Public Policy
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from public policy organizations whose goal it is to influence the debate Washington.
Featured Stories
Translational Genomics Research Institute, Arizona State University, Phoenix Children's Collaborate to Better Diagnose, Treat Disease Affecting Latino Youth
PHOENIX, Arizona, Sept. 30 (TNSres) -- The Translational Genomics Research Institute issued the following news release:
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A new grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) will help researchers from TGen, ASU, and Phoenix Children's better understand fatty liver disease in Latino youth with obesity.
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The prevalence of nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, NAFLD, is rising in American children, with kids of Latino ancestry being hit disproportionately hard by the disease. This chronic condition can progress to more severe forms of liver disease,
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PHOENIX, Arizona, Sept. 30 (TNSres) -- The Translational Genomics Research Institute issued the following news release:
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A new grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) will help researchers from TGen, ASU, and Phoenix Children's better understand fatty liver disease in Latino youth with obesity.
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The prevalence of nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, NAFLD, is rising in American children, with kids of Latino ancestry being hit disproportionately hard by the disease. This chronic condition can progress to more severe forms of liver disease,but experts are not yet able to determine which children are at greatest risk of progression. There are currently no approved treatments for NAFLD in children, apart from modifications in diet and physical activity.
In order to better understand this disease, researchers from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), part of City of Hope, and Arizona State University's Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation have partnered with clinicians from Phoenix Children's and Cincinnati Children's on a new study.
Professor Johanna DiStefano, head of TGen's Metabolic and Fibrotic Disease Program and a lead investigator on the project, will be using advanced molecular techniques to identify signatures of fatty liver disease in children. DiStefano has been investigating NAFLD for over fifteen years.
"Pediatric NAFLD is associated with poor long-term outcomes such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even increased liver-related mortality in adulthood. How exactly this happens--what cellular and molecular mechanisms contribute to this metabolic dysfunction and what roles are played by diet, lifestyle, and environment--are still poorly understood," DiStefano said, adding, "NAFLD is typically a silent disease and is often not discovered until it has reached advanced stages; therefore, there is a real need for this kind of work."
This study was made possible through a 5-year R01 grant of $3.9 million from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Specifically, the study will examine and characterize the cargo of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) in NAFLD and determine what factors are different in kids with NAFLD compared to those without. EVs are known to exert influence over cellular signaling, wound repair, and tissue remodeling in the liver.
Professor Gabriel Shaibi, director of ASU's Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and co-principal investigator for the study, said "This study will give us a better idea why some kids get liver disease and others don't. We will also explore how changes in liver fat storage after clinical intervention may alter molecular markers of the disease. In the future, these findings could help doctors to develop better methods to diagnose and treat fatty liver disease in kids."
Preliminary data forming the foundation for this study revealed protein signatures in EVs that appeared specific to fatty liver; and following a lifestyle intervention, these signatures began to resemble those observed in children without fatty liver disease.
Each member of the multidisciplinary team will have a distinct role in the study. ASU will provide samples and data from Latino youth with obesity and mild liver disease before and after intervention. Phoenix Children's will provide samples and data from Latino youth with advanced liver disease, while Cincinnati Children's will provide samples and data from Caucasian and African American youth with advanced liver disease who underwent bariatric surgery and whose liver disease was subsequently resolved. TGen will perform all of the molecular, proteomic, and statistical analyses on those samples, converting them from raw data to actionable information and investigating the mechanisms by which these NAFLD-associated factors contribute to the development and progression of disease.
Dr. Micah Olson, pediatric endocrinologist at Phoenix Children's, said, "We are seeing a high number of pediatric patients at risk for NAFLD, and this study will help us better understand the underlying mechanisms involved in NAFLD, which will lead to improvements in our ability to diagnose and treat the disorder."
The team hopes that their study will shed fresh light on the disease processes that make NAFLD so dangerous in children and identify improved methods for detecting the disease in earlier stages.
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Original text here: https://www.tgen.org/news/2022/september/28/tgen-asu-and-phoenix-children-s-collaborate-to-better-diagnose-and-treat-disease-affecting-latino-youth/
[Category: Medical]
Sierra Club: New Report - How North Carolina Can Achieve Its Clean Transportation & Climate Commitments
RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 30 (TNSrpt) -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release on Sept. 28, 2022:
In the midst of National Drive Electric Week, the Sierra Club, Clean AIRE NC, NC League of Conservation Voters, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, NC Conservation Network and the NC Justice Center released a report of independent modeling and analysis of the state of North Carolina's electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the significant benefits of the state transitioning away from fossil fuel vehicles to electric ones.
Produced by energy analysis firm Synapse Energy Economics,
... Show Full Article
RALEIGH, North Carolina, Sept. 30 (TNSrpt) -- The Sierra Club issued the following news release on Sept. 28, 2022:
In the midst of National Drive Electric Week, the Sierra Club, Clean AIRE NC, NC League of Conservation Voters, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, NC Conservation Network and the NC Justice Center released a report of independent modeling and analysis of the state of North Carolina's electric vehicle charging infrastructure and the significant benefits of the state transitioning away from fossil fuel vehicles to electric ones.
Produced by energy analysis firm Synapse Energy Economics,this new report presents what needs to be done in order for the state to achieve the ambitious emissions reductions and electric vehicle commitments in Governor Cooper's Executive Order (EO) 246 issued in January.
The newly-released report contains several major findings, including an EV charging gap analysis of the state's public charging stations and a breakdown of the range of benefits of a transition to electric vehicles (climate, public health, and fuel cost savings) for North Carolinians.
The full report is available online as a PDF at sc.org/NCTranspo.
"Governor Cooper has set forward a bold executive order to move our state to a clean transportation future that will benefit all North Carolinians, and this report lays out what needs to happen to get us there," said Cassie Gavin, Director of Government Relations for Sierra Club North Carolina. "Moving to clean vehicles will protect the health of residents across the state and help us mitigate the impacts of the worsening climate crisis we feel in our communities. We have no time to waste to meet our climate and clean vehicle commitments, which will have a direct impact on people's lives. We urge the Cooper administration to move swiftly to accelerate North Carolina's electric vehicle transition by investing in the necessary amount of charging infrastructure to achieve Executive Order 246."
"The state is currently writing its Clean Transportation Plan and receiving $109 million in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to deploy public chargers from the mountains to the sea," said Stan Cross, Electric Transportation Policy Director for Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. "With the EV market expanding rapidly, the state should leverage this planning and funding to deploy charging infrastructure urgently and strategically, helping enable equitable access to electric mobility for all North Carolinians."
"Consumers want options when it comes to transportation and fuels, and importantly, they want transportation costs to decline", said Joel Porter, Policy Manager with CleanAIRE NC. "To bend that cost curve, now is the time to plan and invest for an affordable, equitable, and clean transportation future - And that starts with charging infrastructure."
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REPORT: https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/www.sierraclub.org/files/2022-09/Transforming%20Transportation%20in%20North%20Carolina.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2022/09/new-report-how-north-carolina-can-achieve-its-clean-transportation-climate-0
[Category: Environment]
Public Citizen: Members Of Congress Should Not Be Allowed To Trade Stocks
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- Public Citizen issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2022:
Congress should pass the Combatting Conflicts of Interest Act, which would ban lawmakers, their spouses, and senior staff from playing in the stock market, Public Citizen said today. The U.S. House is expected to vote on the bill this week.
"Members of Congress have routine access to confidential inside information of public policies that directly and substantially affect the economy - and the stock markets. Yet these same lawmakers buy and sell stocks at whim, often after confidential briefings
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- Public Citizen issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2022:
Congress should pass the Combatting Conflicts of Interest Act, which would ban lawmakers, their spouses, and senior staff from playing in the stock market, Public Citizen said today. The U.S. House is expected to vote on the bill this week.
"Members of Congress have routine access to confidential inside information of public policies that directly and substantially affect the economy - and the stock markets. Yet these same lawmakers buy and sell stocks at whim, often after confidential briefingson the likely spikes and downturns of the economy from information unavailable to the public," said Craig Holman, government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen.
In one of the most brazen, but not uncommon, scandals raising suspicions of insider trading, at the beginning of the pandemic U.S. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) came out of a private briefing with health department officials who confided how COVID-19 would impact the economy. Burr then dumped all his stocks in a single day, a week before the market crash. Burr not only saved himself a fortune; he also informed his brother-in-law in a 50-second conversation, who immediately followed suit.
Congress passed the STOCK Act in 2012, which for the first time made insider trading laws apply to Congress itself. The STOCK Act requires real-time, online disclosure of stock trades by members of Congress and their spouses as a means of enforcing the law. But many members continue to play in stocks, adding to the litany of insider trading scandals.
"The disclosure system of the STOCK Act itself should have prevented members of Congress from insider trading," said Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen. "In fact, it resulted in a dramatic reduction of stock trading activity by members of Congress. But it is time to take the next step and ban stock trading activity altogether by members of Congress and their spouses."
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Original text here: https://www.citizen.org/news/members-of-congress-should-not-be-allowed-to-trade-stocks/
[Category: Political]
Pacific Legal Foundation: Lawsuit Against Unlawful Student Debt Cancellation Continues
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- The Pacific Legal Foundation issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2022:
Pacific Legal Foundation's motion for a temporary restraining order was denied without prejudice, but the case continues as we amend our complaint and continue to challenge this flagrantly illegal abuse of executive power.
"Since Pacific Legal Foundation filed the case on Tuesday, the government has made two staggeringly large changes to the program via quiet revisions to a Department of Education website, which only serves to underscore the lawless nature of this program,"
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INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- The Pacific Legal Foundation issued the following news release on Sept. 29, 2022:
Pacific Legal Foundation's motion for a temporary restraining order was denied without prejudice, but the case continues as we amend our complaint and continue to challenge this flagrantly illegal abuse of executive power.
"Since Pacific Legal Foundation filed the case on Tuesday, the government has made two staggeringly large changes to the program via quiet revisions to a Department of Education website, which only serves to underscore the lawless nature of this program,"said Caleb Kruckenberg, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation. "The government clearly had not considered the implications of the program for people like our plaintiff, Frank Garrison."
The government confirmed, contrary to previous public statements, that it would not issue an automatic cancellation of loans. They say that borrowers who would be harmed by the student loan cancellation will be given the chance to opt out. But the government still has not announced when cancellation will occur or what the opt-out process will look like. They owe the tens of thousands of Americans in Frank's position more than a pinky promise on these important questions.
Additionally, the government still has not given people in Frank's position a real choice in the matter. Requiring them to affirmatively opt out of the program places a burden on them to avoid harm from this unlawful program. Due process is better served by a process that requires borrowers to opt in.
"None of these on-the-fly changes can remedy the fact that the entire program is brazenly illegal from top to bottom," said Michael Poon, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation. "At no point has the government made a plausible argument that the underlying policy is legal. So far, they have not challenged our argument that the administration's 'lawmaking by press release' is unconstitutional."
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Original text here: https://pacificlegal.org/press-release/lawsuit-against-unlawful-student-debt-cancellation-continues/
[Category: Law/Legal]
Martin Luther King III & End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund Endorse Supreme Court Expansion At Demand Justice Forum
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- Demand Justice issued the following news release:
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King III and End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund both announced support for expanding the Supreme Court at a forum convened by Demand Justice on Wednesday.
"We've always used the law to expand. Now we're going backward. That's why we have to expand the Court," said King in a conversation moderated by CNN analyst Bakari Sellers. "The Court used to be a place we went to for relief. Now it is causing a lot of pain. The Court is out of step with the public. We need
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- Demand Justice issued the following news release:
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King III and End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund both announced support for expanding the Supreme Court at a forum convened by Demand Justice on Wednesday.
"We've always used the law to expand. Now we're going backward. That's why we have to expand the Court," said King in a conversation moderated by CNN analyst Bakari Sellers. "The Court used to be a place we went to for relief. Now it is causing a lot of pain. The Court is out of step with the public. We needto expand the Court. The time is right now."
King said he looked forward to partnering with Demand Justice and other pro-expansion groups through his organization Drum Major Institute in the months ahead to advance the Court reform movement.
"The Court is decimating women's rights, worker's rights and civil rights," said ECU // LAV Action Fund Director Adam Smith in announcing his organization's support for expansion for the first time. "It is preventing action on climate change and gun violence. It is threatening democracy by gutting the Voting Rights Act and allowing a flood of unlimited and undisclosed money into our politics. We need to restore balance to the Court and End Citizens United is calling for the necessary reforms to make sure we have a Court that protects the freedoms of all Americans."
The event also featured a discussion on the need for Supreme Court reform in the wake of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade with strategists Karen Finney, Alencia Johnson, and Maya Rupert and a conversation with pro-expansion law professors Caroline Fredrickson, Brandon Hasbrouck, and Kermit Roosevelt moderated by Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder discussed the need for expansion in video remarks.
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Original text here: https://demandjustice.org/martin-luther-king-iii-end-citizens-united-let-america-vote-action-fund-endorse-supreme-court-expansion-at-demand-justice-forum/
[Category: Political]
Environmental Defense Fund: Stronger Focus On Equity Can Improve Energy System Reliability - New Report
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSrpt) -- The Environmental Defense Fund issued the following news release on Sept. 28, 2022:
Robust community engagement and changes in the decision-making processes of government agencies would result in more reliable and equitable energy systems that better meet the needs of all Americans, according to a new report.
The report, Embedding Equity into Energy Regulatory Decisions, was prepared by Applied Economics Clinic on behalf of Environmental Defense Fund. Energy companies are exploring a wide variety of solutions to the risks from climate change, but those solutions
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSrpt) -- The Environmental Defense Fund issued the following news release on Sept. 28, 2022:
Robust community engagement and changes in the decision-making processes of government agencies would result in more reliable and equitable energy systems that better meet the needs of all Americans, according to a new report.
The report, Embedding Equity into Energy Regulatory Decisions, was prepared by Applied Economics Clinic on behalf of Environmental Defense Fund. Energy companies are exploring a wide variety of solutions to the risks from climate change, but those solutionswill not be credible unless they include the specific needs of vulnerable communities - which are already bearing a disproportionate burden from climate change. Putting equity at the heart of decision-making will lead to better energy systems for all. The report analyzes the links between energy system reliability and equity issues and assesses how a wide variety of regulators should best account for equity when making decisions.
"Reliability and equity are the co-foundations of a high-quality energy service. Energy projects need both to be successful," said Jolette Westbrook, EDF's Director of Equitable Regulatory Solutions. "Our new report has recommendations to help public service commissions, government agencies and grid operators create energy systems that can address the challenges of climate change and provide fairer, more reliable service for all their customers."
The report lays out six pillars of energy system planning: equity, reliability, resiliency, affordability, safety and sustainability.
The report then lays out eight developments where failure to address inequity could undermine those pillars:
* Accelerating climate change impacts and worst-case scenarios
* Greenhouse gas emission reduction requirement
* Increasing penetration of renewable energy and energy storage
* Increasing amounts of distributed energy resources
* Energy efficiency potential
* Increasing level of electrification
* Volatile gas prices and flat gas demand
* Meaningful, influential, and inclusive community engagement
The report explores recommendations to address those developments by enhancing equity measures - such as adding considerations of income levels to programs that provide incentives for buying solar panels and batteries, increasing investment in mass transit, and considering the effects of expected climate damages like coastal flooding on under-resourced communities. The report also looks at how strengthening equity can help avoid mistakes. For instance, using reliability as an argument for creating new, highly-polluting infrastructure - already a controversial idea in the face of renewable sources that are getting cheaper and the acceleration of climate change - becomes much less convincing when inherent inequities are considered and addressed.
"Better reliability does not need to come at the expense of equity, and vice versa," said Westbrook. "Community engagement and inclusive decision-making can help ensure we create fair, cost-efficient energy systems for vulnerable communities," said Westbrook.
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REPORT: https://blogs.edf.org/climate411/files/2022/09/Embedding-Equity-in-Energy-Reliability-Decisions_AEC_19Sep2022.FINAL_.pdf?_gl=1*1731n6p*_ga*MjQzNjQ0OTA3LjE2NjQzNDcyMDQ.*_ga_2B3856Y9QW*MTY2NDUxNjc4My4yLjEuMTY2NDUxNzQzOS41OS4wLjA.*_ga_Q5CTTQBJD8*MTY2NDUxNjc4NC4yLjEuMTY2NDUxNzQzOS41OS4wLjA.
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Original text here: https://www.edf.org/media/stronger-focus-equity-can-improve-energy-system-reliability-new-report
[Category: Environment]
Consumer Reports Applauds The House For Advancing Bipartisan Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- Consumer Reports issued the following news release:
Consumer Reports applauds the House for advancing the bipartisan Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act . The bill will strengthen enforcement of our antitrust laws by helping to inject much-needed funds to the antitrust enforcement agencies, the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission, and allow them to properly fulfill their role safeguarding the economy and consumers from anticompetitive conduct and harmful mergers.
Consumer Reports joined 36 other organizations in a letter
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (TNSgov) -- Consumer Reports issued the following news release:
Consumer Reports applauds the House for advancing the bipartisan Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act . The bill will strengthen enforcement of our antitrust laws by helping to inject much-needed funds to the antitrust enforcement agencies, the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission, and allow them to properly fulfill their role safeguarding the economy and consumers from anticompetitive conduct and harmful mergers.
Consumer Reports joined 36 other organizations in a lettercalling on members of the United States House of Representatives to vote "yes" on the bill.
Sumit Sharma, senior researcher for tech competition at Consumer Reports said, "Consumers need more competition in tech, broadband, healthcare, agriculture and other sectors of the economy. They depend on our antitrust agencies to ensure markets are fair, competitive, and responsive to their needs, not dominant firms.
"It is great to see this bipartisan effort to bolster the capabilities of our antitrust agencies to help achieve these goals."
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Original text here: https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/consumer-reports-applauds-the-house-for-advancing-bipartisan-merger-filing-fee-modernization-act/
[Category: Business]
