WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released the following public communication dated Dec. 19, 2024, from the American Thoracic Society: * * * To: John J. Howard MD, MPH, JD, LLM, MBA, Director, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services Re: Docket No. CDC-2024-0065, NIOSH-352-A * * * Dear Dr. Howard, Please find the responses below on behalf of the 17,000 member more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released the following public communication dated Dec. 20, 2024, from the National Association of Community Health Centers: * * * To: Meena Seshamani, M.D., Ph.D., Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1859 RE: Medicare Transaction Facilitator for 2026 and 2027 under Sections 11001 and 11002 of the Inflation  more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 -- The Government Accountability Office General Counsel has publicly issued a bid protest decision involving Smokeys Helping Hand LLC, Denver, Colorado, on Dec. 4, 2024. Highlights Smokeys Helping Hand, LLC (SHH), of Denver, Colorado, protests the issuance of a purchase order to RGZ Forestry, LLC, of Medford, Oregon, under request for quotations (RFQ) No. 140L3724Q0131, issued by the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), for vegetation control services. SHH argues that the agency unreasonably evaluat more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 118-808) on the Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience Act (H.R. 9541), which aims to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize Federal agencies to provide certain essential assistance for hazard mitigation for electric utilities. The report was advanced by Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, on Dec. 5, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * Purpose of Legislation The purpose of H.R. 9541, the Pr more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization released the following testimony by Carol Harris, director of information technology and cybersecurity issues at the Government Accountability Office, from a Dec. 12, 2024, hearing entitled "Modernizing VA: Lessons Learned in the 118th Congress": * * * Chairman Rosendale, Ranking Member Cherfilus-McCormick, and Members of the Subcommittee: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss our work on the challenges that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released the following public communication dated Dec. 23, 2024, from the Center for American Progress: * * * TO: Mr. Andrew Levinson, MPH, Director, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor FROM: Jill Rosenthal, Director of Public Health Policy Rosa Barrientos-Ferrer, Senior Policy Analyst Kate Petosa, Administrative and Operations Associate, Energy and Environme more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released the following public communication dated Dec. 23, 2024, from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future: * * * To: Stephen Schayer, PhD, CIH Director, Office of Physical Hazards OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance 200 Constitution Ave., NW Washington, DC 20210 Docket No. OSHA-2021-0009 * * * Dear Dr. Schayer, Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdo more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released the following public communication dated Dec. 19, 2024, from Make the Road New York: * * * RE: Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings * * * Make the Road New York would like to go on the record in support of the proposed rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings. Make the Road New York (MRNY) is the la more ST

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following remarks at a Dec. 18, 2024, confirmation hearing for James Bernard Coughlan and Halie L. Craig to be members of the U.S. International Trade Commission: * * * This morning the Senate Finance Committee meets to consider three nominees to serve on the International Trade Commission: James Bernard Coughlan, of Illinois, and Halie L. Craig, of Pennsylvania. There is one piece of Committee business I'd like to address before I get to  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 -- The SenSenate Indian Affairs Committee issued a report (S.Rpt. 118-244) on a bill (S. 465), which aims to require federal law enforcement agencies to report on cases of missing or murdered Indians. The report was advanced by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, on Nov. 18, 2024. Here are excerpts: * * * PURPOSE S. 465 would provide critical public safety improvements in Indian Country by addressing federal inefficiencies in law enforcement recruitment and retention, increasing the effectiveness of federal missing persons reso more ST