains region (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota), just 11, or 10.5%, qualified as Champions or Defenders.
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REPORT: https://campaignforchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2026/02/First-Focus-Campaign-For-Children-Legislative-Scorecard-119th-First-Session.pdf
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Original text here: https://campaignforchildren.org/news/120-lawmakers-put-children-first-in-2025/
[Category: Sociological]
Feinstein Institutes' Scientists Uncover 'Paradigm-Shifting' Drug Discovery Strategy for Sepsis, Rheumatoid Arthritis
NEW HYDE PARK, New York, Feb. 18 -- Northwell Health issued the following news release:
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Feinstein Institutes' scientists uncover 'paradigm-shifting' drug discovery strategy for sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis
The findings, published today in Military Medical Research, unveil the possibility of a new treatment that targets a key inflammatory pathway
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Scientists at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have unveiled a novel drug discovery strategy that transforms a previously identified "detrimental" immune element into a potent therapeutic for both sepsis and rheumatoid
... Show Full Article
NEW HYDE PARK, New York, Feb. 18 -- Northwell Health issued the following news release:
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Feinstein Institutes' scientists uncover 'paradigm-shifting' drug discovery strategy for sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis
The findings, published today in Military Medical Research, unveil the possibility of a new treatment that targets a key inflammatory pathway
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Scientists at Northwell Health's Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research have unveiled a novel drug discovery strategy that transforms a previously identified "detrimental" immune element into a potent therapeutic for both sepsis and rheumatoidarthritis (RA). The research, published today in Military Medical Research and led by Haichao Wang, PhD, professor in the Institute of Translational Research at the Feinstein Institutes, demonstrates that a peptide called P2-1, derived from an antibody epitope, effectively targets a critical inflammatory pathway common to both serious and potentially life-threatening conditions.
Sepsis and rheumatoid arthritis are two distinct, but related, inflammatory conditions commonly driven by the body's dysregulated, overactive immune responses and excessive cytokine/chemokine production. Sepsis, a life-threatening condition where the body's dysregulated response to infection damages its own tissues, accounts for nearly 20% of global deaths. Similarly, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by persistent inflammation and joint destruction. Despite extensive research, effective therapies for sepsis remain elusive, and existing rheumatoid arthritis treatments have limited efficacy and significant side effects.
Challenging conventional wisdom, the researchers pursued a counterintuitive hypothesis: that a specific epitope -- the part of an antigen that the host's immune system sees as foreign, thereby prompting an immune and inflammatory response -- derived from an anti-tetranectin antibody previously linked to worsening sepsis outcomes, could be reengineered into a targeted therapeutic for both conditions.
"Despite the significant challenges in translating sepsis research, our motivation is energized by its proven potential to drive therapeutic options for other inflammatory disorders like RA," said Dr. Wang. "This work is the culmination of over two decades of collaborative research, aiming to translate fundamental scientific insights into impactful clinical applications for these diseases, and others."
Building on past insights to develop disease-activated drugs
The research team's new strategy is based on what they learned from anti-TNF drugs. These are powerful medicines that block the activities of certain inflammatory proteins, which often cause painful swelling and inflammation in the body. While anti-TNF drugs don't work for severe blood infections like sepsis, they are a primary treatment for RA and ultimately help by changing how the disease causes inflammation, whether it's all over the body or just in specific spots.
The team discovered that a specific epitope can be developed to create a treatment that precisely targets only the bad, overactive inflammatory pathways, while leaving the body's helpful immune signals alone. This new treatment is "activated by disease," meaning it only starts working where the problem is. This characteristic makes it much safer than other medicines that broadly weaken the body's entire immune system.
"For decades, Dr. Wang has been a leader in identifying molecular mediators of sepsis and systemic inflammation," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research and co-author of the paper. "Historically, early insights into sepsis have fostered the development of new therapies for inflammation, something that this new work may well accomplish."
Over the past decade, Dr. Wang, Dr. Tracey and Ping Wang, MD, chief scientific officer of the Feinstein Institutes and co-author of the paper, were each awarded the Scientific Achievement Award by the Shock Society, a leading organization of basic science and medical professionals dedicated to advancing the understanding of trauma, shock and sepsis.
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Original text here: https://feinstein.northwell.edu/news/the-latest/feinstein-uncovers-drug-discovery-strategy-sepsis-rheumatoid-arthritis
[Category: Health Care]
FL Residents Urge Sen. Boyd to Support Affordable Energy Legislation
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 [Category: Science] -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following news release on Feb. 17, 2026:
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FL Residents Urge Sen. Boyd to Support Affordable Energy Legislation
TECO customers have seen bills increase exponentially in the last 5 years, with a 22% increase in the last year alone
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Today, affordable energy advocates and impacted residents organized by Food & Water Watch gathered outside of Senate President-Elect Jim Boyd's office to deliver a giant 'Florida's Electricity Bill' highlighting over $7.4 billion in recently approved rate hikes from the last two years
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 [Category: Science] -- The Food and Water Watch posted the following news release on Feb. 17, 2026:
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FL Residents Urge Sen. Boyd to Support Affordable Energy Legislation
TECO customers have seen bills increase exponentially in the last 5 years, with a 22% increase in the last year alone
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Today, affordable energy advocates and impacted residents organized by Food & Water Watch gathered outside of Senate President-Elect Jim Boyd's office to deliver a giant 'Florida's Electricity Bill' highlighting over $7.4 billion in recently approved rate hikes from the last two yearsalone. Advocates urged the Senate leader to support the Affordable Energy Reform Act this session to address skyrocketing energy costs.
The event comes as Tampa Electric (TECO) customers have seen substantial increases to their bills in the last few years. In June 2025, TECO customers paid the second highest bills in the nation. Ratepayer bills have increased 86% -- about $980 more annually -- between December 2020 and January 2026. In the last year alone, bills went up over 22% and ratepayers saw four separate increases go into effect in the past year, with the latest increase taking effect in January 2026. TECO's last rate hike -- which was approved despite regulator staff's recommendation to cut the request in half -- is currently being appealed by consumer advocates in the Florida Supreme Court.
Last month, Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith introduced the Affordable Energy Reform Act (SB1532), with the endorsement of Food & Water Watch. Two other bills aimed at addressing affordability issues have also been introduced in the Florida legislature: SB126 introduced by Senator Don Gaetz and HB187 introduced by Representative Alex Andrade.
"At a time when Florida families continue to see their electricity bills increase by hundreds of dollars annually, energy utilities like TECO are making record profits off their backs -- we need our elected officials to do more to reign in corporate greed," said Food & Water Watch Florida Organizer Isabella Moeller. "As the next Senate leader, President-elect Boyd can be a champion by supporting affordable energy legislation that will lower electricity bills for every Floridian."
The Affordable Energy Reform Act would help lower electricity bills by changing the way utility regulators approve rate hikes, capping excessive profits that enrich shareholders, shifting responsibility for fossil fuel costs back to utilities instead of ratepayers, and making the rate approval process more accountable and transparent.
Linda Taylor, Magnified Voices said, "Monopolies have consequences! TECO has no competition, so Floridians have no protection against frequent and unreasonable rate hikes for electricity. We're asking our legislators to support affordable energy legislation now."
"I have been a TECO customer for well over 22 years. I've watched my rates climb steadily over the years, but never more outrageously and quickly than in the last several years. As a constituent of Senator Boyd, I expect him to represent me and my neighbors in Sun City Center," said Debbie Anderson, TECO customer and constituent of Senator Boyd. "We are senior citizens, many on a fixed income, who cannot afford the outrageous and continuous hikes in electric bills. It's bad enough there is no protection forthcoming from Tallahassee on homeowners insurance, health care costs or even grocery prices. It's time Senator Boyd acted in the interests of the people who put him in office. Affordable energy is a perfect first step."
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Original text here: https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2026/02/17/fl-residents-urge-sen-boyd-to-support-affordable-energy-legislation/
Dogs Starved, Sliced Open, and Killed in UMass Chan Experiments - PETA Urges Chancellor to Act
NORFOLK, Virginia, Feb. 18 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release on Feb. 17, 2026:
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Dogs Starved, Sliced Open, and Killed in UMass Chan Experiments; PETA Urges Chancellor to Act
In a letter sent today, PETA urges University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMass Chan) Chancellor Michael F. Collins to remove experimenter Matt Gounis from his position as Chair of the school's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and instruct the committee to revoke approval of his invasive, painful, and deadly experiments on dogs.
Gounis chairs the committee
... Show Full Article
NORFOLK, Virginia, Feb. 18 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release on Feb. 17, 2026:
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Dogs Starved, Sliced Open, and Killed in UMass Chan Experiments; PETA Urges Chancellor to Act
In a letter sent today, PETA urges University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMass Chan) Chancellor Michael F. Collins to remove experimenter Matt Gounis from his position as Chair of the school's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and instruct the committee to revoke approval of his invasive, painful, and deadly experiments on dogs.
Gounis chairs the committeethat is supposed to ensure compliance with animal welfare regulations, while simultaneously conducting experiments and engaging in practices that appear to violate those regulations. In addition to this conflict of interest, Gounis may have undue influence over other committee members.
Dogs used in Gounis's experiments are subjected to multiple invasive surgeries.
Experimenters cut into and manipulate blood vessels in the dogs' necks to create artificial aneurysms. The dogs then endure up to five additional procedures in which experimenters cut into their thighs, access the femoral artery, insert equipment, and subject them to prolonged invasive imaging--causing agonizing pain and distress--before killing them
PETA filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in December and filed a veterinary complaint last month, based on whistleblower reports and evidence. The complaints allege that the dogs used in Gounis's experiments were deliberately underfed to keep their body weight at or below 19 kilograms (41.9 pounds), the threshold above which state and federal law require that they be housed in larger cages. Laboratory records and photographs show that the dogs' ribs were visible, and their hipbones protruded.
"While Matt Gounis repeatedly restrains, slices open, bleeds, starves, and confines terrified dogs to barren laboratory cages, he also leads the very committee meant to prevent such suffering," says PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna. "PETA urges Chancellor Collins to remove Gounis as Chair and end his cruel and unethical experiments before more dogs are terrorized and killed."
UMass Chan has a long history of animal welfare violations, including citations for critical violations of federal animal welfare laws and an official warning after experimenters continued subjecting a pig to multiple cardiac procedures for days, even after he was observed "lying down, lethargic," and exhibiting signs of poor circulation. He was later found dead in his cage.
PETA encourages everyone to urge UMass Chan to modernize its research program by switching from outdated experiments on animals to state-of-the-art, human-relevant methods.
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PETA--whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to experiment on or abuse in any other way"--points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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February 17, 2026
Michael F. Collins, M.D.
Chancellor
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Via e-mail: Michael.Collins@umassmed.edu
Dear Chancellor Collins,
I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to express serious concerns regarding invasive and deadly experiments conducted on dogs, purchased as puppies, in Matthew Gounis's laboratory at UMass Chan Medical School (UMass Chan), as well as the profound conflict of interest created by Gounis's simultaneous role as Chair of the school's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) since at least May 2022.
As you likely know, insiders at Chan approached PETA with allegations of serious and credible animal welfare violations. These allegations are detailed in our complaints to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and can be found here and here, and were covered by the Boston Globe and other media outlets.
The dogs used in Gounis's experiments are the very animals who, as PETA exposed, were allegedly deliberately underfed in order to keep their body weight at or below 19 kilograms--the threshold above which state and federal law would have required that they be housed in larger cages. Laboratory records and photographs show that the dogs' ribs were visible, and their hipbones protruded. For dogs in laboratories--whose lives are reduced to cement kennels, extreme deprivation, and the absence of any family to love them or meet their needs--food is one small measure of comfort, something they anticipate and rely upon. Yet even this was denied to the dogs in Gounis's laboratory.
The chronic hunger induced by this restriction led to food aggression, which in turn was used to justify housing the dogs alone, further depriving them of the companionship of other dogs and compounding their isolation and distress.
Gounis's laboratory purchases puppies when they are just four months old. Experimenters slice deep into dogs' necks, expose and cut their blood vessels, and sew in veins removed from elsewhere in their bodies to cause abnormal bulges known as aneurysms.
The dogs then endure another round of invasive surgeries as experimenters implant devices into their bodies by cutting into their thighs, pushing apart layers of their muscle tissues, exposing and slicing into arteries, and threading catheters through the blood vessels.
The torment doesn't stop there. The dogs are then subjected to up to five follow-up procedures in which experimenters surgically reopen the animals' femoral artery and thread imaging equipment to the artificial aneurysm in the neck to force them through extended invasive imaging, causing a cycle of agonizing pain and distress. Despite federal law that prohibits animals from being used in more than one major surgery from which the animal is allowed tore cover, Gounis, with the IACUC's rubber-stamp approval, classified multiple highly invasive survival surgeries as minor, thereby circumventing the safeguard.
Throughout the course of the study, dogs are also restrained for MRI scans, repeatedly bled from major veins, fasted prior to surgeries, and frequently confined alone in kennels. Every dog used in these experiments is ultimately killed. In the terminal procedure, the dog is immobilized while a large spinal needle is inserted into the lower back and guided into the space surrounding the spinal cord. Imaging equipment is advanced along the spinal canal, after which the dog is killed.
These experiments are undeniably cruel, invasive, and lethal. That they were approved during the same period in which Gounis has served as Chair of the IACUC raises deeply troubling questions. The IACUC is charged with providing independent, objective oversight to protect animals from unnecessary pain and distress. When the chair of that committee is himself conducting experiments of this severity on dogs, the appearance of impropriety is unavoidable. At minimum, this dual role suggests bias in the approvals process and undermines confidence in the integrity of the university's animal-care oversight.
Given these concerns, I respectfully request that you remove Gounis from his position as Chair of the IACUC. I also ask that you instruct the committee to revoke its approval of Gounis's dog protocol. These steps are necessary to restore credibility to the oversight process and to demonstrate that UMass Chan takes its ethical and regulatory obligations seriously.
We are aware that you will be stepping down as Chancellor at the end of June. By taking decisive action to halt these experiments and address the failures that enabled them, you can ensure your legacy includes a clear commitment to compassion, accountability, and the ethical treatment of animals.
Thank you for your attention to this grave matter. I would welcome the opportunity to provide additional documentation or discuss these concerns further at your convenience. May I hear from you?
Sincerely,
Alka Chandna, Ph.D.
Vice President
Laboratory Oversight & Special Cases
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Original text here: https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/dogs-starved-sliced-open-and-killed-in-umass-chan-experiments-peta-urges-chancellor-to-act/
[Category: Animals]
