Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Training Program Expands Immigration Legal Services Statewide
CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 3 -- The National Partnership for New Americans issued the following news:
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New training program expands immigration legal services statewide
By Andres Bautista
ALBUQUERQUE -- A new immigration law workforce training program will expand access to legal services for New Mexico's nearly 131,000 foreign-born workers, with community advocates now serving residents from Bernalillo and Dona Ana to San Juan and Lea counties.
"This innovative partnership is helping the department train new professionals for in-demand legal careers in our state," said Sarita Nair, Secretary
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, Jan. 3 -- The National Partnership for New Americans issued the following news:
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New training program expands immigration legal services statewide
By Andres Bautista
ALBUQUERQUE -- A new immigration law workforce training program will expand access to legal services for New Mexico's nearly 131,000 foreign-born workers, with community advocates now serving residents from Bernalillo and Dona Ana to San Juan and Lea counties.
"This innovative partnership is helping the department train new professionals for in-demand legal careers in our state," said Sarita Nair, Secretaryof the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS). "When we expand access to immigration legal services, we expand opportunity and this training helps make that possible for workers, families, and communities throughout New Mexico."
NMDWS' Office of New Americans (ONA) launched the inaugural 40-hour program in partnership with the National Partnership for New Americans.
"The Office of New Americans is excited to break new ground with this career trainings for legal professionals," said ONA Director Leonardo Castaneda, "as well as to grow the ways NMDWS supports immigrants who make up an indispensable piece of New Mexico's labor force and economy."
The training is required for non-attorney legal professionals to be certified through the U.S. Department of Justice Recognition & Accreditation Program to provide immigration services including naturalization and work permit applications, creating career advancement opportunities for New Mexico workers.
"We are incredibly proud to partner with the New Mexico Office of New Americans and organizations across the state to strengthen their immigration legal services and outreach capacities at a moment when immigrant communities are being met with increasing hostility and enforcement," said Nicole Melaku, Executive Director of the National Partnership for New Americans. "Now more than ever, investing in training and capacity-building rooted in leadership is not just beneficial, it is essential."
Director Melaku emphasized that organizations completing the program are helping build the trusted, local infrastructure needed to ensure immigrants can access accurate information, navigate complex legal systems, and exercise their rights without fear. "By equipping leaders with real tools and knowledge, this initiative strengthens our collective ability to build a more just, humane, and accessible system for all," she said.
This training was funded by the ONA through private grant funds. The ONA is a member of the Office of New Americans network with more than two dozen other participating states, convened by the American Immigration Council and the World Education Service.
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The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) oversees the New Mexico public workforce system. The department is committed to supporting the business community through special recruitment, analyzing hard to fill jobs, layoffs, job fairs, and skills assessments for hiring; and assisting New Mexicans seeking employment opportunities with job search, job referrals and placement, and customized skill development such as interviewing skills and resume writing. The department administers programs to include business services; workforce training; Unemployment Insurance; labor law enforcement; veterans' services; and labor market information. In 2025, NMDWS expanded to include the Office of Housing.
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Original text here: https://partnershipfornewamericans.org/new-training-program-expands-immigration-legal-services-statewide/
[Category: Sociological]
Red Beast Enterprises Cited Again by USDA: PETA Statement
NORFOLK, Virginia, Jan. 3 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Red Beast Enterprises Cited Again by USDA: PETA Statement
Fort Collins, Colo. - Please see the following statement from PETA Vice President Daniel Paden regarding a just-posted U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report (https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2025-07-31-PST_Inspection_Report_Red_Beast_Enterprises_Inc.pdf), which reveals more serious animal welfare violations in the laboratories of Red Beast Enterprises, also known as High Quality Research. According
... Show Full Article
NORFOLK, Virginia, Jan. 3 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Red Beast Enterprises Cited Again by USDA: PETA Statement
Fort Collins, Colo. - Please see the following statement from PETA Vice President Daniel Paden regarding a just-posted U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report (https://www.peta.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2025-07-31-PST_Inspection_Report_Red_Beast_Enterprises_Inc.pdf), which reveals more serious animal welfare violations in the laboratories of Red Beast Enterprises, also known as High Quality Research. Accordingto the just-obtained report--which the company apparently appealed, long delaying its release--employees failed to observe red and inflamed tissue on and between the toes of dogs held at the animal testing facility, depriving them of veterinary care. Following PETA's undercover investigation, the company was cited in a damning inspection report that documented more than 200 examples of egregious violations of 11 federal Animal Welfare Act regulations, including warehousing dogs and cats in bleak conditions, leaving animals to suffer from untreated ailments, and routinely subjecting dogs to agonizing 'debarking' mutilations without pain relief.
"Infecting dogs and cats with viruses and force-feeding them test chemicals is business as usual for contract testing company Red Beast Enterprises, but incompetence and a culture of disregard compound the animals' suffering. According to a newly posted federal inspection report, the company failed to provide necessary veterinary care to three dogs--Boris, Landing, and Jeep--for reddened skin on and between their toes, a condition inspectors noted could indicate irritation, infection, trauma, or other medical problems that may cause discomfort or pain. Red Beast has demonstrated that it cannot or will not meet even the most basic animal welfare standards, underscoring the urgent need for the company to surrender all animals for placement in good homes, and for our nation to abandon archaic and cruel tests on animals and transition fully to sophisticated, human-relevant, non-animal testing methods."
PETA--whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to experiment on"--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.
The facility's veterinarian said that Kegan had both "cherry eye" and an ulcer--which he confirmed would cause a human to "writh[e] on the floor in pain"--but he denied her any pain relief. This is a photo from PETA's undercover investigation of Red Beast Enterprises last year.
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Original text here: https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/red-beast-enterprises-cited-again-by-usda-peta-statement/
[Category: Animals]
No Labels Issues Commentary: New Year, Same Challenges for Congress
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 -- No Labels issued the following commentary on Dec. 31, 2025:
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New Year, Same Challenges for Congress
With federal government funding set to expire January 30 and health insurance subsidies unresolved, lawmakers return to Washington under growing pressure.
By Peyton Lofton
It may be a New Year, but it's not a fresh start for Congress.
When lawmakers return to town, they will face the same problems they didn't address before the holiday break: a looming government shutdown and a growing health insurance squeeze. The difference now is timing. With deadlines fast approaching
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 -- No Labels issued the following commentary on Dec. 31, 2025:
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New Year, Same Challenges for Congress
With federal government funding set to expire January 30 and health insurance subsidies unresolved, lawmakers return to Washington under growing pressure.
By Peyton Lofton
It may be a New Year, but it's not a fresh start for Congress.
When lawmakers return to town, they will face the same problems they didn't address before the holiday break: a looming government shutdown and a growing health insurance squeeze. The difference now is timing. With deadlines fast approachingand a light January work schedule, Congress has even less room for error.
As things stand, lawmakers are far from a deal on either front. There's no bipartisan agreement on federal government funding beyond January, and no enacted plan to prevent millions of Americans from facing sharply higher health insurance costs next year. The clock is ticking on both.
Shutdown Showdown, Again
Just weeks after the longest government shutdown in history, Washington is once again barreling toward another one. Unless Congress acts, parts of the federal government will shut down on January 30th.
The agreement that ended the last shutdown was a short-term fix. Known as a continuing resolution, or CR, it kept most federal agencies open but only for a couple of months. Only three of the twelve areas of government spending - Agriculture, the Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs - received full funding for the entire year. Everything else is set to expire at the end of January.
Since that CR was signed on November 12, Congress has made no visible progress on the remaining full-year spending bills. If lawmakers fail to pass those bills, or another stopgap CR, a partial shutdown will begin. Here's what that would look like:
[View chart in the link at bottom.]
The biggest relief this time around is that SNAP, the program that provides food aid to 42 million Americans, is now fully funded. In the last shutdown, November SNAP benefits were reduced or delayed in several states after a federal emergency fund was depleted.
Luckily, the shutdown ended in early November and SNAP benefits began flowing soon after. It's easy to imagine how bad things could've gotten if food aid were disrupted for a month or more.
SNAP wouldn't be affected by a January 30th shutdown, but other crucial areas of the government could be. Military troops would serve without pay, staff at the National Nuclear Security Administration - the agency that makes sure our nuclear weapons are safe and secure - would get furloughed, National Parks would close, federal employees and small-business contractors would either get sent home or work without pay, and the economy would take another hit.
House and Senate Republican appropriators reached an internal agreement on the rest of the funding bills, but there's no sign that Democrats were part of those talks. That matters because any spending bill must clear the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold, which requires at least some Democratic support. And although President Trump has once more called on Senate Republicans to get rid of the filibuster so Republicans can pass all legislation on a party line basis, Senate Republicans - many of whom are strong No Labels allies - are continuing to resist the president's pressure.
Negotiators will have to reach an agreement quickly. Congress is taking a lot of vacation time in January: the House is only in session for 12 days before the shutdown deadline strikes, and the Senate is only working 15 days.
Where ACA Subsidies Stand in 2026
Congress also left town without a fix for the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, which were passed during Covid and run out at the end of 2025. If nothing changes, many of the 22 million Americans who receive the credits will see their health insurance costs skyrocket in 2026.
But the battle doesn't end when the subsidies expire.
In the House, a bipartisan group collected enough signatures on a "discharge petition" to force a vote on a bill to restore the enhanced subsidies for another three years.
Many of those same members are also backing the CommonGround for Affordable Healthcare Act led by Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Jen Kiggans. This bipartisan bill would extend the subsidies for a shorter period while also cracking down on fraud and abuse in the program. It has more Republican support than the three-year extension, giving it a better chance of becoming law.
Both approaches would restore the subsidies retroactively, meaning eligible patients would receive credits dating back to January 1, 2026, if either bill becomes law. The CommonGround plan would also extend the ACA open enrollment period through March 2026, allowing people to choose or change health plans with full knowledge of the available tax credits.
Over in the Senate, leaders from both parties including Sens. Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, and Jeanne Shaheen are having "very constructive" conversations behind closed doors about broader reforms that could keep health care costs down.
Since the expiring ACA subsidies were a major flashpoint during the last government shutdown, January 30th is shaping up as a key deadline for both health care policy and government funding. As the New Year gets underway, Congress has limited time to prove it can meet the moment.
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Peyton Lofton is Senior Policy Analyst at No Labels and has spent his career writing for the common sense majority. His work has appeared in the Washington Examiner, RealClearPolicy, and the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Peyton holds a degree in political science from Tulane University.
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Original text here: https://nolabels.org/the-latest/new-year-same-challenges-for-congress/
[Category: Political]
Direct Relief: Cyclone Ditwah Killed Hundreds and Blocked Sri Lankans From Aid. A Medical Team Reached Them
SANTA BARBARA, California, Jan. 3 -- Direct Relief issued the following news:
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Cyclone Ditwah Killed Hundreds and Blocked Sri Lankans from Aid. A Medical Team Reached Them.
Alabaster International, outfitted with Direct Relief field medic packs and emergency supplies, traveled to treat patients in the country's battered north.
When Cyclone Ditwah battered Sri Lanka late last month, killing more than 600, landslides and infrastructure damage cut whole communities off from aid and medical care in the country's north. In the following weeks, Shannon Fernando-Rubera's team focused on reaching
... Show Full Article
SANTA BARBARA, California, Jan. 3 -- Direct Relief issued the following news:
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Cyclone Ditwah Killed Hundreds and Blocked Sri Lankans from Aid. A Medical Team Reached Them.
Alabaster International, outfitted with Direct Relief field medic packs and emergency supplies, traveled to treat patients in the country's battered north.
When Cyclone Ditwah battered Sri Lanka late last month, killing more than 600, landslides and infrastructure damage cut whole communities off from aid and medical care in the country's north. In the following weeks, Shannon Fernando-Rubera's team focused on reachingthem.
Speaking to Direct Relief on her way to a mobile clinic in Sri Lanka's rural north, Fernando-Rubera, a nurse practitioner and founder of the nonprofit organization Alabaster International, described a path of medical aid that her team cut across Chilaw, Puttalam, Mullaitivu, and other hard-hit communities over an eight-day journey.
"We often go where others won't or can't go...to rural or inaccessible areas," Fernando-Rubera explained. "That's our ethos: to go where others may not be working."
Fernando-Rubera was born in Sri Lanka but has been living in Kenya for years, working in conflict and disaster settings across sub-Saharan Africa.
Traveling with her fellow providers by bus to these northern communities, most of them cut off from humanitarian intervention by the sheer scale of the physical damage, Fernando-Rubera described patients who had lost everything living in flooded, damaged housing. Many of them were older adults who had struggled to survive Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war, which ended in 2009.
Setting up a medical camp in one heavily battered village, she recalled, an older man was the first to arrive.
"He was desperate to be seen," she explained.
The nearby clinic where this patient usually received treatment for heart disease was flooded out, its doctors displaced themselves or scattered to supervise medical clinics elsewhere.
"He's had multiple heart attacks and is terrified he will have another," Fernando-Rubera explained.
During his examination, the patient began to sob. He explained that he'd stood neck deep in the floodwaters with no one to help him. "I live alone and thought I was going to die," he told Alabaster International's providers. My house is still flooded and the rains don't stop. The mattress I sleep on is still wet."
For Alabaster International, invited by Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health to participate in a widespread response to Cyclone Ditwah, this mission was their first time working on home turf.
"Our own families have been affected, as well as many families who didn't have the same privilege or resources," Fernando-Rubera said.
She described caring for children in orphanages whose few possessions had been swept away. People who described watching loved ones and pets lost to the floodwaters. Older adults who'd struggled for decades to survive a civil war, and now weren't mobile enough to reach a distribution site or mobile clinic.
For those patients, she said, "we went boots on the ground with our backpacks from home to home."
Those backpacks were supplied by Direct Relief, which outfitted Alabaster International's team of providers, working side-by-side with local physicians, with five field medic packs, 10,000 water purification tablets, and 3,500 sachets of oral rehydration solution, to prevent water-borne illnesses and mitigate their effects where they'd already occurred.
"We didn't have time to get donations or buy supplies," Fernando-Rubera said. Being able to work quickly with Direct Relief's emergency response team to outfit providers made it possible to respond more quickly and thoroughly.
"I can't really explain in words how important and critical it's been" to have the packs, she told the organization. Many patients urgently needed treatment for wound care and other physical trauma; for severe skin conditions caused from being washed away or wading through floodwaters; or for chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease.
The backpacks "allow us to really give comprehensive care; we can respond to all the needs a patient is presenting with."
Moreover, field medic packs - a recognizable medical aid item - have provided credibility where it was badly needed. Fernando-Rubera said many Sri Lankans are skeptical of outside help, as humanitarian workers sometimes promise aid or medical care that then isn't given.
"Having that credibility has given us access where we wouldn't have had access," she explained. When the team arrives, wearing field medic packs, "people in the community see that we are medical providers."
In addition, Fernando-Rubera said all the tablets and sachets were quickly claimed and urgently needed, both by communities and regional health providers.
Her team reached about 360 patients through medical camps and home visits. Older patients were evaluated for malnutrition, and people who needed more extensive care were referred to hospitals. Providers taught the communities where they worked about how to prevent water-borne illness, keep wounds sanitary as they healed, and manage chronic diseases amid the difficult conditions.
When the team walked through the streets of a village or town, she said, they were frequently flagged down by people with a sick or immobile family member at home. One woman approached the team at a medical camp, asking them to visit her mother, who was confined to bed and had severe bedsores. Both mother and daughter had been washed away from their home in the floods - the older woman with very limited mobility. "It's pretty much a miracle she survived," Fernando-Rubera said. "Natural disasters really impact the most vulnerable, and oftentimes that is the elderly or children."
There is still tremendous need in the communities where Alabaster International visited, Fernando-Rubera said. Many families have lost their livelihoods and all their crops, and urgently need food and nutrition support. And mental healthcare will be an ongoing need: "Having lived through the war, having lived through the economic collapse a few years ago, and now having lived through a tsunami-like experience," symptoms of post-traumatic stress and other mental health conditions are widespread.
But responding to Cyclone Ditwah has given Alabaster International's team a sense of how they can do the most good in Sri Lanka going forward.
"There's not really a paradigm here yet for mobile medicine," such as the medical camps and home visits the team routinely provides in the countries where they work, Fernando-Rubera said. "It's an opportunity for us...that's really how we do most of our healthcare."
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Original text here: https://www.directrelief.org/2026/01/cyclone-ditwah-killed-hundreds-and-blocked-sri-lankans-from-aid-a-medical-team-reached-them/
[Category: Health Care]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth FFRF Action Fund's 'Theocrat of the Year'
MADISON, Wisconsin, Jan. 3 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news:
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth FFRF Action Fund's 'Theocrat of the Year'
Nearly any Trump cabinet member could reasonably snag FFRF Action Fund's "Theocrat of the Year" title for 2025 but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has assuredly earned the designation.
Hegseth, who left a Fox News anchor job to join Trump's administration,
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, Jan. 3 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news:
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth FFRF Action Fund's 'Theocrat of the Year'
Nearly any Trump cabinet member could reasonably snag FFRF Action Fund's "Theocrat of the Year" title for 2025 but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has assuredly earned the designation.
Hegseth, who left a Fox News anchor job to join Trump's administration,is an unapologetic Christian nationalist who has called for the U.S. military to advance his extremist brand of Christianity through a new "American crusade." During his Senate confirmation hearings, controversy arose over his Crusade-era tattoos, which include a Jerusalem Cross, also known as the Crusaders' Cross, and a battle cry used during the First Crusade.
As defense secretary, Hegseth has actively worked to integrate Christian nationalism into the U.S. military and to promote his fundamentalist Christian beliefs through government channels. Hegseth has also toiled to remove multiple women from leadership roles, along with burying his numerous sexual assault and misconduct allegations.
Hegseth's first stint as "Theocrat of the Week" was in May, when he held an inaugural Christian prayer service in the Pentagon auditorium during official working hours. During the service, Hegseth's personal pastor delivered a sermon, and President Trump was praised as a "divinely appointed" leader. Hegseth reportedly "encouraged" military personnel and employees to attend the service and to urge their colleagues to come. Since May, a Christian worship service has been held at the Pentagon each month, fusing Hegseth's brand of Christianity with the U.S. government on a regular basis.
The defense secretary was also named "Theocrat of the Week" in August when he praised a CNN segment covering Douglas Wilson, the Idaho-based Christian nationalist pastor who argues that women should not have the right to vote and that the United States should operate as a Christian theocracy. Hegseth reposted the segment on his personal X account, adding the caption, "All of Christ for All of Life," the motto of Wilson's church. Hegseth is a member of the Pilgrim Hill Reformed Fellowship, outside Nashville, Tenn., an offshoot of Wilson's ultraconservative Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches. Hegseth personally attended the first Sunday service of Christ Church DC, which Wilson opened in July.
In September, the Department of Defense, newly rebranded as the Department of War, posted to its official X account a training clip with a prominent religious appeal: "Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid, nor dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you, wherever you go."
Under Hegseth's leadership, social media posts featuring videos that promote the U.S. military while quoting the bible or making religious allusions are frequent. An August video, captioned "We Are One Nation Under God," featured military operations with a bible verse appearing onscreen: "I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed."
In an email to Religion News Service, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson claimed that the social media videos are part of Hegseth's efforts to celebrate the United States' supposed Christian roots "despite the Left's efforts to remove our Christian heritage from our great nation." Wilson stressed that "Hegseth is among those who embrace it" and that "the Christian faith is woven deeply into the fabric of our nation."
Also in September, Hegseth led troops in prayer after Charlie Kirk's assassination, during which he recited "The Lord's Prayer" and offered a personal prayer. The video of the defense secretary leading the prayer was circulated on social media.
Most recently, Hegseth announced his intention to reform the military chaplain program to align it more closely with Christianity, alleging the program has become too "woke." In a video posted to X, captioned "We are going to make the Chaplain Corps great again," Hegseth explained his intent: "I'm here to tell you about a real problem facing our nation's military. It's one you're probably not aware of, but it's a really important one, and it's been going on for far too long: the weakening of our Chaplain Corps."
"You see, chaplains are intended to be the spiritual and moral backbone of our nation's forces," Hegseth continued. "But sadly, as part of the ongoing war on warriors, in recent decades, its role has been degraded. In an atmosphere of political correctness and Secular Humanism, chaplains have been minimized, viewed by many as therapists instead of ministers. Faith and virtue were traded for self-help and self-care."
Hegseth used the recently updated Army Spiritual Fitness Guide, meant to help soldiers "develop a sense of purpose and mental resilience," as evidence: "The guide itself reports that around 82 percent of the military are religious. Yet, ironically, it alienates our warfighters of faith by pushing Secular Humanism. In short, it's unacceptable and unserious, so we're tossing it."
Hegseth announced that he will eliminate the use of the guide, alongside "simplifying" the faith and belief coding system, which has been expanded over the years to include a wide range of religions and nonreligion. Thousands of active-duty chaplains, representing a wide range of religions, already serve throughout the U.S. military. Notably, humanists and atheists are not permitted to serve as chaplains.
Following the announced reforms, Hegseth hosted his December "Christmas worship service" at the Pentagon, featuring extremist pastor Franklin Graham professing that "We know that God loves, but did you know that God also hates? That God is also a god of war?"
The year 2025 has brought a new name to FFRF Action Fund's "Theocrat of the Year" designation, after former Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters held the title for the two previous years. Despite his best efforts to install Christianity at the forefront of Oklahoma's public school system, Walters fell flat on his face after attempting to sue the Freedom From Religion Foundation and soon after resigned his post.
The FFRF Action Fund will steadfastly continue to track and counter the infringements of the U.S. Constitution by Hegseth and the rest of the Trump administration.
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FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
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Original text here: https://ffrfaction.org/defense-secretary-pete-hegseth-ffrf-action-funds-theocrat-of-the-year/
[Category: Sociological]
Americans for Tax Reform: Income Tax Cuts Take Effect In Nine States On New Year's Day
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on Jan. 1, 2026:
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Income Tax Cuts Take Effect In Nine States On New Year's Day
By Patrick Gleason
As 2025 gave way to 2026, income tax rates fell in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The following rate cuts took effect in each of those nine states on January 1, 2026:
* Georgia: The rate decreased from 5.19 percent to 5.09 percent. (The state is on a schedule to lower the rate by 0.10 percent annually until it reaches 4.99 percent).
* Indiana: The
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on Jan. 1, 2026:
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Income Tax Cuts Take Effect In Nine States On New Year's Day
By Patrick Gleason
As 2025 gave way to 2026, income tax rates fell in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Oklahoma. The following rate cuts took effect in each of those nine states on January 1, 2026:
* Georgia: The rate decreased from 5.19 percent to 5.09 percent. (The state is on a schedule to lower the rate by 0.10 percent annually until it reaches 4.99 percent).
* Indiana: Theflat income tax rate decreased from 3.0 percent to 2.95 percent.
* Kentucky: The flat income tax rate decreased from 4.0 percent to 3.5 percent.
* Mississippi: The flat income tax rate decreased from 4.4 percent to 4.0 percent. (This is part of a plan to phase out the income tax entirely).
* Montana: The top marginal income tax rate decreased from 5.9 percent to 5.65 percent.
* Nebraska: The top marginal income tax rate decreased from 5.2 percent to 4.55 percent.
* North Carolina: The flat income tax rate decreased from 4.25 percent to 3.99 percent.
* Ohio: The state completed its transition to a flat tax, reducing the top marginal rate from 3.5 percent to a flat 2.75 percent on income over $26,050.
* Oklahoma: The top marginal income tax rate decreased from 4.75 percent to 4.5 percent.
Number of Flat Tax States Grows, Club of No-Income-Tax States Poised for Expansion
In addition to being one of the nine states where an income tax cut took effect on the first day of 2026, Ohio also became the 14th state with a flat income tax. That brings the number of states with a flat or zero rate income tax to 24.
Though not among the places where the state income tax rate fell on New Year's Day, some of the boldest and most pro-growth income tax rate cuts of 2025 were enacted in South Carolina. One year ago, on the first day of 2025, South Carolina's then-6.2 percent top rate was scheduled to fall to 6.1 percent on the first day of 2026 as part of a phased-in income tax cuts enacted in 2022. But the new state budget approved by South Carolina legislators and Gov. Henry McMaster (R-S.C.) in 2025 accelerated that tax cut, taking the top rate down to 6.0 percent ahead of schedule. The new budget sped up the phase down to 6.0 percent by making it retroactive to January 1, 2025, two years earlier than originally scheduled to take effect.
In addition to accelerating the top rate phase down to 6.0 percent, the South Carolina House approved another bill last year that would schedule further income tax rate reduction in the coming years. The South Carolina Senate will soon take up that House-passed tax plan, which moves the state to a 1.99 percent flat rate over the next five years. What's more, the House-approved tax bill schedules that 1.99 percent flat rate to subsequently be phased down to zero over time based on revenue triggers.
"It speaks volumes about the contrasting approach to tax policy and general governance taken by blue and red states today when you have California politicians not only pushing for a destructive 5 percent wealth tax, but seeking to impose it retroactively," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. "Meanwhile, as California Democrats seek to impose an unprecedented wealth tax more than 11 months before voters even get the chance to sign off on the proposition, lawmakers in South Carolina and other red states are enacting retroactive income tax cuts and also seeking to phase out income taxes entirely."
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Original text here: https://atr.org/income-tax-cuts-take-effect-in-nine-states-on-new-years-day/
[Category: Political]
Advancing CKSA: Integrating Spaced Repetition to Strengthen Knowledge Retention
LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Jan. 3 -- The American Board of Family Medicine issued the following news:
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Advancing CKSA: Integrating Spaced Repetition to Strengthen Knowledge Retention
As part of ABFM's commitment to providing high-quality, relevant assessment tools , we're excited to introduce spaced repetition into the Continuous Knowledge Self-Assessment (CKSA) activity.
Beginning January 1, 2026, each quarterly CKSA activity will feature 30 questions, including five personalized spaced repetition questions and 25 new questions.
What is Spaced Repetition?
Spaced repetition is an evidence-based
... Show Full Article
LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Jan. 3 -- The American Board of Family Medicine issued the following news:
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Advancing CKSA: Integrating Spaced Repetition to Strengthen Knowledge Retention
As part of ABFM's commitment to providing high-quality, relevant assessment tools , we're excited to introduce spaced repetition into the Continuous Knowledge Self-Assessment (CKSA) activity.
Beginning January 1, 2026, each quarterly CKSA activity will feature 30 questions, including five personalized spaced repetition questions and 25 new questions.
What is Spaced Repetition?
Spaced repetition is an evidence-basedlearning technique proven to strengthen the retention of critical clinical information over time. By strategically revisiting key concepts at set intervals, the CKSA activity now helps ensure that the knowledge you gain is retained for long-term application in your practice.
What's Changing?
Beginning in Q1, each quarterly CSKA activity will increase from 25 to 30 questions. These five additional questions are personalized for you and are selected to reinforce learning by intentionally revisiting foundational care concepts you have previously seen. Questions are prioritized by those answered incorrectly or those you answered correctly but self-ranked as "not confident" in previous quarters.
Why it Matters
The integration of spaced repetition into the CKSA activity is specifically designed to reinforce your learning experience and strengthen the long-term retention of critical clinical information, ensuring that your ABFM Board Certification directly supports your ongoing professional growth and builds greater confidence in the care you provide.
In ABFM's recent large scale study (The Effect of Spaced Repetition on Learning and Knowledge Transfer in a Large Cohort of Practicing Physicians) physicians exposed to repeated exam questions demonstrated significantly improved learning rates (58%) compared to those in the control groups (43%). The integration of spaced repetition has also shown a nearly 6% improvement in knowledge transfer - the ability to apply what was learned to different clinical contexts.
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"This study highlights how spaced repetition can be implemented among practicing [family] physicians on a large scale. Revisiting, over time, knowledge self-assessment questions initially answered incorrectly, enhances learning, retention of learning, and the ability to transfer concepts from one clinical scenario to another."
- David W. Price, MD, DABFM, Senior Advisor to the President, ABFM
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These findings suggest that simply reintroducing a few key questions each quarter can lead to lasting knowledge gains, helping you stay prepared for the evolving demands of patient care.
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Original text here: https://www.theabfm.org/advancing-cksa-integrating-spaced-repetition-to-strengthen-knowledge-retention/
[Category: Medical]
