PHOENIX, Arizona, Feb. 23 -- Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued the following news release: Attorney General Kris Mayes has joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to engage in meaningful debate and reform of the current practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). In a letter sent this week, the attorneys general demand Congress take decisive action to reform the way PBMs conduct business and bring more transparency to  more

KIRTLAND AFB, New Mexico, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command issued the following news: By Staff Sgt. Lauren Douglas, Air Force Safety Center Opportunities in the sciences of aviation and space were not always available to all people. A small few fought to be included and thus changed history. Black History Month exists because of pioneers similar to these who stood up to excel and achieve for those who were underrepresented in many industries. Black History Month is a time we  more

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, Feb. 22 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, New Mexico - Opportunities in the sciences of aviation and space were not always available to all people. A small few fought to be included and thus changed history. Black History Month exists because of pioneers similar to these who stood up to excel and achieve for those who were underrepresented in man  more

DOVER, Delaware, Feb. 23 -- Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2024: Attorney General Kathy Jennings today co-led a coalition of 18 attorneys general filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. The coalition urged the court to revisit an opinion striking down a Pennsylvania law prohibiting individuals under the age of 21 from carrying concealed weapons in public and imposing additional restrictions during declare  more

CHAMPAIGN, Illinois, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story: By Sophia Espinosa, Public Affairs Specialist Samuel Stidwell, a research architect at the U.S. Engineer Research and Development Center's (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), was recognized as one of the Science Spectrum Trailblazers at the 2024 Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) STEM DTX Conference. Science Spectrum Trailblazers are men and women who d  more

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, Feb. 23 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis issued the following analysis on Feb. 22, 2024, by senior economist Charles S. Gascon and research associate Joseph Martorana: * * * Tight labor market conditions over the past few years have been advantageous for workers. Many have benefited from plentiful job opportunities and strong wage gains as the U.S. economy experienced a strong recovery from the COVID-19 recession. For example, the unemployment rate went from a mor  more

ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Illinois, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Army Contracting Command issued the following news: By Elizabeth Glenn Michael Boddicker, an Army Contracting Command-Rock Island IT specialist and Iowa National Guardsman, took home three medals and one trophy from First Army's Rock Nation 500lb/1000lb Club Lifting Competition held at the RIA Fitness Center on February 2, 2024. Boddicker was recognized for best squat (635 pounds), best bench (475 pounds), best deadlift (635 pounds), and best  more

CHICAGO, Illinois, Feb. 23 -- Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2024: Attorney General Kwame Raoul today led a coalition of 19 attorneys general filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit urging that court to revisit an opinion striking down a Pennsylvania law prohibiting individuals under the age of 21 from carrying concealed weapons in public and imposing additional restrictions during declared states of emergenc  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 23 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following statement on Feb. 22, 2024: * * * Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement following Gov. JB Pritzker's budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year: "The governor's proposal is a good start. "Senate Democrats look forward to the discussion of how to balance our serious needs with fiscal realities in the weeks and months ahead. "My goal is to cross the finish line with a bipartisa  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 23 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news on Feb. 22, 2024: The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus called a press conference Wednesday to offer their responses to Governor Pritzker's annual budget address. "The stability and progress that was mentioned by Governor Pritzker today has helped many communities, but we expect that help to trickle down to the Black community," said State Representative Carol Ammons (D-Chicago), Illinois Legislative Blac  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 23 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news on Feb. 22, 2024: Members of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus outlined a number of their investment priorities focused on Latino communities following the governor's budget address Wednesday. "We are pleased that the proposal strives to address items of importance to the Latino community, from health care to education," said Senate Latino Caucus Chair Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago). "Our community i  more

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois, Feb. 23 -- The Illinois Senate Democrats issued the following news: State Senator Mike Porfirio introduced legislation that would require public colleges and universities to waive transcript evaluation fees for refugees of Iraq and Afghanistan. "In waiving these fees, we can invest in the academic journey of Iraqi and Afghan refugees while helping them," said Porfirio (D-Lyons Township), who served alongside Iraqi and Afghan translators during Operation Iraqi Freedom and  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, Feb. 23 -- The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship issued the following statement on Feb. 22, 2024: * * * Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) belatedly announced a final rule authorizing year-round sales of E15, with additional delays, in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin: "EPA's final rule authorizing year-round E15 sales i  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The U.S. Department of Labor issued the following weekly report entitled "Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims" for week ending Feb. 22, 2024: * * * SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA 12,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 212,000 to 213,000. The 4-week moving average was 215,250, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 218,500 to 218,750. T  more

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Feb. 23 -- Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown issued the following news release: Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown has joined a bipartisan coalition of 39 Attorneys General in urging the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to engage in meaningful debate with a view towards reforming the way that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) conduct business and bringing more transparency to their work. A PBM is a third-party company that acts as an intermediary be  more

ST. PAUL, Minnesota, Feb. 22 -- Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minnesota, issued the following news release: Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan today announced the appointment of James Rowader as executive director of the Cannabis Expungement Board. Rowader will start as executive director on March 25. "I'm proud to appoint James Rowader as executive director of the Cannabis Expungement Board," said Governor Walz. "The board will play a critical role in addressing and reducing disparit  more

TRENTON, New Jersey, Feb. 23 -- New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2024: Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin co-led a coalition of 19 attorneys general filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit urging that court to revisit an opinion striking down a Pennsylvania law prohibiting individuals under the age of 21 from carrying concealed weapons in public and imposing additional restrictions during declared s  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The White House issued the following news release: The President is announcing his intent to nominate one individual to a federal circuit court and four individuals to federal district courts--all of whom are extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution. These choices also continue to fulfill the President's promise to ensure that the nation's courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country--both  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 23 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news: Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined a letter to congressional leaders advocating for legislative action to reform Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) practices. The letter, sent by the National Association of Attorneys General, was led by Arkansas, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. According to the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, the "original purpose [of] the Pharmacy Benefit Managers  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 21 -- Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares issued the following news release on Feb. 20, 2024: Attorney General Jason Miyares today joined a bipartisan coalition of 38 other attorneys general in urging Congress to take decisive action to reform the way pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) conduct business and bring more transparency to their work. A PBM is a third-party company that functions as an intermediary between insurance providers and pharmaceutical manufactu  more