Americans are addicted to prescription drugs in huge numbers. As headlines in tabloids regularly confirm — as one pop star or musician after another confesses that he or she has a painkiller problem — Americans are especially likely to be addicted to opiate-based prescription drugs. According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health, […]
On Wednesday, the House passed the hefty National Defense Authorization Act of 2017 (the ‘NDAA’). Hidden within this thick, must-pass, military spending bill, is a little-noticed provision allowing the government to discriminate against LGBT-identifying employees who are working under federal contracts. The provision, introduced by Republican Representative Steve Russell of Oklahoma, destroys federal employee protections […]
The job of a member of Congress is supposed to be simple — to make laws to protect the interests, health and safety of the American people. How Congress members gauge what the people’s “interests” are, is not so simple. This grey area is where the lobbyist comes into his or her own. Sometimes with […]
On March 3rd, 2016, Congressman Patrick Murphy (FL-D), proposed “Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2015,” which will, if passed, amend the Older Americans Act of 1965, and will better ensure equal treatment of LGBT “older individuals.” The bill is named in honor of Ruthie Berman and Connor Kurtz who in 1988 sued the New York City […]
Pregnancy can, of course, bring joy and anticipation to expectant mothers and their families. However, pregnancy also comes with enormous new financial responsibility; cost of proper maternity care is one. Some low-income pregnant women are eligible to receive affordable prenatal care through Medicaid; but many uninsured women are not. According to the American Pregnancy Association, […]
On July 14, 2016, Representative Paul Gosar (AZ-R) proposed a bill that will, if passed, provide for the “dissemination and disposal of federal lands” in order to use them for grazing and water rights. The bill would make a major change in the Antiquities Act of 1906, which is an act that was passed by […]
