Spectator NZ

Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

Today U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to United States Postal Service (USPS) Inspector General Tammy Whitcomb Hull urging that the mail delays in the Kansas City area be resolved and an investigation be conducted to prevent future delays.

“After months of widespread delays, it is well past time for the Postal Service to determine the root cause of the delays and recommend corrective action. We cannot wait any longer. Without an audit of these areas of concern, residents of the Northland will not get the services they deserve from USPS,” wrote Senator Hawley.

In September 2022, Senator Hawley requested that the Postal Service investigate the service complaints from Clay and Platte Counties in Missouri and conduct an audit of the offices of concern, yet no action has been reported and the complaints continue.

Read the full letter here or below.

March 3, 2023

The Honorable Tammy Whitcomb Hull
Inspector General
United States Postal Service
1735 N. Lynn Street
Arlington, Virginia, 22209-2020

Dear Inspector General Hull,

I write again with great concern regarding persistent mail delivery issues in the Kansas City Northland area. On September 28, 2022, I sent a letter requesting that your office conduct an audit of all post offices in Clay and Platte Counties in Missouri. My office has received minimal correspondence regarding this issue, and there has been no indication your office plans to complete an audit.

Mail service delays in the Northland area were first reported last September. In this report, residents shared that they routinely waited more than five days between receiving mail. Recent reporting explains that residents are still experiencing significant delays, and they are even turning to other mail services to ensure timely delivery of important documents. My office has worked with the Postal Service directly to address individual complaints.

An audit of these post offices remains necessary to solve the mail service issues. After months of widespread delays, it is well past time for the Postal Service to determine the root cause of the delays and recommend corrective action. We cannot wait any longer. Without an audit of these areas of concern, residents of the Northland will not get the services they deserve from USPS.

Please reply to my office by March 15, 2023 to detail your plans to complete this audit of the region’s post offices and your expected timeline for completing this audit.

Sincerely,

Josh Hawley
United States Senator

Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) introduced the Charitable Act to expand and extend the expired universal deduction for charitable giving. Under this new bill, Americans who donate to charities, houses of worship, religious organizations, and other nonprofits of their choice would be able to deduct that donation from their federal taxes, even if they don’t otherwise itemize their deductions.  

Specifically, the bill would make available to taxpayers who do not otherwise itemize their deductions a below-the-line deduction for charitable giving on federal income taxes of up to one-third of the standard deduction (around $4,500 for an individual filer and around $9,000 for married joint filers). The standard deductions for tax year 2023 are $13,850 for individual filers and those married filing separately, and $27,700 for married joint filers.

“In Delaware and across our nation, we’ve always stepped up in extraordinary ways to meet the needs of our communities,” said Senator Coons. “People of all means gave freely to charities, houses of worship, and other nonprofits to the tune of $449 billion last year. I am proud to have worked on the Charitable Act, which will expand and extend the deductions Americans can claim to encourage even more Americans to embrace the civic virtue of charitable giving.”

“Our families, our churches, and other nonprofits are the first and most important safety net for the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Senator Lankford. “Our nonprofits provide our neighborhoods and families with vital job training, compassionate homeless assistance, food in times of crisis, and spiritual counsel during our best and worst days. As Oklahomans and Americans donate their time, money, and resources to our nation’s nonprofits so they can serve people, they should be able to deduct more from their federal taxes as an incentive to financially support nonprofits since these services are often in place of government benefits.”

In addition to Senators Coons and Lankford, the Charitable Act was introduced with Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

The bill is supported by numerous nonprofits, including YMCA, United Way, Goodwill Industries, and the American Heart Association, as well as coalitions of thousands of nonprofits including the Charitable Giving Coalition (175 member organizations), the National Council of Nonprofits (25,000 member organizations), Leadership 18, the Nonprofit Alliance, United Philanthropy Forum, the National Philanthropic Trust, Jewish Federations of North America, Independent Sector, Philanthropy Southwest, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Faith & Giving Coalition, and Covenant House.

“Every day we see the value and benefit of nonprofit work in lifting up people and helping our communities,” said Sheila Bravo, President and CEO of the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement. “We support the Charitable Act, as this bill provides an important reminder and incentive for Americans to give generously. We thank Senator Coons and his colleagues for their leadership and their ongoing efforts to champion nonprofits who step in to provide relief and support community needs in many different ways.”

“The Nonprofit Alliance would like to commend the strong bipartisan leadership of Senators Lankford and Coons on the Charitable Act. This legislation, which will broaden the base of charitable donors, is vital for achieving a vibrant charitable sector beneficial to the entire nation,” said Mark Micali, Vice President, Government Affairs for the Nonprofit Alliance.

Additional quotes of support from stakeholders can be found here.

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Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Thom Tillis

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and his colleagues re-introduced legislation to enhance the energy security of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members by providing an escape from dependence on Russian energy.

The Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe (ESCAPE) Act (S. 548) aims to quickly provide our allies with reliable and dependable American energy to stop Russia’s political coercion and manipulation in the region. In addition, the legislation mandates sanctions on Russian energy export pipelines.  

“As the Russian war continues, so does the uncertainty and instability of Russian energy,” said Senator Tillis. “Our NATO allies deserve to have dependable energy and the United States needs to make sure that we provide that support to NATO members. This legislation supports our allies and ensures they will have reliable exports to their countries.” 

Full text of the legislation can be found here. 

Background

Some of America’s European allies are increasingly dependent on Russian energy. Russia continues to undermine peace and security in Europe through a variety of mechanisms, including its use of energy as a geopolitical weapon. 

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Months later, Russia cut off all gas supplies to Europe in response to economic sanctions imposed by the West.

The Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act or the ESCAPE Act:

• Directs the U.S. permanent representative to NATO to work with NATO member states to address energy security for the organization’s members and partners in Europe and Eurasia.
• Calls for a comprehensive U.S. government transatlantic energy strategy that focuses on increasing the energy security of our NATO allies and partners and increasing American energy exports to those countries.
• Requires the Secretary of Energy to expedite approvals of natural gas exports to NATO allies, Japan, and any other foreign country where exports of natural gas would promote the national security interests of the United States.
• Authorizes mandatory U.S. sanctions on the development of Russian energy pipeline projects.

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Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

WASHINGTON, DC – As scammers find new ways and employ sophisticated schemes to dupe customers using instant peer-to-peer payment systems like Zelle to send money on the platform under fraudulent pretenses, a leading group of U.S. Senators is seeking new ways to ensure financial institutions and regulators help people keep their hard-earned cash safe from fraud and scams.

In an effort to protect consumers and hold banks accountable for fraudulent transactions conducted using the bank-owned instant digital payment network Zelle, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Mark Warner (D-VA) are calling on the Federal Reserve Board, National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to closely review and examine the customer reimbursement and anti-money laundering (AML) practices of depository institutions that participate in the Zelle network.  The Senators are urging the federal agencies to coordinate their supervisory approach to Zelle and similar apps with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Further, the U.S. Senators are also urging the OCC and Federal Reserve Board to more rigorously examine Early Warning Services, LLC (EWS) on an ongoing basis. EWS operates the Zelle network and is owned by seven of the Nation’s largest banks (Bank of America, Truist, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, PNC Bank, US Bank and Wells Fargo).

“We write to urge your agencies to take several specific steps to protect consumers who use the nation’s largest instant payment app from falling victim to scams and fraud. In particular, we urge the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Credit Union Administration, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to closely review and examine the customer reimbursement and anti-money laundering (AML) practices of depository institutions that participate in the Zelle network. We also urge the OCC and Federal Reserve Board to examine Early Warning Services (EWS) on an ongoing basis. EWS operates the Zelle network and is owned by seven of the Nation’s largest banks. Finally, we urge the agencies to coordinate their supervisory approach with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” the five U.S. Senators wrote to the four agencies responsible for supervising financial institutions.

In their letter, the Senators noted that although Zelle is marketed as a convenient and inexpensive way to transfer money within the supervised banking system, its model has opened the door to fraud and scams on a tremendous scale.

“As the federal regulators of the seven banks that own and operate Zelle, as well as the 1,800 depository institutions that participate in the Zelle network, you have authority to supervise their activities to ensure they comply with key consumer protection and AML laws, including the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Supervision for compliance means ensuring that neither EWS nor other regulated institutions that make Zelle available to millions of Americans engage in practices that would increase the risks to the safety and soundness of those institutions,” the letter continued.  “We raise these concerns about safe and sound operation of Zelle because depository institutions currently take the position that they are under no obligation under the EFTA to make their customers whole when fraudsters use the network to steal their hard-earned money. Instead, depository institutions appear to have forced their customers to foot the bill in the vast majority of these circumstances, often relying on ambiguity over whether a payment is classified as “authorized,” “unauthorized,” or an “error” to avoid reimbursing customers who have been victims of fraud.”

Reed, Menendez, Warren, Brown, and Warner warned that if bank or credit union communications lead customers to expectations of safety that are not met, it can create real risk of unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices for both customers and banks and credit unions.

“They may run afoul of AML laws when they do not adequately know their customers, screen out stolen or synthetic identities, or monitor accounts for unlawful use. We believe the agencies should do more to examine depository institutions’ risk management when they receive fraudulent Zelle payments in order to protect our Nation’s payment systems from abuse by criminals,” the Senators wrote.  “In addition, ongoing supervision of EWS is particularly important to protect consumers. That’s why we urge the OCC and Federal Reserve Board to use their existing authority under the National Bank Act and the Bank Holding Company Act to directly examine EWS on an ongoing basis. This examination should evaluate safety and soundness risks as well as the company’s compliance with consumer protection and AML laws. If the agencies uncover any unsafe or unsound practices, or uncover any legal violations, those deficiencies must be addressed promptly.”

The letter concluded by asking the regulators for any additional authorities needed to examine EWS for all of its activities.

“The company is a financial market utility that provides payments infrastructure to millions of American households and businesses. The company also receives vast amounts of financial data, which could pose new and emerging risks to consumers if not properly restricted and secured. Maintaining the public’s confidence in the safety and security of EWS’s infrastructure is important to the health of the real economy,” the letter concluded.

Text of the letter follows:

March 2, 2023

Dear Vice Chair Barr, Chairman Gruenberg, Chairman Harper, and Acting Comptroller Hsu:

We write to urge your agencies to take several specific steps to protect consumers who use the nation’s largest instant payment app from falling victim to scams and fraud. In particular, we urge the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Credit Union Administration, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to closely review and examine the customer reimbursement and anti-money laundering (AML) practices of depository institutions that participate in the Zelle network. We also urge the OCC and Federal Reserve Board to examine Early Warning Services, LLC (EWS) on an ongoing basis. EWS operates the Zelle network and is owned by seven of the Nation’s largest banks. Finally, we urge the agencies to coordinate their supervisory approach with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Although Zelle is marketed as a convenient and inexpensive way to transfer money within the supervised banking system, its model has opened the door to fraud and scams on a tremendous scale. As the federal regulators of the seven banks that own and operate Zelle, as well as the 1,800 depository institutions that participate in the Zelle network, you have authority to supervise their activities to ensure they comply with key consumer protection and AML laws, including the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). Supervision for compliance means ensuring that neither EWS nor other regulated institutions that make Zelle available to millions of Americans engage in practices that would increase the risks to the safety and soundness of those institutions.

We raise these concerns about safe and sound operation of Zelle because depository institutions currently take the position that they are under no obligation under the EFTA to make their customers whole when fraudsters use the network to steal their hard-earned money. Instead, depository institutions appear to have forced their customers to foot the bill in the vast majority of these circumstances, often relying on ambiguity over whether a payment is classified as “authorized,” “unauthorized,” or an “error” to avoid reimbursing customers who have been victims of fraud.

When banks or credit unions participating in Zelle evade responsibility for reimbursing their customers if they are fraudulently induced to send money to scammers through the app, those customers may lose confidence in their depository institution for offering a product that places their money at risk. On a wide scale, such a loss of confidence could weaken a depository institution’s financial condition. Additionally, there is risk of unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices if bank or credit union communications lead customers to expectations of safety that are not met.

Risks can also arise when banks or credit unions are on the receiving end of Zelle payments. They may run afoul of AML laws when they do not adequately know their customers, screen out stolen or synthetic identities, or monitor accounts for unlawful use. We believe the agencies should do more to examine depository institutions’ risk management when they receive fraudulent Zelle payments in order to protect our Nation’s payment systems from abuse by criminals.

In addition, ongoing supervision of EWS is particularly important to protect consumers. That’s why we urge the OCC and Federal Reserve Board to use their existing authority under the National Bank Act and the Bank Holding Company Act to directly examine EWS on an ongoing basis. This examination should evaluate safety and soundness risks as well as the company’s compliance with consumer protection and AML laws. If the agencies uncover any unsafe or unsound practices, or uncover any legal violations, those deficiencies must be addressed  promptly.

Finally, if the banking agencies do not believe existing laws provide authority sufficient to examine EWS for all of its activities, we request your views on how to close that regulatory gap. The company is a financial market utility that provides payments infrastructure to millions of American households and businesses. The company also receives vast amounts of financial data, which could pose new and emerging risks to consumers if not properly restricted and secured. Maintaining the public’s confidence in the safety and security of EWS’s infrastructure is important to the health of the real economy.

We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Lankford

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Source: United States Senator for Indiana Todd Young

March 04, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) to help police, fire, emergency medical and 911 personnel cope with the stresses of responding to crisis situations passed the Senate unanimously.

 

The Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Act of 2023 is bipartisan legislation that would establish mental health programs for America’s first responders who often face long-term effects from providing life-saving services in moments of crisis. 

 

“Our first responders put their lives on the line every day to ensure the safety and security of Hoosier families. The Fighting PTSD Act would increase the resources available to public safety officers dealing with job-related post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Senator Young. “Increasing this support to our public safety officer community will lead to healthier and stronger communities across Indiana and our country. I’m glad the entire Senate unanimously agreed to advance this critical legislation and I call on the House to pass it quickly.”

 

Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and 911 dispatchers routinely encounter high-stress situations, putting them at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which increases the risk of suicide. The Fighting PTSD Act would require the Justice Department to establish evidence-based treatment programs for first responders across the country, similar to services available to military personnel who develop PTSD or acute stress disorders. The bill also requires the Justice Department to consult with stakeholders, including public safety officer organizations, in developing the program, which would be available to serve first responders in communities of all sizes across the country.

 

In addition to Senators Young and Grassley, the bill is cosponsored by Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). 

The legislation is supported by numerous Indiana public safety organizations:

 

Bill Owensby, President of the Indiana Fraternal Order of Police: “It should be no secret to anyone that all of our first responders; Police, Fire, EMT and Dispatchers endure an enormous amount of stressors over their careers. As a result, medical issues, early retirement, and a surprising number of suicides plague the professions-most of it tied to PTSD. Many thanks to Senator Grassley and especially to our own Hoosier Senator Todd Young (and the other authors) in introducing this bill to help develop programs to recognize and treat PTSD in an effort to reduce the damaging effects.”

Rick Snyder, President of the Indianapolis Fraternal Order of Police: “We are grateful for this important continued effort of Senator Young and others to address the seen and unseen injuries of our Law Enforcement Officers, Dispatchers, other frontline public safety providers and their families. So many have given so much in sacrifice for their communities. Now is the time to provide care and comfort for their wellbeing.”

Steve Luce, Executive Director of the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association: “The ISA has dedicated our current training platform to address and heighten the awareness of PTSD and Suicide by implementing Wellness and Resiliency Workshops for our Law Enforcement Officers. The Fighting PTSD Act of 2023 will allow this serious issue in the Law Enforcement Profession to be addressed properly during the career of a Law Enforcement Professional.  It is extremely important to have resources available for the officer and their families throughout their careers. One Officer Suicide is One too many.”

Cory Martin, Executive Director at the Indiana State Police Alliance: “As findings state, it is estimated that 30% of public safety officers develop behavioral health conditions at some point in their lifetime. Our members, who are Indiana State Troopers, Motor Carrier Inspectors, and Capitol Police Officers, don’t fall short of this statistic. It is critical that we have the support of our members in Congress. By enacting this legislation, we can ensure swift and proper programming is available, should any of our members need these services. Thank you, Senator Young, for your unwavering support to Indiana’s Law Enforcement community.”

 

Robert Warstler, President of the Fort Wayne Police Department Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association: “The Fort Wayne Police Department Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association fully supports the Fighting PTSD Act of 2023 bill that would help public safety officers obtain state-of-the-art treatments or preventative care regarding job-related post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder by providing public safety officers access to evidence-based trauma-informed care, peer support, counselor services, and family supports for the purpose of treating or preventing post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Kyle Prewitt, Plainfield Chief of Police and Government Relations Committee Chair for the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police: “The members of the Indiana Association of Chiefs of Police support and appreciate Senator Young’s Fighting PTSD Act of 2023. First responders are exposed to extremely traumatic events throughout the course of their careers, and they deserve our collective support to make them whole again. We believe this act is a big step in that direction, and we thank Senator Young for his bold leadership on behalf of the law enforcement community.”

Steve McMichael, Mayor of New Haven: “The City of New Haven strongly supports the Fighting PTSD Act of 2023 cosponsored by Senator Young. The creation of programs with state-of-the-art PTSD treatments for public safety professional would be an invaluable resource to local communities. As Mayor, I am grateful for the continued efforts by Senator Young and others who understand the importance of implementing programs that support those who protect and serve our communities. We believe this effort will personally benefit our city and support our dedicated public safety team.”

 

Randy Retter, Wayne County Sheriff and President of the Indiana Sheriffs’ Association: “Our Country’s police officer’s and deputies witness similar atrocities and share many of the same experiences as our veterans who we have learned commonly experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Similar to our veterans, the Department of Justice indicates roughly 15% of law enforcement officers in the country experience symptoms of PTSD.  This is more than twice that of the national average.  If left untreated, PTSD can be a debilitating disorder that can lead to dangerous consequences.  I strongly support this legislation that is designed to take care of those who sacrifice so much to take care of our communities and our country.”

Troy Hershberger, Allen County Sheriff: “We have gone from a point in time where the mental health crisis was not acknowledged or recognized, to talking about being proactive and taking action. It’s time to stop talking the talk and actually implement resources and opportunities to help combat this fight.”

 

Shane McHenry, Dearborn County Sheriff: “Carrying out the duties of a law enforcement officer often exposes them to tragedy, death and many other disturbing calls for service. Once the traumatic event concludes, Law Enforcement officers then go on to the next call for service or go home to their families where they are expected to be a parent or spouse and they carry on like nothing has occurred that day. We must work collaboratively to provide resources for our First Responders and Law Enforcement Officers to help them deal with the mental health and wellness issues. We truly appreciate Senator Young’s attention and actions in bringing awareness to this issue.” 

Duane Burgess, Johnson County Sheriff: “As the Sheriff of Johnson County, Indiana and a member of Law Enforcement for over 30 years I know that we need to do more to help the members of this noble career. Everyday men and women dawn that uniform and badge and go out to protect the citizens of their communities. They see and deal with some of most horrific crimes and incidents on a daily basis. We have formed Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) to better understand and deal with citizens who struggle with mental health issues. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has even formed a county wide Critical Incident Stress Program to help officers. We need to continue to grow mental health awareness in the United States to help the members of Law Enforcement who struggle with mental health issues. We can do better to ensure that we recognize and get treatment for public safety workers who are needing professional help. We also need to make sure that help is available, there are times we cannot wait for a public safety person to get that needed attention.”

Tony Murray, President of the Professional Firefighters Union of Indiana: “The Professional Fire Fighters Union of Indiana proudly represents Hoosier fire fighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and 911 dispatchers. We genuinely appreciate Senator Todd Young’s recognition of the high-stress environments these first responders face daily. For some of these brave men and women, the impact of dealing with the daily situations of life and death in the balance leads to cumulative stress injuries such as PTSD. Thankfully, these are treatable conditions. The support of the federal government in providing crucial access to treat these conditions is needed, and we support Senator Todd Young’s efforts to make treatments available and accessible to our nation’s first responders.”

John Gullion, President of the Indiana Firefighters Association: “The Indiana Firefighters Association is proud to support Senator Young’s bill that provides our First Responders, nationwide, an avenue to access services to cope with job related mental health issues.”

Jerry Liston, President of the Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association: “The Indiana Volunteer Firefighters Association with our nearly 14,000 members thanks and supports Senator Todd Young with the introduction of legislation to help and care for our members suffering from health conditions including but not limited to mental health and PTSD who are serving or have served in the fire and EMS services.”

Daniel Elliot, Indiana State Treasurer and Chair of the Indiana Statewide 911 Board: “Our Public Safety Telecommunicators are often the first voices Hoosiers hear in an emergency.  They are our unsung heroes. I applaud Senator Todd Young’s bill to provide resources to support those who help all of us at our most dire moments.”

 

Jeff Fortner, President of the Indiana Chapter of National Emergency Number Association: “Public safety telecommunicators are the first, first responder to the publics calls for help. Often not included in debriefings, not knowing the outcomes of those traumatic calls from a mother that found a child deceased, a spouse who found significant other who committed suicide or a witness to a horrible accident. We are making great progress towards recognition of telecommunications professionals and public safety in general and the Fighting PTSD Act of 2023 is another step in the right direction. The Indiana Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association’s Board of Directors supports this legislation.”

 

Gary Miller, Executive Director of the Indiana EMS Association: “EMS agencies across Indiana, as well as across the nation, work diligently to develop systems to ensure that high-quality, compassionate and life-saving care is provided to their communities. Of course, the most important piece of this system is the individual EMS practitioners who are responding to assist people often on the worst day of their lives. The stresses that are inherent when you have someone’s life in your hands is extremely difficult, add to that long-hours, harsh environments, exposure to infectious diseases and all the other factors involved make it extremely difficult to find balance in the provider’s own lives. Just as EMS responds to calls for help every day, it is great to see that Senator Young and the others are making efforts to provide needed resources when the EMS practitioners place those calls themselves.”

 

Kimberly Pate Godden, Vice President of Legal, Government Relations and Corporate Compliance for Superior Air Ground Ambulance Services, Inc. and Indiana EMS Association Legislative Chair: “We are pleased that the Fighting PTSD Act of 2023 includes EMS professionals.  We are the first to respond to fires, natural and manmade disasters, and automobile tragedies. From young children airlifted to acute hospitals to elderly patients needing dialysis care, we answer the call-from dispatch to paramedic response. First responders risk so much every day to keep our communities safe and healthy. We need to ensure that they are supported, safe and prepared both in and out of the field. Our EMS professionals are unsung heroes who have willingly and resoundingly answered the call for help, especially during the pandemic, saving lives in the process. We support Senator Young’s efforts to provide the necessary and expanded care to our EMS professionals.”

Stephen C. McCaffrey, President and CEO of Mental Health America of Indiana: “Mental Health America of Indiana applauds the introduction of the Fighting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Act of 2023. This legislation provides long overdue recognition that the mental well-being of those who serve people in distress is as important as the well-being of the people being served. The issues to be evaluated and reported on under this bill underscore the importance of support to responders’ family members and the significance of peer support.”

Suzanne Koesel, Indiana Chief Executive Officer for Centerstone: “Our nation’s emergency response personnel are often on the front lines of situations that are high stress and high risk. The nature of their work puts these individuals at higher risk for PTSD and other behavioral health conditions. To that end, we at Centerstone applaud Senator Young’s leadership on the introduction of the Fighting PTSD Act of 2023. This legislation seeks to ensure those who serve our communities in the most distressing of moments have someone and somewhere to rely on if they find themselves needing to access behavioral health services. This program is a step toward helping those who serve our communities every day.” 

Source: United States Senator for Indiana Todd Young

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Next Article

Source: United States Senator for Alaska Dan Sullivan

03.02.23

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska) and Representative Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) participated in an event outside the U.S. Capitol calling on the Biden administration to re-approve the Willow Project on Alaska’s North Slope.

The delegation was joined by Alaska State Representative Josiah Patkotak (I-Utqia?vik); Nagruk Harcharek, president of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat; Joelle Hall, president of AFL-CIO Alaska; Doreen Leavitt, director of natural resources for the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope; representatives of additional Alaska Native groups; state and national union leaders; and many fellow Alaskans showing their unequivocal support for the meticulously-planned, socially-just, and environmentally-sound Willow Project.

Key Quotes and Excerpts

Senator Murkowski:

“We have whaling captains, we have young people, we have elders, and we have unions behind us, standing with us, in agreement. Why are we all here in support of the Willow Development Project? What is it all about? It can be summed up in one word: security. It is energy security—yes. Because we are developing a resource that not only this country needs, but certainly the world still needs it.”

“It is also economic security, as you’ve just heard Representative Patkotak say what it means to them to have an economy in their region, resources that can come to them so that they can take care of themselves. This is about empowerment for Alaska Native people.”

“And it’s about national security, as well as anything. So, we are here today, literally days ahead of a decision by this administration. They seem to be agonizing over whether or not they should allow for a re-approval of the Willow Project. This is a re-approval. There is nothing to agonize here. This is about security for America, security for Alaskans. Get off the dime, administration—approve the Willow Project.”

Senator Sullivan: 

“I am so honored that we got this joint bipartisan resolution from the Alaska Legislature. Every elected leader in our state has signed on: Democrat, Republican, Independent, many of them are here. This is why it’s so important [for them] to hear our voices. Hear our voices, Mr. President. Hear our voices, Secretary Haaland…” 

“We have challenges all over the world. One of the strongest instruments of American power is American energy. And, yet, this administration has gone out of their way to shut down American energy, making it harder to produce, harder to move, harder to finance. And when the resulting implication of those policies is higher energy prices on working families, they go to Saudi Arabia on bended knee to beg them for oil. They go to Venezuela and say we’re going to lift sanctions on Maduro so he can produce more oil. Mr. President, don’t beg Saudi Arabia. Don’t beg Venezuela. Get it from Alaska!…”

“The White House is now looking to reduce [the Willow project] to two drill pads. We have all said, if you do that, you’re going to kill it and that would just be an exercise of raw political power. They’re not scientists. John Podesta is not a scientist. The BLM are career officials who did the science and the data work. They said we can do it with three pads. That’s all we’re asking—to approve what they’ve already said they can.”

Representative Peltola:

“We have a lot of people here who are Inupiaq, from the North Slope region. This is their region. This is their land. This is about their sovereignty and their autonomy to go forward with their economic development, which will help the state of Alaska…” 

“I’m Yupik. We have Athabascans in this audience, we have Tlingits, we have Eyaks. Across the board, Alaska Natives are standing in support with Inupiaqs…across America there is no issue that has 100% unanimous support but clearly there is the preponderance of Inupiaqs who are in support of this. The majority of Alaska Natives, and the majority of Alaskans are in support of this…”

“While many other states have enjoyed development and economic growth, Alaska has gone backwards by 8% over the last 15 years. We can’t afford this. We need to make sure that our future generations have the schools that they need, have the public safety that they need, have the roads that they need, and Alaska can’t shoulder the issues of global warming alone.”

Alaska State Representative Patkotak: 

“[The Willow Project] represents an opportunity, really of a lifetime, for the citizens of the state of Alaska, and more directly the citizens of the North Slope. Some of those numbers over the course of the project. Thirty-year life of the project represents about $3.7 billion in impact grant mitigation funds. And those directly affect the communities within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, along with a few of the villages above the North Slope. And those grants are used for anywhere from school playgrounds, to salaries for city managers in villages that don’t have an economic base, to water and sewer infrastructure, power generation and roads, building them up and maintaining them.”

“We would not, as the subsistence hunters of the North Slope, support a project that threatened our subsistence livelihood in that negative of a fashion…Our subsistence activities and our resource development are not mutually exclusive…”

Joelle Hall, Alaska AFL-CIO:

“100% of Alaska’s unions are in support of the Willow Project. Not just our building trades unions—also our private unions and our public sector unions, because development in Alaska, revenue to Alaska, employs Alaska’s workforce, but it also helps support the state workers and the public workers, which are vital to the monitoring of this work. And to make sure that the work is done justly…”

“This is management and labor, Alaska Native corporations, all manner of Alaska organizations standing together asking the same question: put us to work. Put us to work, Mr. President, we want to build for jobs, we want to build for American security. We want to build American jobs.” 

Nagruk Harcharek, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat: 

“We understand the complexities, and we know that the Willow Project will make it possible to continue our traditions while reinforcing the economic foundation of our region, of our state, of the nation, for decades to come.” 

Sean McGarvey, President of the North America’s Building Trades Unions (submitted statement):

“North America’s Building Trades Unions are strongly committed to the Willow Project. As the press event held yesterday by the Alaska Congressional Delegation highlighted, this project has broad support from the Building Trades, the Alaska AFL-CIO, the whole of the Alaska Congressional Delegation, and the Native peoples of the North Slope. We applaud the Biden administration’s work to move this critical infrastructure forward and encourage all decision makers to recognize the benefits to our nation’s energy security and the over 1,600 middle-class, family-sustaining union jobs this project will provide.”

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Source: United States Senator for West Virginia Shelley Moore Capito