News and Issues
We're Not Energy-Vampires: A Personal Report Card
Roberta McReynolds writes: The Energy Index for our home was 834; we had used 39% less energy than similar homes, which our utility estimated saved us about $530 last year. This has made me even more conscious of turning off those light switches and making a glass of ice tea instead of turning on the air-conditioner this summer. The next time we meet, if you notice my blouse is a bit wrinkled, you’ll know it’s not because I’m lazy ... I’m just trying to get good grades on my next report card. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! more »
Bills Introduced: Abortion, Child Abduction & Protection, Workplace Discrimination, Breast Cancer Patients, Sexual Assault in the Military
For instance, a bill to eliminate discrimination and promote women's health and economic security by ensuring reasonable workplace accommodations for workers whose ability to perform the functions of a job are limited by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition. A bill to raise awareness of, and to educate breast cancer patients anticipating surgery, especially patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups, regarding the availability and coverage of breast reconstruction, prostheses, and other options. A bill to provide for the assignment of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners-Adult/Adolescent to brigades and equivalent units of the armed forces. more »
How the IRS's Nonprofit Division Got So Dysfunctional
Checks and balances once in place were taken away. Guidance frequently published by the IRS and closely read by tax lawyers and nonprofits disappeared. Even as political activity by social welfare nonprofits exploded in recent election cycles, repeated requests for the IRS to clarify exactly what was permitted for the secretly funded groups were met, at least publicly, with silence. more »
Jackie Speier: Proposing Legislation to Change the Military Justice System’s Treatment of Cases of Rape and Sexual Assault
"It is time for us to roll up our sleeves and do something real about this. We have got to stop just kind of nibbling around the edges in an effort to try and fix a broken system. 121 members have joined me as co-authors of legislation that would take the reporting of sexual assault out of the chain of command, keep it in the military, but place it in a separate office, staffed by persons who are experts in investigations, experts in prosecuting these crimes. And until he we do something like this, the numbers of sexual assaults will continue to rise in the military. The number of unrestricted reports will not rise as fast as the number of restricted reports." more »
