Local Utah animal shelters unite at Capitol to meet with legislators
WHAT: The Humane Society of Utah and multiple local Utah animal shelters gather in solidarity to meet with legislators and support SB 142 – Animal Welfare Amendments sponsored by Sen. Gene Davis (D) to define shelter for domestic dogs left unattended outside in extreme weather. Shelter staff, officers and animals will gather from 9-10 a.m. on the South Steps before a private lunch with legislators.
WHEN: Wednesday, Mar. 6
9 to 10 a.m. on the Capitol South Steps - public photo and interview opportunity
12 to 1 p.m. in the Hall of Governors - private legislator luncheon
WHO: Davis County Animal Care and Control
Draper City Animal Shelter
Heber Valley Animal Shelter
Humane Society of Utah
Salt Lake County Animal Services
Sandy City Animal Services
South Jordan Animal Control
West Valley City Animal Services, and more!
WHERE: Utah State Capitol
350 North State Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84114
WHY: Local Utah animal shelters support SB 142 for consistency and clarity. The current law is vague, and owners could face criminal charges depending on the interpretation of individual officers or prosecutors. A clearly defined law is necessary to help owners understand what they are required to provide for the humane treatment of their dogs and to eliminate confusion among officers and the court so the law can be applied consistently. SB 142 would amend the language to define what is considered adequate shelter and provide a better tool for animal control officers to educate pet owners.
Media Contact: Deann Shepherd: cell 801-747-9136, deann@utahhumane.org
=======================
THE VIEW FROM
T O R R E Y H O U S E
February 2019
With a new piece every month, Voices Rising elevates millennial voices through a digital platform to publish diverse forms of storytelling. From poetry and creative nonfiction to song and visual art, we hear from young people grappling with the greatest challenges society faces.
All in a Breath
by Katherine Bui
"How did I, a sheltered, suburban Texan, end up in the fantastic geologic labyrinth of the American West? I turn to find my director and program coordinator explaining our schedule for the day to nineteen other college students from all across the country. The twenty of us made up the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) at Northern Arizona University (NAU). We came together because of our passion for conservation and the environment, though our backgrounds varied culturally, socially, and educationally with budding expertise in the natural sciences, engineering, humanities, and more."
Desert Cabal: Expanding the Desert Narrative
March 1 at 7:00 PM
Bluff, UT
Join author Amy Irvine for a conversation with Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk and Kirsten Johanna Allen on literature, action, and the future of the desert.
Catch a sneak peek of tomorrow's conversation on UPR!
March 20 at 7:30 PM
Berkeley, CA
Come meet Alison as she reads from and discusses her latest title, Mostly White.
"So compelling it gave me goosebumps from the very first pages.”
—ISABEL ALLENDE
Write from Outer and Inner Place:
A Writing Workshop with Mary Sojourner
March 20, 1:00 PM
Joshua Tree, CA
Order your books today at the Torrey House Press store
FEBRUARY NEWS AND EVENTS
Amy Irvine speaks on behalf of her latest book and desert experience at Bright Side Books in Flagstaff.
Amy Irvine and Craig Childs kicked off the month of February with a visit to Mesa County Library in Grand Junction, CO to discuss their latest books: Desert Cabal and Atlas of a Lost World.
Amy stopped by Bright Side Books in Flagstaff, AZ for a solo reading and discussion of Desert Cabal: A New Season in the Wilderness.
THP IN THE NEWS
Check out the latest reviews and interviews:
Kirsten Johanna Allen and Amy Irvine on RadioActive
Amy Irvine, Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk, and Kirsten Johanna Allen on Utah Public Radio
Find additional news and events on our social media pages:
=========================
(Washington, D.C., February 28, 2019) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today reiterated during a U.S. Senate hearing the need to restore the original intent of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is to be a second chance and not a way of life. Secretary Perdue’s comments come on the heels of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishing in the Federal Register a proposed rule to move more able-bodied recipients of SNAP benefits to self-sufficiency through the dignity of work. The rule aims to restore the system to what it was meant to be: assistance through difficult times, not lifelong dependency. This proposed rule focuses on work-related program requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) and would apply to non-disabled people, between the ages of 18 and 49, with no dependents. The rule would not apply to the elderly, the disabled, or pregnant women. Those who are eligible to receive SNAP – including the underemployed – would still qualify.
Despite the absence of any statutory changes to the welfare reform legislation of 1996, an abuse of administrative flexibility in SNAP has undermined the ideal of self-sufficiency. When then President Bill Clinton signed the legislation that instituted work requirements for ABAWDs he said, “First and foremost, it should be about moving people from welfare to work. It should impose time limits on welfare... It [work] gives structure, meaning and dignity to most of our lives.”
During today’s hearing, Secretary Perdue was asked about work requirements and his proposed rule. He said:
“What was accepted by the U.S. Senate and passed was the same bill that’s been there since the beginning of the Welfare Reform regarding the work requirements of 20 hours per week. And what you also passed was not a prohibition, it was no change to the fact that in one section it says that the Secretary may waive that applicability and we plan to do that for the ABAWDs. We think the purpose is to help people move to independency… We should help people when they are down but that should not be interminably.”
“…You all also provided for a 12 percent cushion for states that they could use for any purpose. But, we do not believe in states where unemployment is 4 percent that ABAWDs should be able to stay on food assistance interminably.”
You may click HERE or on the image below to watch Secretary Perdue’s remarks:
Background:
Congress implemented this work requirement in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996, and allowed the Secretary, upon request from a State to waive the work requirement for ABAWDs during times of high unemployment. The statute provides the Secretary with broad discretion to establish criteria for determining whether an area has an insufficient number of jobs and qualifies for a waiver. The 2018 Farm Bill did not modify the discretion that Congress provided the Secretary regarding waivers of the ABAWD work requirements.
Congress implemented this work requirement in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act in 1996. This bill gave the Secretary of Agriculture the discretion to allow States to waive the work requirement for ABAWDs during times of high unemployment. This section of the statute related to ABAWD work requirements leaves waiver decisions to the Secretary of Agriculture. Click HERE to read the relevant statute (Section 6(o)).
On February 1st, USDA published in the Federal Register a proposed rule entitled Supplemental Assistance Program: Requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD).
Under current SNAP statute, ABAWDs must work or participate in an employment program for at least 20 hours a week to continue to receive benefits for more than three months over a 36-month period. States may also allow volunteer activities to satisfy the work requirement. States may request to waive the time limit in areas with an unemployment rate above 10 percent or where there are ‘not sufficient jobs,’ which current regulations primarily define as an unemployment rate 20 percent above the national average. With today’s strong economy, that could include areas with unemployment rates of under 5 percent – a rate normally considered to be full employment. December 2018 data from the Department of Labor announced that job openings reached 7.3 million and that just under 6.3 million Americans were unemployed.
USDA’s proposal would help to ensure that work provisions are waived only when necessary, encouraging states to renew their focus on helping SNAP participants find a path to self-sufficiency. In a recent letter to the nation’s governors (PDF, 109 KB), Secretary Perdue explained, “These waivers weaken states' ability to move the ABAWD population to long-term self-sufficiency because they do not require ABAWDs to engage in work and work training.”
USDA continues to encourage all interested parties to provide input on the proposed rule. The comment period opened on February 1 and closes on April 2.
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) works to reduce food insecurity and promote nutritious diets among the American people. The agency administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that leverage American’s agricultural abundance to ensure children and low-income individuals and families have nutritious food to eat. FNS also co-develops the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which provide science-based nutrition recommendations and serve as the cornerstone of federal nutrition policy.
LOTUS EATER
Announces Social Hazard EP
Due Out March 29th
Via Hopeless Records
Available for Pre-Order Now
at http://smarturl.it/lotuseatermerch
Drops New Single and Music Video
"Mother"
Glasgow - Scotland - March 1, 2019 - Scottish gloom-metal band Lotus Eater have announced their upcoming EP, Social Hazard, will be released March 29, 2019 via Hopeless Records. Today, the band is dropping the first taste of new music to fans with the release of "Mother." On the track, the band shares "Mother is a glimpse into our world. Where young one's fears fall upon deaf ears, maternal instincts absent during formative years, we shout louder and louder, unconsciously sinking, could you even hear?" Fans can stream the new song and accompanying music video at http://smarturl.it/mothervideo.
Social Hazard will be the band's first release on Hopeless Records. Last year, the band become the first heavy British act to sign to the label in their 25 year history.
Social Hazard Track Listing
1. Thug
2. Yuck
3. The Fear
4. Freak
5. Mother
6. Words.Nothing
7. Jawless
Hailing from the streets of Glasgow, Lotus Eater formed in 2016 after parting various projects to create a gloom force to be reckoned with. The quintet combine remorseless, down-tuned groove and claustrophobic atmosphere to utterly traumatizing effect. In just two years of forming, the band has already dropped a successful debut self-titled EP (2017) that has won them legions of fans. The band has also gone on to tour with the likes of Bad Omens, Oceans ate Alaska, Loathe, Heart Of A Coward, Traitors and Secrets. They are only just getting started.
###
Lotus Eater is Jamie McLees (vocals), Douglas Park (guitar), Alan Ross (guitar), Craig McCulloch (bass) and Cameron Humphrey (drums).
Follow Lotus Eater:
Website: https://lotuseateruk.bigcartel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LotusEaterUK/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lotuseateruk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lotuseateruk
Press Assets
