Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH)

Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Judy Chu (CA-28), Suzan DelBene (WA-01) and 82 of their colleagues in conducting oversight of the recently-launched Moms.gov. 

Moms.gov launched in May with the purported goal of offering guidance to expectant mothers, but the website instead features potentially harmful information about deceptive crisis pregnancy centers and puts sensitive health information at risk. The lawmakers demanded Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. provide answers about HHS’s goals in developing, funding, reviewing, and operating Moms.gov.

“This website purports to be a resource to support the health and well-being of women and families, yet it deceives vulnerable people by sending them to anti-abortion centers, or so-called ‘crisis pregnancy centers,’ that are not real medical providers,” the Representatives wrote. “Additionally, these organizations often engage in questionable data collection practices of individuals’ sensitive health information. We have long raised concerns about deceptive practices that jeopardize patient privacy and mislead people seeking reproductive health care, and we urge the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to guarantee that all federally supported public-facing maternal health resources provide medically accurate, evidence-based, and comprehensive information and protect Americans’ private health information.”

The Representatives noted that the “Find Pregnancy Centers Near You” feature on Moms.gov appears to direct users to Option Line, a 24/7 contact center managed by Heartbeat International, a nationwide anti-choice organization and network of over 1,000 crisis pregnancy centers. Heartbeat International has faced significant scrutiny regarding its collection, storage, and handling of sensitive reproductive health information through services including the Option Line.

“Deciding whether or when to bear a child is a deeply personal decision that should be made by the patient and trusted health care providers using medically-accurate and comprehensive information, not by opponents of reproductive freedom,” the Representatives wrote. “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services already has resources with comprehensive information for women on reproductive health, including pregnancy, birth control methods, infertility, sexually-transmitted infections, and more. Moms.gov is duplicitous, a waste of government resources, and a thinly-veiled attempt to push a far right agenda onto people at a vulnerable time in their lives.”

The letter is supported by the Democratic Women’s Caucus, Reproductive Freedom for All, National Partnership for Women & Families, National Women’s Law Center, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Power to Decide.

The full text of the letter can be found here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Completed in 2000, evidence-based report identified key metrics of educational excellence and established “Science of Reading”

 

ABOVE: Harder speaks in support of the National Reading Panel during Tuesday’s markup

Restored Panel would give teachers, parents, and lawmakers clear path to improving reading scores across America

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09) announced that he secured language in federal appropriations legislation to restore the National Reading Panel and jumpstart Science of Reading initiatives at the Department of Education. The provisions were included in report text accompanying the Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill that passed out of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee last night. 

First established by the Committee in 1998, the National Reading Panel was completed in 2000 as the seminal text for the growing body of evidence referred to as the “Science of Reading.” The panel identified key pillars of educational excellence built on phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

When implemented, the Science of Reading works, but the rest of the country is facing a growing literacy crisis:

• States like California, Louisiana, and Mississippi have successfully adopted Science of Reading initiatives, with the latter rising from 49th in the country to the top ten in fourth-grade reading over the past decade.
• But nationwide, 12th-grade reading scores are at their lowest levels since the National Assessment of Educational Progress began tracking these scores in 1992.
• As the next generation enters the workforce, the impact of low reading levels is already being felt to the tune of nearly $40 billion in lost productivity.

“The National Reading Panel kickstarted an entire movement around education excellence – but decades later, those lessons have not been fully adopted,” said Rep. Harder. “Since then, our kids have been paying the price in lower reading scores and worse educational and career outcomes. It’s time for the federal government to take our literacy crisis seriously by bringing back the National Reading Panel and scaling up Science of Reading initiatives. Yesterday’s markup is an exciting step towards improving literacy across America.” 

Harder’s efforts included in federal appropriations legislation to scale up the federal response to severe literacy rates:

• Restored National Reading Panel– Reestablishes the National Reading Panel, giving teachers, parents, and lawmakers a clear path to improving reading scores across America.
• What Works Clearinghouse Reforms– Directs the Department of Education to make recommendations for streamlining and enhancing one of the main federal tools for evaluating educational research.
• Science of Reading Investments– Commits to increasing funding for comprehensive state literacy grants by 13%, with a priority for programs aligned with the Science of Reading.

“Parents have been clear: invest in reading,” said Keri Rodrigues, President, National Parents Union. “The House education budget answered that call with increased funding for federal literacy programs that will help more children become strong readers. We are grateful to Congressman Harder’s continued leadership on behalf of kids and families.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Josh Harder (CA-10)

Reconciliation package redirects nearly $70 billion in taxpayer and health care dollars to ICE

WASHINGTON – Today, following the U.S. House passage of legislation to redirect billions in taxpayer and health care dollars to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Rep. Josh Harder (CA-09), who voted no, released the following statement condemning the bill:

“ICE has been terrorizing our community for months, and Washington just voted to give them another $70 billion using our health care dollars without any reforms, guardrails, or oversight. I’m outraged, and I voted no.

“Our top priority right now should be lowering costs for families who have been struggling for months to afford gas, groceries, and medication. Instead, Washington is ripping health insurance away from thousands, pushing clinics to the brink of closure, and causing premiums to double. All to pay for more ICE chaos with zero accountability. 

“We need to rein in ICE, end the war in Iran, and stop the tariff madness, but most of all we need more backbone from Washington. I’m going to do everything in my power to fight back against these attacks and hold corrupt politicians accountable.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

Representative Don Beyer (VA-08), co-chair of the House Artificial Intelligence Caucus, and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today reintroduced the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Environmental Impacts Act of 2026. The legislation would require artificial intelligence (AI) data centers to report on their environmental and energy-related impacts, with fines levied for those that fail to comply. In order to develop the framework for corporate reporting, the AI Environmental Impacts Act would direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology to convene a consortium of experts responsible for establishing measurement standards. The legislation would also require the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with other relevant federal agencies, to compile and publish a comprehensive study on the environmental and energy-related lifecycle impacts of AI and related infrastructure.

Communities around the country are currently experiencing effects from the build-out of AI-related infrastructure—including on energy costs, air quality, water quality, noise and light pollution, and land use—and those impacts are only projected to grow. However, there is no comprehensive federal study or reporting requirement to assess the full scope of these impacts. The AI Environmental Impacts Act will help close this information gap and empower policy makers to enact common sense protections for communities across the United States.

This legislation is cosponsored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt), and Representative Nanette Barragán (CA-44).

“As artificial intelligence advances at an extraordinary pace, and as the data centers and energy infrastructure that power it continue to expand, we have a responsibility to fully understand its environmental impacts,” said Congressman Beyer. “Our legislation would ensure that we have better data, coordination, and transparency to identify risks and develop solutions that ensure AI development does not compromise our environment and serves the American people as it brings us into a new age of technology.”

“Data centers are literally changing the landscape for families across the country—from the air they breathe to the electricity bills hitting their inboxes every month,” said Senator Markey. “Understanding the environmental and energy impacts of AI data centers and requiring transparency from the companies that operate them is the first step toward protecting communities and working to tackle this rapidly growing crisis.”

This legislation is endorsed by the Center for AI and Digital Policy, Public Citizen, Center for Biological Diversity, Union of Concerned Scientists, GreenLatinos, Food and Water Watch, Moms’ Clean Air Force, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“Compelling data centers to report to the environmental and energy impacts of their operations to the EPA provides essential public transparency,” said Tyson Slocum, Director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program. “Communities can’t evaluate whether proposed data centers are appropriate when the developers lock all the detail behind non-disclosures. Requiring the federal government to collect and publish energy and environmental data of data center operations is an essential part of the ongoing public debate on the role of AI in our economy and society, and will enhance our ability to ensure that any data centers comply with the public interest.”

“GreenLatinos is wholeheartedly endorses Sen. Markey’s Artificial Intelligence Environmental Impacts Act. Data centers powering AI are being built in our backyards, consuming shocking amounts of energy and water while driving up emissions in the communities that already bear the heaviest environmental burdens. In Latino communities, we cannot afford to have the AI boom accelerate unchecked. This legislation will create key tools for measuring AI’s true environmental footprint and creating a public reporting framework, which are crucially needed to protect communities from further AI-related environmental harms,” said Andrea Marpillero-Colomina, PhD., Sustainable Communities Policy Advisor at GreenLatinos.

“We know that the recent surge in buildout of data centers and associated infrastructure is already having enormous consequences for people, their pocketbooks, and the environment. However, the tech industry has repeatedly worked to hide the full magnitude of these harms from decisionmakers and the general public to duck accountability and maximize profits. This Act rightly confronts the issue head-on, demanding urgently needed transparency across a wide range of impacts to enable accountability and inform the development of rigorous industry requirements,” said Julie McNamara, Director at Federal Energy Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists.

“The Southern Environmental Law Center welcomes Senator Markey’s bill requiring the EPA and other agencies to take a closer look at the environmental impacts of AI data centers. It is past time to dig deeper. Every day we see communities terrified of what will happen to their clean water, clean air, local landscapes, and electric bills when data centers move in. These are often communities that have long grappled with the impacts of other polluting industries and bad siting and zoning decisions. Communities need and deserve the transparency that the Markey bill will provide,” said Amanda Garcia, Senior Attorney at Southern Environmental Law Center.

“We must build AI infrastructure with the public rules around it, with community input, and mitigating environmental impacts. The AI Environmental Impacts Act sets common sense transparency and accountability guardrails. It charts the path for incentivizing data and energy efficient AI models to ensure that a singular focus on scale doesn’t compromise American’s pocketbooks and well-being,” said Christabel Randolph, Associate Director at CAIDP.

“Data centers are polluting our air and water and driving up electricity costs, yet Big Tech continues to operate with zero accountability,” said Camden Weber, climate and energy policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This unchecked growth is causing real environmental harm. Sen. Markey’s bill is a critical first step in understanding the full scope of the damage so that Congress can take aggressive action to address it.”

Full text of the AI Environmental Impacts Act is available here.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

U.S. Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) and Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) reintroduced the Alan S. Lowenthal Blue Whales, Blue Skies Act, a bill to create a new federal program encouraging commercial shipping companies operating off the Pacific coast to reduce the speeds of their vessels in order to protect marine life and cut air pollution.

Read the full text of the legislation here.

The bill models the new federal program off the regional Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies vessel speed reduction (VSR) program, which recognizes shipping companies that reduce speeds off California’s coast – including shipping lanes within the Greater Santa Barbara Channel Region off Rep. Carbajal’s Central Coast district.

“Since 2014, the Protecting Blue Whales Blue Skies program has made California’s coastline cleaner and safer for both marine life and local communities. It’s a commonsense solution that has delivered a win-win for both the environment and public health. The program’s successful regional impact supports a case for scaling it to the federal level,” said Rep. Carbajal. “My legislation will do just that by expanding the program’s scope to include the entire Western coast of our country. I thank Congressman Huffman for partnering with me on this important bill, which honors my former colleague Alan Lowenthal’s advocacy and strengthens federal protections for our whales and our air quality.”  

“When ships are barreling through the ocean, not only does it guzzle up fuel and throw out more emissions, it makes it hard for them to avoid collisions with whales – leading to the death of these iconic and endangered species on top of impacts to our climate and communities,” said Rep. Huffman. “California came up with a solution to tackle both of these problems that my friend and former colleague Alan Lowenthal championed locally as well as here in Congress. I’m glad to join Rep. Carbajal in this renewed and expanded legislation that would incentivize shipping companies to reduce their speeds along the entire West Coast, protecting marine mammals and our planet.”

Since 2018, 76 shipping companies have participated in the regional Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies VSR program. Over the past decade, the program has cut air pollution at a scale equivalent to taking nearly 6 million cars off the road for an entire year.

The Alan S. Lowenthal Blue Whales, Blue Skies Act honors the retired California Congressman who had previously championed legislation to create federal recognition for speed reduction off California’s coastline. The legislation reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives this week expands on Lowenthal’s advocacy by mandating the creation of a federal program that would cover the eligible recognition area to the entire Western coast of the lower 48 U.S. states.

The bill would create the federal recognition program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) with the California program serving as the model for the qualifications and the recognition to be provided by NOAA to participating shipping companies.

The regional program is run by a partnership of public and nonprofit entities including the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District, Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and others.

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Al Green (TX-9)

(Washington, DC) — On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Congressman Al Green, Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, shared remarks in a Financial Services Hearing entitled, “Examining Local Needs in Disaster Recovery.”

You can access and listen to Congressman Al Green’s remarks by clicking here. The hearing remarks highlighted are also accessible on various social media platforms, including Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).  

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Norma Torres (35th District of California)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jared Huffman Representing the 2nd District of California

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09)

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that the University of Memphis will receive a grant of $599,826 for its Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program under the direction of Dr. Susan Neely-Barnes. The funding is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“Federal investments in workforce development lead to greater productivity and higher job satisfaction. I congratulate the University for seeking and securing this grant funding.”

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