MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and Pete Sessions (TX-17) introduced H.R. 10443, the American Procurement Improvement Act (APIA). The APIA would modernize the statutory framework governing AbilityOne, while preserving its core mission of expanding employment opportunities for people who are blind or have significant disabilities. This bipartisan bill is endorsed by a coalition of 50 organizations, unions, disability stakeholders, and advocacy groups.

Created in 1938, AbilityOne has helped deliver critical products and services through federal contracting and provided employment for over 41,000 Americans. To keep pace with today’s workforce, disability policy, and federal procurement environment, it is critical that the program’s governing statute is modernized to preserve its mission of creating job opportunity and career growth for people with disabilities. The bipartisan APIA offers a consensus approach to implementing key changes that would secure an effective, sustainable future for AbilityOne.

“I’m proud to join with Rep. Sessions to introduce this bipartisan, consensus bill to modernize the AbilityOne program,” said Congressman Steny H. Hoyer. “For nearly ninety years, this program has opened up job opportunities for tens of thousands of Americans with disabilities, delivering greater independence and dignity while yielding a strong return on investment for the taxpayers. However, its legal framework hasn’t been substantially updated in over half a century. Our bill modernizes procurement under the program, while making it more accountable. It would also expand eligibility and help more Americans with disabilities get hired, promoted, and grow in their careers. Ultimately, this will benefit employees with disabilities and their families, improve government efficiency, and expand our economy. Sponsoring the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 and helping secure its enactment was one of my proudest achievements in office. Over the years, I have worked alongside many allies on both sides of the aisle to protect and build on that landmark law, including in the area of employment, where so much work is still needed. I look forward to partnering with Rep. Sessions, our cosponsors in both parties, and the broad range of endorsing organizations from across the disability community to try to move this bill through the House before the end of the year. We can and should get this done.”

“AbilityOne has worked for nearly 90 years, connecting federal procurement with real employment for Americans who are blind or have significant disabilities. The law governing it has not kept pace. Last year the unemployment rate for Americans with disabilities was 8.3 percent, more than double the rate for Americans without disabilities, and the share of our neighbors with disabilities who are not in the workforce at all is far higher still. This bipartisan bill preserves the mission while modernizing procurement, clearing the way for career advancement, and strengthening accountability to the taxpayer. In Texas we believe every person is made in the image of God and has something to contribute, and I am proud to lead this effort alongside Congressman Steny Hoyer,” said Congressman Pete Sessions.

Full text of the bill can be found here.

The bill is cosponsored by U.S. Representatives Mike Ezell (MS-04), James Walkinshaw (VA-11), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), and Derrick Van Orden (WI-03).

The APIA is endorsed by: American Association of People with Disabilities, SourceAmerica, National Council of SourceAmerica Employers, CEO Commission for Disability Employment, Alliance for Expanding America’s Workforce,  The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, the Arc of the United States, National Organization on Disability, National Down Syndrome Society, National Disability Rights Network, National Federation of the Blind, Melwood Inc., PCSI, Tessera, Didlake, Alula, Peckham, WORK Inc., ORC Industries, ACCSES, Advocations,  Challenge Unlimited, Inc., Employment Source, Global Connections to Employment, Opportunity Center, Inc., PARC, Assets, Inc., ServiceSource, Speak Foundation, Health Hats, Access Ready Inc, Whistleblowers of America, The American Association of Kidney Patients, SEIU, Bender Consulting, Goodwill South Florida, CommunicationFIRST,  ACHIEVE Human Services, Inc., Bobby Dodd Institute, Workability International, Chimes International, Eastern Carolina Vocational Center, Inc., Human Technologies, InspiriTec, PORTCO Inc, PRIDE Industries, Phoenix, Pueblo Diversified Industries, Fedcap Rehabilitation Services, Inc., and Association of People Supporting EmploymentFirst (APSE).

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02)

Bipartisan bill is designed to address the national backlog of untested sexual assault kits

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07)

Historic Resolution Follows in Footsteps of Civil Rights Leaders Coretta Scott King, Economist Sadie Alexander, and Others

Job Guarantee Would Provide Critical Safety Net, Good-Paying Union Jobs, and Close Income Gap

Resolution Text (PDF) | Resolution Summary (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, with unemployment surging under Donald Trump, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), a member of the House Financial Services Committee, reintroduced her historic resolution calling for a federal job guarantee. The resolution, which builds on the legacy and work of Black women in the civil rights movement, would help the United States achieve the promise of full employment, establish a more resilient and inclusive economy, and begin to close racial and gender income gaps.

Congresswoman Pressley has consistently called for the Federal Reserve to enforce its dual mandate for maximum employment and address the crisis of Black unemployment, particularly Black women’s unemployment.

“With Black folks being pushed out of the workforce and unemployment rates at their highest since the COVID-19 pandemic, we need a Federal Job Guarantee now more than ever,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “A federal job guarantee is a central and unfulfilled demand of the civil rights movement and I’m proud to stand on the shoulders of civil rights icons like Coretta Scott King and Sadie Alexander to keep pushing for this historic resolution, which would support working families of every background, help America reach full employment, and help achieve long-term economic security for all.”

A federal job guarantee would provide every person with an enforceable legal right to a quality job. Extending beyond a project-based approach, the resolution calls for the creation of federal jobs that meet long-neglected community, physical and human infrastructure needs, such as delivering quality care for children and seniors, building and sustaining 21st century transit systems, strengthening neighborhoods, and protecting the environment. Funded by the federal government and implemented locally in partnership with communities, the program would provide public jobs for all adults seeking employment.

By ensuring everyone has access to a good job with dignified wages, safe working conditions, health care and other benefits—including full worker rights and union protections—a federal job guarantee would set a new standard for quality jobs, pressuring low-wage employers to increase wages and benefits. It would create a pathway to stable employment and begin to close the gaping income and wealth gap for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous workers who continue to face discrimination and are often the “first ones fired, last ones hired” during economic crises. It would also ensure economic inclusion for those experiencing discrimination in the labor market, including people with disabilities, transgender people, caregivers, and people with criminal records or involvement with the criminal legal system. A permanent job guarantee would operate as an automatic stabilizer, maintaining consumer spending and protecting us from prolonged recessions and jobless recoveries — making the economy more resilient as well as more inclusive.

“We applaud Congresswoman Pressley for her steadfast commitment to justice and advancing policies that invest in people. This federal job guarantee resolution recognizes and promotes the infrastructure to put our most productive resources to work for a greener, more just and inclusive economy that works for us all,” said Dr. Darrick Hamilton, Founding Director of the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School.

“Workers in the U.S. are experiencing unprecedented times: an affordability crisis compounded by record long-term unemployment, disproportionate job losses for Black women, and increasing structural barriers especially impacting younger, older, and immigrant workers. Huge swaths of the American workforce are also not being paid a living wage, especially those in jobs that have been historically undervalued such as care and domestic work,” said Elyse Shaw, Director of Education, Labor and Worker Justice at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). “We applaud Congresswoman Pressley for introducing the Federal Jobs Guarantee resolution, which calls for proactive policies that address the systemic and discriminatory barriers limiting many workers’ access to quality jobs and careers as well as robust worker protections for all.”

A copy of the resolution can be found here and a summary is here.

Rep. Pressley first introduced the historic resolution in February 2021. Following introduction. Pressley questioned Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in a House Financial Services Committee hearing about the need for a federal job guarantee to help the United States achieve full employment. In September 2021, she published an op-ed in The Nation outlining the civil rights history of the Federal Job Guarantee and discussed the urgent need to establish one.

Rep. Pressley has repeatedly sounded the alarm on the rising number of Black women forced out of the workforce in the United States, called on the Federal Reserve to take action, and convened impacted women and economists to renew those calls. The Federal Reserve responded to the Congresswoman’s letter in October, and Rep. Pressley pushed for further action demanding a briefing for members of the Congressional Black Caucus on how the Fed is responding to this crisis.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (38th District of CA)

WASHINGTON – The Ways and Means Committee yesterday unanimously passed the bipartisan Concentrating on High-Value Alzheimer’s Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act, a bill introduced by Representatives Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) that would promote early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

The CHANGE Act directs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to identify cognitive impairment detection tools to help clinicians more effectively detect, refer and diagnose Alzheimer’s and related dementias in their earliest stages when intervention can be most impactful.

The bill was included as part of the Alzheimer’s Screening and Prevention (ASAP) Act, a bipartisan, comprehensive bill to improve the early detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is deeply personal for me. I lost both of my parents to Alzheimer’s, and I know firsthand how much earlier detection could have meant for our family,” said Congresswoman Sánchez. “Advancing this bill out of committee brings us one step closer to giving other families that chance. I’m grateful to my Ways and Means colleagues for passing our bipartisan bill and will keep fighting to get it signed into law.”

“Alzheimer’s impacts millions of Americans, and we must do everything we can to support the search for a cure. This bipartisan bill provides help to patients and clinicians through expanded early detection support and improved data collection,” said Congressman LaHood. “The CHANGE Act, coupled with the ASAP Act, will strengthen existing tools to help streamline and broaden the ability for earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and other forms dementia. I thank Congresswoman Sánchez for her collaboration on this critical legislation and my Ways and Means colleagues for advancing this bill as we work to find ways to support patients, their families, and caregivers.”

“Alzheimer’s touches millions of families, and identifying the disease early can make a meaningful difference for patients and their loved ones,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “The CHANGE Act brings us closer to giving healthcare providers the tools to recognize the warning signs sooner and connect families with the care and support they need. I’m proud this bipartisan legislation is moving forward so more families can have more time, better care, and greater hope.”

“Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease that has touched my family personally, so I understand the tremendous toll it takes not only on patients, but also on the loved ones who care for them,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “As promising new treatments continue to emerge, early detection and diagnosis are more important than ever. The bipartisan CHANGE Act will help ensure patients and their doctors have better tools to identify cognitive decline earlier, when interventions may have the greatest impact. I am pleased to see this important legislation advance out of Committee as part of a broader package, bringing us another step closer to improving care, preserving quality of life, and ultimately finding a cure for this terrible disease.”

An estimated 13.8 million Americans aged 65 and older are projected to develop Alzheimer’s by 2060. The CHANGE Act would provide critical support for caregivers and accelerate progress toward effective disease-modifying treatments.

Alzheimer’s disease is the fifth-leading cause of death in America, and it is estimated that Black Americans are twice as likely and Latinos are 1.5 times as likely to develop the disease.

The CHANGE Act is endorsed by UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, American Academy of Neurology, Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, Alliance for Aging Research, Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, Gerontological Society of America, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, Latinos Against Alzheimer’s and USAging.

Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) previously introduced companion legislation to the CHANGE Act in the Senate.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Today, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), founder and chair of the Slow Fashion Caucus, introduced the Textile Waste Reduction Act (TWRA), a first-of-its-kind bill to address the harmful impacts of fast fashion-driven waste. Based on recommendations made in the first-ever Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on fast fashion pollution—originally requested by Pingree and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in 2023—this landmark legislation establishes the first coordinated federal framework to reduce textile waste, improve data collection, and develop a national strategy to advance circularity in the textile industry.

“The GAO report confirmed what we’ve known for years: that textile waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the U.S.; that it’s being driven largely by fast fashion; and that federal action is necessary to confront this crisis in a real, impactful way,” said Congresswoman Pingree. “This bill would help lay the foundation for that effort by creating a coordinated federal strategy to reduce textile waste and build a more circular textile economy. Our country has the resources and know-how to lead this effort on a global scale. It’s well past time we turn that potential into action—and help transform this wasteful industry into one that’s more efficient, more sustainable, and better for people and the planet.”

Specifically, the TWRA:

• Directs the EPA Administrator to take coordinated federal action to advance textile circularity 

• Requires EPA to develop a comprehensive National Textile Circularity Strategy and conduct a needs assessment identifying the actions, investments, and policy priorities necessary to implement the strategy

• Creates an Interagency Working Group on Textile Circularity to coordinate federal activities 

• Establishes an Advisory Board to provide recommendations to the Interagency Working Group 

• Requires EPA to identify and publish federal funding opportunities available to states, Tribal governments, local governments, and nongovernmental organizations that support textile circularity

• Requires EPA to annually publish updated data on textile waste generation and management

Background:

Textile waste is now one of the fastest-growing waste streams in the United States, with millions of tons of textiles discarded each year and the vast majority ending up in landfills. These discarded materials may leach contaminants including PFAS and microplastics into water and soil and increase costs on communities grappling with capacity shortages at landfills. 

Despite the harmful impacts of this fast fashion-driven increase in textile waste, there has been no coordinated effort at the federal level to tackle this problem and support a more circular textiles economy. 

In addition, over the past several decades, hundreds of thousands of fiber and textile jobs that once sustained communities across America have shifted overseas, harming American farmers and communities in the process. 

Pingree is Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, which oversees the EPA. 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Angie Craig (MN-02)

The Make ICE Pay Act would establish a federal grant program using funds previously appropriated to ICE and CBP

Source: {United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bobby Scott (3rd District of Virginia)

Headline: Scott, Elfreth Condemn Trump Executive Order Targeting Chesapeake Bay

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Bobby Scott (VA-03) and Sarah Elfreth (MD-03), co-chairs of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, issued the following statement after President Trump revoked Executive Order 13508, which directed federal agencies to reduce water pollution from federal lands and facilities and to promote ecosystem conservation:

“Yesterday, President Trump revoked an executive order by President Obama that directed federal agencies to support the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. The federal government has a responsibility to be a partner in protecting and restoring the Bay, and walking away from that responsibility jeopardizes the hard-fought progress we have made. President Trump is making it more difficult for us to meet the goals outlined in the bipartisan 2025 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement and to secure a healthier bay for the millions of people who live throughout the watershed.”

“As co-chairs of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, we urge President Trump to immediately reverse course and reinstate the executive order. We cannot afford to turn back the clock on decades of bipartisan work to restore this national treasure.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II (5th District Missouri)

Bipartisan bill is designed to address the national backlog of untested sexual assault kits

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)

Washington, DC — Representatives Brad Sherman, Gregory W. Meeks, John Garamendi, and Don Beyer, today issued the following statement raising serious concerns with the Trump administration’s nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia and announced the introduction of a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block this agreement’s entry into force.

“This U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement dangerously departs from decades of nonproliferation standards and presents considerable risks. For decades, across administrations of both parties, the United States has committed to a clear nonproliferation policy that no new countries should be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. In order to prevent nuclear weapons development, two provisions are critical: the Gold Standard commitment to no enrichment and no reprocessing, and the Additional Protocol that allows International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections to confirm enrichment and reprocessing are not occurring. The proposed nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia fails to secure these critical safety measures. Several countries – including Saudi Arabia’s neighbor, the UAE – successfully pursued civilian nuclear cooperation under this framework. There’s no credible reason Saudi Arabia should get a weaker deal.

“A region already gripped by conflict and escalation does not need another nuclear power. Saudi Arabia’s own statements make that risk explicit: In a 2023 interview, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said plainly that, ‘if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon, we must obtain one as well.’ The Kingdom has also obtained multiple nuclear-capable Dongfeng-3 ballistic missiles from China and is actively developing its own long-range ballistic missile program that could provide the means to deliver nuclear weapons. Handing Saudi Arabia enrichment capacity under these conditions – even with the stipulations included in the agreement the administration has shared with Congress – isn’t just reckless nonproliferation policy, it’s an invitation to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

“That is why we are introducing a Joint Resolution of Disapproval to block this deeply flawed agreement and stop the Trump administration from further dangerous global nuclear proliferation.”

A PDF copy of the JRD can be found here.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative for Western Samoa Congresswoman Aumua Amata

Headline: Amata Highlights $324,271 Health Grant for American Samoa  

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming notice from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that the American Samoa Department of Health has been awarded $324,271 through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support health data collection and advance health equity in the territory.

The federal award, administered through the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), will support the project titled, “Empowering American Samoa: Targeted BRFSS Data Collection for Health Equity.” This discretionary, non-competing continuation grant funds ongoing scientific and health research, including surveys, through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

The grant is part of the five-year project period running from August 2024 through July 2029, with the current budget period extending through September 2027. The BRFSS helps collect information on health-related behaviors, preventive care practices, and chronic health conditions, providing data that can help inform public health planning and services.

“Reliable health data is essential to understanding the needs of our people and strengthening public health efforts throughout American Samoa,” said Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata. “I especially want to congratulate and thank Project Director Fitimalo Tautolo and the American Samoa Department of Health for their continued work on this effort for improved health outcomes. I appreciate the CDC’s continued partnership and support for better health in our islands.”

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