During National Pollinator Week, USDA Announces Key
Measures to Improve Pollinator Health
USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program Currently Provides 15 Million Acres of Healthy Forage for Pollinators, and New Partnership Will Ensure Additional High-Quality Habitat in the Future
WASHINGTON, June 23, 2016 – Today, during National Pollinator Week and in advance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) seventh annual Pollinator Week Festival, the USDA is announcing two initiatives in support of the President’s National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators, announced just over one year ago. A review of USDA’s most popular conservation program found that farmers and ranchers across the country are creating at least 15 million acres of healthy forage and habitat for pollinators, and the department has also entered into a new partnership with leading honey bee organizations that will help to ensure future conservation projects continue to provide benefits to these important species.
“Pollinators are small but mighty creatures who need our help as much as we need theirs, and that is why USDA is dedicating resources from all corners of our department to boost their habitat and better understand how to protect them,” said Agriculture Secretary Vilsack. “In addition to creating healthy habitat and food for pollinators through our conservation work, USDA research is leading to breakthroughs in pollinator survival that may reverse the declines we’ve seen over the past few decades. We look forward to continued collaboration with America’s beekeepers and honey producers to ensure this work is meaningful and effective.”
USDA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two honey bee organizations, the American Honey Producers Association and the American Beekeeping Federation, to facilitate an ongoing partnership that will ensure USDA’s conservation initiatives are as advantageous as possible to pollinators and that beekeepers understand how they can benefit from USDA’s conservation and safety net programs. For several years, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have worked closely with these groups and others to help improve habitat for honeybees and other pollinators in various conservation programs. The National Strategy emphasized the need for public-private partnerships like this one to expeditiously expand pollinator-health initiatives to achieve the scale necessary to make meaningful and long-term improvements.
FSA also plays a critical role in the delivery of programs that provide a safety net for beekeepers who experience losses due to natural disasters, and the agency administers the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program, which provides assistance for the loss of honeybee colonies, in excess of normal mortality, due to Colony Collapse Disorder or other natural causes. These groups have helped to ensure that these safety net programs work well, and they have helped focus research to learn more about the impacts of USDA programs and make continuous improvements. This MOU creates a framework to ensure ongoing, meaningful information sharing to help beekeepers and honey bees into the future.
In addition to this MOU, a thorough review of USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has revealed that farmers and ranchers across the country have created more than 15 million acres of healthy habitat and forage for pollinators through the Conservation Reserve Program. Of these, 269,000 acres are enrolled in a pollinator-specific initiative, but these creatures are also helped by several other CRP initiatives on private land that provide wildflowers, shrubs, and safe nesting sites through measures that are intended to improve water quality or create bird habitat.
The National Strategy called for seven million acres of land to be enhanced or restored for pollinators. Since then, USDA has more than tripled the acreage enrolled in CRP’s pollinator initiative, through which USDA helps to cover the cost of planting pollinator-friendly wildflowers, legumes and shrubs, and USDA has increased the limit on this initiative in response to landowner demand so that more acres can be enrolled in the future.
USDA conducted the high-level review of existing conservation practices and other studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and universities to determine which voluntary conservation practices benefit pollinators. FSA continues to work with USGS to assess which strategies work best to support pollinator health, and future studies may indicate that additional acres also can be considered pollinator friendly.
In its 30th year, CRP provides incentives to farmers and ranchers with the cost of establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as “covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitats on marginally productive agricultural lands. This helps to combat global climate change and provides resiliency to future weather changes. This analysis shows that among its many other benefits, CRP also is extraordinarily beneficial to protecting and promoting pollinator species, from honeybees to monarchs, that are essential to agricultural health.
In addition to CRP, other conservation programs like NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program have enabled landowners to make pollinator-friendly improvements on working lands. This voluntary conservation work also strengthens agricultural operations, supports other beneficial insects and wildlife and helps to sustain natural resources. More than three dozen NRCS conservation practices, such as prescribed grazing and cover crops, can provide direct benefits to pollinators. In recent years, NRCS has launched targeted efforts to help honey bees and monarch butterflies to accelerate efforts to create habitat.
USDA’s research and outreach agencies are working in other ways to contribute to the President’s National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honeybees and Other Pollinators. For example, the U.S. Forest Service is also conducting research on pollinators while restoring and improving pollinator habitat on national forests and grasslands. Over the past six years, the USDA's Agricultural Research Service has invested more than $82 million in cutting-edge pollinator research and over the past decade has published nearly 200 journal articles about pollinators. USDA’s People’s Garden Initiative has launched a number of efforts to expand pollinator public education programs, including a bee cam that gives real time insight into the 80,000 bees who live on the roof of USDA’s Headquarters and pollinate the surrounding landscape.
This fact sheet contains more information about USDA’s work to keep pollinators buzzing and contributing to a diverse domestic and global food supply.
To learn more about FSA’s conservation programs, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation or contact a local FSA county office. To find your local FSA county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
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RE: Senator Dabakis Responds to Dreamers Decision
A deeply divided Supreme Court today opened the door for the deporting of Utah Dreamers to their home countries.
Senator Jim Dabakis (D-Salt Lake) responded, "Today's decision leaves tens of thousands of Utah's youngsters in indefinite limbo. Attorney General Sean Reyes and the State of Utah must take their share of blame for this dreadful decision. Shamefully, the state petitioned the Supreme Court in a direction to facilitate the deportation of Utah Dreamers. These innocent children were brought to Utah by their parents at a young age. The sins of the fathers should not be brought down upon the heads of the children."
Dabakis continued, "These precious children are an important part of our Utah family. They have grown up with us. They are a vital part of our schools, churches, and communities. They have no place to 'return' to. Utah is their home.
"I am saddened and sickened by this decision. It is only the most base elements of our nature that chooses vile political ideology over our Utah children."
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Veterans Service Organizations and Student Veterans Offer Testimony, Urge De-Authorization of Dysfunctional College Accreditation Agency
ACICS’s multiple failures have allowed predatory for-profit colleges to loot veterans’ G.I. Bill funds
WASHINGTON, DC – June 23, 2016 --Veterans Education Success, education experts, and consumer advocates – joined by several individual student veterans – today testified before the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), asking them to rescind the accrediting authority of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS). Recent research by two national organizations has concluded that many of the very worst for-profit schools – among the “bad actors” that President Obama has warned about – are all accredited by one single accreditor: ACICS.
“Accreditation is intended to be an indication of quality but it is clear that ACICS has failed this mission. Veterans are especially at risk, because the Department of Veterans Affairs relies on accreditation for GI Bill approval,” said Sara Collins, legal services director for Veterans Education Success “When veterans’ hard-earned G.I. Bill funds are wasted at a school that misrepresented itself, they cannot be reinstated. We all came here today to implore NACIQI to hold ACICS accountable and immediately withdraw its authorization.”
Testimony today comes amid growing scrutiny about the effectiveness of school accrediting agencies, ACICS in particular, as responsible gatekeepers of federal student aid. Even the Department of Education recommended ACICS be stripped of its authority. Previously, nine veterans’ services organizations sent a letter to NACIQI pointing out ACICS’s failures to protect student veterans from predatory for-profits; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) publicly rebuked the agency for its “negligent oversight”; and the Center for American Progress and ProPublica found ACICS-accredited institutions had the highest borrowing rates of any national accreditor, as well as higher average debt and lower completion rates.
Veterans at ACICS-accredited schools report that the “education” they received was unacceptably poor, with fake teachers, no real classes, rampant cheating, and shoddy course materials.
When Matthew Mitchell, a military vet from Baton Rouge, Louisiana enrolled in Brown Mackie, he was told its nursing program was accredited and that he would be eligible to work at the VA -- neither of which was true. The school also promised it would pay for his nursing licensure exams – only to rescind the offer, citing a “policy change.”
“The total cost for an associate’s degree in nursing from a horrible school like Brown Mackie was almost $50,000,” he said. “The education I received was substandard and a very few for-profit schools will accept transfers and allow me to continue my education, which will most likely force me to repeat courses. But since I have over $16,000 in loans and I’ve exhausted my GI bill benefits, that seems unlikely.”
Howard Toller, a veteran from Garner, North Carolina had a similar issue with the quality of his education at ITT Technical Institute where he earned an associate’s degree in computer networking service.
“The teachers were subpar. I was given passing grades even though I had no understanding of the curriculum,” he said. “I was promised a world-class education and got nothing. I earned an associate’s degree but no employers seem to recognize a degree from this school as legitimate.”
Both of these schools and so many others in the “worst” category have been consistently accredited by ACICS, which advocates say is morally unacceptable.
“ACICS’s record demonstrates that it has failed – time and again - to protect students from these low-grade educational institutions with a history of misleading students - especially our veterans,” said Walter Ochinko, policy director for Veterans Education Success. “We call upon NACIQI to strip this dysfunctional agency of its power and hold our veterans’ education experiences to a much higher standard. They deserve better.”
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Veterans and Advocates Join Sen. Carper on Capitol Hill,
Urge Congress to Close “90/10 Loophole”
Closing loophole would protect G.I Bill funds and service members’ education programs
from predatory for-profit colleges
WASHINGTON, DC – (June 22, 2016) – Veterans who were deceived by predatory for-profit colleges flew to Washington to join veterans’ advocacy groups and U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) to implore Congress to close a loophole in federal law that leaves America’s veterans vulnerable to aggressive, predatory marketing and recruiting practices by for-profit colleges and career programs.
"When I returned from Southeast Asia, the G.I. Bill made it possible for me to go to business school at the University of Delaware,” said Sen. Carper. “Our vets returning home from across the world today deserve the same – if not better – opportunities than I received all those years ago. While not all for-profit colleges are bad actors, one veteran mistreated is one veteran too many, and closing the 90/10 loophole helps us ensure that those who sacrificed for our country can pursue and attain the high-quality, affordable education they have earned.”
As it stands now, federal law requires for-profit colleges to obtain 10 percent of their revenue from sources other than taxpayer-funded federal student aid. But the law is silent on G.I. Bill benefits and Defense Department education programs. Some bad actors in the for-profit industry are exploiting this "90-10 loophole" by aggressively recruiting veterans and service members for their GI Bill and DOD education dollars, rather than obtaining 10 percent of their revenue from non-federal sources.
"It is long past time to close the egregious 90/10 loophole. This loophole started as a mere oversight by Senate staff in the 1990s, but has put a dollar sign squarely on the backs of America's service members and veterans,” said Walter Ochinko, policy director for Veterans Education Success. “It incentivizes predatory for-profit colleges to aggressively pursue the G.I. Bill and DOD education programs, misleading veterans and service members about every aspect of the shoddy colleges - the true cost, the accreditation, the education, and graduates' job prospects. Liberated from aggressive recruiting, veterans will be able to make an informed choice about where to spend their hard earned GI Bill benefits.”
Numerous investigations over the years have revealed widespread waste, fraud and abuse at these for-profit career colleges, including deceptive and aggressive recruiting of students; false or inflated job placement rates; and dismal completion rates. Some schools have gone so far as to enroll people who are homeless, enroll students without their consent, and use tactics that invoke “pain” and “fear” to pressure students into enrolling.
Mark Glougouski, a military veteran from Pennsylvania, obtained two associate’s degrees from Colorado Technical University (CTU) that he deems “worthless.” The college also enrolled him in the wrong degree program, and then convinced him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Management without mentioning the financial repercussions.
“They basically blamed my ‘being misinformed’ for their screw up then lied me into another program they said would make me more competitive,” he said. “Instead, I exhausted my G.I. Bill benefits before I could finish my bachelor’s degree. I have two associates degree that are worth less than the paper they’re printed on and no money left to further my education. I also have $64,000 in student loan debt thanks to CTU’s incompetence.”
Veteran Matthew Mitchell from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, faced a similar fate at Brown Mackie, where he was told its nursing program was accredited and that he would be eligible to work at the VA -- neither of which was true. The school also promised it would pay for his nursing licensure exams, only to rescind the offer, citing a “policy change.”
“The total cost for an associate’s degree in nursing from a horrible school like Brown Mackie was almost $50,000,” he said. “The education I received was substandard and very few for-profit schools will accept transfers and allow me to continue my education, which will most likely force me to repeat courses. But since I have over $16,000 in loans and I’ve exhausted my GI bill benefits, that seems unlikely.”
Two other student veterans will share similar stories about their experiences at ITT Technical Institute and DeVry.
Legislation to close this loophole and eliminate the for profits’ incentive to target veterans is currently before Congress. “The Military and Veterans Education Protection Act,” sponsored by Sen. Carper (D-DE) and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), would count the G.I. Bill and military education benefits that come from the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense toward the 90-percent limit on the federal share of a school’s revenue.
"Education is the best tool that veterans have to transition home - to readjust to civilian life and develop the skills to find a new career,” said Tom Porter, legislative director for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). “IAVA is committed to ensuring that every veteran can take advantage of their full earned benefits. That means refusing to allow predatory for-profit colleges from targeting new GI Bill benefits and failing to deliver on promised quality education. And it also means opposing cuts to Post-9/11 GI Bill funding. The women and men who served put it all on the line to defend us, we need to defend their GI Bill."
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Student Veterans and Veterans Service Organizations to Urge Federal Education Panel to De-authorize Dysfunctional College Accreditation Agency
ACICS’s multiple failures have allowed predatory for-profit colleges to prey on veterans G.I. Bill funds
Veterans Education Success, education experts, consumer advocates, and individual student veterans will all testify before the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) on Thursday, asking them to rescind the accrediting authority of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges & Schools (ACICS). Recent research by two national organizations has concluded that many of the very worst for-profit schools – among the “bad actors” that President Obama has warned about – are all accredited by one single accreditor: ACICS. The U.S. Education Department also is recommending that ACICS lose its accrediting authority.
ACICS’s record demonstrates that it has consistently failed to protect students from substandard educational institutions with a history of misleading its students -- especially veterans using their hard-earned G.I. Bill benefits. Veterans at ACICS-accredited schools report that the “education” they received was unacceptably poor, with fake teachers, no real classes, encouraged cheating, and shoddy course materials. When veterans’ G.I. bills are wasted at a school that misrepresented itself, they cannot be reinstated. They are gone forever.
Veterans and advocates will implore NACIQI to hold the ACICS accountable in this week’s hearing.
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Monday night the Senate voted on four amendments related to gun control.
Background:
As expected, the amendments all failed on party line votes. This is a clear example of failure theater -- Senators on both sides wanted show votes they could message back home.
What’s next?
Restricting firearm access by presuming guilt and creating the basis of a national gun registry are not the correct response to the rise in Islamist-terrorist attacks. It’s time for Congress to have a serious conversation on effective counterterrorism measures.
The Senate could vote on Thursday on bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Collins. This would empower President Obama’s Attorney General to deny the sale of a firearm to individuals on the No Fly List and the lesser known Selectee List. Heritage Action is opposed to the proposal, which undermines Americans’ constitutional rights.
Conservatives must strengthen our national defense and protect America’s 2nd amendment rights.
Last week, the Senate voted on the NDAA and the Draft Our Daughters provision.
Background:
The provision was attached to the larger National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and would require young women to sign up for the Selective Service, making them eligible for a draft should Congress reinstate it.
What’s next?
The House and Senate bills are headed to conference committee to figure out a compromise between the two bills. Fortunately, the House-passed version of this bill did not include the amendment to draft America’s daughters.
Conservatives should tell their Senators to ensure language to Draft our Daughters is not included in the final NDAA.
The House could vote on emergency Zika funding this week.
Background:
The Senate passed a $1.1 billion spending deal as part of an unrelated appropriations measure. That spending was designated as emergency and therefore unpaid for. By contrast, the House measure called for using $622 million in previously appropriated money -- a better solution.
The conference product is likely to be around $1 billion, though negotiators are still working.
What’s next?
Heritage Action is opposed to the Senate bill and will evaluate any future Zika spending proposals.
Conservatives should oppose any Zika funding measure that is not offset.
Committee members to vote YES on the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA).
Background:
The one year anniversary of the Obergefell v. Hodges decision that redefined marriage is this Sunday, June 26th. Since that time, individuals and groups have been at risk of being pushed out of the public space because of their religious beliefs. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (OGR) needs to mark-up the bill so it can head to the House floor.
What’s next?
FADA needs to be marked up in committee in order to get to the full floor vote.
FADA now has 170 cosponsors, including 23 of the 25 members of the committee. Heritage Action strongly supports FADA and is committed to it receiving a floor vote.
Conservatives should tell their lawmakers to mark up FADA to protect religious liberty in America.
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