AUSTIN, Texas, April 6 (TNSfgov)(TNScapv) -- The National Iranian American Council issued the following news release and letter on April 5, 2023: The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), United Chinese Americans, RISE AAPI and over 100 other national and Texas-based civil rights organizations signed a letter to Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick and the members of the Texas State Senate and House opposing Texas SB147. This bill follows a national trend of legislation barring immigrant communiti  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 5 (TNSper) -- The American Association of Nurse Practitioners issued the following news: The American Association of Nurse Practitioners(R) (AANP) is pleased to announce the official results of the 2023 AANP Election. Selected by members during the March 10-31 voting period, these exemplary nurse practitioner (NP) leaders will set the strategic direction for the association and play an instrumental role in guiding the profession forward. The ballots have now been qualified   more

NEW YORK, April 8 (TNSgov) -- The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization that works to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the U.S., issued the following news release on April 7, 2023: A federal district court in Texas issued a ruling today blocking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of mifepristone -- a medication used in half the abortions in this country -- after more than two decades of safe and effe  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 8 (TNSgov) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois issued the following news release on April 7, 2023: A Texas judge issued a legally and factually indefensible ruling that seeks to block the Federal Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone from more than two decades ago. The medication is widely used to terminate early pregnancies and manage miscarriage. The court allowed a seven day period to allow the FDA to seek an appeal from higher courts. The foll  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 5 (TNStalk) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas issued the following statement on April 4, 2023: * * * The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the Austin Justice Coalition filed Texas Public Information Act requests Tuesday in response to the lack of transparency surrounding Texas Department of Public Safety troopers' involvement in Austin policing. The public information requests are being sent to the City of Austin and the Texas DPS to gain clarity an  more

GAINESVILLE, Texas, April 4 (TNSgov) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, and Deandra Grant Law filed an opening brief in an appeal on behalf of three Gainesville community advocates who were charged with a crime while peacefully walking on public pathways while calling for the removal of a Confederate statue outside the Cooke County courthouse in 2020. On Sunday, August 30, 2020, PRO Gainesvill  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * The following is a statement from Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and Maureen G. Phipps, MD, MPH, FACOG, chief executive officer of ACOG: "Today's decision by a sole federal district judge in Texas to overturn FDA approval of mifepristone is a grievous legal overstep into A  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, April 1 (TNStalk) -- The AIDS Foundation of Chicago issued the following statement on March 31, 2023, by Omar Martinez Gonzalez, Sr. manager of policy and advocacy: * * * On Thursday, March 30, 2023, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas issued final judgement on the Braidwood v. Becerra lawsuit, striking down a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which provides lifesaving, free preventive care to   more

DALLAS, Texas, April 5 (TNSjou) -- The American Heart Association issued the following news release: * * * Type and timing of communication affects families' genetic screening rates, finds new study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes journal Research Highlights: * Surviving family members of a person who died from sudden cardiac death rely on information from death investigators and health care professionals to process their relative's death and understand their own risk of   more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- The American Pharmacists Association issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * The American Pharmacists Association released the following statement in response to the decision in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v U.S. Food and Drug Administration lawsuit file in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, regarding FDA approval of mifepristone. "APhA and our nation's pharmacists stand behind the FDA review and approval proce  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- The Armenian Assembly of America issued the following news: With Artsakh and Armenia in focus, activists from coast to coast came together in the nation's capital as part of the Armenian Assembly's successful 2023 Advocacy Summit, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). Advocates from California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, and Maryland gathered at t  more

ARLINGTON, Virginia, April 6 (TNSres) -- Associated General Contractors of America issued the following news release: * * * Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas and Hanford-Corcoran, Calif. Experience Largest Number and Percentage of Gains; Lawton, Okla. and Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, Calif. Have Most Extensive Construction Job Losses * * * Construction employment increased in 283, or 79 percent, of 358 metro areas between February 2022 and February 2023, according to an analysis by the Asso  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 7 (TNSgov) -- The Association of Texas Professional Educators issued the following news release on April 6, 2023: On Thursday, the Texas House and Senate took opposing stances on voucher bills, offering a glimpse at the drama that awaits during the remaining weeks of the regular session. The Association of Texas Professional Educators (ATPE), the state's largest educator association, thanks the lawmakers in both chambers who stood up for the Legislature's constitutional dut  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 7 (TNSgov) -- The Association of Texas Professional Educators issued the following news release on April 6, 2023: On Thursday, the Texas Senate voted 22-9 to pass Senate Bill (SB) 9 by Senate Education Committee Chairman Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe). Dubbed the "Teacher Bill of Rights"--and touted as a counterpart to the voucher-containing SB 8, the "Parental Bill of Rights"--SB 9 is anything but positive for classroom teachers and the countless other education professional  more

WASHINGTON, April 6 (TNStalk) -- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued the following statement on April 5, 2023: * * * According to media reports, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a $144.5 million settlement with the victims and families affected by the 2017 shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Last year, Brady led a coalition effort urging DOJ to drop its appeal of a federal court ruling that showed the government was partially responsible for the shooting as it   more

WASHINGTON, April 5 (TNSres) -- The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network issued the following news release: * * * ACS CAN Joining with University of Texas Southwestern, West Virginia University, CodeX and Third-Party Matching Services to Pilot 'Blue-button' Matching Project * * * The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) today announced the launch of a prospective study of a new tool that would automatically identify relevant clinical trials through one-button clin  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- Catholics for Choice issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, issued the following statement from President Jamie L. Manson, M.Div., on today's ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas halting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s approval of the safe and popular abortion drug mifepristone  more

WASHINGTON, April 4 (TNStalk) -- The Competitive Enterprise Institute issued the following coalition joint letter on April 3, 2023, with 13 organizations: * * * The undersigned organizations support strong anti-SLAPP laws protecting free speech and commend Texas for having one of the best in the nation. We are concerned that, in its current form, HB 2781 would undermine the effectiveness of the existing law by altering an essential procedural protection for speakers. The measure would remove   more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNSgov) -- The Center for Environmental Health issued the following news release: A federal judge in the District of Columbia has dismissed a citizen suit to restrain production of unsafe PFAS in violation of federal law by a Texas company "fluorinating" millions of plastic containers widely used by the public. The dismissal was on the grounds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was already "diligently prosecuting" the matter in a separate case. The court di  more

NEW YORK, April 8 (TNSgov) -- The Center for Reproductive Rights issued the following news release on April 7, 2023: A federal court in Texas has ruled to block the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s approval of mifepristone--one of the two drugs used in medication abortion. The court's unprecedented decision will take effect in seven days, giving the FDA time to appeal the ruling before it takes effect. If allowed to take effect, this ruling could gravely limit abortion access across the cou  more

WASHINGTON, April 5 (TNSres) -- Consumer Reports issued the following news release: * * * CR files amicus brief as Texas and other states join with industry to challenge EPA clean car standards * * * A group of states led by the Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit supported by the fossil fuels industry to challenge the Environmental Protection Agency's new vehicle emissions standards announced in December 2021. Consumer Reports has submitted an amicus brief providing data that shows the  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 6 (TNSgov) -- Consumer Reports issued the following news release on April 5, 2023: Texas state lawmakers are considering legislation (HB 2199) that would impose large registration fees on people who own electric vehicles (EV). The Texas state House transportation committee is meeting today to consider the bill that would establish $200 fees for the registration or registration renewal of EVs in the state. Consumer Reports (CR) has shared its opposition to the bill in a lett  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- EMILY's List issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * A Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas attempted to block access to mifepristone, the first of a two-part series of drugs used in medication abortion, by ruling to overturn the FDA's approval of the drug in seven days. Mifepristone--the most commonly used method of abortion--has been approved by the FDA as safe and effective for more than 20 years, with a safety record of over 99%. EMILYs Lis  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 6 (TNStalk) -- Environment Texas issued the following statement on April 5, 2023: * * * The state Senate approved on Wednesday a package of anti-renewable energy bills, including SB 7, which would make wind and solar energy companies pay "ancillary services" fees, SB 6, which would allocate $10 billion to build new natural gas power plants and SB 2012 and SB 2015, which would require renewable energy companies to subsidize the construction of new fossil fuel plants, and SB  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 7 (TNStalk) -- The Human Rights Campaign issued the following statement on April 6, 2023: * * * The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) -- the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization -- condemned the Texas Senate for its unrelenting, misplaced and cruel focus on limiting the lives of transgender Texans. * * * In response, Cathryn Oakley, HRC's State Legislative Director and Senior Counsel released the following statement:  more

AUSTIN, Texas, March 31 (TNSawa) -- The Texas Association of School Boards issued the following news release: Faye Beaulieu, a former longtime school board member for the Hurst-Euless-Bedford (HEB) Independent School District (ISD) and a retired senior vice president of the United Way of Tarrant County, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Texas Association of School Board's (TASB) James B. Crow Innovation in Governance Award. The James B. Crow Innovation in Governance Award wa  more

IRVING, Texas, April 7 (TNSper) -- The American Association for Respiratory Care issued the following news: AARC is excited to announce the newest member of our team. Karen Moore joins us as the new Director of Creative Services and Marketing Operations. Having recently come from the American Heart Association and RQI Partners, Moore brings a passion for the medical profession and for the mission of bringing health and wellness education to providers and to patients. "I am excited to join thi  more

ELKHART, Indiana, April 4 (TNSpconf) -- Mennonite Church USA issued the following news on April 3, 2023: The Constituency Leaders Council (CLC) of Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) provided feedback on three proposed organizational resolutions from the Executive Board at its meeting in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23-25, 2023. The proposed resolutions are aimed at enhancing organizational effectiveness amid changing demographics in the denomination and the broader Christian community by: * Extend  more

DALLAS, Texas, April 5 (TNSgov) -- Mothers Against Drunk Driving issued the following news release on April 4, 2023: Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is calling for more aggressive and urgent action to address a worsening crisis on U.S. roads after today's announcement that alcohol-related deaths increased by 14% for the second consecutive year. Drunk driving caused 13,384 deaths in 2021, or 31% of all traffic fatalities in 2021, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrati  more

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, April 4 (TNSgov) -- The National Community Pharmacists Association issued the following news release: The National Community Pharmacists Association is cheering the bipartisan Drug Price Transparency in Medicaid Act (S. 1038), introduced by Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), which would improve transparency and protect taxpayers by preventing pharmacy benefit managers from using spread pricing in Medicaid managed care programs. Companion legislation (H.  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- The National Council of Jewish Women issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * With today's ruling out of the Northern District of Texas involving medication abortion care, National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) CEO Sheila Katz released the following statement: "Today's court ruling out of the Northern District of Texas banning mifepristone, one of the two medicines used for abortion procedures and managing miscarriages is a moral outrage. This d  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- The National Partnership for Women and Families issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * "A rogue judge in a federal court in Texas launched the latest salvo in the regressive and coordinated campaign to restrict the basic human rights of women and all those who can give birth. "Since the turn of this century, more than 5 million Americans have relied on mifepristone to access medication abortion care. This treatment was made available to the pub  more

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia, April 7 (TNSrpt) -- The National Center for State Courts issued the following news release on April 6, 2023: Enforcing court rules that require expedited actions can improve fairness, cost and efficiency in the civil justice system while also relieving case backlogs exacerbated by the pandemic, according to new findings released by national experts today. In its report, "A Renewed Analysis of the Expedited Actions Rules in Texas Courts," the Texas Office of Court Admini  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- The National Center for Lesbian Rights issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * A federal judge in Texas, in the case Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, stayed the FDA's approval of mifepristone, one of two medications used most commonly for medication abortion in the U.S. While stopping short of a full injunction, the court's action threatens access to an important form of abortion care. Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA more tha  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- The National Women's Law Center issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Texas issued a decision that could potentially eliminate access to mifepristone - a drug typically used in medication abortion, the most common form of abortion in the United States. Mifepristone has a safety record better than Tylenol, is effective, and has been used by more than five million people since the FDA approved it over 20 years ago. *   more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- Power to Decide issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * Power to Decide condemns today's decision by federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk to block access to mifepristone for people across the country. Mifepristone is one of two FDA-approved medications most commonly used in medication abortion in the United States. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Washington state issued a ruling protecting access to mifepristone. While there is a lot that remains unknow  more

DENVER, Colorado, April 8 (TNStalk) -- ProgressNow Colorado, an advocacy organization, issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * With the decision of a Trump-appointed judge in Texas to rescind the FDA's approval of mifepristone, ProgressNow Executive Director Sara Lu Loflin issued the following statement: "Today's decision is further evidence Republicans lied when they said overturning Roe v. Wade just meant 'rolling back abortion rights to the states'. They will not stop until   more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNSgov) -- Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility issued the following news release: A federal judge in the District of Columbia has dismissed a citizen suit to restrain production of unsafe PFAS in violation of federal law by a Texas company "fluorinating" millions of plastic containers widely used by the public. The dismissal was on the grounds that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was already "diligently prosecuting" the matter in a separate case  more

BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 8 (TNStalk) -- Reproductive Equity Now, an organization that says it advances reproductive justice and eliminates barriers to safe and legal abortion care, issued the following statement on April 7, 2023: * * * Reproductive Equity Now President Rebecca Hart Holder released the following statement today after Northern District Court of Texas Judge Matthew Kacsymryk ruled in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to stay, or halt,   more

DURHAM, North Carolina, April 4 (TNSgov) -- The Southern Coalition for Social Justice issued the following news release on April 3, 2023: In a major win last week, a federal court in Texas refused to ignore Galveston County residents who said they were harmed by new maps created during a 2021 county commissioners precinct redistricting process -- among their claims were racial discrimination, racial gerrymandering and vote dilution. On March 30, 2023, United States District Court Judge Jeffrey  more

WASHINGTON, April 8 (TNStalk) -- The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs statement on April 7, 2023: * * * AMCHP's CEO Terrance E. Moore, issued the following statement in response to the decision by the Northern District of Texas, Amarillo Division, in the case of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "The Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) is deeply disappointed by today's decision, which overturns the FDA's 23-year approv  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 4 (TNSres) -- Southwest Research Institute issued the following news release: Southwest Research Institute has installed a large-capacity liquid hydrogen tank to expand its advanced hydrogen energy research initiatives. Leveraging the tank's capabilities alongside a multidisciplinary research approach, SwRI endeavors to explore technology opportunities and address obstacles related to hydrogen energy research and development. The SwRI liquid hydrogen storage tank has   more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 6 (TNSres) -- Southwest Research Institute issued the following news release: Southwest Research Institute and Tecnologico de Monterrey (Tec de Monterrey) will jointly fund three research and development initiatives to advance sustainable manufacturing and technology in the United States and Mexico. The trio of projects are the first selected to receive support through the Sustainable Manufacturing Program, a transnational research and development collaboration establi  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, April 1 (TNSres) -- Texas Biomedical Research Institute issued the following news: Texas Biomed scientists have identified a promising way to help fight tuberculosis (TB), a disease that still kills nearly 2 million people annually. The research focuses on a potential host-directed therapy targeting the immune system to bolster the body's ability to control the infection, a method shown to improve cancer treatments. Specifically, the team found that inhibiting a particular   more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 7 (TNStalk) -- The Texas Freedom Network issued the following statement on April 6, 2023: * * * The Texas Senate this week voted SB 12 and 1601 out -- both seek to ban public drag performances. SB 14 was also voted out, which would restrict puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender adolescents. * * * Texas Freedom Network Organizing Director Adri Perez (they/them) issued the following response: "To deny transgender adolescents evidence-based medical care is   more

WASHINGTON, April 7 (TNSgov) -- The American Academy of HIV Medicine issued the following news release: The American Academy of HIV Medicine denounces last week's court ruling on the Braidwood Management v. Becerra case. Judge Reed O'Connor of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruled that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) violated the appointments clause and is not a legally appointed body, effectively blocking enforcement of USPSTF recommendations. The ju  more

CHEYENNE, Wyoming, April 7 (TNSgov) -- The Wyoming State Bar issued the following news release: The Wyoming Supreme Court has suspended Jeffrey W. Hodges, a lawyer from Houston, Texas, from the practice of law in Wyoming for failing to comply with the Rules of the Wyoming Supreme Court for Continuing Legal Education. Rule 4 of the Rules of the Wyoming State Board of Continuing Legal Education requires each active attorney to complete a minimum of 15 hours of continuing legal education, includi  more

AUSTIN, Texas, April 4 (TNStalk)-- The Young Invincibles, an advocacy organization, issued the following statement on April 3, 2023: * * * Friday, Young Invincibles hosted Deep in the Heart of Advocacy, a version of the annual advocacy day the YI Texas office holds. This is the first time the event was in person after three years of virtual events due to Covid-19. Deep in the Heart of Advocacy allowed students to connect with their legislators and voice their concerns. Nearly 100 young adults  more