Veterans Health Care: Improvements Needed in Operationalizing Strategic Goals and Objectives

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

Congressional Requesters October 2016 GAO-17-50 United States Government Accountability Office United States Government Accountability Office...Abbreviations Choice Act Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 FY fiscal year GPRA...health care, among other things, Congress enacted and the President signed into law the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014

Red light running in Iowa : the scope, impact, and possible implications.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-01-01

Crashes related to red light running account for more than 800 deaths and thousands : of injuries each year in the United States. Many states and local jurisdictions : have undertaken studies and enacted programs in reaction to this major transportat...

The United States Experience with Economic Incentives in Environmental Pollution Control Policy (1997)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Over the past 20 years, federal, state, and local authorities as well as many foreign nations have enacted a diverse array of environmental incentive mechanisms. This report presents one of the most comprehensive surveys available of these mechanisms.

Red light running in Iowa : the scope, impact, and possible implications.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-12-01

Crashes related to traffic signal violations, or red light running, account for more than 800 deaths : and thousands of injuries each year in the United States. Many states and local jurisdictions have : undertaken studies and enacted programs in rea...

The United States Experience with Economic Incentives to Control Environmental Pollution (1992)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Over the past 20 years, federal, state, and local authorities as well as many foreign nations have enacted a diverse array of environmental incentive mechanisms. This report presents one of the most comprehensive surveys available of these mechanisms.

Prevalence and public health implications of state laws that criminalize potential HIV exposure in the United States.

PubMed

Lehman, J Stan; Carr, Meredith H; Nichol, Allison J; Ruisanchez, Alberto; Knight, David W; Langford, Anne E; Gray, Simone C; Mermin, Jonathan H

2014-06-01

For the past three decades, legislative approaches to prevent HIV transmission have been used at the national, state, and local levels. One punitive legislative approach has been enactment of laws that criminalize behaviors associated with HIV exposure (HIV-specific criminal laws). In the USA, HIV-specific criminal laws have largely been shaped by state laws. These laws impose criminal penalties on persons who know they have HIV and subsequently engage in certain behaviors, most commonly sexual activity without prior disclosure of HIV-positive serostatus. These laws have been subject to intense public debate. Using public health law research methods, data from the legal database WestlawNext© were analyzed to describe the prevalence and characteristics of laws that criminalize potential HIV exposure in the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) and to examine the implications of these laws for public health practice. The first state laws were enacted in 1986; as of 2011 a total of 67 laws had been enacted in 33 states. By 1995, nearly two-thirds of all laws had been enacted; by 2000, 85 % of laws had been enacted; and since 2000, an additional 10 laws have been enacted. Twenty-four states require persons who are aware that they have HIV to disclose their status to sexual partners and 14 states require disclosure to needle-sharing partners. Twenty-five states criminalize one or more behaviors that pose a low or negligible risk for HIV transmission. Nearly two-thirds of states in the USA have legislation that criminalizes potential HIV exposure. Many of these laws criminalize behaviors that pose low or negligible risk for HIV transmission. The majority of laws were passed before studies showed that antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces HIV transmission risk and most laws do not account for HIV prevention measures that reduce transmission risk, such as condom use, ART, or pre-exposure prophylaxis. States with HIV-specific criminal laws are encouraged to use the findings of this paper to re-examine those laws, assess the laws' alignment with current evidence regarding HIV transmission risk, and consider whether the laws are the best vehicle to achieve their intended purposes.

Caring Is Not Enough: Teachers' Enactment of Ethical Care for Adolescent Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) in a Newcomer Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hos, Rabia

2016-01-01

The educational landscape for schools in the United States is continuing to shift with the arrival of refugee students with limited or interrupted formal education, especially at the secondary schools. As refugee students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) adjust to schools in the United States, they may experience acculturative…

Judicial Activism and the Origins of Parental Choice: The Court's Role in the Institutionalization of Compulsory Education in the United States, 1891-1925

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Provasnik, Stephen

2006-01-01

A considerable body of scholarship has examined the history of compulsory attendance in the United States in an effort to explain why compulsory attendance laws were enacted, what effects they had on school attendance rates, and what made enforcement of these laws effective eventually. Recent research has revealed that some long-standing…

76 FR 17104 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-28

... Collection: The Lacey Act, enacted in 1900 and significantly amended in 1988, is the United States' oldest...: Business or other for-profit. Number of Respondents: 20,352. Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping...

77 FR 65359 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-26

... Collection: The Lacey Act, first enacted in 1900 and significantly amended in 1988, is the United States.... Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit. Number of Respondents: 20,352. Frequency of...

Family Communication about End-of-Life Decisions and the Enactment of the Decision-Maker Role.

PubMed

Trees, April R; Ohs, Jennifer E; Murray, Meghan C

2017-06-07

End-of-life (EOL) decisions in families are complex and emotional sites of family interaction necessitating family members coordinate roles in the EOL decision-making process. How family members in the United States enact the decision-maker role in EOL decision situations was examined through in-depth interviews with 22 individuals who participated in EOL decision-making for a family member. A number of themes emerged from the data with regard to the enactment of the decision-maker role. Families varied in how decision makers enacted the role in relation to collective family input, with consulting, informing and collaborating as different patterns of behavior. Formal family roles along with gender- and age-based roles shaped who took on the decision-maker role. Additionally, both family members and medical professionals facilitated or undermined the decision-maker's role enactment. Understanding the structure and enactment of the decision-maker role in family interaction provides insight into how individuals and/or family members perform the decision-making role within a cultural context that values autonomy and self-determination in combination with collective family action in EOL decision-making.

Public attitudes about different types of anti-bullying laws: results from a national survey.

PubMed

Puhl, Rebecca M; Luedicke, Joerg; King, Kelly M

2015-02-01

State anti-bullying laws have been enacted across the United States to address bullying both by and of youths. Although these statutes can provide critical protection to youth, there is debate about whether such laws should enumerate protected classes of youth. Weight-based bullying is an increasingly prevalent form of harassment and it has been overlooked in policy initiatives. Enumeration in existing laws might help protect overweight victims. As no research has examined this issue, we conducted a national survey of American adults (N=1155) to assess public opinion about enactment of anti-bullying laws that vary according to whether or not they enumerate distinguishing characteristics. Our results demonstrated substantial public agreement (ranging from 2/3 to 3/4 of participants) with enactment of state and federal anti-bullying laws that enumerate distinguishing characteristics, including physical appearance and weight, which are currently absent in most statutes. Our evidence can inform policy and legal approaches to protect youth effectively from bullying.

Commentary: recent reforms in the British National Health Service--lessons for the United States.

PubMed Central

Holland, W W; Graham, C

1994-01-01

President Clinton recently announced his reform plan for health care in the United States. The United Kingdom, along with other countries, has already enacted reforms in an effort to overcome the basic problem of having insufficient funds to provide a health service to meet modern demands. This paper briefly describes the recent health reforms in the United Kingdom and highlights some lessons for the United States, which include the need to choose procedures that should be universally provided. Health reforms that involve some fundamental restructuring need to be evaluated everywhere and agreed to by the staff in advance. PMID:8296937

Bilingual Education: An Analytical Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza, Agapito

Bilingual education has had great impact on education in the United States. Bilingual education programs have existed since 1845. Between 1854-1877, eight states enacted laws stipulating that local school boards had the power to require English-German bilingual programs. Many bilingual education programs were created, thrived, and eventually died;…

Disrupting Equilibrium: Working for Equity and Social Justice in Education for English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salas, Rachel G.

2017-01-01

Many states in the western United States have seen an increase in the immigrant population. One state, in particular, has seen its foreign-born population increase 64.7% from 2000 to 2013. This increase in cultural and linguistic diversity foregrounds the 2013 passage of a specific Senate bill that "enacts provisions providing English…

Globally Competitive, Locally Engaged: The Case of Kentucky

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuinness, Aims C., Jr.

2008-01-01

The Commonwealth of Kentucky, a state with among the lowest levels of per capita income and education attainment in the United States, embarked on an ambitious set of higher education reforms in 1997 aimed at elevating the state to the national average of educational attainment by 2020. At the time of their enactment, the Kentucky reforms were…

Two Models for Evaluating Alignment of State Standards and Assessments: Competing or Complementary Perspectives?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Jill A.; Kasten, Sarah E.

2013-01-01

The release of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics and their adoption across the United States calls for careful attention to the alignment between mathematics standards and assessments. This study investigates 2 models that measure alignment between standards and assessments, the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum (SEC) and the Webb…

Announcement of ruling: implementing United States v.Windsor for purposes of entitlement and enrollment in Medicare hospital insurance and supplementary medical insurance. Notice of CMS ruling.

PubMed

2015-02-13

This document announces a CMS Ruling that states the CMS policies for implementing United States v. Windsor ("Windsor''), in which the Supreme Court held that section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), enacted in 1996, is unconstitutional. Section 3 of DOMA defined ``marriage'' and "spouse'' as excluding same-sex marriages and same-sex spouses, and effectively precluded the Federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages and spouses.

POISON POLITICS: A Contentious History of Consumer Protection Against Dangerous Household Chemicals in the United States

PubMed Central

Benrubi, Isidore Daniel

2013-01-01

The history of consumer protection against household poisons presents a key case study of the uniquely American struggle to balance public health and safety with the interests of business. By the late 19th century, package designs, warning labels, and state statutes had formed an uneven patchwork of protective mechanisms against accidental poisonings. As household chemicals proliferated in the early 20th century, physicians concerned with childhood poisonings pressured the federal government to enact legislation mandating warning labels on packaging for these substances. Manufacturers of household chemicals agreed to labeling requirements for caustic poisons but resisted broader regulation. Accidental poisonings of children continued to increase until the enactment of broad labeling and packaging legislation in the 1960s and 1970s. This history suggests that voluntary agreements between government agencies and manufacturers are inadequate to protect consumers against household poisonings and that, in the United States, protective household chemical regulation proceeds in a reactive rather than a precautionary manner. PMID:23488510

Poison politics: a contentious history of consumer protection against dangerous household chemicals in the United States.

PubMed

Jones, Marian Moser; Benrubi, Isidore Daniel

2013-05-01

The history of consumer protection against household poisons presents a key case study of the uniquely American struggle to balance public health and safety with the interests of business. By the late 19th century, package designs, warning labels, and state statutes had formed an uneven patchwork of protective mechanisms against accidental poisonings. As household chemicals proliferated in the early 20th century, physicians concerned with childhood poisonings pressured the federal government to enact legislation mandating warning labels on packaging for these substances. Manufacturers of household chemicals agreed to labeling requirements for caustic poisons but resisted broader regulation. Accidental poisonings of children continued to increase until the enactment of broad labeling and packaging legislation in the 1960s and 1970s. This history suggests that voluntary agreements between government agencies and manufacturers are inadequate to protect consumers against household poisonings and that, in the United States, protective household chemical regulation proceeds in a reactive rather than a precautionary manner.

7 CFR 15.1 - Purpose and application of part.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded... financial assistance under statutes now in force or hereinafter enacted may be added to this list by notice...

Observations of the role of science in the United States medical cannabis state policies: Lessons learnt.

PubMed

Grbic, Jelica; Goddard, Perilou; Ryder, David

2017-04-01

Clinical trials have shown cannabis to be effective in the treatment of some medical conditions and there is mounting public and political pressure to enact laws enabling the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes. To date, 28 United States (U.S.) states and the District of Columbia have enacted medical cannabis laws. This study sought to identify the main issues pertaining to the development of medical cannabis laws in the U.S, including the role of scientific evidence. Data were collected from three groups of participants: government officials, lobbyists and medical professionals involved in the medical cannabis debate in five selected states in the U.S.; researchers from the same five states conducting funded research in the alcohol and other drugs field; and members of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Six major themes emerged in relation to the factors influencing policy: scientific evidence plays a limited role in the development of policy; the available research is limited and mixed; there is a need for clearer communication and active dissemination of evidence to policy makers; researchers need to consider what research is likely to impact on policy; scientific evidence is not a major factor in policy development; and there is a need to consider evidence within a political context. Researchers need to be aware of the political context in which medical cannabis laws are or are not enacted and consider ways in which research findings can achieve a higher profile within this context. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cross-sector analysis of socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, and urban/rural disparities in food policy enactment in the United States.

PubMed

Taber, Daniel R; Chriqui, Jamie F; Quinn, Christopher M; Rimkus, Leah M; Chaloupka, Frank J

2016-11-01

We examined racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and urban/rural disparities in food policy enactment across different sectors, as well as retail food access, throughout the United States. Policy and retail food store data were obtained from 443 communities as part of the Bridging the Gap Community Obesity Measures Project. Our results indicated that median household income was inversely associated with healthier retail food zoning policies in Hispanic communities, where competitive food policies for schools were also healthier and mean fruit/vegetable access in stores was higher. In contrast, income was positively associated with healthier retail food zoning in rural communities, where competitive food policies were weaker. Black communities had low scores across all policy domains. Overall, Hispanic communities had the strongest food policies across sectors. Barriers to policy adoption in both rural and Black communities must be explored further. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Early Twentieth Century Responses to the Drug Problem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfennig, Dennis Joseph

1991-01-01

Describes early twentieth-century responses to the drug problem in the United States. Discusses pressure from the media and reformers to control the availability of drugs such as opium and cocaine that were widely available in over-the-counter medications. Focuses on New York State, which took the lead in enacting drug control legislation. (DK)

77 FR 47489 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Form DS-4213, PEPFAR Program Expenditures; OMB...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-08

... (PEPFAR) was established through enactment of the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis... Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110...

Assessing the potential for Gulf Coast NAFTA maritime trade corridors.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-12-01

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted in 1994 with the expressed intent of : reducing barriers to trade. Since that time, however, transborder congestion and delays between the United : States (US) and Mexico threaten achievemen...

Look at Me!! I'm a Tree!: A Literacy-Based Integrated Thematic Unit on Forestry and Conservation Designed for Field Experiences in Early Childhood Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayo, Karen E.

This paper describes a literacy-based thematic unit on forestry and conservation designed for field experiences in early childhood education. This unit responds to national and state initiatives and serves as a model for enacting reform of science instruction by equipping preservice teachers with the necessary strategies to foster science process…

Impact of the reduced vertical separation minimum on the domestic United States

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-31

Aviation regulatory bodies have enacted the reduced vertical separation minimum standard over most of the globe. The reduced vertical separation minimum is a technique that reduces the minimum vertical separation distance between aircraft from 2000 t...

The New York State Bird Conservation Area (BCA) Program: A Model for the United States

Treesearch

M. F. Burger; D. J. Adams; T. Post; L. Sommers; B. Swift

2005-01-01

The New York State Bird Conservation Area (BCA) Program, modeled after the National Audubon Society?s Important Bird Areas Program, is based on legislation signed by Governor Pataki in 1997. New York is the first state in the nation to enact such a program. The BCA Program seeks to provide a comprehensive, ecosystem approach to conserving birds and their habitats on...

Tuition and Fees at Virginia's State-Supported Colleges and Universities, 2009-10

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Yan; Hix, Dan

2009-01-01

In order to speed the national economic recovery, create and save jobs, and provide services to people affected by the recession, the 111th United States Congress enacted and President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)--an economic stimulus package worth $787 billion--on February 17, 2009. Virginia…

Guide to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Public Welfare Association, Washington, DC.

This booklet describes aspects of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, a uniform law establishing orderly procedures for the interstate placement of children and fixing responsibilities for those involved in placing a child. The law has been enacted by almost all of the states and jurisdictions of the United States. Contents focus…

Evaluating Teachers in the Big Easy: How Organizational Context Shapes Policy Responses in New Orleans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Julie A.; Bush-Mecenas, Susan; Strunk, Katharine O.; Lincove, Jane Arnold; Huguet, Alice

2017-01-01

Although multiple-measure teacher evaluation systems have gained popularity in the United States, few studies have examined their implementation or how they are shaped by organizational context. New Orleans provides a strategic case to examine the enactment of a state teacher evaluation policy in a highly decentralized setting with variation in…

The relation between tree burn severity and forest structure in the Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

Theresa B. Jain; Russell T. Graham

2007-01-01

Many wildfire events have burned thousands of hectares across the western United States, such as the Bitterroot (Montana), Rodeo-Chediski (Arizona), Hayman (Colorado), and Biscuit (Oregon) fires. These events led to Congress enacting the Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003, which, with other policies, encourages federal and state agencies to decrease wildfire risks...

Approaching 4 Decades of Legislation in the National Family Planning Program: An Analysis of Title X's History From 1970 to 2008

PubMed Central

Daley, Ellen M.; Perrin, Kay M.; Mahan, Charles S.; Buhi, Eric R.

2011-01-01

Family planning is an important public health activity. Title X (Pub L No. 91-572), enacted in 1970, remains the only national family planning program in the United States dedicated to providing voluntary and confidential services to all individuals. We conducted a thematic analysis of Title X's legislative history. Of 293 federal bills included in the legislative history, only 20 (6.8%) were enacted into law. Regardless of the proposed challenges, limited changes have been adopted. Except for technical amendments, bills involving restrictions accounted for the highest percentage of enacted bills, demonstrating efforts to undermine reproductive health rights. Title X requires political will and bipartisan support if it is to continue to protect individuals' reproductive rights. PMID:21940931

Effects of Legislation Regulating Abortion in Arizona.

PubMed

Williams, Sigrid G; Roberts, Sarah; Kerns, Jennifer L

2018-04-06

Abortion is a common and safe procedure in the United States, the regulation of which varies by state. Since 2011, hundreds of state-level abortion restrictions have been enacted by legislatures across the country. This study describes the effects of two such regulations enacted in 2011 in Arizona, (A.R.S.) 36-2153 and 36-2155, that imposed a 24-hour waiting period requiring two separate in-person clinic visits before obtaining an abortion and banned advanced practice clinicians such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurse midwives from inducing medication abortions by prescribing mifepristone. We conducted a pre-post study to describe the effect of Arizona's scope of practice law on abortion provision by county. Using publicly available data, we compared patterns of abortion provision in 2009 and 2010 (before the laws) with 2012 and 2013. Our primary objective was to compare the proportion of abortions performed with medication by prescription of mifepristone (versus abortions performed surgically, known as aspiration abortions) before and after the laws were enacted. Our secondary objectives were to report the number of counties that lost an abortion provider and the change in the proportion of abortions performed before 14 weeks' gestation of pregnancy after the enactment of the laws. After enactment of the laws, the proportion of Arizona's 15 counties with abortion clinics decreased from 33% to 13%. Over this time, the proportion of abortions performed with medication in Arizona decreased by 17.4% (95% CI, 16.6%-18.3%; p = .0002), from 47.6% to 30.2%. Similarly, the proportion of abortions performed before 14 weeks' gestation in Arizona decreased by 3.3% (95% CI, 2.8%-3.8%; p = .0002) after the enactment of these laws. The proportion of abortions performed with medication and the proportion of abortion performed before 14 weeks' gestation in Arizona were negatively affected by the enactment of these laws. These findings are not explained by national temporal trends in abortion, because the proportion of abortions performed with medication increased and early abortions remained stable over the same time period in the United States as a whole. Proponents of laws restricting the provision of abortion such as these claim to improve the safety of abortion, but they actually seem to decrease access to abortion, as defined by the number of counties with abortion providers, and subsequently lead to delays in abortion. These data should inform future policies by providing an example of how such laws affect women seeking abortion. Copyright © 2018 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Farm-to-School Programmes in the USA: An Examination of State-Level Enacted, Pending and Vetoed or Dead Bills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Olivia M.; Ghelardini, Lauren; Keene, Kristin L.; Stewart, Kendra B.

2014-01-01

Objectives: We sought to determine the prevalence and distribution of state-level legislation regulating farm-to-school programmes throughout the United States of America (USA). The research is timely given national goals put forth by the Let's Move Campaign and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to reduce childhood obesity prevalence and…

An Open Science and Reproducible Research Primer for Landscape Ecologists

EPA Science Inventory

In recent years many funding agencies, some publishers, and even the United States government have enacted policies that encourage open science and strive for reproducibility; however, the knowledge and skills to implement open science and enable reproducible research are not yet...

Patterns and predictors of state adult obesity prevention legislation enactment in US states: 2010-2013.

PubMed

Donaldson, Elisabeth A; Cohen, Joanna E; Villanti, Andrea C; Kanarek, Norma F; Barry, Colleen L; Rutkow, Lainie

2015-05-01

This study examined bill- and state-level factors associated with enactment of adult obesity prevention legislation in US states. A review of bills in the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity's legislative database identified 487 adult obesity prevention bills, or proposed legislation, introduced between 2010 and 2013. Multilevel models were constructed to examine bill- and state-level characteristics associated with enactment. From 2010 to 2013, 81 (17%) of obesity prevention bills introduced were enacted across 35 states and the District of Columbia. Bills introduced in 2010 were more likely to be enacted than in 2013 (OR=9.49; 95% CI: 2.61-34.5). Bills focused on access to healthy food, physical activity, general and educational programs, as well as modifying rules and procedures (e.g., preemption) had greater odds of enactment relative to food and beverage taxes (OR=8.18; 95% CI: 2.85-23.4 healthy food; OR=17.3; 95% CI: 4.55-65.7 physical activity; OR=15.2; 95% CI: 4.80-47.9 general; OR=13.7; 95% CI: 3.07-61.5 rules). The year of bill introduction and overall bill enactment rate were related to adult obesity prevention legislation enactment in states. This study highlights the importance of a bill's topic area for enactment and provides insights for advocates and policymakers trying to address enactment barriers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Patterns and predictors of state adult obesity prevention legislation enactment in US states: 2010–2013

PubMed Central

Donaldson, Elisabeth A.; Cohen, Joanna E.; Villanti, Andrea C.; Kanarek, Norma F.; Barry, Colleen L.; Rutkow, Lainie

2015-01-01

Objective This study examined bill- and state-level factors associated with enactment of adult obesity prevention legislation in US states. Methods A review of bills in the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity’s legislative database identified 487 adult obesity prevention bills, or proposed legislation, introduced between 2010 and 2013. Multilevel models were constructed to examine bill- and state-level characteristics associated with enactment. Results From 2010 to 2013, 81 (17%) of obesity prevention bills introduced were enacted across 35 states and the District of Columbia. Bills introduced in 2010 were more likely to be enacted than in 2013 (OR = 9.49; 95% CI: 2.61–34.5). Bills focused on access to healthy food, physical activity, general and educational programs, as well as modifying rules and procedures (e.g., preemption) had greater odds of enactment relative to food and beverage taxes (OR = 8.18; 95% CI: 2.85–23.4 healthy food; OR = 17.3; 95% CI: 4.55–65.7 physical activity; OR = 15.2; 95% CI: 4.80–47.9 general; OR = 13.7; 95% CI: 3.07–61.5 rules). Conclusion The year of bill introduction and overall bill enactment rate were related to adult obesity prevention legislation enactment in states. This study highlights the importance of a bill’s topic area for enactment and provides insights for advocates and policymakers trying to address enactment barriers. PMID:25735604

Should the United States Recognize the People's Republic of China? Elite Opinion and Elite Press Coverage: October-December, 1949.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abbott, James L.

On October 1, 1949, the Chinese People's Consultative Conference enacted the "organic law" that formally created the People's Republic of China; the following day notes were delivered to consular offices in Peking stating that the new government considered it necessary that they establish regular diplomatic relations with all countries…

Political factors affecting the enactment of state-level clean indoor air laws.

PubMed

Tung, Gregory Jackson; Vernick, Jon S; Stuart, Elizabeth A; Webster, Daniel W

2014-06-01

We examined the effects of key political institutional factors on the advancement of state-level clean indoor air laws. We performed an observational study of state-level clean indoor air law enactment among all 50 US states from 1993 to 2010 by using extended Cox hazard models to assess risk of enacting a relevant law. During the 18-year period from 1993 to 2010, 28 states passed a law covering workplaces, 33 states passed a law covering restaurants, 29 states passed a law covering bars, and 16 states passed a law covering gaming facilities. States with term limits had a 2.15 times greater hazard (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27, 3.65; P = .005) of enacting clean indoor air laws. The presence of state-level preemption of local clean indoor air laws was associated with a 3.26 times greater hazard (95% CI = 1.11, 9.53; P = .031) of state-level policy enactment. In the presence of preemption, increased legislative professionalism was strongly associated (hazard ratio = 3.28; 95% CI = 1.10, 9.75; P = .033) with clean indoor air law enactment. Political institutional factors do influence state-level clean indoor air law enactment and may be relevant to other public health policy areas.

76 FR 54419 - International Anti-Fouling System Certificate

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-01

... society may issue on behalf of the Coast Guard. This action is being taken in response to recently enacted..., 2001. This proposed rule would enable recognized classification societies to apply to the Coast Guard... classification societies to issue international certificates to vessels. The United States currently recognizes...

HIV risk and multiple sources of heterosexism among young Black men who have sex with men.

PubMed

Vincent, Wilson; Pollack, Lance M; Huebner, David M; Peterson, John L; Steward, Wayne T; Rebchook, Gregory M; Storholm, Erik D; Kegeles, Susan M

2017-12-01

This study examined whether the association between social support and condom self-efficacy would be moderated by (a) internalized heterosexism among and (b) enacted heterosexism experienced by young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM), who contend with high HIV incidence, heterosexism, and low uptake of preexposure prophylaxis. Participants were 1,210 YBMSM (ages 18-29) who completed measures of social support, internalized and enacted heterosexism, and condom self-efficacy in 2 large cities in the southern United States as part of a community-level HIV-prevention study. A significant 3-way interaction between social support and both hypothesized moderators, internalized and enacted heterosexism, showed that social support was positively associated with condom self-efficacy when both internalized and enacted heterosexism were high (1 SD above the mean; b = .177, 95% confidence interval [CI: .088, .266]). However, social support was not associated with condom self-efficacy when scores were low (1 SD below the mean) on both internalized and enacted heterosexism (b = .024, 95% CI [-.054, .101]), low on internalized and high on enacted heterosexism (b = .058, 95% CI [-.061, .117]), or high on internalized and low on enacted heterosexism (b = .039, 95% CI [-.083, .161]). YBMSM who are high in both internalized and enacted heterosexism may see greater benefits from social support on condom self-efficacy than would YBMSM who grapple with less heterosexism. In addition to promoting social support, interventions should aim to assess and reduce multiple forms of stigma. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessment of DoD Processes in Support of Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) Determinations and Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) Mitigation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-10

that could impair national security). These transactions are defined as covered transactions and were defined as such in the Exon- Florio provision...the United States,” May 7, 1975; • The Exon- Florio Amendment to the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988, Pub. L. No. 100-418, 102 Stat. 1107...Council and the Economic Policy Board, as warranted. Introduction DODIG-2014-080│ 11 Exon‑ Florio Amendment Enacted under the Omnibus Trade and

Perspectives of Disciplinary Problems and Practices in Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huger Marsh, Darlene P.

2012-01-01

Ill-discipline in public schools predates compulsory education in the United States. Disciplinary policies and laws enacted to combat the problem have met with minimal success. Research and recommendations have generally focused on the indiscipline problems ubiquitous in intermediate, junior and senior high schools. However, similar misbehaviors…

Stacking Cans: Abstracting from Computation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, George J.; Safi, Farshid; Graul, LuAnn

2015-01-01

As current mathematics standards, such as the Common Core, are being implemented throughout the United States, it has become evident that teachers need support to enact the tenets of those standards. To help in this endeavor, this article was published as a guideline to emphasize to mathematics education stakeholders that "effective teaching…

Transborder Flow of Computerized Information: Controls and Restrictions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shrader, Erwin

Of major concern to United States position and policy in the telecommunications and information areas is "transborder data flow," the transferring of computer stored data between nations. Many European nations, including France, Austria, and West Germany, have enacted laws regulating the flow of information leaving the country where it…

To make improvements in the enactment of title 41, United States Code, into a positive law title and to improve the Code.

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21

2012-07-09

Senate - 09/12/2012 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Passed HouseHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Copyright Concerns in the Age of Distance Education. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walther, James H.

In the United States, copyright owners retain exclusive rights to their creative works. They alone have the legal right to reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, or publicly display their works or to construct derivative works. The recently enacted Digital Millennium Copyright Act has created several complex questions related to distance…

A management guide for invasive plants in southern forests

Treesearch

James H. Miller; Steven T. Manning; Stephen F. Enloe

2013-01-01

Invasions of nonnative plants into forests of the Southern United States continue to spread and include new species, increasingly eroding forest productivity, hindering forest use and management activities, and degrading diversity and wildlife habitat. This book provides the latest information on how to organize and enact prevention programs, build strategies,...

A blueprint for legislative action : consensus recommendations for U.S. Climate Protection Legislation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-01-01

In January 2007, we issued our Call for Action in which we joined together to call for prompt enactment of national legislation in the United States to slow, stop and reverse the growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the shortest time reas...

State legislative strategies to improve the supply and distribution of generalist physicians, 1985 to 1992.

PubMed Central

Rivo, M L; Henderson, T M; Jackson, D M

1995-01-01

State laws enacted between 1985 and 1992 were reviewed to examine state involvement in influencing the supply and distribution of generalist physicians. Forty-seven states enacted 238 relevant laws during this period. In 1991 and 1992, 36 states enacted 98 laws, as compared with 1985 and 1986, when 8 states enacted 12 laws. Legislation addressed planning and oversight; financial incentives to institutions, students, and residents; and strategies to enhance the practice environment. A new strategy is to link funding to measureable outcomes, such as the career choices of a state medical school's graduates. Few states devoted resources to evaluate their efforts. PMID:7892929

Charter Schools in Greater Los Angeles: An Evaluative Comparison of Charter Schools vis-a-vis Traditional Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez, Matthew H.

2012-01-01

In 1992, California became just the second state in the United States to enact significant charter school legislation. Today, over 940 charter schools are operating in California servicing nearly 350,000 students. California leads the nation both in the number as well as the fastest rate of growth of charter schools (Center for Education Reform…

Funding Public Higher Education in Colorado: How Has the College Opportunity Funding Model Impacted Educational Funding and Performance?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Middlemist, George Edward

2017-01-01

During the 2004 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 189 (SB189), which established the first system of college vouchers in the United States. The supporters of SB189 hoped that the voucher system, called the College Opportunity Fund (COF), would: 1) stabilize the flow of state funding to higher education; 2)…

Enactment of Scientific Inquiry: Observation of Two Cases at Different Grade Levels in China Mainland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Lei; Zhang, Ronghui; Clarke, David; Wang, Weizhen

2014-01-01

Enactment of scientific inquiry in classroom has attracted a great attention of science educators around the world. In this study, we examined two competent teachers' (one Grade 9 chemistry teacher and one Grade 4 science teacher) enactment of scientific inquiry in selected teaching units to reveal the characteristics of enacted inquiry at…

Population Health and Paid Parental Leave: What the United States Can Learn from Two Decades of Research

PubMed Central

Burtle, Adam; Bezruchka, Stephen

2016-01-01

Over the last two decades, numerous studies have suggested that dedicated time for parents to be with their children in the earliest months of life offers significant benefits to child health. The United States (US) is the only wealthy nation without a formalized policy guaranteeing workers paid time off when they become new parents. As individual US states consider enacting parental leave policies, there is a significant opportunity to decrease health inequities and build a healthier American population. This document is intended as a critical review of the present evidence for the association between paid parental leave and population health. PMID:27417618

Population Health and Paid Parental Leave: What the United States Can Learn from Two Decades of Research.

PubMed

Burtle, Adam; Bezruchka, Stephen

2016-06-01

Over the last two decades, numerous studies have suggested that dedicated time for parents to be with their children in the earliest months of life offers significant benefits to child health. The United States (US) is the only wealthy nation without a formalized policy guaranteeing workers paid time off when they become new parents. As individual US states consider enacting parental leave policies, there is a significant opportunity to decrease health inequities and build a healthier American population. This document is intended as a critical review of the present evidence for the association between paid parental leave and population health.

Impact of State Laws That Extend Eligibility for Parents’ Health Insurance Coverage to Young Adults

PubMed Central

Kleinman, Lawrence C.; Starfield, Barbara; Ross, Joseph S.

2012-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The 2010 Affordable Care Act mandates that health insurance companies make those up to age 26 eligible for their parents’ policies. Thirty-four states previously enacted similar laws. The authors sought to examine the impact on access to care of state laws extending eligibility of parents’ insurance to young adults. METHODS: By using a difference-in-differences analysis, we examined the 2002–2004 and 2008–2009 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System to compare 3 states enacting laws in 2005 or 2006 with 17 states that have not enacted laws on 4 outcomes: self-reported health insurance coverage, identification of a personal physician/clinician, physical exam from a physician within the past 2 years, and forgoing care in the past year due to cost. RESULTS: For each outcome there was differential improvement among states enacting laws compared with states without laws. Health insurance differentially increased 0.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], −3.8% to 4.2%), from 67.6% to 68.1% pre-post in states enacting laws and from 68.5% to 68.7% in states without. Personal physician/clinician identification differentially increased 0.9% (95% CI −3.1% to 5.0%), from 62.4% to 65.5% in states enacting laws and from 58.0% to 60.2% in states without. Recent physical exams differentially increased significantly 4.6% (95% CI, 0%–9.2%), from 77.3% to 81.2% in states enacting laws and from 76.2% to 75.5% in states without. Forgone care due to cost differentially decreased significantly 3.9% (95% CI, −0.3% to −7.5%), from 20.4% to 18.2% in states enacting laws and from 17.8% to 19.4% in states without. CONCLUSIONS: States that expanded eligibility to parents’ insurance in 2005 or 2006 experienced improvements in access to care among young adults. PMID:22331339

Achieving Homeland Security in a Time of Diminishing Resources

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-08

and merged over 22 federal agencies and programs under the DHS umbrella. The overall mission of DHS is to enact “ a concerted national effort to ensure... A concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, major disasters...activity or effort performed to protect a nation against attack or other threats National Security. Requirement to maintain the survival of the state

An Evaluation of the Relationship among State Accountability Reading Test Scores and Levels of Language Proficiency of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Dana Huffman

2015-01-01

Growing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States have become a trend in recent years; and North Carolina, including the region of this study, is no exception to this trend. As a result of the national rise in ELLs, NCLB was enacted with the goal of increasing academic achievement and closing the achievement gap between…

Motorcycle helmet laws in the United States from 1990 to 2005: politics and public health.

PubMed

Homer, Jenny; French, Michael

2009-03-01

The passage of universal helmet legislation requiring motorcycle riders of all ages to wear helmets is a timely and controversial issue with far-reaching public health implications, especially as the number of motorcycle fatalities continues to rise. In 2008, only 20 states had a universal helmet policy, an effective safety measure for reducing motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries. We used state-specific longitudinal data for the continental United States from 1990 through 2005 to determine which industry, political, economic, and demographic factors had a significant influence on the enactment of universal helmet policies. Our findings suggest that political climate and ideology are important predictors of helmet policies.

Motorcycle Helmet Laws in the United States From 1990 to 2005: Politics and Public Health

PubMed Central

Homer, Jenny

2009-01-01

The passage of universal helmet legislation requiring motorcycle riders of all ages to wear helmets is a timely and controversial issue with far-reaching public health implications, especially as the number of motorcycle fatalities continues to rise. In 2008, only 20 states had a universal helmet policy, an effective safety measure for reducing motorcycle fatalities and serious injuries. We used state-specific longitudinal data for the continental United States from 1990 through 2005 to determine which industry, political, economic, and demographic factors had a significant influence on the enactment of universal helmet policies. Our findings suggest that political climate and ideology are important predictors of helmet policies. PMID:19106423

Administrators of Special and Gifted Education: Preparing Them for the Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milligan, Julie; Neal, Gwen; Singleton, Jacques

2012-01-01

Since the initiation of PL 94-142 enacted by the United States Congress in 1975, special education has been mandated, funded and regulated by the federal government. There have been both benefits and drawbacks to this initiative. In positive terms and most importantly, children who require different educational services are identified, and…

Sex Discrimination in Employment. Research Report No. 171.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, J. David; Wood, Linda B.

This report examines the status of women and the laws that have been enacted to protect women from discrimination in employment. Written in lay language, it examines employment and occupational statistics for women in the United States and in Kentucky. Following an introduction in Chapter 1, the report presents four chapters surveying the problem,…

76 FR 13887 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish (MSB...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-15

... comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION... butterfish stock was overfished. The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) developed Amendment 10 to the FMP in response to SAW 38; Amendment 10 enacted a rebuilding program for butterfish, as well...

Creating Supportive and Subversive Spaces as Professional Dyads Enact Culturally Relevant Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Glover, Crystal P.; Harris, Chinyere N.; Polson, Bilal; Boardman, Alicia

2017-01-01

In 2013, several leaders of the Early Childhood Education Assembly (ECEA) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) developed a multi-year project called Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching (PDCRT). Funded by NCTE, early childhood teacher/teacher-educator dyads from various locations across the United States work…

Understanding the End User Perspective: A Multiple-Case Study of Successful Health Information Technology Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behravesh, Bardia

2010-01-01

The United States continues to lag behind other countries in its adoption of health information technology. A failure to increase adoption will jeopardize the nation's ability to reduce medical errors, address the rapid growth of healthcare costs, and enact effective healthcare reform. Health information technology (HIT) implementation success…

Bordering the Civic Imaginary: Alienization, Fence Logic, and the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeChaine, D. Robert

2009-01-01

Current figurations of the "immigration problem" in the United States challenge our understanding of the rhetoricity of contemporary bordering practices. The public discourse of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps serves to chart the alienization of undocumented migrants and the enactment of alien abjection on the U.S.-Mexico border.…

National Assessment of IDEA Overview. NCEE 2011-4026

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, 2011

2011-01-01

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-446), enacted by the United States Congress on December 3, 2004, is the most recent reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), federal legislation which is specifically focused on the education of children with disabilities. As of Fall…

Interdependent Group Contingency to Promote Physical Activity in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foote, Catherine; Bray, Melissa A.; Kehle, Thomas J.; VanHeest, Jaci L.; Gelbar, Nicholas W.; Byer-Alcorace, Gabriel; Maykel, Cheryl; DeBiase, Emily

2017-01-01

As the number of children affected by obesity increases in the United States, it is necessary to intervene with preventive and intervention techniques that will enact change. Because children spend a significant amount of their time in school, it is of particular interest to target strategies during the school day. Given the recommendations for…

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution to provide for a balanced budget for the United States Government and for greater accountability in the enactment of tax legislation.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Emerson, Jo Ann [R-MO-8

2009-01-07

House - 02/09/2009 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 724 - Veterans' Benefits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... conditions from active military, naval, or air service; and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a... released from active military, naval, or air service under other than honorable conditons: and (B) any such...

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 724 - Veterans' Benefits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... conditions from active military, naval, or air service; and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a... released from active military, naval, or air service under other than honorable conditons: and (B) any such...

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 724 - Veterans' Benefits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... conditions from active military, naval, or air service; and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a... released from active military, naval, or air service under other than honorable conditons: and (B) any such...

"Hiding in Plain Sight": An Interview with Cara Hoffman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosey, Sara

2014-01-01

Cara Hoffman's work enacts George Orwell's imperative to "pay attention to the obvious" (an idea that several sympathetic characters repeat in her 2011 novel "So Much Pretty"), probing aspects of twenty-first century life in the United States that have become so accepted as to be unremarkable, such as epidemic levels of…

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 724 - Veterans' Benefits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... conditions from active military, naval, or air service; and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a... released from active military, naval, or air service under other than honorable conditons: and (B) any such...

32 CFR Appendix D to Part 724 - Veterans' Benefits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... conditions from active military, naval, or air service; and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That (a... released from active military, naval, or air service under other than honorable conditons: and (B) any such...

National Mandates and Statewide Enactments: Inquiry in/to Large-Scale Reform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hines, Mary Beth; Conner, Jenny; Campano, Gerald; Damico, James; Enoch, Melissa; Nam, Daehyeon

2007-01-01

Since the inauguration of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) in the United States, with a billion-dollar budget to induce educational reform, American schools have been under the microscope for meeting accountability standards for students. The performance pressures have intensified as the consequences for not achieving academic…

Social Security Disability Insurance May Reduce Benefits by 2016: Population at Financial Risk from Reductions.

PubMed

Siordia, Carlos

2016-10-01

In the United States, 10.9 million people are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits with an average pay of $12,000 per year. If the U.S. House of Congress fails to enact a new bill by the end of fiscal-year 2016, SSDI benefits are estimated to be reduced by $2,300 per-person per year. In the pass, the U.S. Congress has always found a way to enact new bills capable of maintains benefits at existing levels. The specific aim of this project was to report the number of people potentially at risk for experiencing an economic impact if SSDI benefits are reduced. The cross-sectional analysis used data from the American Community Survey, 2009-2013 Public Use Microdata Sample file. Characteristics on a total of 153,627 actual survey participants were used to generalize findings to 2,748,735 residents of the United States. Results indicate non-Hispanic Whites, the Pacific and South Atlantic geographic divisions are at the largest risk for being affected by changes to SSDI benefits.

The value of group purchasing organizations in the United States.

PubMed

Rooney, Curtis

2011-01-01

This article examines the valuable role of group purchasing organizations (GPOs) in hospital purchasing in the United States. For over 100 years old GPOs have helped hospitals and other health care providers realize savings and create contracting efficiencies by aggregating purchasing volume to negotiate discounts with manufacturers, distributors and other vendors. The US has recently enacted a series of healthcare reforms to correct some of the historical concerns regarding cost, quality and access. GPOs are expected to continue to play a critical role in the business of hospital purchasing and may potential export that other countries may wish to examine.

Political life and half-life: the future formulation of nuclear waste public policy in the United States.

PubMed

Leroy, David

2006-11-01

The United States continues to need forward-thinking and revised public policy to assure safe nuclear waste disposal. Both the high- and low-level disposal plans enacted by Congress in the 1980's have been frustrated by practical and political interventions. In the interim, ad hoc solutions and temporary fixes have emerged as de facto policy. Future statutory, regulatory, and administrative guidance will likely be less bold, more narrowly focused, and adopted at lower levels of government, more informally, in contrast to the top-down, statutory policies of the 1980's.

Childhood Obesity Task Forces Established by State Legislatures, 2001-2010

PubMed Central

Kim, Sonia A.; Sherry, Bettylou; Blanck, Heidi M.

2013-01-01

Introduction States and communities are considering policy and environmental strategies, including enacting legislation, to reduce and prevent childhood obesity. One legislative approach has been to create task forces to understand key issues and develop a course of action. The goal of this study was to describe state-level, childhood obesity task forces in the United States created by legislation from 2001 through 2010. Methods We used the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity database to identify state-level childhood obesity task forces created through legislation from 2001 through 2010. Results We identified 21 states that had enacted legislation creating childhood obesity task forces of which 6 had created more than one task force. Most task forces were charged with both gathering and reviewing information and making recommendations for obesity-prevention actions in the state. Most legislation required that task forces include representation from the state legislature, state agencies, community organizations, and community members. Conclusion Evaluation of the effectiveness of obesity-prevention task forces and the primary components that contribute to their success may help to determine the advantages of the use of such strategies in obesity prevention. PMID:23987250

Effects of state managed care patient protection laws on physician satisfaction.

PubMed

Sloan, Frank A; Rattliff, John R; Hall, Mark A

2007-10-01

Physician dissatisfaction often drives public policy, and is associated with lower quality of care and disruption of treatment relationships. Physicians expressed strong dissatisfaction with managed care, leading to enactment of patient protection laws. By 2001, almost all states enacted laws to curb alleged abuses of managed care organizations. To date, no studies have examined whether such laws improved physician satisfaction. This article examines whether enactment of these laws improved physician satisfaction, using responses to the Physician Survey component of the Community Tracking Study (CTS), supplemented with data on state statutes/regulations. Career satisfaction increased for both primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists following enactment of such laws; improvements were limited to early-adopting states. Enactment was associated with improvements in early-adopting states for specialists but not for PCPs on: ability to provide high quality care, clinical freedom, and ability to make clinical decisions in patients' interests without sacrificing physician income.

Sustaining Lesson Study: Resources and Factors That Support and Constrain Mathematics Teachers' Ability to Continue after the Grant Ends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Druken, Bridget Kinsella

2015-01-01

Lesson study, a teacher-led vehicle for inquiring into teacher practice through creating, enacting, and reflecting on collaboratively designed research lessons, has been shown to improve mathematics teacher practice in the United States, such as improving knowledge about mathematics, changing teacher practice, and developing communities of…

Staying in School: The Efficacy of the McKinney-Vento Act for Homeless Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ausikaitis, Ashley Etzel; Wynne, Martha Ellen; Persaud, Schevita; Pitt, Rachel; Hosek, Aaron; Reker, Kayse; Turner, Carina; Flores, Sandy; Flores, Sofia

2015-01-01

The increasing number of homeless youth in the United States presents many social justice concerns, including issues of educational access, stigma, and self-advocacy. These problems become even more apparent when homelessness and educational attainment intersect. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 was enacted to address these…

The Case for (Promoting) Marriage: The Devil Is in the Details

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huston, Ted L.; Melz, Heidi

2004-01-01

This article considers the quality of the evidence that marriage confers unique benefits, and that, as such, social policies should be enacted to encourage couples, particularly those with few economic resources, to get married and stay together. Public concern about the future of marriage in the United States, we show, is rooted in demographic…

A College Level Program for Instructing the Metric System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thrall, Marjorie A.

Although the Congress of the United States has enacted legislation calling for a conversion to the metric system by October 1992, recent government reports suggest that the country may not be prepared to meet that deadline. In an effort to develop a learning module for instructing community college students in the application of the metric system,…

Examining changes in wildfire policy and governance in the United States through three analytical lenses

Treesearch

Antony S. Cheng; Toddi Steelman; Cassandra Moseley

2011-01-01

U.S. wildfire policy and governance increasingly emphasize collaboration among levels of government and between government and non-governmental entities, expanding the roles and duties of nonfederal and nongovernmental organizations, and instituting performance-based measures to improve accountability and control costs. While many changes have been enacted, others have...

Japanese Fundraising: A Comparative Study of the United States and Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Onishi, Tamaki

2007-01-01

The enactment of the Law to Promote Specified Nonprofit Activities in 1998 has resulted not only in a rapid increase in the number of specified nonprofit corporations (NPO corporations) but also in an urgent need for effective fundraising in Japan. Despite Japan's long and rich tradition of philanthropy and a serious need for fundraising, very…

The Strategic Management of Charter Schools: Frameworks and Tools for Educational Entrepreneurs. Educational Innovations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frumkin, Peter; Manno, Bruno V.; Edgington, Nell

2011-01-01

"The Strategic Management of Charter Schools" addresses the challenges facing such schools by mapping out, in straightforward and highly pragmatic terms, a management framework for them. The first charter school law in the United States was enacted in Minnesota in 1991. In the twenty years since that modest beginning, the movement has burgeoned…

Farm Stress and School Practice. SSTA Research Centre Report #95-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SSTA Research in Brief, 1995

1995-01-01

Interviews with 12 principals of K-12 schools in rural Saskatchewan examined practices enacted in 1992-93 to lessen the effects of the farm economic crisis on students. A seven-section literature review describes the financial, personal, family, and community components of the farm crisis in Canada and the United States and provides an overview of…

The Impact of Technology Exposure on Student Perceptions of a 1:1 Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, Jeffrey A.

2017-01-01

Many school districts across the United States have enacted one-to-one (1:1) programs to boost students' "21st Century Skills". These programs provide a laptop or other personal digital device to every student, with the expectation that teachers will employ modern instructional processes and students will benefit from greater access to…

Physical Education Teachers' and University Teacher Educators' Perceptions regarding Coeducational vs. Single Gender Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Grant M.; Hannon, James C.; Knowles, Curt

2012-01-01

Since Title IX was enacted in the United States in 1972, Physical Education (PE) classes have become coeducational. This may be because educational leaders interpret Title IX to require coeducational-only classes. Research, however, indicates that for some students, coeducation classes may not be the most appropriate learning environment. The…

77 FR 24516 - Solicitation of Comments on Request for United States Assumption of Concurrent Federal Criminal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-24

... has conferred jurisdiction on a particular government. The Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) was enacted... regulations that established the framework and procedures for a mandatory Public Law 280 tribe to request the... to Public Law 280. 28 CFR 50.25. Among other provisions, the regulations provide that upon receipt of...

Implementing health care reform in the United States: intergovernmental politics and the dilemmas of institutional design.

PubMed

Béland, Daniel; Rocco, Philip; Waddan, Alex

2014-05-01

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted, and continues to operate, under conditions of political polarization. In this article, we argue that the law's intergovernmental structure has amplified political conflict over its implementation by distributing governing authority to political actors at both levels of the American federal system. We review the ways in which the law's demands for institutional coordination between federal and state governments (and especially the role it preserves for governors and state legislatures) have created difficulties for rolling out health-insurance exchanges and expanding the Medicaid program. By way of contrast, we show how the institutional design of the ACA's regulatory reforms of the insurance market, which diminish the reform's political salience, has allowed for considerably less friction during the implementation process. This article thus highlights the implications of multi-level institutional designs for the post-enactment politics of major reforms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

ERISA failures and the erosion of workers' rights: the urgent need to protect private & public workers' pension and benefits.

PubMed

Allen, James P; Bales, Richard A

On March 11, 2011, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin signed into law a bill that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for the state's public-sector workers. Many other cash-strapped states followed Wisconsin's lead and introduced or enacted similar restraints on the rights of their workers. Thousands of public workers, whose only means of protecting their rights rested in their ability to collectively bargain, suddenly found their retirement benefits in jeopardy. This truth highlighted the lack of protections for public worker benefits similar to those of the private sector. However, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, enacted for that purpose, has failed to secure these benefits. This article seeks to provide a broad overview of the crisis facing the pension and benefits system in the United States and offers some possible solutions. More importantly, the goal is to spur discourse on the urgent need to protect the benefits of all workers, public and private.

Enacting Informal Science Learning: Exploring the Battle for Informal Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clapham, Andrew

2016-01-01

Informal Science Learning (ISL) is a policy narrative of interest in the United Kingdom and abroad. This paper explores how a group of English secondary school science teachers, enacted ISL science clubs through employing the Periodic Table of Videos. It examines how these teachers "battled" to enact ISL policy in performative conditions…

TRAP abortion laws and partisan political party control of state government.

PubMed

Medoff, Marshall H; Dennis, Christopher

2011-01-01

Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (or TRAP) laws impose medically unnecessary and burdensome regulations solely on abortion providers in order to make abortion services more expensive and difficult to obtain. Using event history analysis, this article examines the determinants of the enactment of a TRAP law by states over the period 1974–2008. The empirical results find that Republican institutional control of a state's legislative/executive branches is positively associated with a state enacting a TRAP law, while Democratic institutional control is negatively associated with a state enacting a TRAP law. The percentage of a state's population that is Catholic, public anti-abortion attitudes, state political ideology, and the abortion rate in a state are statistically insignificant predictors of a state enacting a TRAP law. The empirical results are consistent with the hypothesis that abortion is a redistributive issue and not a morality issue.

Hospital employee assault rates before and after enactment of the california hospital safety and security act.

PubMed

Casteel, Carri; Peek-Asa, Corinne; Nocera, Maryalice; Smith, Jamie B; Blando, James; Goldmacher, Suzi; O'Hagan, Emily; Valiante, David; Harrison, Robert

2009-02-01

This study examines changes in violent event rates to hospital employees before and after enactment of the California Hospital Safety and Security Act in 1995. We compared pre- and post-initiative employee assault rates in California (n = 116) emergency departments and psychiatric units with those in New Jersey (n = 50), where statewide workplace violence initiatives do not exist. Poisson regression with generalized estimating equations was used to compare assault rates between a 3-year pre-enactment period (1993-1995) and a 6-year post-enactment period (1996-2001) using New Jersey hospitals as a temporal control. Assault rates among emergency department employees decreased 48% in California post-enactment, compared with emergency department employee assault rates in New Jersey (rate ratio [RR] = 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31, 0.90). Emergency department employee assault rates decreased in smaller facilities (RR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.96) and for-profit-controlled hospitals (RR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.79) post-enactment. Among psychiatric units, for-profit-controlled hospitals (RR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.85) and hospitals located in smaller communities (RR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.92) experienced decreased assault rates post-enactment. Policy may be an effective method to increase safety to health care workers.

The politics of paying for health reform: zombies, payroll taxes, and the holy grail.

PubMed

Oberlander, Jonathan

2008-01-01

This paper analyzes the politics of paying for health care reform. It surveys the political strengths and weaknesses of major options to fund universal coverage and explores obstacles to changing how the United States finances health care. Finding a politically viable means to finance universal coverage remains a central barrier to enacting health reform.

Community College Act of 1966. Act 331 of 1966 (as Amended through March 23, 1999).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michigan State Dept. of Education, Lansing. Community Coll. Services Unit.

The Community College Act of 1966 was enacted to redraft and unite the laws relating to community colleges in the state of Michigan. This document includes the original document plus amendments passed as of March 1999. The first part deals with the creation and government of districts. This includes districts comprised of elementary and…

The Role of Content in Inquiry-Based Elementary Science Lessons: An Analysis of Teacher Beliefs and Enactment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furtak, Erin Marie; Alonzo, Alicia C.

2010-01-01

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) Video Study explored instructional practices in the United States (US) in comparison with other countries that ranked higher on the 1999 TIMSS assessment, and revealed that 8th grade science teachers in the US emphasize activities over content during lessons (Roth et al.…

Federal Cooperation in Agricultural Extension Work, Vocational Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation. Bulletin, 1933, No. 15

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blauch, Lloyd E.

1933-01-01

During the past quarter of a century there have been rather continuous and persistent efforts for Federal aid to education. Twenty-one years ago the Congress of the United States enacted the Smith-Lever Agricultural Extension Act, and 3 years later it passed the Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act. Under the Smith-Lever Act and subsequent…

A Critical Analysis of Foster Youth Advisory Boards in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forenza, Brad; Happonen, Robin G.

2016-01-01

Background: The enactment of the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act brought welcome attention to young people aging out of foster care, and sought to include them in both case planning and policy dialog. Foster Youth Advisory Boards help to promote such inclusion, though the implementation of those boards has not been formally analyzed.…

Transformational Effects of Museum Exhibits upon Their Patrons: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso-Woolard, Cassandra

2013-01-01

The focus of this research was on the affective learning experienced at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center--a museum that tells the history of slavery in the United States, the courage, cooperation, and perseverance enacted by many who overcame the challenges and consequences of the unfreedoms once practiced in America. Such a study…

Towards a Continental Energy Market: From the Energy Crisis to the Free Trade Agreement, 1970-88.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Paul W.

1989-01-01

Discusses the impact the 1973 oil embargo and resulting energy crisis had on Canadian energy policies, which eventually led in 1987 to the enactment of the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the United States. Includes excerpts of three documents which reveal much about the shift in Canadian policy toward a continental energy market. (LS)

Attorneys General and Senate Panel Cite More Evidence of Lender Corruption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basken, Paul

2007-01-01

A group of 32 attorneys general from across the United States urged Congress last week to enact new restrictions on the student-loan industry, saying their investigations continue to reveal "new levels of corruption and deception" that require a rapid response from lawmakers. The attorneys general, led by Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, are trying to…

Participation and Cognitive Demand: Linking the Enacted Curriculum and Student Learning in Middle School Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Otten, Samuel

2012-01-01

Many current policy initiatives focus on teacher qualifications and high-stakes assessments for students as a means to improve mathematics education in the United States, but this approach ignores the actual practice of teaching through which students have opportunities to learn mathematics. The present study is an effort to answer scholars'…

The Second Annual Report of the Student Loan Marketing Association to the Congress of the United States.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Student Loan Marketing Association, Washington, DC.

The Student Loan Marketing Association ("Sallie Mae") is a government sponsored, private, for profit corporation, created in June 23, 1972, by the enactment of Section 439 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Sallie Mae provides liquidity to commercial banks, savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, credit unions,…

77 FR 64547 - Solicitation of Comments on Request for United States Assumption of Concurrent Federal Criminal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-22

... encourages all comments be submitted electronically through http://www.regulations.gov using the electronic... government. The Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) was enacted on July 29, 2010, as Title II of Public Law 111... provisions of 28 CFR 50.25. DATES: Written comments must be postmarked and electronic comments must be...

A framework for mobilizing communities to advance local tobacco control policy: the Los Angeles County experience.

PubMed

Weber, Mark D; Simon, Paul; Messex, Monty; Aragon, Linda; Kuo, Tony; Fielding, Jonathan E

2012-05-01

The Los Angeles County Tobacco Control and Prevention Program was significantly restructured in 2004 to improve capacity for local policy adoption. Restructuring included creating a fully staffed and trained policy unit; partnering with state-funded tobacco control organizations to provide high-quality, continuous technical assistance and training; implementing a highly structured policy adoption approach; expanding community capacity building; and establishing local coalitions to mobilize communities. Over the ensuing 6 years (2004-2010), 97 tobacco control policies were enacted in the county's 88 cities and unincorporated area, including 79 that were attributable to the program. By comparison, only 15 policies were enacted from 1998 to 2003. Expanding policy adoption capacity through program restructuring may be achievable in other local jurisdictions.

Implementation of revolutionary legislation for informed consent for dental patients receiving amalgam restorations.

PubMed

Edlich, Richard F; Cross, Catherine L; Dahlstrom, Jill J; Long, William B; Newkirk, Anthony T

2008-01-01

Mercury is one of the most dangerous environmental toxins. Realizing the environmental dangers of mercury, the Norwegian Minister of the Environment and International Development, Erik Solheim, has therefore prohibited the use of mercury in products in Norway. This ban will include dental filling materials (amalgam) and measuring instruments, as well as other products. This ban is valid from January 1, 2008. Sweden announced a similar ban, and dentists in Denmark will no longer be able to use mercury in fillings after April 1, 2008. It is indeed unfortunate that the United States has not taken a leadership role in enacting Informed Consent Legislations for patients receiving dental amalgam restorations. Informed Consent Legislations have been enacted by Maine, California, Connecticut, and Vermont.

State Labor Legislation Enacted in 1989.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nelson, Richard R.

1990-01-01

Discusses major laws enacted on a variety of subjects, including minimum wage, parental leave, drugs and AIDS testing, and door-to-door sales by children. A state-by-state summary of labor legislation is included. (Author)

Unitization of oil and gas fields in Texas. A study of legislative, administrative, and judicial policies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weaver, J.L.

1986-01-01

In the 1970s, the long lines of cars at gasoline stations, the blackouts, and the school and factory closings announced to the public that the United States had an ''energy crisis.'' In response, an outpouring of state and federal legislation sought to lessen the effects of the oil and gas shortages and to prevent their recurrence. By 1985, every oil- and gas-producing state but Texas has passed a compulsory unitization statute. ''Unitization'' is the joint, coordinated operation of all, or at least a large part, of an oil or gas reservoir by the owners of the separate tracts overlying themore » reservoir; only by such joint endeavors can the many owners of interests in oil and gas fields operate efficiently to recover as much as possible at the lowest cost. In this book, Jacqueline Lang Weaver explains why Texas failed to enact such a statute--and how Texas has achieved a substantial degree of unitization nonetheless.« less

Tanning Salon Compliance Rates in States With Legislation to Protect Youth Access to UV Tanning.

PubMed

Williams, Melissa S; Buhalog, Brittany; Blumenthal, Laura; Stratman, Erik J

2018-01-01

The US Food and Drug Administration has classified tanning beds as carcinogenic. Most states have enacted legislation to prevent or create barriers for minors accessing tanning establishments. Determining tanning salon compliance with legislation would provide an indication of the influence of legislation at preventing exposure to the carcinogen in minors. To investigate compliance rates in the 42 states and the District of Columbia with legislation restricting tanning bed use in minors and to identify differences in compliance based on population, regional location, salon ownership, age group being regulated, and time since the law was enacted. This investigation was a cross-sectional telephone survey conducted between February 1, 2015, and April 30, 2016, by callers posing as minors attempting to schedule a tanning appointment. The setting was tanning salons in the 42 states and the District of Columbia that currently have legislation restricting tanning bed use in minors. Included in the study were 427 tanning salons, 10 randomly selected from each state or territory with tanning legislation. Overall compliance of tanning salons with state tanning legislation and differences in compliance based on community population, regional location, independent vs chain tanning salon, age group being regulated, and time since the law was enacted. Of the 427 tanning salons surveyed, overall noncompliance with state legislation was 37.2% (n = 159). There were more noncompliant tanning salons in rural locations (45.5%; 95% CI, 37.5%-53.7%; P = .009), southern regions of the United States (49.4%; 95% CI, 41.4%-57.4%; P = .001), independently owned salons (43.9%; 95% CI, 37.3%-50.6%; P = .003), states with younger age groups being regulated (53.5%; 95% CI, 45.7%-61.2%; P < .001), and states with more than one tanning regulation (50.0%; 95% CI, 42.0%-58.0%; P < .001). No difference was found based on time since the law was enacted. Compliance with state legislation aimed at limiting tanning bed use among US minors is unsatisfactory, indicating that additional efforts to enforce the laws and education of the harmful effects of UV tanning are necessary, especially in rural, independently owned, and tanning salons in southern regions, which have decreased compliance rates.

Do Juvenile Curfew Laws Reduce Underage Drinking?

PubMed

Grossman, Elyse R; Jernigan, David H; Miller, Nancy A

2016-07-01

Although not originally enacted to deter the problem of underage drinking in the United States, one set of laws that may influence this behavior is juvenile curfew laws. This research asked the following: (a) What is the effect of enacting a juvenile curfew law on youth drinking, and (b) do demographic variables moderate the relation between juvenile curfew law enactment and drinking? This study examined the effect of juvenile curfew laws on underage drinking, using data from 46 U.S. cities from 1991 to 2005. In 2014, we compiled a data set containing alcohol and curfew law data by zip code. It included 63,081 minors (ages 12-17 years) from 1,081 zip codes. We used difference-in-difference regressions to analyze the data. The effect of the enactment of a curfew law on the likelihood of consuming alcohol in the past year or past 30 days or of heavy episodic drinking in the past 2 weeks was not significant when compared with cities without curfew laws during the same periods. Although the likelihood of consuming alcohol over the past year differed depending on an individual's characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, age, and gender), none of the interaction terms between these characteristics and curfew laws were significant. Curfew laws appear to have a nonsignificant effect on youth drinking, but these results are unclear without more knowledge as to where and when youth are drinking both before and after the enactment of curfew laws and how these laws are being enforced.

Closing the Gap: Enacting Care and Facilitating Black Students' Educational Access in the Creation of a High School College-Going Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight-Diop, Michelle G.

2010-01-01

Research clearly shows the importance of obtaining a postsecondary education in terms of accessing job opportunities, higher salaries, and improved benefits for a better quality of life in the United States. Bringing together the literature on school-based caring for Black students and the literature on college preparation, I utilize notions of…

To enact certain laws relating to public contracts as title 41, United States Code, "Public Contracts".

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-14

2009-02-23

01/04/2011 Became Public Law No: 111-350. (TXT | PDF) (All Actions) Notes: A page further explaining the bill is available from the Office of the Law Revision Counsel at http://uscode.house.gov/codification/t41/index.html. Tracker: This bill has the status Became LawHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Making the Emperor's New Clothes Visible in Anti-Racist Teacher Education: Enacting a Pedagogy of Discomfort with White Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohito, Esther O.

2016-01-01

The failures of university-based teacher education programs in the United States with regard to the preparation of White preservice teachers for engagement with students who embody marginalized racial identities in public schools are well documented. One such shortcoming is the inadequate attention paid to the unholy trinity of race, racism, and…

A Study of Curriculum Development and Reform in Residential Schools for the Blind in the United States: Three Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holiday, Jeremiah

2013-01-01

This study was conducted to understand curriculum development in residential schools for the blind after the enactment of NCLB and was guided by the research question, "How do residential schools for the blind and visually impaired develop their curriculum to meet the unique needs of students who are blind and visually impaired?" In the…

To enact title 54, United States Code, "National Park Service and Related Programs", as positive law.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Goodlatte, Bob [R-VA-6

2013-03-12

12/19/2014 Became Public Law No: 113-287. (TXT | PDF) (All Actions) Notes: A page further explaining the bill is available from the Office of the Law Revision Counsel at http://uscode.house.gov/codification/t54/index.html. Tracker: This bill has the status Became LawHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Enacting Common Core Instruction: How Intermediate Unit 13 Leveraged Its Position as an Educational Service Agency to Implement and Scale the LDC Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Research For Action, 2014

2014-01-01

Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) offer a set of instructional and formative assessment tools in literacy and math, which were developed to help educators better prepare all students to meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and succeed beyond high…

Practices Influenced by Policy? An Exploration of Newly Hired Science Teachers at Sites in South Africa and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Navy, S. L.; Luft, J. A.; Toerien, R.; Hewson, P. W.

2018-01-01

In many parts of the world, newly hired science teachers' practices are developing in a complex policy environment. However, little is known about how newly hired science teachers' practices are enacted throughout a cycle of instruction and how these practices can be influenced by macro-, meso-, and micro-policies. Knowing how policies impact…

Youth Employment and the Minimum Wage. Hearing before the Joint Economic Committee, Congress of the United States, Ninety-Eighth Congress, Second Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joint Economic Committee, Washington, DC.

This congressional hearing contains testimony about the problem of youth unemployment and about the relationship between youth employment opportunities and the minimum wage. A special focus is the administration's proposal for the enactment of a youth employment opportunity wage, under which youth below the age of 20 could be paid 75 percent of…

The Students We Share: US Teachers' Responsibilities Given That Some of Their Students Will Later Go to School in Mexico. Equity by Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamann, Edmund; Perez, William; Gallo, Sarah; Zúñiga, Victor

2017-01-01

The purpose of this brief is to examine the biases associated with the term "immigrant" and the challenges educators may experience when students are engaged in bi-national education. As the current administration's immigration policies are enacted, many students who have been educated in the United States may soon transition into…

Regulatory approaches to obesity prevention: A systematic overview of current laws addressing diet-related risk factors in the European Union and the United States.

PubMed

Sisnowski, Jana; Handsley, Elizabeth; Street, Jackie M

2015-06-01

High prevalence of overweight and obesity remains a significant international public health problem. Law has been identified as a tool for obesity prevention and selected high-profile measures have been reported. However, the nature and extent of enacted legislation internationally are unclear. This research provides an overview of regulatory approaches enacted in the United States, the European Union, and EU Member States since 2004. To this end, relevant databases of primary and secondary legislation were systematically searched to identify and explore laws addressing dietary risk factors for obesity. Across jurisdictions, current regulatory approaches to obesity prevention are limited in reach and scope. Target groups are rarely the general population, but instead sub-populations in government-supported settings. Consumer information provision is preferred over taxation and marketing restrictions other than the regulation of health and nutrition claims. In the EU in particular, product reformulation with industry consent has also emerged as a popular small-scale measure. While consistent and widespread use of law is lacking, governments have employed a range of regulatory measures in the name of obesity prevention, indicating that there is, in principle, political will. Results from this study may serve as a starting point for future research and policy development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applying Critical Discourse Analysis in Health Policy Research: Case Studies in Regional, Organizational, and Global Health.

PubMed

Evans-Agnew, Robin A; Johnson, Susan; Liu, Fuqin; Boutain, Doris M

2016-08-01

Critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a promising methodology for policy research in nursing. As a critical theoretical methodology, researchers use CDA to analyze social practices and language use in policies to examine whether such policies may promote or impede social transformation. Despite the widespread use of CDA in other disciplines such as education and sociology, nursing policy research employing CDA methodology is sparse. To advance CDA use in nursing science, it is important to outline the overall research strategies and describe the steps of CDA in policy research. This article describes, using exemplar case studies, how nursing and health policy researchers can employ CDA as a methodology. Three case studies are provided to discuss the application of CDA research methodologies in nursing policy research: (a) implementation of preconception care policies in the Zhejiang province of China, (b) formation and enactment of statewide asthma policy in Washington state of the United States, and (c) organizational implementation of employee antibullying policies in hospital systems in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Each exemplar details how CDA guided the examination of policy within specific contexts and social practices. The variations of the CDA approaches in the three exemplars demonstrated the flexibilities and potentials for conducting policy research grounded in CDA. CDA provides novel insights for nurse researchers examining health policy formation, enactment, and implementation. © The Author(s) 2016.

Lessons from history: Surviving old age during The Great Depression in the United States.

PubMed

Matthews, Sarah H; Dunkle, Ruth E

2013-12-01

This paper focuses on 30 couples who received a pension and other services from two private trusts in Detroit, Michigan beginning in 1929 or 1930. Results of the qualitative analysis of case files, which contain notes recorded chronologically for 17 of the couples and then surviving spouses, provide a portrait of older couples' lives prior to a partner's death, circumstances surrounding the death, and changes in the social support systems of widows and widowers until their deaths. Close examination of the experiences of these couples is a reminder of how old age and widowhood were experienced prior to the enactment of public pensions and health insurance in the United States. © 2013.

Reforming the health care system: implications for health care marketers.

PubMed

Petrochuk, M A; Javalgi, R G

1996-01-01

Health care reform has become the dominant domestic policy issue in the United States. President Clinton, and the Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have all proposed legislation to reform the system. Regardless of the plan which is ultimately enacted, health care delivery will be radically changed. Health care marketers, given their perspective, have a unique opportunity to ensure their own institutions' success. Organizational, managerial, and marketing strategies can be employed to deal with the changes which will occur. Marketers can utilize personal strategies to remain proactive and successful during an era of health care reform. As outlined in this article, responding to the health care reform changes requires strategic urgency and action. However, the strategies proposed are practical regardless of the version of health care reform legislation which is ultimately enacted.

“All of Those Things We Don't Eat”: A Culture-Centered Approach to Dietary Health Meanings for Asian Indians Living in the United States

PubMed Central

Koenig, Christopher J.; Dutta, Mohan J.; Kandula, Namratha; Palaniappan, Latha

2015-01-01

This article applies a culture-centered approach to analyze the dietary health meanings for Asian Indians living in the United States. The data were collected as part of a health promotion program evaluation designed to help Asian Indians reduce their risk of chronic disease. Community members who used two aspects of the program participated in two focus groups to learn about their health care experiences and to engage them in dialogue about how culture impacts their overall health. Using constructionist grounded theory, we demonstrate that one aspect of culture, the discourses around routine dietary choice, is an important, but under-recognized, aspect of culture that influences community members’ experiences with health care. We theorize community members’ dietary health meanings operate discursively through a dialectic tension between homogeneity and heterogeneity, situated amid culture, structure, and agency. Participants enacted discursive homogeneity when they affirmed dietary health meanings around diet as an important means through which members of the community maintain a sense of continuity of their identity while differentiating them from others. Participants enacted discursive heterogeneity when they voiced dietary health meanings that differentiated community members from one another due to unique life-course trajectories and other membership affiliations. Through this dialectic, community members manage unique Asian Indian identities and create meanings of health and illness in and through their discourses around routine dietary choice. Through making these discursive health meanings audible, we foreground how community members’ agency is discursively enacted and to make understandable how discourses of dietary practice influence the therapeutic alliance between primary care providers and members of a minority community. PMID:22364189

"All of those things we don't eat": a culture-centered approach to dietary health meanings for Asian Indians living in the United States.

PubMed

Koenig, Christopher J; Dutta, Mohan J; Kandula, Namratha; Palaniappan, Latha

2012-01-01

This article applies a culture-centered approach to analyze the dietary health meanings for Asian Indians living in the United States. The data were collected as part of a health promotion program evaluation designed to help Asian Indians reduce their risk of chronic disease. Community members who used two aspects of the program participated in two focus groups to learn about their health care experiences and to engage them in dialogue about how culture impacts their overall health. Using constructionist grounded theory, we demonstrate that one aspect of culture, the discourses around routine dietary choice, is an important, but underrecognized, aspect of culture that influences community members' experiences with health care. We theorize community members' dietary health meanings operate discursively through a dialectic tension between homogeneity and heterogeneity, situated amid culture, structure, and agency. Participants enacted discursive homogeneity when they affirmed dietary health meanings around diet as an important means through which members of the community maintain a sense of continuity of their identity while differentiating them from others. Participants enacted discursive heterogeneity when they voiced dietary health meanings that differentiated community members from one another due to unique life-course trajectories and other membership affiliations. Through this dialectic, community members manage unique Asian Indian identities and create meanings of health and illness in and through their discourses around routine dietary choice. Through making these discursive health meanings audible, we foreground how community members' agency is discursively enacted and to make understandable how discourses of dietary practice influence the therapeutic alliance between primary care providers and members of a minority community.

Space Commercialization and the Development of Space Law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Zhao

2017-05-01

Shortly after the launch of the first manmade satellite in 1957, the United Nations (UN) took the lead in formulating international rules governing space activities. The five international conventions (i.e., the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the 1968 Rescue Agreement, the 1972 Liability Convention, the 1975 Registration Convention, and the 1979 Moon Agreement) within the UN framework constitute the nucleus of space law; laying a solid legal foundation for securing the smooth development of space activities over the next few decades. Outer space was soon found to be a place with abundant opportunities for commercialization: with telecommunications services the first and most successful commercial application followed by remote sensing and global navigation services. In the last decade, the rapid development of space technologies brought space tourism and space mining to the forefront as well. With more and more commercial activities taking place on a daily basis from the 1980s on, existing space law faces severe challenges. The five conventions, which were enacted at a time when space was monopolized by two superpowers—the United States and the former Soviet Union—also failed to take into account the commercial aspect of space activities. Although there are urgent needs for new rules to deal with the ongoing trend of space commercialization, the international society faces difficulties in adopting new rules due to diversified national interests. As a result, it adjusts legislative strategies by enacting soft laws. In view of the difficulty in adopting binding rules at the international level, states are encouraged to enact their own national space legislation providing sufficient guidance for their domestic space commercial activities. It is expected that the development of soft laws and national space legislation will be the mainstream regulatory activities in the space field for the foreseeable future.

Regulation profiles of e-cigarettes in the United States: a critical review with qualitative synthesis.

PubMed

Tremblay, Marie-Claude; Pluye, Pierre; Gore, Genevieve; Granikov, Vera; Filion, Kristian B; Eisenberg, Mark J

2015-06-03

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been steadily increasing in popularity since their introduction to US markets in 2007. Debates surrounding the proper regulatory mechanisms needed to mitigate potential harms associated with their use have focused on youth access, their potential for nicotine addiction, and the renormalization of a smoking culture. The objective of this study was to describe the enacted and planned regulations addressing this novel public health concern in the US. We searched LexisNexis Academic under Federal Regulations and Registers, as well as State Administrative Codes and Registers. This same database was also used to find information about planned regulations in secondary sources. The search was restricted to US documents produced between January 1(st), 2004, and July 14(th), 2014. We found two planned regulations at the federal level, and 74 enacted and planned regulations in 44 states. We identified six state-based regulation types, including i) access, ii) usage, iii) marketing and advertisement, iv) packaging, v) taxation, and vi) licensure. These were further classified into 10 restriction subtypes: sales, sale to minors, use in indoor public places, use in limited venues, use by minors, licensure, marketing and advertising, packaging, and taxation. Most enacted restrictions aimed primarily to limit youth access, while few regulations enforced comprehensive restrictions on product use and availability. Current regulations targeting e-cigarettes in the US are varied in nature and scope. There is greater consensus surrounding youth protection (access by minors and/or use by minors, and/or use in limited venues), with little consensus on multi-level regulations, including comprehensive use bans in public spaces.

Breast Density Legislation: Discussion of Patient Utilization and Subsequent Direct Financial Ramifications for Insurance Providers.

PubMed

Sobotka, John; Hinrichs, Clay

2015-10-01

Now that New Jersey has become the 14th state in the United States to enact legislation regarding dense breast screening, its patients are eligible to receive screening breast sonography coverage from their insurance carriers. This law is intended to improve breast cancer detection in patients with dense breasts and create awareness of unique issues that come with dense breast tissue, while reinforcing already present efforts to reduce the incidence of and morbidity related to the diagnosis of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to examine data from months preceding the effective date of this legislation in a community hospital setting and compare these data with data from months immediately after, and 6 months after, its enactment to present patient participation data and estimate the legislation's direct financial ramifications. Detractors of this type of legislation worry about overburdening the health care system with an influx of patients. Although there is a lack of present studies confirming this suspicion in other states with dense breast legislation, this study confirms a large increase in patient utilization after enactment, showing a minimum relative increase of 176.90% and a maximum relative increase of 335.56% in patient utilization of screening breast sonography. The investigators further include an estimation of an increased direct cost for insurers of $4,910,899.18 to $9,848,897.96 for a given month. Copyright © 2015 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

How Do Tougher Immigration Measures Affect Unauthorized Immigrants?

PubMed Central

Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina; Puttitanun, Thitima; Martinez-Donate, Ana P.

2013-01-01

The recent impetus of tougher immigration-related measures passed at the state level raises concerns about the impact of such measures on the migration experience, trajectory, and future plans of unauthorized immigrants. In a recent and unique survey of Mexican unauthorized immigrants interviewed upon their voluntary return or deportation to Mexico, almost a third reported experiencing difficulties in obtaining social or government services, finding legal assistance, or obtaining health care services. Additionally, half of these unauthorized immigrants reported fearing deportation. When we assess how the enactment of punitive measures against unauthorized immigrants, such as E-Verify mandates, has affected their migration experience, we find no evidence of a statistically significant association between these measures and the difficulties reported by unauthorized immigrants in accessing a variety of services. However, the enactment of these mandates infuses deportation fear, reduces interstate mobility among voluntary returnees during their last migration spell, and helps curb deportees’ intent to return to the United States in the near future. PMID:23532619

How do tougher immigration measures affect unauthorized immigrants?

PubMed

Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina; Puttitanun, Thitima; Martinez-Donate, Ana P

2013-06-01

The recent impetus of tougher immigration-related measures passed at the state level raises concerns about the impact of such measures on the migration experience, trajectory, and future plans of unauthorized immigrants. In a recent and unique survey of Mexican unauthorized immigrants interviewed upon their voluntary return or deportation to Mexico, almost a third reported experiencing difficulties in obtaining social or government services, finding legal assistance, or obtaining health care services. Additionally, half of these unauthorized immigrants reported fearing deportation. When we assess how the enactment of punitive measures against unauthorized immigrants, such as E-Verify mandates, has affected their migration experience, we find no evidence of a statistically significant association between these measures and the difficulties reported by unauthorized immigrants in accessing a variety of services. However, the enactment of these mandates infuses deportation fear, reduces interstate mobility among voluntary returnees during their last migration spell, and helps curb deportees' intent to return to the United States in the near future.

"The Attila the Hun law": New York's Rockefeller drug laws and the making of a punitive state.

PubMed

Kohler-Hausmann, Julilly

2010-01-01

In 1973, New York's Governor Nelson Rockefeller responded to panic about soaring heroin use by renouncing his aggressive treatment programs and enacting the most punitive drug policy in the United States. His "Rockefeller Drug Laws" mandated sentences up to life in prison for selling any narcotics. These punishments, comparable to the penalties for murder, served as models for subsequent "War on Drugs" policies enacted across the nation.This article explores the ideological and political work accomplished by this high profile legislation—for policy makers, for members of the general public who clamored for "get tough" strategies, and for the drug users targeted by the statutes. The laws were a repudiation of liberal treatment programs and specialists' expertise, and provided a forum to remake the much-maligned welfare state into a stern, macho vehicle for establishing order in society. Increasingly punitive policies constricted the rights of drug users by rhetorically constructing "addicts" and "pushers" as outside of the polity and as the antithesis of full citizens. Therefore, the Rockefeller Drug Laws not only had devastating effects on drug offenders, but also were instrumental in the profound renegotiation of the state's role and responsibilities.

United States National Will: A Psychodynamic Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-06-06

the elite members of a decision - making group and dictates the inclusion of insti- tutional interest representatives, foreign area specialists, or techni...Whoever constitutes the decision - making group , the proof of its expression o, national will is the enactment of policy. Therefore, this group must have the...This suggests that Presidents may view inclusion of the public into the decision - making group when it is not necessarily a risky business. However, it

To enact certain laws relating to national and commercial space programs as title 51, United States Code, "National and Commercial Space Programs".

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-14

2009-07-16

12/18/2010 Became Public Law No: 111-314. (TXT | PDF) (All Actions) Notes: A page further explaining the bill is available from the Office of the Law Revision Counsel at http://uscode.house.gov/codification/t51/index.html. Tracker: This bill has the status Became LawHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

The Obama Presidency and the Question of Social Justice: A Critical Analysis of the Meaningful Milestone

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanks, Lawrence J.

2009-01-01

On January 20, 2009, essentially 200 years after the enactment of the embargo against the slave trade, 40 years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Barack Hussein Obama became the 44th President of the United States of America. Using the one drop rule for racial designation which has prevailed in the USA for most of its history,…

To enact title 54, United States Code, "National Park System", as positive law.

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Rep. Smith, Lamar [R-TX-21

2011-05-23

Senate - 08/02/2012 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (All Actions) Notes: A page further explaining the bill is available from the Office of the Law Revision Counsel at http://uscode.house.gov/codification/t54/index.html. Tracker: This bill has the status Passed HouseHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

American Samoa. Annual Report to the Secretary of the Interior--September 30, 1976 through September 30, 1977.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Samoa Office of Samoan Information, Pago Pago.

In fiscal year 1977 the two houses of the American Samoan Legislature enacted some 60 public laws. Some of these laws were preparing for the new elective governor, the first to be elected (rather than appointed) in the 77-year history of the islands as an unincorporated territory of the United States. The total budget for the government of…

Eugenics and Involuntary Sterilization: 1907-2015.

PubMed

Reilly, Philip R

2015-01-01

In England during the late nineteenth century, intellectuals, especially Francis Galton, called for a variety of eugenic policies aimed at ensuring the health of the human species. In the United States, members of the Progressive movement embraced eugenic ideas, especially immigration restriction and sterilization. Indiana enacted the first eugenic sterilization law in 1907, and the US Supreme Court upheld such laws in 1927. State programs targeted institutionalized, mentally disabled women. Beginning in the late 1930s, proponents rationalized involuntary sterilization as protecting vulnerable women from unwanted pregnancy. By World War II, programs in the United States had sterilized approximately 60,000 persons. After the horrific revelations concerning Nazi eugenics (German Hereditary Health Courts approved at least 400,000 sterilization operations in less than a decade), eugenic sterilization programs in the United States declined rapidly. Simplistic eugenic thinking has faded, but coerced sterilization remains widespread, especially in China and India. In many parts of the world, involuntary sterilization is still intermittently used against minority groups.

Exploring the role of curriculum materials to support teachers in science education reform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Rebecca M.

2001-07-01

For curriculum materials to succeed in promoting large-scale science education reform, teacher learning must be supported. Materials were designed to reflect desired reforms and to be educative by including detailed lesson descriptions that addressed necessary content, pedagogy, and pedagogical content knowledge for teachers. The goal of this research was to describe how such materials contributed to classroom practices. As part of an urban systemic reform effort, four middle school teachers' initial enactment of an inquiry-based science unit on force and motion were videotaped. Enactments focused on five lesson sequences containing experiences with phenomena, investigation, technology use, or artifact development. Each sequence spanned three to five days across the 10-week unit. For each lesson sequence, intended and actual enactment were compared using ratings of (1) accuracy and completeness of science ideas presented, (2) amount student learning opportunities, similarity of learning opportunities with those intended, and quality of adaptations , and (3) amount of instructional supports offered, appropriateness of instructional supports and source of ideas for instructional supports. Ratings indicated two teachers' enactments were consistent with intentions and two teachers' enactments were not. The first two were in school contexts supportive of the reform. They purposefully used the materials to guide enactment, which tended to be consistent with standards-based reform. They provided students opportunities to use technology tools, design investigations, and discuss ideas. However, enactment ratings were less reflective of curriculum intent when challenges were greatest, such as when teachers attempted to present challenging science ideas, respond to students' ideas, structure investigations, guide small-group discussions, or make adaptations. Moreover, enactment ratings were less consistent in parts of lessons where materials did not include lesson specific educative supports for teachers. Overall, findings indicate curriculum materials that include detailed descriptions of lessons accompanied by educative features can help teachers with enactment. Therefore, design principles to improve materials to support teachers in reform are suggested. However, results also demonstrate materials alone are not sufficient to create intended enactments; reform efforts must include professional development in content and pedagogy and efforts to create systemic change in context and policy to support teacher learning and classroom enactment.

Do Juvenile Curfew Laws Reduce Underage Drinking?

PubMed Central

Grossman, Elyse R.; Jernigan, David H.; Miller, Nancy A.

2016-01-01

Objective: Although not originally enacted to deter the problem of underage drinking in the United States, one set of laws that may influence this behavior is juvenile curfew laws. This research asked the following: (a) What is the effect of enacting a juvenile curfew law on youth drinking, and (b) do demographic variables moderate the relation between juvenile curfew law enactment and drinking? This study examined the effect of juvenile curfew laws on underage drinking, using data from 46 U.S. cities from 1991 to 2005. Method: In 2014, we compiled a data set containing alcohol and curfew law data by zip code. It included 63,081 minors (ages 12–17 years) from 1,081 zip codes. We used difference-in-difference regressions to analyze the data. Results: The effect of the enactment of a curfew law on the likelihood of consuming alcohol in the past year or past 30 days or of heavy episodic drinking in the past 2 weeks was not significant when compared with cities without curfew laws during the same periods. Although the likelihood of consuming alcohol over the past year differed depending on an individual’s characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, age, and gender), none of the interaction terms between these characteristics and curfew laws were significant. Conclusions: Curfew laws appear to have a non-significant effect on youth drinking, but these results are unclear without more knowledge as to where and when youth are drinking both before and after the enactment of curfew laws and how these laws are being enforced. PMID:27340963

“The Work Must Go On”

PubMed Central

ter Hoeven, Claartje L.; Miller, Vernon D.; Peper, Bram; den Dulk, Laura

2016-01-01

The Netherlands is characterized by extensive national work–life regulations relative to the United States. Yet, Dutch employees do not always take advantage of existing work–life policies. Individual and focus group interviews with employees and managers in three (public and private) Dutch organizations identified how employee and managerial communication contributed to acquired rules concerning work–life policies and the interpretation of allocative and authoritative resources for policy enactment. Analyses revealed differences in employees’ and managers’ resistance to policy, the binds and dilemmas experienced, and the coordination of agreements and actions to complete workloads. There are also differences between public and private contexts in the enactment of national and organizational policies, revealing how national (e.g., gender) and organizational (e.g., concertive control) mechanisms play out in employee and managerial communication that determine the use of work–life policies. PMID:29708121

Earning a driver's license.

PubMed Central

Williams, A F

1997-01-01

Teenage drivers in the United States have greatly elevated crash rates, primarily a result of qualities associated with immaturity and lack of driving experience. State licensing systems vary substantially, but most have allowed quick and easy access to driving with full privileges at a young age, contributing to the crash problem. Formal driver education has not been an effective crash prevention measure. Following the introduction of graduated licensing in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, this system has been considered in many states and has been implemented in some. Graduated systems phase in full privilege driving, requiring initial experience to be gained under conditions of lower risk. The author describes the first five multistage graduated systems enacted in the United States in 1996 and 1997. Factors that will influence the acceptability and effectiveness of these new licensing systems are discussed. Images p[452]-a p454-a p456-a p457-a p460-a PMID:10822470

U.S. Force Posture Strategy in the Asia Pacific Region: An Independent Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-27

the United States, rebalancing efforts after Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn have several benefits, allowing the Army to...of the March 2011 disaster at Fukushima , though a territorial dispute over islands north of Hokkaido continues to hinder bilateral cooperation...with a report due 180 days after enactment, or by the end of June, 2012. At one level, PACOM force posture is tied to current deployments and

75 FR 70973 - Registration of Foreign Boards of Trade

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-19

...The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (Commission or CFTC) is proposing rules to implement new statutory provisions enacted by Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. These proposed rules establish a registration requirement that applies to foreign boards of trade (FBOT) that wish to provide their identified members or other participants located in the United States with direct access to their electronic trading and order matching systems.

Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-12

plan. On April 30, 2012, the COR enacted a law to facilitate elimination of trafficking in persons, both sexual and labor-related. Media and Free...instances of harassment and intimidation of journalists who write about corruption and the lack of government services. Much of the private media...or extradite him to the United States, but Iraq released him in November 2012 and he returned to Lebanon , despite U.S. efforts to persuade Iraq to

Why the affordable care act needs a better name: 'Americare'.

PubMed

Sage, William M

2010-08-01

The culmination of a century's effort to enact universal coverage in the United States is a law with an uninspiring title, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and an even more awkward acronym, PPACA. The Obama administration has decided to call the legislation the Affordable Care Act, but the expansion of health coverage that the law sets in motion has no name, and therefore no identity. It badly needs one.

The current status on the selection and management of vegetation for slow rate and overland flow application systems to treat municipal wastewater in the North Central region of the United States

Treesearch

D.G. Brockway; T.M. Burton; J.H. Cooley; F.M. D' Itri; R.H. Dowdy; B.G. Ellis; L. Epstein; A.E. Erickson; J.E. Hook; L.W. Jacobs; S.N. Kerr; B.D. Knezek; E.A. Myers; A.J. Palazzo; S. Poloncsik; G.R. Safir; W.E. Sopper; J.C. Sutherland; M.B. Tesar; R.E. Thomas; D.H. Urie

1981-01-01

The 1977 Clean Water Amendments to Public Law 92-500 were enacted to strengthen the orignal policy of encouraging the utilization ofinnovative, alternative management techniques far the treatment and disposal of municipal wastewater. These alternative techniques include spray irigation and overland flow land treatment systems which can be used individual cr...

The Effectiveness of Tobacco Marketing Regulations on Reducing Smokers’ Exposure to Advertising and Promotion: Findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey

PubMed Central

Kasza, Karin A.; Hyland, Andrew J.; Brown, Abraham; Siahpush, Mohammad; Yong, Hua-Hie; McNeill, Ann D.; Li, Lin; Cummings, K. Michael

2011-01-01

Exposure to tobacco product marketing promotes the initiation, continuation, and reuptake of cigarette smoking and as a result the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has called upon member Parties to enact comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising and promotion. This study examines the immediate and long term effectiveness of advertising restrictions enacted in different countries on exposure to different forms of product marketing, and examines differences in exposure across different socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Nationally representative data from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States, collected from adult smokers between 2002 and 2008 using the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey (ITC-4), were used in this study (N = 21,615). In light of the specific marketing regulation changes that occurred during the course of this study period, changes in awareness of tobacco marketing via various channels were assessed for each country, and for different SES groups within countries. Tobacco marketing regulations, once implemented, were associated with significant reductions in smokers’ reported awareness of pro-smoking cues, and the observed reductions were greatest immediately following the enactment of regulations. Changes in reported awareness were generally the same across different SES groups, although some exceptions were noted. While tobacco marketing regulations have been effective in reducing exposure to certain types of product marketing there still remain gaps, especially with regard to in-store marketing and price promotions. PMID:21556189

The effectiveness of tobacco marketing regulations on reducing smokers' exposure to advertising and promotion: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Kasza, Karin A; Hyland, Andrew J; Brown, Abraham; Siahpush, Mohammad; Yong, Hua-Hie; McNeill, Ann D; Li, Lin; Cummings, K Michael

2011-02-01

Exposure to tobacco product marketing promotes the initiation, continuation, and reuptake of cigarette smoking and as a result the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has called upon member Parties to enact comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising and promotion. This study examines the immediate and long term effectiveness of advertising restrictions enacted in different countries on exposure to different forms of product marketing, and examines differences in exposure across different socioeconomic status (SES) groups. Nationally representative data from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and the United States, collected from adult smokers between 2002 and 2008 using the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey (ITC-4), were used in this study (N = 21,615). In light of the specific marketing regulation changes that occurred during the course of this study period, changes in awareness of tobacco marketing via various channels were assessed for each country, and for different SES groups within countries. Tobacco marketing regulations, once implemented, were associated with significant reductions in smokers' reported awareness of pro-smoking cues, and the observed reductions were greatest immediately following the enactment of regulations. Changes in reported awareness were generally the same across different SES groups, although some exceptions were noted. While tobacco marketing regulations have been effective in reducing exposure to certain types of product marketing there still remain gaps, especially with regard to in-store marketing and price promotions.

Energy drinks: an emerging public health hazard for youth.

PubMed

Pomeranz, Jennifer L; Munsell, Christina R; Harris, Jennifer L

2013-05-01

Energy drinks are emerging as a public health threat and are increasingly consumed by youth internationally. Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine, sugar, and novel ingredients, and are often marketed through youth-oriented media and venues. We review these practices and the current inconsistent state of labeling. We also examine international support for regulation of these products, including a survey showing that 85 per cent of United States parents agreed that regulations requiring caffeine content disclosure and warning labels on energy drinks are warranted. We then examine the regulatory structure for energy drinks in the United States, analyzing legal and self-regulatory strategies to protect consumers, especially youth, from these potentially dangerous products. Recommended government interventions include revised labeling requirements, addressing problematic ingredients, and enacting retail restrictions. We conclude by identifying areas for future research.

Clean Energy in City Codes: A Baseline Analysis of Municipal Codification across the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cook, Jeffrey J.; Aznar, Alexandra; Dane, Alexander

Municipal governments in the United States are well positioned to influence clean energy (energy efficiency and alternative energy) and transportation technology and strategy implementation within their jurisdictions through planning, programs, and codification. Municipal governments are leveraging planning processes and programs to shape their energy futures. There is limited understanding in the literature related to codification, the primary way that municipal governments enact enforceable policies. The authors fill the gap in the literature by documenting the status of municipal codification of clean energy and transportation across the United States. More directly, we leverage online databases of municipal codes to develop nationalmore » and state-specific representative samples of municipal governments by population size. Our analysis finds that municipal governments with the authority to set residential building energy codes within their jurisdictions frequently do so. In some cases, communities set codes higher than their respective state governments. Examination of codes across the nation indicates that municipal governments are employing their code as a policy mechanism to address clean energy and transportation.« less

Medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in the United States, 1999-2010.

PubMed

Bachhuber, Marcus A; Saloner, Brendan; Cunningham, Chinazo O; Barry, Colleen L

2014-10-01

Opioid analgesic overdose mortality continues to rise in the United States, driven by increases in prescribing for chronic pain. Because chronic pain is a major indication for medical cannabis, laws that establish access to medical cannabis may change overdose mortality related to opioid analgesics in states that have enacted them. To determine the association between the presence of state medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality. A time-series analysis was conducted of medical cannabis laws and state-level death certificate data in the United States from 1999 to 2010; all 50 states were included. Presence of a law establishing a medical cannabis program in the state. Age-adjusted opioid analgesic overdose death rate per 100 000 population in each state. Regression models were developed including state and year fixed effects, the presence of 3 different policies regarding opioid analgesics, and the state-specific unemployment rate. Three states (California, Oregon, and Washington) had medical cannabis laws effective prior to 1999. Ten states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont) enacted medical cannabis laws between 1999 and 2010. States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate (95% CI, -37.5% to -9.5%; P = .003) compared with states without medical cannabis laws. Examination of the association between medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in each year after implementation of the law showed that such laws were associated with a lower rate of overdose mortality that generally strengthened over time: year 1 (-19.9%; 95% CI, -30.6% to -7.7%; P = .002), year 2 (-25.2%; 95% CI, -40.6% to -5.9%; P = .01), year 3 (-23.6%; 95% CI, -41.1% to -1.0%; P = .04), year 4 (-20.2%; 95% CI, -33.6% to -4.0%; P = .02), year 5 (-33.7%; 95% CI, -50.9% to -10.4%; P = .008), and year 6 (-33.3%; 95% CI, -44.7% to -19.6%; P < .001). In secondary analyses, the findings remained similar. Medical cannabis laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates. Further investigation is required to determine how medical cannabis laws may interact with policies aimed at preventing opioid analgesic overdose.

Paternalism and its discontents: motorcycle helmet laws, libertarian values, and public health.

PubMed

Jones, Marian Moser; Bayer, Ronald

2007-02-01

The history of motorcycle helmet legislation in the United States reflects the extent to which concerns about individual liberties have shaped the public health debate. Despite overwhelming epidemiological evidence that motorcycle helmet laws reduce fatalities and serious injuries, only 20 states currently require all riders to wear helmets. During the past 3 decades, federal government efforts to push states toward enactment of universal helmet laws have faltered, and motorcyclists' advocacy groups have been successful at repealing state helmet laws. This history raises questions about the possibilities for articulating an ethics of public health that would call upon government to protect citizens from their own choices that result in needless morbidity and suffering.

Paternalism & Its Discontents: Motorcycle Helmet Laws, Libertarian Values, and Public Health

PubMed Central

Jones, Marian Moser; Bayer, Ronald

2007-01-01

The history of motorcycle helmet legislation in the United States reflects the extent to which concerns about individual liberties have shaped the public health debate. Despite overwhelming epidemiological evidence that motorcycle helmet laws reduce fatalities and serious injuries, only 20 states currently require all riders to wear helmets. During the past 3 decades, federal government efforts to push states toward enactment of universal helmet laws have faltered, and motorcyclists’ advocacy groups have been successful at repealing state helmet laws. This history raises questions about the possibilities for articulating an ethics of public health that would call upon government to protect citizens from their own choices that result in needless morbidity and suffering. PMID:17194856

Connecticut Enacts New Legislation Designed To Enhance and Increase Interactive Distance Learning for Telephone and CATV Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pietras, Jesse John

The Connecticut State Legislature enacted telecommunications legislation on July 1, 1994 that will, among other things, enhance distance education in the state. The legislation requires that the state's regulatory utility agency, the Department of Public Utility Control (DPUC) begin dismantling the monopolistic configuration of the existing local…

Correlates of State Enactment of Elementary School Physical Education Laws

PubMed Central

Monnat, Shannon M.; Lounsbery, Monica A.F.; Smith, Nicole J.

2014-01-01

Objective To describe variation in U.S. state elementary school physical education (PE) policies and to assess associations between state PE policy enactment and education funding, academic achievement, sociodemographic disadvantage, and political characteristics. Methods U.S. state laws regarding school PE time, staffing, curriculum, fitness assessment, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in 2012 were classified as strong/specific, weak/nonspecific, or none based on codified law ratings within the Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (C.L.A.S.S.). Laws were merged with state-level data from multiple sources. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between state characteristics and PE laws (N=51). Results Laws with specific PE and MVPA time requirements and evidence-based curriculum standards were more likely in states with low academic performance and in states with sociodemographically disadvantaged populations. School day length was positively associated with enacting a PE curriculum that referenced evidence-based standards. School funding and political characteristics were not associated with PE laws. Conclusions Limited time and high-stakes testing requirements force schools to prioritize academic programs, posing barriers to state passage of specific PE laws. To facilitate PE policy enactment, it may be necessary to provide evidence of how PE policies can be implemented within existing time and staffing structures. PMID:25230368

Correlates of state enactment of elementary school physical education laws.

PubMed

Monnat, Shannon M; Lounsbery, Monica A F; Smith, Nicole J

2014-12-01

To describe variation in U.S. state elementary school physical education (PE) policies and to assess associations between state PE policy enactment and education funding, academic achievement, sociodemographic disadvantage, and political characteristics. U.S. state laws regarding school PE time, staffing, curriculum, fitness assessment, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in 2012 were classified as strong/specific, weak/nonspecific, or none based on codified law ratings within the Classification of Laws Associated with School Students (C.L.A.S.S.). Laws were merged with state-level data from multiple sources. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between state characteristics and PE laws (N=51). Laws with specific PE and MVPA time requirements and evidence-based curriculum standards were more likely in states with low academic performance and in states with sociodemographically disadvantaged populations. School day length was positively associated with enacting a PE curriculum that referenced evidence-based standards. School funding and political characteristics were not associated with PE laws. Limited time and high-stake testing requirements force schools to prioritize academic programs, posing barriers to state passage of specific PE laws. To facilitate PE policy enactment, it may be necessary to provide evidence on how PE policies can be implemented within existing time and staffing structures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The impact of the State Children's Health Insurance Program's unborn child ruling expansions on foreign-born Latina prenatal care and birth outcomes, 2000-2007.

PubMed

Drewry, Jonathan; Sen, Bisakha; Wingate, Martha; Bronstein, Janet; Foster, E Michael; Kotelchuck, Milton

2015-07-01

The 2002 "unborn child ruling" resulted in State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansion for states to cover prenatal care for low-income women without health insurance. Foreign-born Latinas who do not qualify for Medicaid coverage theoretically should have benefited most from the policy ruling given their documented low rates of prenatal care utilization. This study compares prenatal care utilization and subsequent birth outcomes among foreign-born Latinas in six states that used the unborn child ruling to expand coverage to those in ten states that did not implement the expansion. This policy analysis examines cross-sectional pooled US natality data from the pre-enactment years (2000-2003) versus post-enactment years (2004-2007) to estimate the effect of the UCR on prenatal care utilization and birth outcome measures for foreign-born Latinas. Then using a difference-in-difference estimator, we assessed these differences across time for states that did or did not enact the unborn child ruling. Analyses were then replicated on a high-risk subset of the population (single foreign-born Latinas with lower levels of education). The SCHIP unborn child ruling policy expansion increased PNCU over time in the six enacting states. Foreign-born Latinas in expansion enacting states experienced increases in prenatal care utilization though only the high-risk subset were statistically significant. Birth outcomes did not change. The SCHIP unborn child ruling policy was associated with enhanced PNC for a subset of high-risk foreign-born Latinas.

Police-community safety and trust.

PubMed

Williams, Rich

2017-08-01

(1)In 2017 alone, 46 states have enacted over 270 laws affecting policing. (2) At least six states have enacted laws to train the public on their rights and expectations during police interactions. (3) Police are increasingly partnering with health care professionals to more safely respond to mental health and substance use disorders.

Preventing tobacco-caused cancer: a call to action.

PubMed

Orleans, C T

1995-11-01

Nicotine addiction is the most common serious medical problem in the country. Tobacco use is responsible for 30% of cancer deaths in the United States and 90% of all lung cancer deaths. The physical addiction to nicotine explains why over 30% of Americans continue to smoke or use tobacco despite their desires and efforts to quit. The testimony summarized in this paper recommends four broad strategies for preventing tobacco-caused cancers in the United States: a) mandating and reimbursing effective treatments for nicotine addiction; b) increasing Federal and state tobacco excise taxes and earmarking a fraction of tax revenues for tobacco prevention and cessation; c) enacting other policy changes to prevent tobacco use and addiction among children, including expanded clean indoor air legislation, comprehensive youth tobacco access legislation, and the regulation of tobacco products and their advertising and promotion; and d) expanding tobacco control research and critical Federal research support. Specific recommendations are given for each broad strategy.

Continuing education requirements among State Occupational Therapy Regulatory Boards in the United States of America.

PubMed

Hall, Savannah R; Crifasi, Kristen A; Marinelli, Christina M; Yuen, Hon K

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast the contents of each state's occupational therapy (OT) regulatory board requirements regarding licensees' acquisition of continuing education units in the United States of America. Data related to continuing education requirements from each OT regulatory board of all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the United States were reviewed and categorized by two reviewers. Analysis was conducted based on the categorization of the continuing education requirements and activities required, allowed, and not allowed/not mentioned for continuing education units. Findings revealed non-uniformity and inconsistency of continuing education requirements for licensure renewal between OT regulatory boards and was coupled with lack of specific criteria for various continuing education activities. Continuing education requirements were not tailored to meet the needs of individual licensee's current and anticipated professional role and job responsibilities, with a negative bias towards presentation and publication allowed for continuing education units. Few boards mandated continuing education topics on ethics related to OT practice within each renewal cycle. OT regulatory boards should move towards unifying the reporting format of continuing education requirements across all states to reduce ambiguity and to ensure licensees are equipped to provide ethical and competent practice. Efforts could be made to enact continuing education requirements specific to the primary role of a particular licensee. Finally, assigning the amount of continuing education credits to be awarded for different activities should be based on research evidence rather than arbitrary determination.

A comprehensive review of state laws governing Internet and other delivery sales of cigarettes in the United States.

PubMed

Chriqui, Jamie F; Ribisl, Kurt M; Wallace, Raedell M; Williams, Rebecca S; O'Connor, Jean C; el Arculli, Regina

2008-02-01

All U.S. states regulate face-to-face tobacco sales at retail outlets. However, the recent growth of delivery sales of tobacco products by Internet and mail-order vendors has prompted new state regulations focused on preventing youth access and tax evasion. To date, there are no comprehensive and systematic analyses of these laws. The objectives of this study were to: (a) document the historical enactment of the laws; (b) assess the nature and extent of the laws; and (c) examine the relationship between the presence of laws and state tobacco control policy and other contextual variables. Between 1992 and 2006, 34 states (67%) enacted a relevant law, with 27 states' laws (45%) effective between 2003 and 2006. Five states banned direct-to-consumer shipment of cigarettes. The remaining 29 states' laws included a combination of requirements addressing minimum age/ID, payment issues, shipping, vendor licensure and related issues, tax collection/remittance, and penalties/enforcement. States with delivery sales laws have stronger youth tobacco access policies and state tobacco control environments, as well as higher state cigarette excise tax rates and revenue, past-month cigarette use rates, and perceptions of risk of use by adolescents. This paper provides the policy context for understanding Internet and other cigarette delivery sales laws in the U.S. It also provides a systematic framework for ongoing policy surveillance and will contribute to future analyses of the impact of these laws on successfully reducing youth access to cigarettes and preventing tax evasion.

The Fiscal Impact of Tax-Credit Scholarships in Montana. School Choice Issues in the State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottlob, Brian

2009-01-01

Many states have enacted or are considering proposals to give tax credits for contributions that provide tuition scholarships for students in K-12 schools to attend the private or public schools of their choice. This study seeks to inform the public and policymakers about the implications for Montana if the state were to enact such a program. The…

Voyage to the Dark Side: The Tortured Path of United States’ Detainee Interrogation Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-13

against cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment under this section. (c) Limitation on Supersedure .--The provisions of this section...this section. (c) Limitation on Supersedure .--The provisions of this section shall not be superseded, except by a provision of law enacted after the...University Press, New York, New York 2006) 35-83. 417 David Butler , “The Power of TV Torture,” The Associated Press, Reading Eagle, 18 February 2007, E8. 87

An Analysis of Contracting Actions by United States Based Department of Defense Organizations to Support Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-09-01

suggest that certain regulations should be considered for changes or waivers that go into effect during military contingencies. Also, there are...within the DOD to contractually support ODS has the potential to aid in educating contracting professionals to effectively and efficiently support a...operations to free Kuwait by enacting sanctions against Iraq. Only when it 10 became apparent that the sanctions were having no effect were military

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction: Quarterly Report and Semiannual Report to the United States Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-30

enacted November 14, 2005 • P.L. 109-148, Department of Defense, Emergency Supplemental Appropria- tions To Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico ...CEFMS IRRF NON- CONSTRUCTION THROUGH JUNE 2007 4256 W91GET-07-C-0301-NA-0001 FALCON SECURITY LTD *URI#27076* PROVIDE PERSONNEL ADN EQUIPMENT WITH... TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING EQUIPMENT FOR CTRS NC-EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT AND MODERNIZATION NON-CONSTRUCTION $1,363,058.43 $1,363,058.43 $0.00 CEFMS IRRF NON

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Quarterly and Semiannual Report to the United States Congress

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-30

of Mexico , and Pandemic Influenza Act, 2006, enacted December 30, 2005 • P.L. 109-234, The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense...1,561,750.00 $0.00 CEFMS IRRF NON- CONSTRUCTION THROUGH JUNE 2007 4256 W91GET-07-C-0301-NA-0001 FALCON SECURITY LTD *URI#27076* PROVIDE PERSONNEL ADN EQUIPMENT... TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING EQUIPMENT FOR CTRS NC-EQUIPMENT PROCUREMENT AND MODERNIZATION NON-CONSTRUCTION $1,363,058.43 $1,363,058.43 $0.00 CEFMS IRRF

A resolution recognizing the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C. 10601 et seq.) and the substantial contributions to the Crime Victims Fund made through the criminal prosecutions conducted by United States Attorneys' offices and other components of the Department of Justice.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID

2010-01-21

Senate - 01/21/2010 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

A resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the date of enactment of the law that created real estate investment trusts (REITs) and gave millions of Americans new investment opportunities that helped them build a solid foundation for retirement and has contributed to the overall strength of the economy of the United States.

THOMAS, 112th Congress

Sen. Isakson, Johnny [R-GA

2011-02-17

Senate - 02/17/2011 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

A bill supporting the mission and goals of 2009 National Crime Victim's Rights Week, to increase public awareness of the rights, needs, and concerns of victims and survivors of crime in the United States, and to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the enactment of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY

2009-03-31

Senate - 04/30/2009 Resolution agreed to in Senate with an amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status Agreed to in SenateHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Higher Education: More Information Could Help Education Determine the Extent to Which Eligible Servicemembers Serving on Active Duty Benefited from Relief Provided by Lenders and Schools. Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-07-11

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ashby, Cornelia M.

2006-01-01

Since September 11, 2001, over 1.3 million members of the armed forces have been deployed in service to the United States. Congress enacted the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act to recognize the needs of those servicemembers who are deployed in the midst of pursuing postsecondary education or repaying student loans.…

Universal Health Insurance Coverage in Massachusetts Did Not Change the Trajectory of Arthroplasty Use or Costs.

PubMed

Kurtz, Steven M; Lau, Edmund; Ong, Kevin L; Katz, Jeffrey N; Bozic, Kevin J

2016-05-01

The state of Massachusetts enacted universal health insurance in 2006. However it is unknown whether the increased access to care resulted in changes to surgical use or costs. We asked the following related research questions: compared with the United States as a whole, how did the (1) number of cases (as a percentage of the overall population, to account for changes in the overall population during the time surveyed), (2) payer mix, and (3) inpatient costs for arthroplasty change in Massachusetts after introduction of health insurance reform? We analyzed the use and cost of primary THAs and TKAs in Massachusetts using the State Inpatient Database (SID) between 2002 and 2011 compared with the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) during the same years. The SID captures 100% of inpatient procedures in Massachusetts, while the NIS is a nationally representative database of inpatient procedures for the United States. The SID and NIS are publicly available data sources from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and include information regarding procedure volumes, payer mixes, and costs. Inpatient costs were defined similarly in both databases by using hospital charges and an average cost-to-charge ratio that is unique for each hospital. The incidence of arthroplasties was calculated by dividing the procedure volume by the relevant population (either for Massachusetts or the entire country) based on public data from the United States Census bureau. The incidence of THAs and TKAs performed in Massachusetts increased steadily throughout the study period, and paralleled a similar increase in the United States as a whole. In Massachusetts, the incidence of THAs increased by 59% between 2002 and 2011, and the incidence of TKAs likewise increased by 80%. The trends for the incidence in total joint arthroplasties were similar to those for Massachusetts for the United States as a whole. The period of health insurance reform in Massachusetts was associated with a greater proportion of patients covered by Medicaid, Commonwealth Care, or Health Safety Net for THAs and TKAs. By 2011, universal health insurance in Massachusetts covered 2.45% of primary THAs and 2.77% of primary TKAs. Coverage for Medicaid in Massachusetts increased from 3.23% and 3.04% of THAs and TKAs in 2002 to 4.06% and 4.34% respectively in 2011. On average, Medicaid coverage was greater for TKAs in Massachusetts than across the United States during the study period. The introduction of health insurance reform had a minimal effect on the cost of total joint arthroplasties in Massachusetts. Although the costs of total joint arthroplasties in the United States were higher than those in Massachusetts, this difference narrowed substantially from 2002 to 2011, with the Massachusetts cost trending upward and the overall United States cost trending downward. Despite extending insurance coverage to the entire state of Massachusetts, there was little change in actual utilization trends for joint replacement. The enactment of universal health insurance coverage in Massachusetts appears to have been a nonevent insofar as the use and cost of total hip and knee surgeries is concerned in the state. Factors other than health insurance reform appear to be driving the growth in demand for arthroplasties in Massachusetts and are likely to do so as well in the United States under the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Colombia Country Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2016-01-01

Colombia is South America's largest coal producer, and the region's third-largest oil producer after Venezuela and Brazil. In 2015, Colombia was the world's fifth-largest coal exporter. The country is also a significant oil exporter, ranking as the fifth-largest crude oil exporter to the United States in 2015. A series of regulatory reforms enacted in 2003 makes the oil and natural gas sector more attractive to foreign investors led to an increase in Colombian oil and natural gas production. The Colombian government implemented a partial privatization of state oil company Ecopetrol (formerly known as Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos S.A.) in an attempt to revive its upstream oil industry.

The impact of child welfare legislation on domestic violence-related homicide rates.

PubMed

Dasgupta, Kabir; Pacheco, Gail

2018-05-01

State-specific statutes providing legal consequences for perpetrating domestic violence in the presence of a child have been enacted across the United States between 1996 and 2012. This paper examines the impact of this child welfare legislation, using a difference-in-differences approach. We find a significant drop in domestic violence-related homicide rates, when considering a wide range of victim-offender relationships. However, this result does not hold for marital homicides, suggesting that for this subpopulation, the risk of reprisal and consequent reduction in reporting may be counterbalancing the hypothesized deterrent impacts of the legislation. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Impact of Arizona’s SB 1070 Immigration Law on Utilization of Health Care and Public Assistance Among Mexican-Origin Adolescent Mothers and Their Mother Figures

PubMed Central

Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J.; Williams, David R.; Harvey-Mendoza, Elizabeth; Jahromi, Laudan B.; Updegraff, Kimberly A.

2014-01-01

Objectives. We examined the impact of Arizona’s “Supporting Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” (SB 1070, enacted July 29, 2010) on the utilization of preventive health care and public assistance among Mexican-origin families. Methods. Data came from 142 adolescent mothers and 137 mother figures who participated in a quasi-experimental, ongoing longitudinal study of the health and development of Mexican-origin adolescent mothers and their infants (4 waves; March 2007–December 2011). We used general estimating equations to determine whether utilization of preventive health care and public assistance differed before versus after SB 1070’s enactment. Results. Adolescents reported declines in use of public assistance and were less likely to take their baby to the doctor; compared with older adolescents, younger adolescents were less likely to use preventive health care after SB 1070. Mother figures were less likely to use public assistance after SB 1070 if they were born in the United States and if their post–SB 1070 interview was closer to the law’s enactment. Conclusions. Findings suggest that immigration policies such as SB 1070 may contribute to decreases in use of preventive health care and public assistance among high-risk populations. PMID:24354823

Medical Cannabis Laws and Opioid Analgesic Overdose Mortality in the United States, 1999–2010

PubMed Central

Bachhuber, Marcus A.; Saloner, Brendan; Cunningham, Chinazo O.; Barry, Colleen L.

2015-01-01

IMPORTANCE Opioid analgesic overdose mortality continues to rise in the United States, driven by increases in prescribing for chronic pain. Because chronic pain is a major indication for medical cannabis, laws that establish access to medical cannabis may change overdose mortality related to opioid analgesics in states that have enacted them. OBJECTIVE To determine the association between the presence of state medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A time-series analysis was conducted of medical cannabis laws and state-level death certificate data in the United States from 1999 to 2010; all 50 states were included. EXPOSURES Presence of a law establishing a medical cannabis program in the state. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Age-adjusted opioid analgesic overdose death rate per 100 000 population in each state. Regression models were developed including state and year fixed effects, the presence of 3 different policies regarding opioid analgesics, and the state-specific unemployment rate. RESULTS Three states (California, Oregon, and Washington) had medical cannabis laws effective prior to 1999. Ten states (Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Vermont) enacted medical cannabis laws between 1999 and 2010. States with medical cannabis laws had a 24.8% lower mean annual opioid overdose mortality rate (95% CI, −37.5% to −9.5%; P = .003) compared with states without medical cannabis laws. Examination of the association between medical cannabis laws and opioid analgesic overdose mortality in each year after implementation of the law showed that such laws were associated with a lower rate of overdose mortality that generally strengthened over time: year 1 (−19.9%; 95% CI, −30.6% to −7.7%; P = .002), year 2 (−25.2%; 95% CI, −40.6% to −5.9%; P = .01), year 3 (−23.6%; 95% CI, −41.1% to −1.0%; P = .04), year 4 (−20.2%; 95% CI, −33.6% to −4.0%; P = .02), year 5 (−33.7%; 95% CI, −50.9% to −10.4%; P = .008), and year 6 (−33.3%; 95% CI, −44.7% to −19.6%; P < .001). In secondary analyses, the findings remained similar. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Medical cannabis laws are associated with significantly lower state-level opioid overdose mortality rates. Further investigation is required to determine how medical cannabis laws may interact with policies aimed at preventing opioid analgesic overdose. PMID:25154332

76 FR 54005 - Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-30

... White, J. (and three other justices)). In 1991, after the Board enacted a rule involving health care... care rule in AHA. There, the Court found that even if it read Section 9 to find any ambiguity, it still... Board authorized under Sections 6 and 9 to enact the health care bargaining unit rule at issue.\\41\\ No...

Teachers as Policy Actors: Co-Creating and Enacting Critical Inquiry in Secondary Health and Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfrey, Laura; O'Connor, Justen; Jeanes, Ruth

2017-01-01

Background: Critical inquiry approaches have been presented as one way of enhancing relevance in school-based education, and there have been calls from academia for its systematic use within health and physical education (HPE). Purpose: This research explored how three Secondary HPE teachers coconstructed and enacted a unit of work (Take Action)…

Implementing smoking bans in American hospitals: results of a national survey

PubMed Central

Longo, D.; Feldman, M.; Kruse, R.; Brownson, R.; Petroski, G.; Hewett, J.

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVES—To determine how well hospitals complied with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) tobacco control standards, which required banning smoking in hospital buildings; to explore issues involved in developing and implementing smoking bans; and to ascertain the perceived success of the policies.
DESIGN—Postal survey conducted January through June 1994.
PARTICIPANTS—Stratified random sample of American hospitals surveyed by JCAHO (n = 1055).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES—Enacting smoking policies more restrictive than the JCAHO standard; the respondent's judgment of the relative success of the hospital's smoking policy.
RESULTS—More than 96% of hospitals complied with the smoking ban standard; 41.4% enacted policies that were more restrictive than required by JCAHO. Several characteristics were associated with exceeding JCAHO requirements: location in a "non-tobacco state"; having fewer than 100 beds; location in a metropolitan statistical area; having unionised employees; and having no psychiatric or substance abuse unit, favour having the same tobacco policy in psychiatry and substance abuse units as the rest of the hospital. More than 95% of respondents viewed their hospital's policy as successful. The JCAHO requirements and concern for employees' health were the major forces influencing hospitals to go smoke-free. Negative employee morale and lack of acceptance by visitors and patients were the most commonly cited barriers to overcome when implementing smoke-free policies.
CONCLUSIONS—Smoking bans were successfully implemented in American hospitals, with many restricting smoking beyond the JCAHO standard. Other industries wishing to follow hospitals' lead would be most likely to succeed in the context of a social norm favouring a smoking ban and regulation by an outside agency.


Keywords: smoke-free worksites; hospitals; United States PMID:9706754

Healing the victim, the young offender, and the community via restorative justice: an international perspective.

PubMed

Goren, S

2001-03-01

The 1990s saw the enactment of much "get tough with young offenders" legislation in the United States. At the same, problems with our present punishment and treatment model, in which many youngsters cycle repeatedly through the justice and mental health systems, raised interest in restorative justice, a community-based alternative model emphasizing a balanced, negotiated approach to the needs of victims, offenders, and the community. After summarizing the philosophical bases underlying both models, this article describes the practice of restorative justice in New Zealand, where it was pioneered. Restorative justice has special relevance for Maori community in New Zealand and minority communities in the United States, where youth are consistently overrepresented in the courts, detention centers, and jails, and in which the juvenile justice system is seen as hostile and biased. Outcome data from New Zealand and early outcome research from the United States suggest that the restorative model, in which offenses are understood as a breakdown in social bonds, offers a hopeful alternative for offending youngsters, their families, and their communities.

Accidental introductions are an important source of invasive plants in the continental United States.

PubMed

Lehan, Nora E; Murphy, Julia R; Thorburn, Lukas P; Bradley, Bethany A

2013-07-01

Preventing new plant invasions is critical for reducing large-scale ecological change. Most studies have focused on the deliberate introduction of nonnatives via the ornamental plant trade. However, accidental introduction may be an important source of nonnative, invasive plants. Using Web and literature searches, we compiled pathways of introduction to the United States for 1112 nonnative plants identified as invasive in the continental United States. We assessed how the proportion of accidentally and deliberately introduced invasive plants varies over time and space and by growth habit across the lower 48 states. Deliberate introductions of ornamentals are the primary source of invasive plants in the United States, but accidental introductions through seed contaminants are an important secondary source. Invasive forbs and grasses are the most likely to have arrived accidentally through seed contaminants, while almost all nonnative, invasive trees were introduced deliberately. Nonnative plants invading eastern states primarily arrived deliberately as ornamentals, while a high proportion of invasive plants in western states arrived accidentally as seed contaminants. Accidental introductions may be increasing in importance through time. Before 1850, 10 of 89 (11%) of invasive plants arrived accidentally. After 1900, 20 of 65 (31%) arrived accidentally. Recently enacted screening protocols and weed risk assessments aim to reduce the number of potentially invasive species arriving to the United States via deliberate introduction pathways. Increasing proportions of accidentally introduced invasive plants, particularly associated with contaminated seed imports across the western states, suggest that accidental introduction pathways also need to be considered in future regulatory decisions.

Formal Policy and Enacted Practices at Regional Public Universities: The Orientation and Practices of Recruitment Professionals at the California State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luca, Sandra Guillen

2010-01-01

This study examined the work experiences of individuals who perform recruitment activities for the California State University. Based at four campus settings, the objectives were to: (1) analyze the ways in which professionals regard and enact system-wide and institutional enrollment management policies; (2) explore their professional orientations…

An analysis of state legislation on community trails.

PubMed

Eyler, Amy; Lankford, Tina; Chriqui, Jamie; Evenson, Kelly R; Kruger, Judy; Tompkins, Nancy; Voorhees, Carolyn; Zieff, Susan; Aytur, Semra; Brownson, Ross

2010-03-01

Trails provide opportunities for recreation, transportation and activity. The purpose of this article is to describe state legislation related to community trails, to analyze legislation content, and to evaluate legislation on inclusion of evidence-informed elements. State trail legislation from 2001 to 2008 was identified using online legislative databases. An analysis of evidence-informed elements included in the legislation was conducted. These elements included: funding, liability, accessibility, connectivity, and maintenance. Of the total 991 trail bills, 516 (52.0%) were appropriations bills, of which 167 (32.2%) were enacted. We analyzed 475 (48%) nonappropriation trail bills of which 139 (29.3%) were enacted. The percentage of enactment of appropriations bills decreased over time while enactment of nonappropriations trail bills increased. Over half of the nonappropriations trail bills included at least 1 evidence-informed element, most commonly funding. Few bills contained liability, connectivity, accessibility, or maintenance. There is opportunity for providing evidence-informed information to policy-makers to potentially influence bill content. The number of bills with a funding element demonstrates that fiscal support for trails is an important policy lever that state legislatures may use to support trails. Lastly, trails should be considered in over-all state-level physical activity legislation to provide opportunities for communities to be active.

Advancing public health obesity policy through state attorneys general.

PubMed

Pomeranz, Jennifer L; Brownell, Kelly D

2011-03-01

Obesity in the United States exacts a heavy health and financial toll, requiring new approaches to address this public health crisis. State attorneys general have been underutilized in efforts to formulate and implement food and obesity policy solutions. Their authority lies at the intersection of law and public policy, creating unique opportunities unavailable to other officials and government entities. Attorneys general have a broad range of authority over matters specifically relevant to obesity and nutrition policy, including parens patriae (parent of the country) authority, protecting consumer interests, enacting and supporting rules and regulations, working together across states, engaging in consumer education, and drafting opinions and amicus briefs. Significant room exists for greater attorney general involvement in formulating and championing solutions to public health problems such as obesity.

Advancing Public Health Obesity Policy Through State Attorneys General

PubMed Central

Brownell, Kelly D.

2011-01-01

Obesity in the United States exacts a heavy health and financial toll, requiring new approaches to address this public health crisis. State attorneys general have been underutilized in efforts to formulate and implement food and obesity policy solutions. Their authority lies at the intersection of law and public policy, creating unique opportunities unavailable to other officials and government entities. Attorneys general have a broad range of authority over matters specifically relevant to obesity and nutrition policy, including parens patriae (parent of the country) authority, protecting consumer interests, enacting and supporting rules and regulations, working together across states, engaging in consumer education, and drafting opinions and amicus briefs. Significant room exists for greater attorney general involvement in formulating and championing solutions to public health problems such as obesity. PMID:21233428

A summary of public access defibrillation laws, United States, 2010.

PubMed

Gilchrist, Siobhan; Schieb, Linda; Mukhtar, Qaiser; Valderrama, Amy; Zhang, Guangyu; Yoon, Paula; Schooley, Michael

2012-01-01

On average, less than 8% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survive. However, death from sudden cardiac arrest is preventable if a bystander quickly retrieves and applies an automated external defibrillator (AED). Public access defibrillation (PAD) policies have been enacted to create programs that increase the public availability of these devices. The objective of this study was to describe each state's legal requirements for recommended PAD program elements. We reviewed state laws and described the extent to which 13 PAD program elements are mandated in each state. No jurisdiction requires all 13 PAD program elements, 18% require at least 10 elements, and 31% require 3 or fewer elements. All jurisdictions provide some level of immunity to AED users, 60% require PAD maintenance, 59% require emergency medical service notification, 55% impose training requirements, and 41% require medical oversight. Few jurisdictions require a quality improvement process. PAD programs in many states are at risk of failure because critical elements such as maintenance, medical oversight, emergency medical service notification, and continuous quality improvement are not required. Policy makers should consider strengthening PAD policies by enacting laws that can reduce the time from collapse to shock, such as requiring the strategic placement of AEDs in high-risk locations or mandatory PAD registries that are coordinated with local EMS and dispatch centers. Further research is needed to identify the most effective PAD policies for increasing AED use by lay persons and improving survival rates.

The Design and Enactment of Modeling Tasks: A Study on the Development of Modeling Abilities in A Secondary Mathematics Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buhrman, Danielle

2017-01-01

This study uses components of action and self-study research to examine the design and enactment of modeling tasks with the goal of developing student modeling abilities. The author, a secondary mathematics teacher, first closely examined the curriculum design and instructional decisions she made as she prepared for a unit on mathematical modeling…

"She's Always Been the Smart One. I've Always Been the Dumb One": Identities in the Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Jessica Pierson

2012-01-01

The moment-to-moment dynamics of student discourse plays a large role in students' enacted mathematics identities. Discourse analysis was used to describe meaningful discursive patterns in the interactions of 2 students in a 7th-grade, technology-based, curricular unit (SimCalc MathWorlds[R]) and to show how mathematics identities are enacted at…

Privacy of genetic information: a review of the laws in the United States.

PubMed

Fuller, B; Ip, M

2001-01-01

This paper examines the privacy of genetic information and the laws in the United States designed to protect genetic privacy. While all 50 states have laws protecting the privacy of health information, there are many states that have additional laws that carve out additional protections specifically for genetic information. The majority of the individual states have enacted legislation to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of genetic information, and most of this legislation also has provisions to protect the privacy of genetic information. On the Federal level, there has been no antidiscrimination or genetic privacy legislation. Secretary Donna Shalala of the Department of Health and Human Services has issued proposed regulations to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information. These regulations encompass individually identifiable health information and do not make specific provisions for genetic information. The variety of laws regarding genetic privacy, some found in statutes to protect health information and some found in statutes to prevent genetic discrimination, presents challenges to those charged with administering and executing these laws.

Legalman/Legal Clerk Study Guide

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

law includes those laws passed or enacted by the various legislative bodies such as Congress or state legislatures. 2o These laws come from the...report the laws or cases within the jurisdiction of the legislative body that enacted the statute. For example, there is a federal statute which...statutes enacted by our Congress or other legislative bodies, or administrative law. 3. "Secondary Authority" is not "the law" itself but instead

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that gun violence is a public health issue and Congress should enact by the end of the 113th Congress comprehensive Federal legislation that protects the Second Amendment and keeps communities safe and healthy, including expanding enforceable background checks for all commercial gun sales, improving the mental health system in the United States, and making gun trafficking and straw purchasing a Federal crime.

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47

2014-01-29

House - 03/20/2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

A Comprehensive Review of State Laws Governing Internet and Other Delivery Sales of Cigarettes in the USA

PubMed Central

Chriqui, Jamie F.; Ribisl, Kurt M.; Wallace, Raedell M.; Williams, Rebecca S.; O’Connor, Jean C.; el Arculli, Regina

2014-01-01

All U.S. states regulate face-to-face tobacco sales at retail outlets. However, the recent growth of delivery sales of tobacco products by Internet and mail order vendors has prompted new state regulations focused on preventing youth access and tax evasion. To date, there are no comprehensive and systematic analyses of these laws. The objectives of this study were to: (1) document the historical enactment of the laws; (2) assess the nature and extent of the laws; and (3) conduct preliminary analyses to examine the relationship between states with laws and other factors that might predict enactment of or be impacted by these laws. Between 1995 and 2006, thirty-four states (67%) enacted a relevant law, with 23 states’ laws (45%) enacted between 2003 and 2006. Four states banned direct-to-consumer shipment of cigarettes. The remaining 30 states’ laws included a combination of requirements addressing minimum age/ID, payment issues, shipping, vendor licensure and related issues, tax collection/remittance, and penalties/enforcement. States with delivery sales laws also have stronger state excise tax rates, youth access to tobacco policies, and state tobacco control environments as well as higher cigarette excise tax revenue, past month cigarette use rates, and perceptions of risk of use by adolescents. This paper provides the policy context for understanding Internet and other cigarette delivery sales laws in the U.S. It also provides a systematic framework for ongoing policy surveillance and will contribute to future analyses of the impact of these laws on successfully reducing youth access to cigarettes and preventing tax evasion. PMID:18236290

24 CFR 511.11 - Project requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... utility hook-ups are permanent; (iii) The unit is designed for use as a permanent residence; (iv) The unit... that was enacted and in effect in the jurisdiction before November 30, 1983 and (ii) Apply generally to...

24 CFR 511.11 - Project requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... utility hook-ups are permanent; (iii) The unit is designed for use as a permanent residence; (iv) The unit... that was enacted and in effect in the jurisdiction before November 30, 1983 and (ii) Apply generally to...

Impact of point-of-sale tobacco display bans: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey

PubMed Central

Li, Lin; Borland, Ron; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Thrasher, James F.; Hammond, David; Cummings, Kenneth M.

2013-01-01

This study examined the impact of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco marketing restrictions in Australia and Canada, in relation to the United Kingdom and the United States where there were no such restrictions during the study period (2006–10). The data came from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey, a prospective multi-country cohort survey of adult smokers. In jurisdictions where POS display bans were implemented, smokers’ reported exposure to tobacco marketing declined markedly. From 2006 to 2010, in Canada, the percentages noticing POS tobacco displays declined from 74.1 to 6.1% [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.26, P < 0.001]; and reported exposure to POS tobacco advertising decreased from 40.3 to 14.1% (adjusted OR = 0.61, P < 0.001). Similarly, in Australia, noticing of POS displays decreased from 73.9 to 42.9%. In contrast, exposure to POS marketing in the United States and United Kingdom remained high during this period. In parallel, there were declines in reported exposures to other forms of advertising/promotion in Canada and Australia, but again, not in the United States or United Kingdom. Impulse purchasing of cigarettes was lower in places that enacted POS display bans. These findings indicate that implementing POS tobacco display bans does result in lower exposure to tobacco marketing and less frequent impulse purchasing of cigarettes. PMID:23640986

Impact of point-of-sale tobacco display bans: findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Li, Lin; Borland, Ron; Fong, Geoffrey T; Thrasher, James F; Hammond, David; Cummings, Kenneth M

2013-10-01

This study examined the impact of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco marketing restrictions in Australia and Canada, in relation to the United Kingdom and the United States where there were no such restrictions during the study period (2006-10). The data came from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey, a prospective multi-country cohort survey of adult smokers. In jurisdictions where POS display bans were implemented, smokers' reported exposure to tobacco marketing declined markedly. From 2006 to 2010, in Canada, the percentages noticing POS tobacco displays declined from 74.1 to 6.1% [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.26, P < 0.001]; and reported exposure to POS tobacco advertising decreased from 40.3 to 14.1% (adjusted OR = 0.61, P < 0.001). Similarly, in Australia, noticing of POS displays decreased from 73.9 to 42.9%. In contrast, exposure to POS marketing in the United States and United Kingdom remained high during this period. In parallel, there were declines in reported exposures to other forms of advertising/promotion in Canada and Australia, but again, not in the United States or United Kingdom. Impulse purchasing of cigarettes was lower in places that enacted POS display bans. These findings indicate that implementing POS tobacco display bans does result in lower exposure to tobacco marketing and less frequent impulse purchasing of cigarettes.

Child-Resistant Packaging for E-Liquid: A Review of US State Legislation.

PubMed

Frey, Leslie T; Tilburg, William C

2016-02-01

A growing number of states have introduced or enacted legislation requiring child-resistant packaging for e-liquid containers; however, these laws involve varying terms, packaging standards, and enforcement provisions, raising concerns about their effectiveness. We evaluated bills against 4 benchmarks: broad product definitions that contemplate future developments in the market, citations to a specific packaging standard, stated penalties for violations, and express grants of authority to a state entity to enforce the packaging requirements. Our findings showed that 3 states meet all 4 benchmarks in their enacted legislation. We encourage states to consider these benchmarks when revising statutes or drafting future legislation.

Child-Resistant Packaging for E-Liquid: A Review of US State Legislation

PubMed Central

Tilburg, William C.

2016-01-01

A growing number of states have introduced or enacted legislation requiring child-resistant packaging for e-liquid containers; however, these laws involve varying terms, packaging standards, and enforcement provisions, raising concerns about their effectiveness. We evaluated bills against 4 benchmarks: broad product definitions that contemplate future developments in the market, citations to a specific packaging standard, stated penalties for violations, and express grants of authority to a state entity to enforce the packaging requirements. Our findings showed that 3 states meet all 4 benchmarks in their enacted legislation. We encourage states to consider these benchmarks when revising statutes or drafting future legislation. PMID:26691114

Political processes and variation in renewable energy policies between U.S. states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasseur, Michael

Over the past forty years federal efforts at renewable energy policy in the United States have been fragmented and are largely stalled. This is much different from U.S. states, which enact a diverse array of renewable energy policies. What factors explain this subnational variation? Addressing this question requires moving past the standard model of binary policy adoption that dominates studies of renewable energy policy. In its place I provide analyses of multifaceted policy outcomes, and also include predictors from a more inclusive view of politics than the standard economic and political interest factors. These additions to the standard energy policy model shed light not just on when states take policy action, but also on the content of the policies states ultimately adopt. In this dissertation I argue that different combinations of state-level political and economic characteristics influence policy adoption and policy content, a fact that is obscured by analysis of only binary policy action. I demonstrate this through three empirical projects that utilize an original longitudinal dataset and a variety of quantitative methods. The first project examines the diffusion of two varieties of a single regulatory policy instrument within a political context. I demonstrate that, contrary to most diffusion studies, policy adoption should be thought of as a multifaceted process, with separate factors determining the impetus for action and others shaping the content of the policy. My second project examines the role of economic, political, institutional, and cultural factors on a state's portfolio of policies. This work extends findings from prior literature on tax policies and incorporates institutional and cultural accounts of policy adoption into the study of renewable energy policy. I show that state economic and political factors, the predictors in traditional energy policy models, predict policy action but not policy content. Instead it is a state's cultural context, especially an affinity for neo-liberal ideology, which informs the content of the policy a state ultimately enacts. My final empirical project examines what state-level factors predict a state pledging to join a regional cap-and-trade program and how these factors differ for states that take meaningful action and actually enact such a program. I find that in more liberal states cap-and-trade programs can enter the political agenda, but that different political, economic, and ideological factors are associated with actually implementing such a program. In this dissertation I expand understanding of the politics of renewable energy policy by complicating the outcomes examined, and extend and expand prior findings from a variety of subfields within political sociology.

"Can Simple Metals Be Transmuted into Gold?" Teaching Science through a Historical Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mamlok, Rachel; Ben-Zvi, Ruth; Menis, Joseph; Penick, John E.

2000-01-01

Describes the development and enactment of a new teaching unit, "Can simple metals be transmuted into gold?", through an historical approach as well as teacher preparation to teach this unit. (Contains 16 references.) (ASK)

Effectiveness of state-level vaccination mandates: evidence from the varicella vaccine.

PubMed

Abrevaya, Jason; Mulligan, Karen

2011-09-01

This paper utilizes longitudinal data on varicella (chickenpox) immunizations in order to estimate the causal effects of state-level school-entry and daycare-entry immunization mandates within the United States. We find significant causal effects of mandates upon vaccination rates among preschool children aged 19-35 months; these effects appear in the year of mandate adoption, peak two years after adoption, and show a minimal difference from the aggregate trend about six years after adoption. For a mandate enacted in 2000, the model and estimates imply that roughly 20% of the short-run increase in state-level immunization rates was caused by the mandate introduction. We find no evidence of differential effects for different socioeconomic groups. Combined with previous cost-benefit analyses of the varicella vaccine, the estimates suggest that state-level mandates have been effective from an economic standpoint. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Load Management - Methods to Reduce Electric Utilities Peak Loads.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-08-01

for electric utilities.1 The largest impact came in 1978 when the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act ( PURPA ) was enacted which required state...management option. 7 CHAPTER VII CONCLUSION Since PURPA was enacted in 1978, utilities have been required to investigate methods in which to more effectively

Interior building details of Building B, Room B003: enact eight ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

Interior building details of Building B, Room B-003: enact eight light window over four window light door, six window over double three light window and painted west brick wall; westerly view - San Quentin State Prison, Building 22, Point San Quentin, San Quentin, Marin County, CA

Comparison of Orthodontic Medicaid Funding in the United States 2006 to 2015.

PubMed

Minick, Gerald; Tilliss, Terri; Shellhart, W Craig; Newman, Sheldon M; Carey, Clifton M; Horne, Andrew; Whitt, Susan; Oesterle, Larry J

2017-01-01

Orthodontic treatment is reimbursed by Medicaid based on orthodontic and financial need with qualifiers determined by individual states. Changes in Medicaid-funded orthodontic treatment following the "Great Recession" in 2007 and the enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 were compared for the 50 United States and the District of Columbia to better understand disparities in access to care. The results from this 2015 survey were compared to data gathered in 2006 (1). Medicaid officials were contacted by email, telephone, or postal mail regarding the age limit for treatment, practitioner type who can determine eligibility and provide treatment, records required for case review, and rate and frequency of reimbursement. When not attained by direct contact, the information was gleaned from online websites, provider manuals, and state orthodontists. Information gathered from 50 states and the District of Columbia documents that Medicaid program characteristics and expenditures continue to vary by state. Expenditures and reimbursement rates have decreased since 2006 and vary widely by geographic region. Some states have tightened restrictions on qualifiers and increased submission requirements by providers. The variation and lack of uniformity that still exists among Medicaid orthodontic programs in different states creates disparities in orthodontic care for US citizens. Barriers to care for Medicaid-funded orthodontic treatment have increased since 2006.

Design-based science and the transfer of science knowledge and real-world problem-solving skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortus, David Leon

Design-Based Science (DBS) helps students develop new scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills in the context of designing artifacts. This pedagogy was developed as a response to the potential problem of transfer of knowledge from academic settings to extra classroom environments. This dissertation describes DBS in detail and attempts to answer three questions: (1) Do DBS curricula support students' efforts to transfer newly constructed science knowledge and 'designerly' skills (Baynes, 1994) to the solution of new real-world design problems in an extra-classroom setting? (2) Do DBS curricula support students' efforts to construct new scientific knowledge? (3) Do DBS curricula support students' efforts to develop 'designerly' problem-solving skills? Ninety-two students attending a public high school serving a working class community participated in the consecutive enactments of three different DBS units over one school year. The analysis of pre- and posttests and of artifacts created by the students demonstrated that substantial knowledge was constructed during each of the enactments, with the tests leading to effect sizes of 2.1 on the first unit, 1.9 on the second, and 2.7 on the third. After each enactment the students solved a new design problem as a transfer task. The transfer tasks were unsequestered, unsupported by the teacher, lasted three days, were done in the school's library, required new learning, and were solved in groups of four. In order to generate an individual measure of transfer, the students responded to an individual post-transfer written test after each transfer task was completed, that assessed their understanding and recollection of the solution their group submitted. For all three units there was a stronger correlation between the individual transfer scores and posttests scores than with pretest scores, indicating that the knowledge and skills that were constructed during the enactments supported the solution of the transfer tasks. The correlations with the posttests increased from one enactment to the next, demonstrating that the students' transfer performance improved as they gained more experience in DBS classrooms. Potential threats to the study's internal validity that were identified and discussed were improved teacher proficiency, the nature of the transfer tasks, the difficulty of the science content covered by the units, the similarity between the units and the transfer tasks, and the similarity between the transfer tasks. This dissertation demonstrates that: (a) appropriate learning environments can foster transfer, (b) transfer performance can improve over time, and (c) that it may be necessary to rethink and redefine the procedures for identifying and assessing real-world transfer.

The Legal Landscape of Concussion: Implications for Sports Medicine Providers.

PubMed

Albano, Andrew W; Senter, Carlin; Adler, Richard H; Herring, Stanley A; Asif, Irfan M

2016-09-01

Concussion legislation has been enacted in all 50 of the United States, aiming to prevent mild traumatic brain injuries and the potential long-term sequelae of these injuries in youth athletics. Sports medicine providers, in addressing this major public health concern, are tasked with adhering to the established standards of medical care while also considering the legal implications. The PubMed (2011-2016) database was searched using the following search terms: concussion, sports concussion, legislation, and concussion legislation. References from consensus statements, review articles, and book chapters were also utilized. Clinical review. Level 4. The Lystedt law and its progeny have increased awareness of the signs and symptoms of sports concussion, but adherence to state legislation can pose some challenges. The presence of concussion legislation places a responsibility on the sports medicine provider to have a firm understanding of the legality of concussion management in the state(s) in which they practice. © 2016 The Author(s).

On the intended and unintended consequences of enhanced U.S. Border and interior immigration enforcement: evidence from Mexican deportees.

PubMed

Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina; Pozo, Susan

2014-12-01

Since about 2000, a number of federal and state policies have been implemented in the United States with the intention of stemming the flow of illegal immigration. In this article, we focus on two initiatives: (1) Operation Streamline, as an example of increased border enforcement by the federal government; and (2) state-level omnibus immigration laws, as an illustration of enhanced interior enforcement by state governments. We investigate whether these policies have reduced the intentions of deported Mexican immigrants to attempt a new unauthorized crossing. Although state-level omnibus immigration laws reduce the proportion of deportees intending to attempt a new crossing, increased border enforcement has proven to be far less effective. In addition, we ascertain the human costs associated with these policies. Our findings are mixed in this regard. Noteworthy is how the adoption of more stringent interior enforcement seems to result in a "herding" or "ganging-up" effect, whereby the incidence of verbal and physical abuse rises with the number of states enacting such measures. Additionally, our estimates suggest that deportees are more likely to respond that they have risked their lives to cross into the United States as a result of enhanced border enforcement.

An overview of medical malpractice litigation and the perceived crisis.

PubMed

Litvin, S Gerald

2005-04-01

In this overview of medical malpractice litigation in the United States, practical and philosophic aspects of the so-called malpractice litigation crisis are addressed. After reviewing the historical, legal rationale for compensating victims of negligent conduct by others, attention is focused on the plight of physicians who are charged with medical negligence and the oppressive insurance premiums that impose a heavy burden on all health care providers, particularly those in the surgical fields. A variety of political solutions advanced to "correct" the problem is reviewed. A historical prospective of malpractice litigation in the United States is presented together with an analysis of various legislative proposals--many of which have already been enacted in various states that will ostensibly "cure" the problems that concern clinicians. Consideration of the various legislative proposals includes: arbitrary limits on pain and suffering awards (caps); elimination of joint and several liability; regulation of attorneys fees; elimination of the collateral source rule; abrogation of punitive damages; proposals for periodic payments; and statutes of repose. Various procedural changes in the processing of malpractice claims are reviewed and analyzed from the perspective of both fairness and efficacy.

Why the United States has no national health insurance: stakeholder mobilization against the welfare state, 1945--1996.

PubMed

Quadagno, Jill

2004-01-01

The United States is the only western industrialized nation that fails to provide universal coverage and the only nation where health care for the majority of the population is financed by for-profit, minimally regulated private insurance companies. These arrangements leave one-sixth of the population uninsured at any given time, and they leave others at risk of losing insurance as a result of normal life course events. Political theorists of the welfare state usually attribute the failure of national health insurance in the United States to broader forces of American political development, but they ignore the distinctive character of the health care financing arrangements that do exist. Medical sociologists emphasize the way that physicians parlayed their professional expertise into legal, institutional, and economic power but not the way this power was asserted in the political arena. This paper proposes a theory of stakeholder mobilization as the primary obstacle to national health insurance. The evidence supports the argument that powerful stakeholder groups, first the American Medical Association, then organizations of insurance companies and employer groups, have been able to defeat every effort to enact national health insurance across an entire century because they had superior resources and an organizational structure that closely mirrored the federated arrangements of the American state. The exception occurred when the AFL-CIO, with its national leadership, state federations and union locals, mobilized on behalf of Medicare.

Privatization in a publicly funded health care system: the U.S. experience.

PubMed

Himmelstein, David U; Woolhandler, Steffie

2008-01-01

The United States has four decades of experience with the combination of public funding and private health care management and delivery, closely analogous to reforms recently enacted or proposed in many other nations. Extensive research, herein reviewed, shows that for-profit health institutions provide inferior care at inflated prices. The U.S. experience also demonstrates that market mechanisms nurture unscrupulous medical businesses and undermine medical institutions unable or unwilling to tailor care to profitability. The commercialization of care in the United States has driven up costs by diverting money to profits and by fueling a vast increase in management and financial bureaucracy, which now consumes 31 percent of total health spending. The Veterans Health Administration system--a network of government hospitals and clinics--has emerged as the leader in quality improvement and information technology, indicating the potential for public sector excellence and innovation. The poor performance of U.S. health care is directly attributable to reliance on market mechanisms and for-profit firms, and should warn other nations from this path.

Hospital-Acquired Pressure Ulcers at Academic Medical Centers in the United States, 2008-2012: Tracking Changes Since the CMS Nonpayment Policy.

PubMed

Padula, William V; Makic, Mary Beth F; Wald, Heidi L; Campbell, Jonathan D; Nair, Kavita V; Mishra, Manish K; Valuck, Robert J

2015-06-01

In 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its intention to no longer reimburse hospitals for costs associated with hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) and a list of other hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), which was followed by enactment of the nonpayment policy in October 2008. This study was conducted to define changes in HAPU incidence and variance since 2008. In a retrospective observational study, HAPU cases were identified at 210 University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) academic medical centers in the United States. HAPU incidence rates were calculated as a ratio of HAPU cases to the total number of UHC inpatients between the first quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2012. HAPU cases were defined by multiple criteria: not present on admission (POA); coded for stage III or IV pressure ulcers; and a length of stay greater than four days. Among the UHC hospitals between 2008 and June 2012, 10,386 HAPU cases were identified among 4.08 million inpatients. The HAPU incidence rate decreased significantly from 11.8 cases per 1,000 inpatients in 2008 to 0.8 cases per 1,000 in 2012 (p < .001; 95% confidence interval: 8.39-8.56). Among HAPU cases were trends of more elderly patients, greater case-mix index, and more surgical cases. The analysis of covariance model identified CMS non-payment policy as a significant covariate of changing trends in HAPU incidence rates. HAPU incidence rates decreased significantly among 210 UHC AMCs after the enactment of the CMS nonpayment policy. The hospitals appeared to be reacting efficiently to economic policy incentives by improving prevention efforts.

Surveys of Enacted Curriculum: Tools and Services to Assist Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blank, Rolf K.

2005-01-01

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) partnered with Andrew Porter and John Smithson of Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) to develop an advanced, in depth approach to collecting and reporting data on the "enacted curriculum" in K-12 math and science, i.e. the actual subject content and instructional practices experienced…

The impact of mental health insurance laws on state suicide rates.

PubMed

Lang, Matthew

2013-01-01

In the 1990s and early 2000s, a number of states passed laws requiring mental health benefits to be included in health insurance coverage. The variation in the characteristics and enactment date of the laws provides an opportunity to measure the impact of increasing access to mental health care on mental health outcomes, as evidenced by state suicide rates. In contrast with previous research, results show that when states enact laws requiring insurance coverage to include mental health benefits at parity with physical health benefits, the suicide rate decreases significantly by 5%. The findings are robust to a number of specifications and falsification tests. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

States and the politics of incrementalism: health policy in Wisconsin during the 1990s.

PubMed

Sparer, Michael S

2004-04-01

Wisconsin officials during the 1990s seemed poised to enact innovative and comprehensive health care reform. During that era, an ambitious, popular, and reform-minded governor led the state. The state had an unusually professional legislature. The state's economy was strong. Even with these advantages, however, the report card on the state's efforts is mixed. The state enacted a fairly modest set of reforms that were financed largely by the federal government and subject to extensive federal oversight. The Wisconsin story thus seems to be about the politics of incrementalism. But while critics of incrementalist politics point out that the number of uninsured continues to grow, the catalytic federalism witnessed in Wisconsin in the 1990s may well be the best model for implementing health care reform.

Transformational Leadership in the Educational System of the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Litz, David; Scott, Shelleyann

2017-01-01

Globally, there is increasing pressure on schools to enact change, and the literature indicates that transformational leadership is positively associated with school leaders' effectiveness at implementing positive reforms. Here, we report on a study conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) within the current context of intense educational…

Medical marijuana laws and adolescent use of marijuana and other substances: Alcohol, cigarettes, prescription drugs, and other illicit drugs.

PubMed

Cerdá, Magdalena; Sarvet, Aaron L; Wall, Melanie; Feng, Tianshu; Keyes, Katherine M; Galea, Sandro; Hasin, Deborah S

2018-02-01

Historical shifts have taken place in the last twenty years in marijuana policy. The impact of medical marijuana laws (MML) on use of substances other than marijuana is not well understood. We examined the relationship between state MML and use of marijuana, cigarettes, illicit drugs, nonmedical use of prescription opioids, amphetamines, and tranquilizers, as well as binge drinking. Pre-post MML difference-in-difference analyses were performed on a nationally representative sample of adolescents in 48 contiguous U.S. states. Participants were 1,179,372U.S. 8th, 10th, and 12th graders in the national Monitoring the Future annual surveys conducted in 1991-2015. Measurements were any self-reported past-30-day use of marijuana, cigarettes, non-medical use of opioids, amphetamines and tranquilizers, other illicit substances, and any past-two-week binge drinking (5+ drinks per occasion). Among 8th graders, the prevalence of marijuana, binge drinking, cigarette use, non-medical use of opioids, amphetamines and tranquilizers, and any non-marijuana illicit drug use decreased after MML enactment (0.2-2.4% decrease; p-values:<0.0001-0.0293). Among 10th graders, the prevalence of substance use did not change after MML enactment (p-values: 0.177-0.938). Among 12th graders, non-medical prescription opioid and cigarette use increased after MML enactment (0.9-2.7% increase; p-values: <0.0001-0.0026). MML enactment is associated with decreases in marijuana and other drugs in early adolescence in those states. Mechanisms that explain the increase in non-medical prescription opioid and cigarette use among 12th graders following MML enactment deserve further study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

77 FR 31880 - Operating Instructions for Implementing the Amendments to the Trade Act of 1974 Enacted by the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-05-30

...ETA is publishing for public information, notice of issuance and availability of TEGL No. 10-11, signed by Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training on November 18, 2011, which assists State Workforce Agencies or agencies designated by governors as ``Cooperating State Agencies'' (CSAs) (also jointly referred to as ``states'') in implementing the provisions of the TAAEA enacted on October 21, 2011. The TAAEA amends the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, restoring (with some exceptions) the expanded certification criteria and benefits and services provided under the Trade and Globalization Adjustment Act of 2009.

Variability in the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act in Wisconsin school districts and science departments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Christopher L.

In the United States of America, the public education system is comprised of over 14,000 school districts. Each of these unique districts is being affected by the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In turn, this diverse population of school districts is determining the impact on education of this sweeping federal education policy. This study examines eight of those school districts to determine their actions related to the early phase of the implementation of one portion of NCLB, the accountability provisions prescribing standardized assessment for the determination of Adequate Yearly Progress. Specifically, this study examines what these eight Wisconsin school districts, serving from 1,000 to over 5,000 students, did with the student achievement data resulting from their state assessment, the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE). A wide variety of responses were found in how school districts used the WKCE data. The eight school districts were examined to determine what features of their organizations were responsible for how they responded to the enactment of the AYP provisions, specifically how they used the WCKE data. District responses were found to be determined by district size, governance structures, personnel, and dispositions. The interactions of these characteristics were considered in light of organizational studies using conceptualizations borrowed from ecology and the theory of evolution and by studies of school districts.

Diabetes and the Affordable Care Act

PubMed Central

Schade, David S.

2014-01-01

Abstract The Affordable Care Act—“Obamacare”—is the most important federal medical legislation to be enacted since Medicare. Although the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to improve healthcare coverage, access, and quality for all Americans, people with diabetes are especially poised to benefit from the comprehensive reforms included in the act. Signed into law in 2010, this massive legislation will slowly be enacted over the next 10 years. In the making for at least a decade, it will affect every person in the United States, either directly or indirectly. In this review, we discuss the major changes in healthcare that will take place in the next several years, including (1) who needs to purchase insurance on the Web-based exchange, (2) the cost to individuals and the rebates that they may expect, (3) the rules and regulations for purchasing insurance, (4) the characteristics of the different “metallic” insurance plans that are available, and (5) the states that have agreed to participate. With both tables and figures, we have tried to make the Affordable Care Act both understandable and appreciated. The goal of this comprehensive review is to highlight aspects of the Affordable Care Act that are of importance to practitioners who care for people with diabetes by discussing both the positive and the potentially negative aspects of the program as they relate to diabetes care. PMID:24927108

Health reform: a bipartisan view.

PubMed

Cooper, Jim; Castle, Michael

2009-01-01

This optimistic assessment of the prospects for health reform from senior Democratic and Republican congressmen spells out several reasons why reform can be achieved early in the first year of the Obama administration. Political and policy factors suggest that President-elect Barack Obama is in a much better position than his predecessors to achieve comprehensive health reform, including universal coverage. The Obama administration will have to overcome numerous obstacles and resistance to enact reform. Still, after decades of frustration and disappointment, policymakers should set aside their differences and enable the United States to join the ranks of developed nations by making sure every American has health insurance.

Star Schools for All Our Students. Examining the Status of the Star Schools Program, a Federal Program That Enables Students To Be Linked Together via Satellite or Cable TV Hookup with Teachers in Different Parts of the Country. Hearing before the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, First Session.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources.

The purpose of this hearing was to examine the status of the Star Schools program, a federal program enacted by Congress in 1987 that enables students to be linked together via satellite or cable TV hookup with teachers in different parts of the country. Star Schools are a network of distance education programs that link remote classes of students…

Climate Change Professional Development Approaches: Design Considerations, Teacher Enactment, and Student Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drewes, A.; Henderson, J.; Mouza, C.

2017-12-01

Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing society, and climate change educational models are emerging in response. This study investigates the implementation and enactment of a climate change professional development model for science educators and its impact on student learning. Using an intrinsic case study methodology, we focused analytic attention on how one teacher made specific curricular, pedagogical, and content decisions, and the implications of those decisions for student's conceptual learning.The research presented here reports on the instructional design, pedagogical enactment, and subsequent effects on student learning of a climate change professional development (PD) model in the United States. Using anthropological theories of conceptual travel, we traced salient ideas from the PD through instructional delivery and into the evidence of student reasoning. We sought to address the following research questions: 1) How did a middle school teacher integrate climate change concepts into her science curriculum following PD participation? and 2) How did climate change instruction influence student understanding of key climate change constructs?From observation of the classroom instruction, we determined that the teacher effectively integrated new climate change information into her pre-existing schema. Additionally, through retrospective analysis of the PD, we found the design of the PD foregrounded the causes, mechanisms and likely effects of anthropogenic climate change at the expense of mitigation and adaptation strategies, and this differentially shaped how climate change was taught in the teacher's classroom. Analysis of student reasoning evidence showed that students gained an increased understanding of the enhanced greenhouse effect and the implications of human activity on this enhanced effect at statistically significant levels and with moderate effect sizes. However, students demonstrated a limited, though non-significant gain on the likely effects of climate change. Student reasoning on the tangible actions to deal with these problems also remained underdeveloped, reflecting omissions in both professional development and teacher enactment. We discuss implications and considerations for the emerging field of climate change education.

Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howe, Peter D.; Mildenberger, Matto; Marlon, Jennifer R.; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2015-06-01

Addressing climate change in the United States requires enactment of national, state and local mitigation and adaptation policies. The success of these initiatives depends on public opinion, policy support and behaviours at appropriate scales. Public opinion, however, is typically measured with national surveys that obscure geographic variability across regions, states and localities. Here we present independently validated high-resolution opinion estimates using a multilevel regression and poststratification model. The model accurately predicts climate change beliefs, risk perceptions and policy preferences at the state, congressional district, metropolitan and county levels, using a concise set of demographic and geographic predictors. The analysis finds substantial variation in public opinion across the nation. Nationally, 63% of Americans believe global warming is happening, but county-level estimates range from 43 to 80%, leading to a diversity of political environments for climate policy. These estimates provide an important new source of information for policymakers, educators and scientists to more effectively address the challenges of climate change.

Historical trends in creel limits, length-based limits, and season restrictions for black basses in the United States and Canada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Paukert, C.; McInerny, M.; Schultz, Ronald

2007-01-01

We determined for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (M. dolomeui), and spotted bass (M. punctulatus) historical trends in state- and province-wide creel limits, length limits, and season closures along with the rationale justifying these regulations. Based on data gathered via mail surveys and the Internet, 55 jurisdictions had state- or province-wide creel limits, minimum length limits, or season closures, with each regulation type enacted as early as pre-1900. Most early regulations were established to protect spawning bass, but providing equitable distribution of harvest and increasing the quality of bass catch or harvest were the most common rationales for current regulations. Spatial and temporal trends in regulations were similar among species, were affected by geographic location, were not affected by angler preference except for season closures, and were frequently uninfluenced by advances in scientific knowledge of black bass biology.

Wind energy development in the United States: Can state-level policies promote efficient development of wind energy capacity?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, Blair S.

In the absence of strong U.S. federal renewable energy policies, state governments have taken the lead in passing legislation to promote wind energy. Studies have shown that many of these policies, including Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), have aided in the development of wind energy capacity nationwide. This paper seeks to analyze whether these state-level policies have led to an efficient development of U.S. wind energy. For the purposes of this paper, wind energy development is considered efficient if competitive markets enable wind capacity to be built in the most cost effective manner, allowing states to trade wind energy between high wind potential states and low wind potential states. This concept is operationalized by analyzing how state policies that incentivize the in-state development of wind energy impact where wind capacity is developed. A multivariate regression model examining wind capacity in the 48 contiguous United States that had some wind capacity between 1999 and 2008 found these in-state policies are associated with increased wind capacity, controlling for states' wind potential. The results suggest that state-level policies are distorting where wind is developed. These findings support the enactment of a more comprehensive federal energy policy, such as a national RPS, a cap-and-trade program, or a targeted federal transmission policy. These federal policies could spur national markets that would result in the more efficient development of U.S. wind energy.

Norms and Cones in the Theory of Quantum Entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Mark Chapin

From 1978 on there have been a series of legislative acts that have placed substantial protectionist burdens on the American taxpayer to provide incentives, credits and mandates for the production and use of ethanol under the rationale of reducing U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil while purporting to economically benefit the American economy and strengthening American security. While there has been much discussion about the economic benefits of ethanol policy, there is growing literature suggesting that in addition to being neither economically nor environmentally beneficial, ethanol policy may not be achieving its intended goals. Connection between political contributions, policy formation, and the actual outcomes of the enacted policies does not appear to have been addressed. Throughout the course of ethanol policy development the narrow interests of some stakeholders may have been met at the expense of others. Given the very large economic and social costs of ongoing ethanol subsidies and mandates an exploration of such a nexus would be illuminating and valuable. Hence the question of this research will be: Has the ethanol energy policy of the United States, as outlined in legislative actions, requiring subsidies and mandates from taxpayers, been reflective of a deliberative democratic process that after taking into account the input and influence of various competing viewpoints has resulted in a beneficial national policy? Consequently have the policy outcomes of the legislative stakeholders matched the stated intentions of those involved in the deliberative debate that enacted it or, where have those objectives not been met? Research that can increase understanding of how such an important policy may have failed can inform policy deliberation in such diverse areas as agriculture, national security and energy policy while illuminating how and why such public policy was made. Examination of a policy created and continuing which may have failed the most basic cost benefit analysis and does very little to enhance national energy security could demonstrate how a distortion of the legislative process resulted in outcomes that differ markedly from the stated intentions of those who enacted the policy.

State orientation and memory load impair prospective memory performance in older compared to younger persons.

PubMed

Kaschel, Reiner; Kazén, Miguel; Kuhl, Julius

2017-07-01

A modified event-based paradigm of prospective memory was applied to investigate intention initiation in older and younger participants under high versus low memory load (subsequent episodic word recall vs. recognition). State versus action orientation, a personality dimension related to intention enactment, was also measured. State-oriented persons show a superiority effect for the storage of intentions in an explicit format but have a paradoxical deficit in their actual enactment. We predicted an interaction between aging, personality, and memory load, with longer intention-initiation latencies and higher omission rates for older state-oriented participants under high memory load. Results were consistent with predictions and are interpreted according to current personality and prospective memory models of aging.

Mexicans' use of illicit drugs in an era of drug reform: national comparative analysis by migrant status.

PubMed

Guerrero, Erick G; Villatoro, Jorge Ameth; Kong, Yinfei; Gamiño, Marycarmen Bustos; Vega, William A; Mora, Maria Elena Medina

2014-05-01

Although rates of illicit drug use are considerably lower in Mexico than in the United States, rates in Mexico have risen significantly. This increase has particular implications for Mexican women and US migrants, who are considered at increased risk of drug use. Due to drug reforms enacted in Mexico in 2008, it is critical to evaluate patterns of drug use among migrants who reside in both regions. We analysed a sample of Mexicans (N=16,249) surveyed during a national household survey in 2011, the Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones (National Survey of Addictions). Comparative analyses based on Mexicans' migrant status - (1) never in the United States, (2) visited the United States, or (3) lived in the United States (transnationals) - featured analysis of variance and Chi-square global tests. Two multilevel regressions were conducted to determine the relationships among migrant status, women, and illicit drug use. Comparative findings showed significant differences in type and number of drugs used among Mexicans by migrant status. The regression models showed that compared with Mexicans who had never visited the United States, Mexican transnationals were more likely to report having used drugs (OR=2.453, 95% CI=1.933, 3.113) and using more illicit drugs (IRR=2.061, 95% CI=1.626, 2.613). Women were less likely than men to report having used drugs (OR=0.187, 95% CI=0.146, 0.239) and using more illicit drugs (IRR=0.153, 95% CI=0.116, 0.202). Overall, the findings support further exploration of risk factors for illicit drug use among Mexican transnationals, who exhibit greater drug use behaviours than Mexicans never in the United States. Because drug reform mandates referrals to treatment for those with recurrent issues of drug use, it is critical for the Mexican government and civic society to develop the capacity to offer evidence-based substance abuse treatment for returning migrants with high-risk drug behaviours. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mexicans’ Use of Illicit Drugs in an Era of Drug Reform: National Comparative Analysis by Migrant Status

PubMed Central

Villatoro, Jorge Ameth; Kong, Yinfei; Gamiño, Marycarmen Bustos; Vega, William A.; Mora, Maria Elena Medina

2014-01-01

Although rates of illicit drug use are considerably lower in Mexico than in the United States, rates in Mexico have risen significantly. This increase has particular implications for Mexican women and U.S. migrants, who are considered at increased risk of drug use. Due to drug reforms enacted in Mexico in 2008, it is critical to evaluate patterns of drug use among migrants who reside in both regions. We analysed a sample of Mexicans (N = 16,249) surveyed during a national household survey in 2011, the Encuesta Nacional de Adicciones (National Survey of Addictions). Comparative analyses based on Mexicans’ migrant status—(1) never in the United States, (2) visited the United States, or (3) lived in the United States (transnationals)—featured analysis of variance and chi-square global tests. Two multilevel regressions were conducted to determine the relationships among migrant status, women, and illicit drug use. Comparative findings showed significant differences in type and number of drugs used among Mexicans by migrant status. The regression models showed that compared with Mexicans who had never visited the United States, Mexican transnationals were more likely to report having used drugs (OR = 2.453, 95% CI = 1.933, 3.113) and using more illicit drugs (IRR = 2.061, 95% CI = 1.626, 2.613). Women were less likely than men to report having used drugs (OR = 0.187, 95% CI = 0.146, 0.239) and using more illicit drugs (IRR = 0.153, 95% CI = 0.116, 0.202). Overall, the findings support further exploration of risk factors for illicit drug use among Mexican transnationals, who exhibit greater drug use behaviours than Mexicans never in the United States. Because drug reform mandates referrals to treatment for those with recurrent issues of drug use, it is critical for the Mexican government and civic society to develop the capacity to offer evidence-based substance abuse treatment for returning migrants with high-risk drug behaviours. PMID:24816376

An educational ethnography of teacher-developed science curriculum implementation: Enacting conceptual change-based science inquiry with Hispanic students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunsell, Eric Steven

An achievement gap exists between White and Hispanic students in the United States. Research has shown that improving the quality of instruction for minority students is an effective way to narrow this gap. Science education reform movements emphasize that science should be taught using a science inquiry approach. Extensive research in teaching and learning science also shows that a conceptual change model of teaching is effective in helping students learn science. Finally, research into how Hispanic students learn best has provided a number of suggestions for science instruction. The Inquiry for Conceptual Change model merges these three research strands into a comprehensive yet accessible model for instruction. This study investigates two questions. First, what are teachers' perceptions of science inquiry and its implementation in the classroom? Second, how does the use of the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model affect the learning of students in a predominantly Hispanic, urban neighborhood. Five teachers participated in a professional development project where they developed and implemented a science unit based on the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model. Three units were developed and implemented for this study. This is a qualitative study that included data from interviews, participant reflections and journals, student pre- and post-assessments, and researcher observations. This study provides an in-depth description of the role of professional development in helping teachers understand how science inquiry can be used to improve instructional quality for students in a predominantly Hispanic, urban neighborhood. These teachers demonstrated that it is important for professional development to be collaborative and provide opportunities for teachers to enact and reflect on new teaching paradigms. This study also shows promising results for the ability of the Inquiry for Conceptual Change model to improve student learning.

Chapter 5: Curriculum Effects in Eighth-Grade Lacrosse.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Phillip; Barrett, Tim M.; Evans, Sharon A.; Doutis, Panayiotis; Nguyen, Phong T.; Johnson, Melissa K.

1999-01-01

Examined how middle schools with different curricula differed in teaching the same lacrosse activity, describing a unit of the enacted curriculum in the Saber-Tooth school, comparing it to a similar unit in a school using a multi-activity curriculum, and examining effects on student variables. Schools were similar managerially. Differences between…

Playing the Game: The Impact of No Pass/No Play Sanctions on High School Athletes, A Youth Development Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oliphant, Jennifer A.

2011-01-01

In the original "No Pass/No Play" legislation (enacted by Texas State Legislature in 1985), students had to pass all classes with at least a 70% average to participate in sports or extracurricular activities. Since then, no pass/no play regulations have been enacted across the nation with little evidence regarding their effectiveness. Questions…

Between welfare medicine and mainstream entitlement: Medicaid at the political crossroads.

PubMed

Grogan, Colleen; Patashnik, Eric

2003-10-01

As the new century begins, the Medicaid program is arguably at a political crossroads. Over the 1980s and 1990s, policy makers enacted major expansions in Medicaid coverage, offering significant new health benefits to poor women and children and other constituencies. In elite rhetoric and political framing, Medicaid was increasingly cast as a broad-based social welfare entitlement of value to all Americans, including middle-class citizens. Some health care advocates began viewing Medicaid expansions as a potential path to achieving universal coverage in the United States. Yet Medicaid remains a means-tested program that has been repeatedly threatened with policy retrenchment. In this essay, we scrutinize Medicaid's current status and future possibilities from a historical-institutional perspective by tracing its complex evolution since its enactment in the Social Security Amendments of 1965. Our core claim is that decisions made at the time of Medicaid's original adoption have fundamentally set the matrix for struggles over the program's unfolding development. We demonstrate that key ambiguities embedded in the 1965 act created largely unintended opportunities for policy entrepreneurs to broaden Medicaid's scale and scope as well as foreseeable vulnerabilities that must be overcome if Medicaid is to realize its full potential.

Enacting genetic responsibility: experiences of mothers who carry the fragile X gene

PubMed Central

Raspberry, Kelly; Skinner, Debra

2010-01-01

A woman who carries the gene for fragile X syndrome (FXS) has a 50 per cent chance per pregnancy of passing the gene to her sons and daughters. In this paper we analyse interview data from mothers who are carriers of the FX gene, and who have at least one child with FXS, to examine how their understandings and enactments of reproductive options, obligations, and responsibilities support an expanded notion of genetic responsibility. Accounts of 108 women from across the United States show that the majority of mothers chose not to have another biological child once they learned their carrier status. They discussed genetic responsibility and reproductive agency in terms of an obligation not to risk having another child who carried the gene, although their accounts reflected the tensions that arose from managing oneself as a genetically at-risk actor. Another 22 mothers either purposefully became pregnant or continued an unplanned pregnancy after finding out their carrier status. These mothers' accounts reflect an expanded version of genetic responsibility that incorporates ideas and values beyond managing risk in what it means to act responsibly in light of genetic knowledge. PMID:21054442

Structural racism and myocardial infarction in the United States

PubMed Central

Lukachko, Alicia; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L.; Keyes, Katherine M.

2014-01-01

There is a growing research literature suggesting that racism is an important risk factor undermining the health of Blacks in the United States. Racism can take many forms, ranging from interpersonal interactions to institutional/structural conditions and practices. Existing research, however, tends to focus on individual forms of racial discrimination using self-report measures. Far less attention has been paid to whether structural racism may disadvantage the health of Blacks in the United States. The current study addresses gaps in the existing research by using novel measures of structural racism and by explicitly testing the hypothesis that structural racism is a risk factor for myocardial infarction among Blacks in the United States. State-level indicators of structural racism included four domains: (1) political participation; (2) employment and job status; (3) educational attainment; and (4) judicial treatment. State-level racial disparities across these domains were proposed to represent the systematic exclusion of Blacks from resources and mobility in society. Data on past-year myocardial infarction were obtained from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (non-Hispanic Black: N = 8245; non-Hispanic White: N = 24,507), a nationally representative survey of the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population aged 18 and older. Models were adjusted for individual-level confounders (age, sex, education, household income, medical insurance) as well as for state-level disparities in poverty. Results indicated that Blacks living in states with high levels of structural racism were generally more likely to report past-year myocardial infarction than Blacks living in low-structural racism states. Conversely, Whites living in high structural racism states experienced null or lower odds of myocardial infarction compared to Whites living in low-structural racism states. These results raise the provocative possibility that structural racism may not only harm the targets of stigma but also benefit those who wield the power to enact stigma and discrimination. PMID:24507909

Structural racism and myocardial infarction in the United States.

PubMed

Lukachko, Alicia; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Keyes, Katherine M

2014-02-01

There is a growing research literature suggesting that racism is an important risk factor undermining the health of Blacks in the United States. Racism can take many forms, ranging from interpersonal interactions to institutional/structural conditions and practices. Existing research, however, tends to focus on individual forms of racial discrimination using self-report measures. Far less attention has been paid to whether structural racism may disadvantage the health of Blacks in the United States. The current study addresses gaps in the existing research by using novel measures of structural racism and by explicitly testing the hypothesis that structural racism is a risk factor for myocardial infarction among Blacks in the United States. State-level indicators of structural racism included four domains: (1) political participation; (2) employment and job status; (3) educational attainment; and (4) judicial treatment. State-level racial disparities across these domains were proposed to represent the systematic exclusion of Blacks from resources and mobility in society. Data on past-year myocardial infarction were obtained from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (non-Hispanic Black: N = 8245; non-Hispanic White: N = 24,507), a nationally representative survey of the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population aged 18 and older. Models were adjusted for individual-level confounders (age, sex, education, household income, medical insurance) as well as for state-level disparities in poverty. Results indicated that Blacks living in states with high levels of structural racism were generally more likely to report past-year myocardial infarction than Blacks living in low-structural racism states. Conversely, Whites living in high structural racism states experienced null or lower odds of myocardial infarction compared to Whites living in low-structural racism states. These results raise the provocative possibility that structural racism may not only harm the targets of stigma but also benefit those who wield the power to enact stigma and discrimination. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supreme Court strikes down Montana's sodomy law.

PubMed

1997-08-08

The Montana Supreme Court struck down the State's sodomy law and ruled that the law violates the State constitutional right to privacy. Until this ruling, all homosexual relations were labeled deviate sexual conduct, punishable by a $50,000 fine and 10 years in prison. No one had been prosecuted under the law since it was enacted in 1973, but its existence placed gay men and lesbians at risk of prosecution. The high court was not persuaded by the State's argument that the sodomy law was permissible because it prevented HIV infection and preserved public morality, largely because the law was enacted a decade before the first case of AIDS was reported in Montana.

Enact legislation supporting residential property assessed clean energy financing (PACE)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saha, Devashree

Congress should enact legislation that supports residential property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs in the nation’s states and metropolitan areas. Such legislation should require the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase residential mortgages with PACE assessments while at the same time providing responsible underwriting standards and a set of benchmarks for residential PACE assessments in order to minimize financial risks to mortgage holders. Congressional support of residential PACE financing will improve energy efficiency, encourage job creation, and foster economic growth in the nation’s state and metropolitan areas.

State-level gonorrhea rates and expedited partner therapy laws: insights from time series analyses.

PubMed

Owusu-Edusei, K; Cramer, R; Chesson, H W; Gift, T L; Leichliter, J S

2017-06-01

In this study, we examined state-level monthly gonorrhea morbidity and assessed the potential impact of existing expedited partner therapy (EPT) laws in relation to the time that the laws were enacted. Longitudinal study. We obtained state-level monthly gonorrhea morbidity (number of cases/100,000 for males, females and total) from the national surveillance data. We used visual examination (of morbidity trends) and an autoregressive time series model in a panel format with intervention (interrupted time series) analysis to assess the impact of state EPT laws based on the months in which the laws were enacted. For over 84% of the states with EPT laws, the monthly morbidity trends did not show any noticeable decreases on or after the laws were enacted. Although we found statistically significant decreases in gonorrhea morbidity within four of the states with EPT laws (Alaska, Illinois, Minnesota, and Vermont), there were no significant decreases when the decreases in the four states were compared contemporaneously with the decreases in states that do not have the laws. We found no impact (decrease in gonorrhea morbidity) attributable exclusively to the EPT law(s). However, these results do not imply that the EPT laws themselves were not effective (or failed to reduce gonorrhea morbidity), because the effectiveness of the EPT law is dependent on necessary intermediate events/outcomes, including sexually transmitted infection service providers' awareness and practice, as well as acceptance by patients and their partners. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Trends in Fatalities From Distracted Driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008

PubMed Central

Stimpson, Jim P.

2010-01-01

Objectives. We examined trends in distracted driving fatalities and their relation to cell phone use and texting volume. Methods. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) records data on all road fatalities that occurred on public roads in the United States from 1999 to 2008. We studied trends in distracted driving fatalities, driver and crash characteristics, and trends in cell phone use and texting volume. We used multivariate regression analysis to estimate the relation between state-level distracted driving fatalities and texting volumes. Results. After declining from 1999 to 2005, fatalities from distracted driving increased 28% after 2005, rising from 4572 fatalities to 5870 in 2008. Crashes increasingly involved male drivers driving alone in collisions with roadside obstructions in urban areas. By use of multivariate analyses, we predicted that increasing texting volumes resulted in more than 16 000 additional road fatalities from 2001 to 2007. Conclusions. Distracted driving is a growing public safety hazard. Specifically, the dramatic rise in texting volume since 2005 appeared to be contributing to an alarming rise in distracted driving fatalities. Legislation enacting texting bans should be paired with effective enforcement to deter drivers from using cell phones while driving. PMID:20864709

Trends in fatalities from distracted driving in the United States, 1999 to 2008.

PubMed

Wilson, Fernando A; Stimpson, Jim P

2010-11-01

We examined trends in distracted driving fatalities and their relation to cell phone use and texting volume. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) records data on all road fatalities that occurred on public roads in the United States from 1999 to 2008. We studied trends in distracted driving fatalities, driver and crash characteristics, and trends in cell phone use and texting volume. We used multivariate regression analysis to estimate the relation between state-level distracted driving fatalities and texting volumes. After declining from 1999 to 2005, fatalities from distracted driving increased 28% after 2005, rising from 4572 fatalities to 5870 in 2008. Crashes increasingly involved male drivers driving alone in collisions with roadside obstructions in urban areas. By use of multivariate analyses, we predicted that increasing texting volumes resulted in more than 16,000 additional road fatalities from 2001 to 2007. Distracted driving is a growing public safety hazard. Specifically, the dramatic rise in texting volume since 2005 appeared to be contributing to an alarming rise in distracted driving fatalities. Legislation enacting texting bans should be paired with effective enforcement to deter drivers from using cell phones while driving.

Settler colonial power and the American Indian sovereignty movement: forms of domination, strategies of transformation.

PubMed

Steinman, Erich

2012-01-01

The article extends the multi-institutional model of power and change through an analysis of the American Indian Sovereignty Movement. Drawing upon cultural models of the state, and articulating institutionalist conceptions of political opportunities and resources, the analysis demonstrates that this framework can be applied to challenges addressing the state as well as nonstate fields. The rational-legal diminishment of tribal rights, bureaucratic paternalism, commonsense views of tribes as racial/ethnic minorities, and the binary construction of American and Indian as oppositional identities diminished the appeal of "contentious" political action. Instead, to establish tribes' status as sovereign nations, tribal leaders aggressively enacted infrastructural power, transposed favorable legal rulings across social fields to legitimize sovereignty discourses, and promoted a pragmatic coexistence with state and local governments. Identifying the United States as a settler colonial society, the study suggests that a decolonizing framework is more apt than racial/ethnicity approaches in conceptualizing the struggle of American Indians.

Hawaii state legislator views on e-cigarettes and likelihood of legislative action.

PubMed

Juarez, Deborah Taira; Seto, Jason; Guimaraes, Alexander; Masterson, James; Davis, James; Seto, Todd B

2015-01-01

To examine perspectives on e-cigarette use and regulations in Hawaii through key informant interviews with state legislators. E-cigarette use is rapidly increasing, with sales in 2013 topping $1 billion in the United States, but e-cigarettes are still a largely unregulated industry. Although e-cigarettes are thought by most to be a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, long-term health effects are not yet known. Semistructured key informant interviews were conducted with Hawaii state legislators (n = 15). We found a lack of consensus among legislators, which suggests that substantial legislative action is unlikely in the upcoming session. However, most legislators believe that some type of incremental legislation will pass, such as enactment of a small tax, limitations on advertising to protect adolescents, or regulations concerning where people can use e-cigarettes. Legislators eagerly await further research to clarify the overall benefits and harms of e-cigarettes at both the individual and population levels.

Hawaii state legislator views on e-cigarettes and likelihood of legislative action

PubMed Central

Juarez, Deborah Taira; Seto, Jason; Guimaraes, Alexander; Masterson, James; Davis, James; Seto, Todd B.

2017-01-01

Objective To examine perspectives on e-cigarette use and regulations in Hawaii through key informant interviews with state legislators. Background E-cigarette use is rapidly increasing, with sales in 2013 topping $1 billion in the United States, but e-cigarettes are still a largely unregulated industry. Although e-cigarettes are thought by most to be a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, long-term health effects are not yet known. Methods Semistructured key informant interviews were conducted with Hawaii state legislators (n = 15). Results We found a lack of consensus among legislators, which suggests that substantial legislative action is unlikely in the upcoming session. However, most legislators believe that some type of incremental legislation will pass, such as enactment of a small tax, limitations on advertising to protect adolescents, or regulations concerning where people can use e-cigarettes. Conclusion Legislators eagerly await further research to clarify the overall benefits and harms of e-cigarettes at both the individual and population levels. PMID:26340417

Criminal provisions of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and their interface with the United States sentencing guidelines. Master's thesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bowen, W.P.

The growing severity of our societal response to environmental misconduct is reflected, in part, by the criminalization of environmental wrongs by both state and Federal governments. Indeed, the recently enacted Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 continue this trend, giving the Environmental Protection Agency, via the Department of Justice, significant new criminal enforcement tools. The importance attached to law enforcement of environmental laws is a relatively recent phenomenon and took a significant upswing in 1982 when the department of Justice created what is today the Environmental Crimes Section in what is now the Environment and Natural Resources Division, which sectionmore » has grown steadily and now has over 25 attorneys who prosecute or assist in the prosecution of environmental crimes in the U.S.« less

The solid waste dilemma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Amey, E.B.; Russell, J.A.; Hurdelbrink, R.J.

1996-01-01

In 1976, the U.S. Congress enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to further address the problem of increasing industrial and municipal waste. The main objectives of RCRA were to responsibly manage hazardous and solid waste and to procure materials made from recovered wastes. To fulfill these objectives, four main programs of waste management were developed. These programs were defined under Subtitle C, the Hazardous Waste Program; Subtitle D, the Solid Waste Program; Subtitle I, the Underground Storage Tank Program; and Subtitle J, the Medical Waste Program. Subtitle D illustrates the solid waste dilemma occurring in the United States. Under this program, states are encouraged to develop and implement their own waste management plans. These plans include the promotion of recycling solid wastes and the closing and upgrading of all environmentally unsound dumps. ?? 1996 International Association for Mathematical Geology.

Sourcing and Global Distribution of Medical Supplies

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

dots in this figure represent OCONUS MTFs and the yellow star icons indicate locations of the OCONUS theater lead agents for medical materiel (TLAMMs... Symbol Definition AFMOA Air Force Medical Operations Agency AMC Air Mobility Command APS Army prepositioned stock Cat A Category A CJCS chairman of...provide medical materiel to military units. DLA has enacted PV and other contracts to support all military units that make it possible for units around

Clinical peer review in the United States: history, legal development and subsequent abuse.

PubMed

Vyas, Dinesh; Hozain, Ahmed E

2014-06-07

The Joint Commission on Accreditation requires hospitals to conduct peer review to retain accreditation. Despite the intended purpose of improving quality medical care, the peer review process has suffered several setbacks throughout its tenure. In the 1980s, abuse of peer review for personal economic interest led to a highly publicized multimillion-dollar verdict by the United States Supreme Court against the perpetrating physicians and hospital. The verdict led to decreased physician participation for fear of possible litigation. Believing that peer review was critical to quality medical care, Congress subsequently enacted the Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA) granting comprehensive legal immunity for peer reviewers to increase participation. While serving its intended goal, HCQIA has also granted peer reviewers significant immunity likely emboldening abuses resulting in Sham Peer Reviews. While legal reform of HCQIA is necessary to reduce sham peer reviews, further measures including the need for standardization of the peer review process alongside external organizational monitoring are critical to improving peer review and reducing the prevalence of sham peer reviews.

Clinical peer review in the United States: History, legal development and subsequent abuse

PubMed Central

Vyas, Dinesh; Hozain, Ahmed E

2014-01-01

The Joint Commission on Accreditation requires hospitals to conduct peer review to retain accreditation. Despite the intended purpose of improving quality medical care, the peer review process has suffered several setbacks throughout its tenure. In the 1980s, abuse of peer review for personal economic interest led to a highly publicized multimillion-dollar verdict by the United States Supreme Court against the perpetrating physicians and hospital. The verdict led to decreased physician participation for fear of possible litigation. Believing that peer review was critical to quality medical care, Congress subsequently enacted the Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA) granting comprehensive legal immunity for peer reviewers to increase participation. While serving its intended goal, HCQIA has also granted peer reviewers significant immunity likely emboldening abuses resulting in Sham Peer Reviews. While legal reform of HCQIA is necessary to reduce sham peer reviews, further measures including the need for standardization of the peer review process alongside external organizational monitoring are critical to improving peer review and reducing the prevalence of sham peer reviews. PMID:24914357

Standardizing psycho-medical torture during the War on Terror: Why it happened, how it happened, and why it didn't work.

PubMed

Balfe, Myles

2016-12-01

After 9/11/2001 the United States launched a global War on Terror. As part of this War, terrorism suspects were detained by the U.S. military and by the C.I.A. It is now widely recognized that the United States tortured a number of these detainees in the context of its 'enhanced interrogation' programme. This article examines how and why U.S. organizations developed standards that allowed healthcare professionals to become involved in torture; why the standards developed by U.S. security institutions failed to control the actions of enhanced interrogation personnel on the ground; and what the role of standards were in stopping the enhanced interrogation initiative. The article concludes by discussing the general lessons that the enhanced interrogation programme has for social science research on standards, namely that individuals can experience ambivalence when caught between competing organizational and professional standards and that it might be inherently difficult to successfully enact certain protocols when these relate to deviant or destructive acts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incentivizing Orphan Product Development: United States Food and Drug Administration Orphan Incentive Programs.

PubMed

Le, Tran T

2017-01-01

Over 30 years ago, the United States (US) Congress passed the Orphan Drug Act (ODA) to encourage the development of products for rare diseases or conditions ("orphan products"). The Act provided incentives to sponsors for developing products with orphan designation and established a grant program to fund studies of orphan products. Since its enactment in 1983, the ODA has been credited for bringing more than 590 orphan drugs to the market, inspiring the implementation of orphan legislation globally, and enabling the creation of other programs that extend existing knowledge of the natural history of rare diseases and stimulate the development of medical devices for children and patients with rare diseases. This chapter provides a brief overview of the main features and successes of 5 of the orphan incentive programs administered by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): the Orphan Drug Designation Program, the Humanitarian Use Device (HUD) Designation Program, the Orphan Products Clinical Trials Grants Program, the Pediatric Device Consortia (PDC) Grant Program, and the Orphan Products Natural History Grants Program.

The influence of state-level policy environments on the activation of the Medicaid SBIRT reimbursement codes.

PubMed

Hinde, Jesse; Bray, Jeremy; Kaiser, David; Mallonee, Erin

2017-02-01

To examine how institutional constraints, comprising federal actions and states' substance abuse policy environments, influence states' decisions to activate Medicaid reimbursement codes for screening and brief intervention for risky substance use in the United States. A discrete-time duration model was used to estimate the effect of institutional constraints on the likelihood of activating the Medicaid reimbursement codes. Primary constraints included federal Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) grant funding, substance abuse priority, economic climate, political climate and interstate diffusion. Study data came from publicly available secondary data sources. Federal SBIRT grant funding did not affect significantly the likelihood of activation (P = 0.628). A $1 increase in per-capita block grant funding was associated with a 10-percentage point reduction in the likelihood of activation (P = 0.003) and a $1 increase in per-capita state substance use disorder expenditures was associated with a 2-percentage point increase in the likelihood of activation (P = 0.004). States with enacted parity laws (P = 0.016) and a Democratic-controlled state government were also more likely to activate the codes. In the United States, the determinants of state activation of Medicaid Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) reimbursement codes are complex, and include more than financial considerations. Federal block grant funding is a strong disincentive to activating the SBIRT reimbursement codes, while more direct federal SBIRT grant funding has no detectable effects. © 2017 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Sources of self-efficacy in academic contexts: A longitudinal perspective.

PubMed

Phan, Huy P; Ngu, Bing H

2016-12-01

The formation of self-efficacy, according to Bandura's (1997) social-cognitive theory, is an important area of inquiry. This theoretical tenet posits the importance of enactive learning experience, followed by lesser influences of vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and emotional and physiological states. Quantitative research, predominantly, has produced clear and consistent evidence that supports this position. We argue that the elementary school years may indicate differently, whereby children's limited cognitive maturity and learning experiences could compel them to rely on other psychosocial informational sources. To date and to our knowledge, very few studies, if any, have explored the sustained influence of enactive learning experience across time. In this study, consequently, we tested a sequential predictive model that involved the differential influences of the 4 major informational sources on self-efficacy and then self-efficacy on academic achievement. Three time points of data (N = 328, Year 6) were collected across the calendar year, and Mplus 7.3 (Muthén & Muthén, 1998-2012) was used to assist us in our structural modeling testing. At Time 1, only enactive learning experience and vicarious experience positively influenced self-efficacy. At Time 2, after controlling for prior variance of Time 1 corresponding factors, only enactive learning experience remained significant. At Time 3, after controlling for autoregressive paths, enactive learning experience remained significant, and both verbal persuasion and emotional and physiological states positively influenced self-efficacy. The impact of self-efficacy on academic achievement was significant across the 3 occasions (βs = .20-.46). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

24 CFR 511.11 - Project requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...) The utility hook-ups are permanent; (iii) The unit is designed for use as a permanent residence; (iv... that was enacted and in effect in the jurisdiction before November 30, 1983 and (ii) Apply generally to...

24 CFR 511.11 - Project requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...) The utility hook-ups are permanent; (iii) The unit is designed for use as a permanent residence; (iv... that was enacted and in effect in the jurisdiction before November 30, 1983 and (ii) Apply generally to...

Greater public access to U.S. research data permitted under new law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Folger, Peter

Amid last year's frantic congressional deal-making to fund the U.S. government for the fiscal year 1999, Senator Richard Shelby (Republican from Alabama) slipped a small provision into the end-of-year omnibus appropriations bill that could have large implications for researchers. Now part of Public Law 105-277, Shelby's rider is intended “…to require Federal awarding agencies to ensure that all data produced under an award will be made available to the public through the procedures established under the Freedom of Information Act.” The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law enacted in 1966 that allows any citizen to request documents from federal agencies in the United States.

Booster seat or seat belt? Motor vehicle injuries and child restraint laws in preschool and early school-age children.

PubMed

Angulo-Vazquez, Vicki; De Santis, Joseph P

2005-01-01

Despite numerous interventions to reduce motor vehicle injuries and deaths in children living in the United States, unintentional motor vehicle injuries continue to be the leading cause of death of U.S. children. Even though child restraint laws have been enacted, many children 5 to 9 years of age continue to be injured in motor vehicle crashes. These injuries are related to the improper use of child restraints. Reasons for injuries in this age group were explored by a review of the current literature. Nurses have a unique role in educating families about proper restraint and in contributing to the evidence base for practice.

The growth of sport shooting participation: What does this trend mean for conservation revenue?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Duda, Mark D.; Beppler, Tom; Organ, John F.

2017-01-01

Enacted in 1937, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act – more commonly known as the Pittman-Robertson Act – is one of the oldest and most reliable sources of funding for wildlife conservation in the United States. The result of organized support form sportsmen, fish and wildlife agencies, firearms manufacturers, conservation organizations, and even garden clubs, the PR Act created an excise tax on so-called “long guns” and ammunition used by hunters, thereby establishing the first sustainable source of revenue dedicated to conservation and land management efforts throughout the country. Later, legislators amended the PR Act to include an excise tax on pistols, revolvers, bows, arrows, and other archery equipment.

It's All in the Lens: Differences in Views on Obesity Prevention between Advocates and Policy Makers

PubMed Central

Jones, Ellen; Nguyen, Leah; Kong, Jooyoung; Brownson, Ross C.; Bailey, Jessica H.

2012-01-01

Abstract Background: Intervention strategies to reduce obesity include policy and environmental changes that are designed to provide opportunities, support, and cues to help people develop healthier behaviors. Policy changes at the state level are one way to influence access, social norms, and opportunities for better nutrition and increased physical activity among the population. Methods: Ten states were selected for a broad variance in obesity rates and number of enacted obesity prevention policies during the years of 2006–2009. Within the selected states, a purely qualitative study of attitudes of childhood obesity policy using semistructured telephone interviews was conducted. Interviews were conducted with state policy makers who serve on public health committees. A set of six states that had more than eight childhood obesity policies enacted were selected for subsequent qualitative interviews with a convenience sample of well-established advocates. Results: Policy makers in states where there was more childhood obesity policy action believed in the evidence behind obesity policy proposals. Policy makers also varied in the perception of obesity as a constituent priority. The major differences between advocates and policy makers included a disconnect in information dissemination, opposition, and effectiveness of these policies. Conclusions: The findings from this study show differences in perceptions among policy makers in states with a greater number of obesity prevention bills enacted. There are differences among policy makers and advocates regarding the role and effectiveness of state policy on obesity prevention. This presents an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to improve communication and translation of evidence to policy makers, particularly in states with low legislation. PMID:22799551

U.S. State and Federal Laws Targeting Distracted Driving

PubMed Central

Catherine Chase, J.D.

2014-01-01

Distracted driving has burgeoned with the proliferation of cell phones, global positioning systems and other in-vehicle and personal electronic devices. Annually more than 3,300 people are killed and an additional 400,000 are injured in the United States in distracted driving crashes. The United States (U.S.) federal and state governments have responded to this public health problem with policies and laws; however, a more comprehensive and more effective approach is still needed. Some restrictions on the use of electronic devices while driving by federal employees and some voluntary guidelines and recommendations have been issued. Public opinion polls show support for addressing the issue of distracted driving with state laws. The majority of states have laws banning text messaging while driving and prohibiting the use of an electronic device by teenage or novice drivers. Some states prohibit all drivers from using a hand-held cellphone. Currently no state has a total ban on the use of personal electronic devices while driving. Successful past traffic safety campaigns changing driver behavior have demonstrated the necessity to adopt a “three Es” approach of Enactment of a law, Education of the public about the law, and rigorous Enforcement of the law. Experience reveals that this approach, along with future federal regulation of in-vehicle electronic devices and the employment of technology to limit the use of electronic devices while driving, is needed to alter personal behavior in order to reduce distractions and keep drivers focused on the driving task. PMID:24776229

U.s. State and federal laws targeting distracted driving.

PubMed

Catherine Chase, J D

2014-01-01

Distracted driving has burgeoned with the proliferation of cell phones, global positioning systems and other in-vehicle and personal electronic devices. Annually more than 3,300 people are killed and an additional 400,000 are injured in the United States in distracted driving crashes. The United States (U.S.) federal and state governments have responded to this public health problem with policies and laws; however, a more comprehensive and more effective approach is still needed. Some restrictions on the use of electronic devices while driving by federal employees and some voluntary guidelines and recommendations have been issued. Public opinion polls show support for addressing the issue of distracted driving with state laws. The majority of states have laws banning text messaging while driving and prohibiting the use of an electronic device by teenage or novice drivers. Some states prohibit all drivers from using a hand-held cellphone. Currently no state has a total ban on the use of personal electronic devices while driving. Successful past traffic safety campaigns changing driver behavior have demonstrated the necessity to adopt a "three Es" approach of Enactment of a law, Education of the public about the law, and rigorous Enforcement of the law. Experience reveals that this approach, along with future federal regulation of in-vehicle electronic devices and the employment of technology to limit the use of electronic devices while driving, is needed to alter personal behavior in order to reduce distractions and keep drivers focused on the driving task.

Implementation strategies to promote community-engaged efforts to counter tobacco marketing at the point of sale.

PubMed

Leeman, Jennifer; Myers, Allison; Grant, Jennifer C; Wangen, Mary; Queen, Tara L

2017-09-01

The US tobacco industry spends $8.2 billion annually on marketing at the point of sale (POS), a practice known to increase tobacco use. Evidence-based policy interventions (EBPIs) are available to reduce exposure to POS marketing, and nationwide, states are funding community-based tobacco control partnerships to promote local enactment of these EBPIs. Little is known, however, about what implementation strategies best support community partnerships' success enacting EBPI. Guided by Kingdon's theory of policy change, Counter Tools provides tools, training, and other implementation strategies to support community partnerships' performance of five core policy change processes: document local problem, formulate policy solutions, engage partners, raise awareness of problems and solutions, and persuade decision makers to enact new policy. We assessed Counter Tools' impact at 1 year on (1) partnership coordinators' self-efficacy, (2) partnerships' performance of core policy change processes, (3) community progress toward EBPI enactment, and (4) salient contextual factors. Counter Tools provided implementation strategies to 30 partnerships. Data on self-efficacy were collected using a pre-post survey. Structured interviews assessed performance of core policy change processes. Data also were collected on progress toward EBPI enactment and contextual factors. Analysis included descriptive and bivariate statistics and content analysis. Following 1-year exposure to implementation strategies, coordinators' self-efficacy increased significantly. Partnerships completed the greatest proportion of activities within the "engage partners" and "document local problem" core processes. Communities made only limited progress toward policy enactment. Findings can inform delivery of implementation strategies and tests of their effects on community-level efforts to enact EBPIs.

15 CFR 970.301 - Requirements for applications based on pre-enactment exploration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR.... (f) The coordinates and any chart of the logical mining unit applied for in an application based on a...

15 CFR 970.301 - Requirements for applications based on pre-enactment exploration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR.... (f) The coordinates and any chart of the logical mining unit applied for in an application based on a...

15 CFR 970.301 - Requirements for applications based on pre-enactment exploration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR.... (f) The coordinates and any chart of the logical mining unit applied for in an application based on a...

15 CFR 970.301 - Requirements for applications based on pre-enactment exploration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR.... (f) The coordinates and any chart of the logical mining unit applied for in an application based on a...

15 CFR 970.301 - Requirements for applications based on pre-enactment exploration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR.... (f) The coordinates and any chart of the logical mining unit applied for in an application based on a...

Challenging and Preventing Policies That Prohibit Local Civil Rights Protections for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People.

PubMed

Pomeranz, Jennifer L

2018-01-01

Discrimination causes health inequities for stigmatized groups. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals, in particular, are at significantly increased risk for disparate health outcomes when they reside in states that fail to extend equal protections to them or that actively deprive equal rights to them. Several states and the federal government have proposed or enacted laws that permit residents to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals. One such law, Arkansas's Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act of 2015, preempts or prohibits local governments from enacting civil rights protections for LGBTQ individuals that are also lacking at the state level. State laws such as Arkansas's undermine local control, damage the economy, and create injustices that harm LGBTQ people. I set forth 2 constitutional arguments to challenge such laws, and I provide information to help advocates support evidence-based policymaking and prevent the passage of similar laws in their states.

How States Are Tackling the Opioid Crisis

PubMed Central

Zur, Julia; Mulvaney-Day, Norah; von Klimo, Melinda Campopiano; Selmi, Elizabeth; Harwood, Henrick

2017-01-01

Objectives: We used data from the 2015 National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors Web-based questionnaire and other sources to demonstrate the range and scope of state initiatives being used to deal with the opioid crisis in the United States. Methods: State alcohol and drug agency directors and designated senior agency managers responded to the questionnaire, which asked respondents about recent opioid-related state-level public health initiatives at their agencies. Results: State alcohol and drug agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia responded, all of which reported that prescription drug misuse was a high priority or the highest priority area for their agencies. Of the 51 respondents, states reported initiatives to educate the general public (n = 48), prescribers (n = 31), patients and families (n = 24), and pharmacists (n = 22) about the risks of opioids. In addition, 29 states had increased funding for medication-assisted treatment of opioid addiction, 28 had expanded the availability of naloxone (an opioid antidote), 26 had established guidelines for safe opioid prescribing, 23 had launched requirements for prescriber use of prescription monitoring programs, 23 had passed Good Samaritan laws to protect those helping treat overdoses, and 14 had enacted legislation to regulate pain clinics. Conclusions: US state alcohol and drug agencies demonstrated a robust response to the opioid crisis in the United States. They have pursued and expanded on an array of evidence-based initiatives aimed at the opioid crisis. Future public health efforts should focus on maintenance and further expansion of high-quality, evidence-based practices, policies, and programs. PMID:28152337

How States Are Tackling the Opioid Crisis.

PubMed

Wickramatilake, Shalini; Zur, Julia; Mulvaney-Day, Norah; Klimo, Melinda Campopiano von; Selmi, Elizabeth; Harwood, Henrick

We used data from the 2015 National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors Web-based questionnaire and other sources to demonstrate the range and scope of state initiatives being used to deal with the opioid crisis in the United States. State alcohol and drug agency directors and designated senior agency managers responded to the questionnaire, which asked respondents about recent opioid-related state-level public health initiatives at their agencies. State alcohol and drug agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia responded, all of which reported that prescription drug misuse was a high priority or the highest priority area for their agencies. Of the 51 respondents, states reported initiatives to educate the general public (n = 48), prescribers (n = 31), patients and families (n = 24), and pharmacists (n = 22) about the risks of opioids. In addition, 29 states had increased funding for medication-assisted treatment of opioid addiction, 28 had expanded the availability of naloxone (an opioid antidote), 26 had established guidelines for safe opioid prescribing, 23 had launched requirements for prescriber use of prescription monitoring programs, 23 had passed Good Samaritan laws to protect those helping treat overdoses, and 14 had enacted legislation to regulate pain clinics. US state alcohol and drug agencies demonstrated a robust response to the opioid crisis in the United States. They have pursued and expanded on an array of evidence-based initiatives aimed at the opioid crisis. Future public health efforts should focus on maintenance and further expansion of high-quality, evidence-based practices, policies, and programs.

Stuck in the Middle: Examining the Intersection of Middle School Science Teachers' PCK and Classroom Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Jared R.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explain middle school teachers' decisions for planning a science unit of instruction (reflection on action) and their decisions when enacting this planned unit (reflection in action) using the new teacher professional knowledge and skill (TPK&S) model as a guiding framework. In addition, this study specifically…

State laws and the provision of family planning and abortion services in 1985.

PubMed

Sollom, T; Donovan, P

1985-01-01

65 laws relating to fertility were enacted by the 49 state legislatures that held sessions in 1985. This was the largest enacted since 1973, and the 2nd largest total since. Some of the 1985 abortion laws are designed to protect abortion rights. Several states in the US took action to severely punish the perpetrators of violence against abortion clinics. Lesislation dealing with the delivery of family planning services was subjected to public funding restrictions in 1985. Attempts have been made recently on the federal level to prevent Title X recipients from being provided with information on abortion in their pregnancy counseling sessions. These actions are similar to some of the state laws attempting to reach the same end. Many states included funds for family planning in general appropriations bills. Differences among legislators regarding the right of minors to consent to reproductive health care have led to 2 patterns of response: 1) affirmation of the right of minors to receive family planning services on their own consent; or 2) laws mandating parental involvement in a minor's abortion decision. The most troubling aspect of the fertility related legislation endated in 1985 is the effort by a number of legislatures to attach restrictions on abortion counseling and referral to family planning appropriations bills. In 1985, state laws were enacted to regulate the disposal of fetal remains, to prohibit the use of fetal remains for commercial purposes and to impose criminal sanctions for causing the miscarriage of a fetus during a felony.

Relationships between non-pathological dream-enactment and mirror behaviors.

PubMed

Nielsen, Tore; Kuiken, Don

2013-09-01

Dream-enacting behaviors (DEBs) are behavioral expressions of forceful dream images often occurring during sleep-to-wakefulness transitions. We propose that DEBs reflect brain activity underlying social cognition, in particular, motor-affective resonance generated by the mirror neuron system. We developed a Mirror Behavior Questionnaire (MBQ) to assess some dimensions of mirror behaviors and investigated relationships between MBQ scores and DEBs in a large of university undergraduate cohort. MBQ scores were normally distributed and described by a four-factor structure (Empathy/Emotional Contagion, Behavioral Imitation, Sleepiness/Anger Contagion, Motor Skill Imitation). DEB scores correlated positively with MBQ total and factor scores even with social desirability, somnambulism and somniloquy controlled. Emotion-specific DEB items correlated with corresponding emotion-specific MBQ items, especially crying and smiling. Results provide preliminary evidence for cross-state relationships between propensities for dream-enacting and mirror behaviors--especially behaviors involving motor-affective resonance--and our suggestion that motor-affective resonance mediates dream-enactment imagery during sleep and emotional empathy during waking. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regulation of junior doctors' work hours: an analysis of British and American doctors' experiences and attitudes.

PubMed

Jagsi, Reshma; Surender, Rebecca

2004-06-01

Regulations of junior doctors' work hours were first enacted in the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) over a decade ago, with the goals of improving patient care and doctors' well-being while maintaining a high quality of medical training. This study examines experiences and attitudes regarding the implementation of these regulations among physicians and surgeons at two teaching hospitals, one in South-East England, and the other in New England, US. This paper presents the findings of a survey questionnaire and a series of in-depth interviews administered to a sample of junior doctors and the consultants responsible for their supervision. The study finds that the different policy mechanisms employed in the two countries have had different degrees of success in reducing the work hours of junior doctors. The results also indicate, however, that even in settings in which hours have been reduced significantly, the regulations have only had limited effects on the quality of medical care, junior doctors' well-being, and the quality of medical education. A number of barriers to the success of the regulations in achieving their objectives are identified, and the relative merits of political action and professional self-regulation are discussed. This research suggests that recently enacted policies requiring further reductions in junior doctors' hours in both the US and UK may face similar barriers when implemented. Understanding the lessons that emerge from implementation of the original regulations is essential if future reforms are to succeed and a high-quality system of health care is to be sustained.

The tyranny of profit: concentration of wealth, corporate globalization, and the failed US health care system.

PubMed

Schroeder, Carole

2003-01-01

In this article, I argue that the concentration of wealth and power in the United States and its accompanying ideals of corporate capitalism and globalization are destroying not only the economic security of US families, but also our health care system and the ideals of a participatory democracy. The article is composed of 2 parts. Part I is a portrayal of the US economic and health care system as it is, one that enacts an ideology of never-ending profit, inequality, and exclusion based on class, color, and ability to pay. Initially, I outline the wealth gap in our society and deconstruct the popular myth that most US families benefited from the stock market gains of the 80s and 90s; next I discuss the process of corporatization and globalization of business and the resultant attack on the ideals of participatory democracy. Finally, I briefly trace the history of the corporatization of US health care and outline its impact on costs, access, quality, and population health. Part II is a more philosophical discussion of ways out of the dilemmas portrayed in Part I. Among other things, I discuss how a deepening of our political commitment is needed, a process that entails a move away from the current politics of the Prince toward a politics of the people. This deeper way of living our politics makes every act a political act, enabling us to resist what we are told, denounce that which is unacceptable, unite around common ground, and enact previously unimagined alternatives.

Heteronomy in the arts field: state funding and British arts organizations.

PubMed

Alexander, Victoria D

2018-03-01

For Bourdieu, the field of cultural production is comprised of an autonomous and a heteronomous sector. A heteronomous sector is one that is interpenetrated by the commercial field. I discuss an arena that, until recently, was part of the relatively autonomous sector in the field of cultural production - the supported arts sector in the United Kingdom - and argue that it became more heteronomous, due to the penetration by the state. Heteronomy due to the commercial field is present but secondary to, and driven by, the actions of the state. Political parties' attempts to diffuse and legitimate a particular economic ideology have led to state demands that arts institutions adopt neoliberal business practices in exchange for funding. Government giving to the arts, previously at arm's length, proved to be a Faustian bargain that demanded significant repayment in the form of lost autonomy. Coercive pressures from the state, enacted over time, show how the domination of one field over another can occur, even when the domination is resisted. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

Protocol: mixed-methods study to evaluate implementation, enforcement, and outcomes of U.S. state laws intended to curb high-risk opioid prescribing.

PubMed

McGinty, Emma E; Stuart, Elizabeth A; Caleb Alexander, G; Barry, Colleen L; Bicket, Mark C; Rutkow, Lainie

2018-02-26

The U.S. opioid epidemic has been driven by the high volume of opioids prescribed by healthcare providers. U.S. states have recently enacted four types of laws designed to curb high-risk prescribing practices, such as high-dose and long-term opioid prescribing, associated with opioid-related mortality: (1) mandatory Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) enrollment laws, which require prescribers to enroll in their state's PDMP, an electronic database of patients' controlled substance prescriptions, (2) mandatory PDMP query laws, which require prescribers to query the PDMP prior to prescribing an opioid, (3) opioid prescribing cap laws, which limit the dose and/or duration of opioid prescriptions, and (4) pill mill laws, which strictly regulate pain clinics to prevent nonmedical opioid prescribing. Some pain experts have expressed concern that these laws could negatively affect pain management among patients with chronic non-cancer pain. This paper describes the protocol for a mixed-methods study analyzing the independent effects of these four types of laws on opioid prescribing patterns and chronic non-cancer pain treatment, accounting for variation in implementation and enforcement of laws across states. Many states have enacted multiple opioid prescribing laws at or around the same time. To overcome this issue, our study focuses on 18 treatment states that each enacted a single law of interest, and no other potentially confounding laws, over a 4-year period (2 years pre-/post-law). Qualitative interviews with key leaders in each of the 18 treatment states will characterize the timing, scope, and strength of each state law's implementation and enforcement. This information will inform the design and interpretation of synthetic control models analyzing the effects of each of the two types of laws on two sets of outcomes: measures of (1) high-risk opioid prescribing and (2) non-opioid treatments for chronic non-cancer pain. Study of mandatory PDMP enrollment, mandatory PDMP query, opioid prescribing cap, and pill mill laws is timely given a dynamic policy environment in which numerous states pass, revise, implement, and enforce varied laws to address opioid prescribing each year. Findings will inform enactment, implementation, and enforcement of these laws in additional states.

Hazardous materials programs in the fifty states.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1988-01-01

This report describes the hazardous materials transportation safety programs, laws, and regulatory programs enacted by each of the fifty states. The report contains a brief description of common elements in the hazardous materials policy-making proce...

January 1989.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1989-01-01

The Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act enacted by Congress on April : 2, 1987, permitted states to raise the speed limit up to 65 miles per hour, (mph) on their rural : Interstate highways. Thirty-eight states have opted for...

Concussion.

PubMed

Mullally, William J

2017-08-01

Concussion has been recognized as a clinical entity for more than 1000 years. Throughout the 20th century it was studied extensively in boxers, but it did not pique the interest of the general population because it is the accepted goal of the boxer to inflict such an injury on their opponent. In 2002, however, the possibility that repetitive concussions could result in chronic brain damage and a progressive neurologic disorder was raised by a postmortem evaluation of a retired player in the most popular sports institution in the United States, the National Football League. Since that time concussion has been a frequent topic of conversation in homes, schools, and on television and has become a major focus of sports programs in communities and schools at all levels. Now all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have enacted laws and rules to protect the athlete. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Facts, fallacies, and politics of comparative effectiveness research: Part 2 - implications for interventional pain management.

PubMed

Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Falco, Frank J E; Boswell, Mark V; Hirsch, Joshua A

2010-01-01

The United States leads the world in many measures of health care innovation. However, it has been criticized to lag behind many developed nations in important health outcomes including mortality rates and higher health care costs. The surveys have shown the United States to outspend all other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with spending on health goods and services per person of $7,290 - almost 2(1/2) times the average of all OECD countries in 2007. Rising health care costs in the United States have been estimated to increase to 19.1% of gross domestic product (GDP) or $4.4 trillion by 2018. CER is defined as the generation and synthesis of evidence that compares the benefits and harms of alternate methods to prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor a clinical condition or to improve the delivery of care. The, comparative effectiveness research (CER) has been touted by supporters with high expectations to resolve most ill effects of health care in the United States providing high quality, less expensive, universal health care. The efforts of CER in the United States date back to the late 1970s and it was officially inaugurated with the enactment of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA). It has been rejuvenated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 with an allocation of $1.1 billion. CER has been the basis of decision for health care in many other countries. Of all the available agencies, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) of the United Kingdom is the most advanced, stable, and has provided significant evidence, though based on rigid and proscriptive economic and clinical formulas. While CER is taking a rapid surge in the United States, supporters and opponents are emerging expressing their views. Since interventional pain management is a new and evolving specialty, with ownership claimed by numerous organizations, at times it is felt as if it has many fathers and other times it becomes an orphan. Part 2 of this comprehensive review will provide facts, fallacies, and politics of CER along with discussion of potential outcomes, impact of CER on health care delivery, and implications for interventional pain management in the United States.

Fact or factitious? A psychobiological study of authentic and simulated dissociative identity states.

PubMed

Reinders, A A T S; Reinders, A A T Simone; Willemsen, Antoon T M; Vos, Herry P J; den Boer, Johan A; Nijenhuis, Ellert R S

2012-01-01

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a disputed psychiatric disorder. Research findings and clinical observations suggest that DID involves an authentic mental disorder related to factors such as traumatization and disrupted attachment. A competing view indicates that DID is due to fantasy proneness, suggestibility, suggestion, and role-playing. Here we examine whether dissociative identity state-dependent psychobiological features in DID can be induced in high or low fantasy prone individuals by instructed and motivated role-playing, and suggestion. DID patients, high fantasy prone and low fantasy prone controls were studied in two different types of identity states (neutral and trauma-related) in an autobiographical memory script-driven (neutral or trauma-related) imagery paradigm. The controls were instructed to enact the two DID identity states. Twenty-nine subjects participated in the study: 11 patients with DID, 10 high fantasy prone DID simulating controls, and 8 low fantasy prone DID simulating controls. Autonomic and subjective reactions were obtained. Differences in psychophysiological and neural activation patterns were found between the DID patients and both high and low fantasy prone controls. That is, the identity states in DID were not convincingly enacted by DID simulating controls. Thus, important differences regarding regional cerebral bloodflow and psychophysiological responses for different types of identity states in patients with DID were upheld after controlling for DID simulation. The findings are at odds with the idea that differences among different types of dissociative identity states in DID can be explained by high fantasy proneness, motivated role-enactment, and suggestion. They indicate that DID does not have a sociocultural (e.g., iatrogenic) origin.

Inclusive state immigrant policies and health insurance among Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, and White noncitizens in the United States.

PubMed

Young, Maria-Elena De Trinidad; Leon-Perez, Gabriela; Wells, Christine R; Wallace, Steven P

2017-10-20

Policy-making related to immigrant populations is increasingly conducted at the state-level. State policy contexts may influence health insurance coverage by determining noncitizens' access to social and economic resources and shaping social environments. Using nationally representative data, we investigate the relationship between level of inclusion of state immigrant policies and health insurance coverage and its variation by citizenship and race/ethnicity. Data included a measure of level of inclusion of the state policy context from a scan of 10 policies enacted prior to 2014 and data for adults ages 18-64 from the 2014 American Community Survey. A fixed-effects logistic regression model tested the association between having health insurance and the interaction of level of inclusiveness, citizenship, and race/ethnicity, controlling for state- and individual-level characteristics. Latino noncitizens experienced higher rates of being insured in states with higher levels of inclusion, while Asian/Pacific Islander noncitizens experienced lower levels. The level of inclusion was not associated with differences in insurance coverage among noncitizen Whites and Blacks. Contexts with more inclusive immigrant policies may have the most benefit for Latino noncitizens.

Factors affecting construction of science discourse in the context of an extracurricular science and technology project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webb, Horace P.

Doing and learning science are social activities that require certain language, activities, and values. Both constitute what Gee (2005) calls Discourses. The language of learning science varies with the learning context (Lemke, 2001,1990). Science for All Americans (AAAS, 1990) and Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (NRC, 2000) endorse inquiry science learning. In the United States, most science learning is teacher-centered; inquiry science learning is rare (NRC, 2000). This study focused on 12 high school students from two suburban high schools, their three faculty mentors, and two engineering mentors during an extracurricular robotics activity with FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). FRC employed student-centered inquiry focus to teach science principles integrating technology. Research questions were (a) How do science teachers and their students enact Discourses as they teach and learn science? and (b) How does the pedagogical approach of a learning activity facilitate the Discourses that are enacted by students and teachers as they learn and teach science? Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study examined participants' language during robotic activities to determine how language used in learning science shaped the learning and vice versa. Data sources included videorecordings of participant language and semi-structured interviews with study participants. Transcribed recordings were coded initially using Gee's (2005) linguistic Building Tasks as a priori codes. CDA was applied to code transcripts, to construct Discourses enacted by the participants, and to determine how context facilitated their enactment. Findings indicated that, for the students, FRC facilitated elements of Science Discourse. Wild About Robotics (W.A.R.) team became, through FRC, part of a community similar to scientists' community that promoted knowledge and sound practices, disseminated information, supported research and development and encouraged interaction of its members. The public school science classroom in the U.S. is inimical to inquiry learning because of practices and policies associated with the epistemological stance that spawned the standards and/or testing movement and No Child Left Behind (Baez & Boyles, 2009). The findings of this study provided concrete ideas to accommodate the recommendations by NRC (1996) and NSES (2000) for creating contexts that might lead to inquiry science learning for meaningful student engagement.

1994 State Legislation on Native American Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morin, Kimberly A.

This report includes state-by-state summaries of 1994 legislation pertaining to Native American issues. Of 344 bills introduced in the state legislatures in 1994, 92 were enacted and 20 are still pending. Major issues addressed in 1994 legislation included Native American education; history, language, and culture preservation; sovereignty; law…

A Content Analysis of Protective Factors within States' Antibullying Laws

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, Lori M.; Brown, James R.; Weddle, Daniel B.; Aalsma, Matthew C.

2013-01-01

State lawmakers have responded to school bullying by crafting antibullying legislation. By July 2011, 47 states enacted such laws, though varied widely in content and scope. This study systematically evaluated each state's antibullying legislation by focusing on the inclusion of individual, parental, and systemic protective factors through…

In-State Tuition Policies for Undocumented Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vargas, Edward D.

2011-01-01

This article is an investigation into why U.S. states have enacted, banned, or continued with the status quo regarding in-state tuition policies for unauthorized youth. Using data from multiple government and nonprofit sources, a series of multinomial logistic regressions are estimated to explain the determinants of state behavior across the…

Toward State Tax Reform: Lessons from State Tax Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Therese J.; Rio, Jessica E.

This paper reviews recent state tax-commission recommendations in selected states and identifies critical factors for the success of state tax-reform commissions. The paper focuses on factors linked to the process of forming a commission and generating the necessary consensus to enact tough reforms. It describes and compares comprehensive studies…

Sacrifice, the Bush Way: From Self to Others.

PubMed

Cotton, Marc-Andre

2016-01-01

The Walker Bush dynasty has marked the last American century, promoting "corporate democracy" as a means to expand its wealth. As 43rd President of the United States, George Walker Bush's biography illustrates how the members of our powerful elite sacrifice the inner self of their own children for the sake of political success. In his case, the childrearing violence and emotional neglect he experienced created the psychological basis for his later re-enactments as commander-in-chief in the wake of 9/11. From that standpoint, his intergenerational legacy of trauma bears strong affinities with that of the nation as a whole. This paper examines George W. Bush's paternal inheritance, the problem of maternal abuse and its subsequent psychic wounds, as well as the impact of an unresolved grief after the loss of his younger sister, Robin. Restaging childhood traumas as a vengeful young adult at Yale, before getting involved in dirty politics, Bush supported unlawful hazing practices. Then, as Governor of Texas he promoted the death penalty and a zero-tolerance approach to juvenile offenders. Controversial decisions of the Bush administration regarding the Enhanced Interrogation Program, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and many others are further scrutinized as collective re-enactments of abuse deeply engrained in American society.

Using Infant Massage Following a Mother's Unfavorable Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Experiences: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lappin, Grace

2005-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to explore the synchronous behaviors enacted by mother and infant with blindness. In the study, a mother's less than optimal experience with the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) had a profound effect not only on her and her infant son, who was born 3 months prematurely and was visually impaired, but also on…

Healthcare reform in the United States and China: pharmaceutical market implications.

PubMed

Daemmrich, Arthur; Mohanty, Ansuman

2014-01-01

The United States and China are broadening health insurance coverage and increasing spending on pharmaceuticals, in contrast to other major economies that are reducing health spending and implementing a variety of drug price controls. This article analyzes the implications of health system reforms in the United States and China for national pharmaceutical markets. It follows a historical institutionalist approach that identifies path dependency in the design and operation of national health systems. On that basis, we estimate prescription sales for 2015 and 2020, analyze the sustainability of free-market pricing for drugs in the two countries, and assess future competitive dynamics in the pharmaceutical sector. The institutional trajectories of health system reform and insurance coverage were studied for the United States and China. Next, data were collected from government, industry, and analyst reports on total healthcare spending and prescription drug expenditure by insurance status (in the United States) and by site of care (in China). Simple quantitative models were developed to estimate future drug spending based on insurance coverage, treatment locations, and health spending as a percentage of GDP. Both countries will see rising total pharmaceutical spending and will be the two largest country markets for prescription drugs through at least 2020. In dollar terms, the U.S. pharmaceutical market will be over $440 billion in 2015 and $700 billion in 2020; China's prescription market will be over $155 billion in 2015 and grow further to $260 billion in 2020. In both countries, generics will increase their share of all prescriptions, but economic and structural incentives for new drug invention and brand-name prescribing by physicians will keep the share of patented drug sales high compared to countries with more direct government control over the pharmaceutical market. Expanding private insurance contributes to spending on branded drugs, since insurers compete for market share rather than cost savings. Health system reforms presently being enacted in the United States and China align to historical institutional trajectories in each country, but leave unresolved a core tension between incentives for new drug invention and universal access to affordable medicines.

Trends in State Charter School Laws: Authorizers, Caps, Performance-Based Closures and Virtual Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Kathy; Millard, Maria; Thomsen, Jennifer; Wixom, Micah

2014-01-01

Forty-two states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school legislation. The Education Commission of the States (ECS) analysts reviewed laws in the 50 states in creating an online database that highlights how state charter school laws vary, particularly in how states establish standards and accountability for charter school…

Orphan drug development in the United States.

PubMed

Groft, S C

1985-05-01

Drug research and development in the U.S. tends to focus on drugs to treat common diseases because of the anticipated return on investment. To stimulate pharmaceutical manufacturers to pursue the development of drugs for rare conditions, the Orphan Drug Act was enacted by Congress on January 4, 1983. Under the provisions of this Act, the FDA can make recommendations on the investigations necessary for marketing approval; exclusive marketing privileges can be obtained; tax credits for expenses incurred are allowed; availability of orphan drugs on an investigational basis is encouraged; and the Orphan Product Board is established for the coordination of research efforts and their reimbursement. The effects of this legislation are evident in the continuing increase in orphan drug designations.

Public health, science, and policy debate: being right is not enough.

PubMed

Camargo, Kenneth; Grant, Roy

2015-02-01

Public health is usually enacted through public policies, necessitating that the public engage in debates that, ideally, are grounded in solid scientific findings. Mistrust in science, however, has compromised the possibility of deriving sound policy from such debates, partially owing to justified concerns regarding undue interference and even outright manipulation by commercial interests. This situation has generated problematic impasses, one of which is the emergence of an anti-vaccination movement that is already affecting public health, with a resurgence in the United States of preventable diseases thought to have been eradicated. Drawing on British sociologist Harry Collins' work on expertise, we propose a theoretical framework in which the paralyzing, undue public distrust of science can be analyzed and, it is hoped, overcome.

"You Must Be Thinking What a Lesbian Man Teacher Is Doing in a Nice Place Like Dipane Letsie School?": Enacting, Negotiating and Reproducing Dominant Understandings of Gender in a Rural School in the Free State, South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francis, Dennis

2014-01-01

In this article I explore two questions -- how does, Thatho, a transgendered life orientation teacher enact, resist and reproduce dominant understandings of gender and sexuality in terms of his own identity and practice; and what specific possibilities, challenges and resistances exist for a transgender educator in the rural. Using life-history…

Evaluation of sketch-level VMT quantification tools : strategic growth council grant programs evaluation support project.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

The State of California has enacted ambitious policies that aim to reduce the states greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Some of these policies focus on reducing the amount of driving throughout the state, measured in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), giv...

The U.S. Culture Collection Network Responding to the Requirements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

PubMed Central

Barker, Katharine B.; Barton, Hazel A.; Boundy-Mills, Kyria; Brown, Daniel R.; Coddington, Jonathan A.; Cook, Kevin; Desmeth, Philippe; Geiser, David; Glaeser, Jessie A.; Greene, Stephanie; Kang, Seogchan; Lomas, Michael W.; Melcher, Ulrich; Miller, Scott E.; Nobles, David R.; Owens, Kristina J.; Reichman, Jerome H.; da Silva, Manuela; Wertz, John; Whitworth, Cale; Smith, David

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT The U.S. Culture Collection Network held a meeting to share information about how culture collections are responding to the requirements of the recently enacted Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meeting included representatives of many culture collections and other biological collections, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretariat of the CBD, interested scientific societies, and collection groups, including Scientific Collections International and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network. The participants learned about the policies of the United States and other countries regarding access to genetic resources, the definition of genetic resources, and the status of historical materials and genetic sequence information. Key topics included what constitutes access and how the CBD Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing-House can help guide researchers through the process of obtaining Prior Informed Consent on Mutually Agreed Terms. U.S. scientists and their international collaborators are required to follow the regulations of other countries when working with microbes originally isolated outside the United States, and the local regulations required by the Nagoya Protocol vary by the country of origin of the genetic resource. Managers of diverse living collections in the United States described their holdings and their efforts to provide access to genetic resources. This meeting laid the foundation for cooperation in establishing a set of standard operating procedures for U.S. and international culture collections in response to the Nagoya Protocol. PMID:28811341

The U.S. Culture Collection Network Responding to the Requirements of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.

PubMed

McCluskey, Kevin; Barker, Katharine B; Barton, Hazel A; Boundy-Mills, Kyria; Brown, Daniel R; Coddington, Jonathan A; Cook, Kevin; Desmeth, Philippe; Geiser, David; Glaeser, Jessie A; Greene, Stephanie; Kang, Seogchan; Lomas, Michael W; Melcher, Ulrich; Miller, Scott E; Nobles, David R; Owens, Kristina J; Reichman, Jerome H; da Silva, Manuela; Wertz, John; Whitworth, Cale; Smith, David

2017-08-15

The U.S. Culture Collection Network held a meeting to share information about how culture collections are responding to the requirements of the recently enacted Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The meeting included representatives of many culture collections and other biological collections, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Secretariat of the CBD, interested scientific societies, and collection groups, including Scientific Collections International and the Global Genome Biodiversity Network. The participants learned about the policies of the United States and other countries regarding access to genetic resources, the definition of genetic resources, and the status of historical materials and genetic sequence information. Key topics included what constitutes access and how the CBD Access and Benefit-Sharing Clearing-House can help guide researchers through the process of obtaining Prior Informed Consent on Mutually Agreed Terms. U.S. scientists and their international collaborators are required to follow the regulations of other countries when working with microbes originally isolated outside the United States, and the local regulations required by the Nagoya Protocol vary by the country of origin of the genetic resource. Managers of diverse living collections in the United States described their holdings and their efforts to provide access to genetic resources. This meeting laid the foundation for cooperation in establishing a set of standard operating procedures for U.S. and international culture collections in response to the Nagoya Protocol.

Cultural Identity Forum: Enacting the Self-Awareness Imperative in Intercultural Communication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson-Lain, Karen

2017-01-01

Courses: Intercultural Communication; any course with an intercultural communication unit. Objectives: Students will demonstrate the self-awareness imperative in intercultural communication, explore their own cultural identities, and reflect on others cultural identities in order to build their intercultural communication competence.

77 FR 43039 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-23

... Federal Acquisition Regulation; Contractors Performing Private Security Functions Outside the United.... 110-181, enacted January 28, 2008), section 862, entitled ``Contractors Performing Private Security... NDAA required standardization of rules for private security contractors that are performing in...

State-Tribal Legislation: 1992 and 1993 Summaries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White-Tail Feather, Alex; And Others

This report summarizes state legislative activity in 1992 and 1993 pertaining to Native American issues. An overview of each year is followed by state-by-state summaries. In 1993, of 238 bills, resolutions, and memorials introduced, 116 were enacted, with 31 pending. During 1993, education issues were important and included the integration of…

Implementing Transfer and Articulation: A Case Study of Community Colleges and State Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senie, Kathryn C.

2016-01-01

This study examined the cultural aspects of a transfer articulation policy between public community colleges and state universities enacted by a newly consolidated state governing board for higher education in a northeastern state. A qualitative multisite case study design explored how key stakeholders, faculty, administrators and staff viewed the…

State Legislation Relating to Native Americans, 1991.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, James B.

1991-01-01

This report summarizes legislative activities in states that enacted bills and resolutions relating to Native Americans in 1991. Conflicts between states and the Indian tribes within their borders were the subject of significant legislation in 1991. In all, 220 bills and resolutions were introduced in state legislatures; 77 passed and 20 are still…

Private tollways : how states can leverage federal highway funds

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-02-01

Congress has dramatically changed the rules on highway finance in enacting the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). Reversing 70 years of federal opposition to toll roads, the new law encourages state governments to make ...

US health policy and prescription drug coverage of FDA-approved medications for the treatment of obesity.

PubMed

Gomez, G; Stanford, F C

2018-03-01

Obesity is now the most prevalent chronic disease in the United States, which amounts to an estimated $147 billion in health care spending annually. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted in 2010 included provisions for private and public health insurance plans that expanded coverage for lifestyle/behavior modification and bariatric surgery for the treatment of obesity. Pharmacotherapy, however, has not been included despite their evidence-based efficacy. We set out to investigate the coverage of Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for obesity within Medicare, Medicaid and ACA-established marketplace health insurance plans. We examined coverage for phentermine, diethylpropion, phendimetrazine, Benzphentamine, Lorcaserin, Phentermine/Topiramate (Qysmia), Liraglutide (Saxenda) and Buproprion/Naltrexone (Contrave) among Medicare, Medicaid and marketplace insurance plans in 34 states. Among 136 marketplace health insurance plans, 11% had some coverage for the specified drugs in only nine states. Medicare policy strictly excludes drug therapy for obesity. Only seven state Medicaid programs have drug coverage. Obesity requires an integrated approach to combat its public health threat. Broader coverage of pharmacotherapy can make a significant contribution to fighting this complex and chronic disease.

The 1984 State Legislative Summary of Children and Youth Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Joan M.; And Others

This 50-state profile identifies and summarizes new laws affecting children and youth that were enacted by the states during the 1984 legislative sessions. The information was gathered through a phone survey of state legislative contacts. The draft report was sent to the 50 state contacts for comment and review. Thus the final report represents a…

A Comparative Analysis of Mandated Benefit Laws, 1949–2002

PubMed Central

Laugesen, Miriam J; Paul, Rebecca R; Luft, Harold S; Aubry, Wade; Ganiats, Theodore G

2006-01-01

Objective To understand and compare the trends in mandated benefits laws in the United States. Data Sources/Study Setting Mandated benefit laws enacted in 50 states and the District of Columbia for the period 1949–2002 were compiled from multiple published compendia. Study Design Laws that require private insurers and health plans to cover particular services, types of diseases, or care by specific providers in 50 states and the District of Columbia are compared for the period 1949–2002. Legislation is compared by year, by average and total frequency, by state, by type (provider, health care service, or preventive), and according to whether it requires coverage or an offer of coverage. Data Collection/Extraction Method Data from published tables were entered into a spreadsheet and analyzed using statistical software. Principal Findings A total of 1,471 laws mandated coverage for 76 types of providers and services. The most common type of mandated coverage is for specific health care services (670 laws for 34 different services), followed by laws for services offered by specific professionals and other providers (507 mandated benefits laws for 25 types of providers), and coverage for specific preventive services (295 laws for 17 benefits). On average, a mandated benefit law has been adopted or significantly revised by 19 states, and each state has approximately 29 mandates. Only two benefits (minimum maternity stay and breast reconstruction) are mandated in all 51 jurisdictions and these were also federally mandated benefits. The mean number of total mandated benefit laws adopted or significantly revised per year was 17 per year in the 1970s, 36 per year in the 1980s, 59 per year in the 1990s, and 76 per year between 2000 and 2002. Since 1990, mandate adoption increased substantially, with around 55 percent of all mandated benefit laws enacted between 1990 and 2002. Conclusions There was a large increase in the number of mandated benefits laws during the managed care “backlash” of the 1990s. Many states now use mandated benefits to prescribe not only what services and benefits would be provided but how, where, and when services will be provided. PMID:16704673

Vaccination refusal. Autonomy and permitted coercion.

PubMed

Grzybowski, Andrzej; Patryn, Rafał K; Sak, Jarosław; Zagaja, Anna

2017-06-01

The article presents vaccination obligation in relation to the existing or newly enacted legislation. Mass vaccinations and a wave of criticism they cause, forces us to reflect on the limits of medical intervention in the human body and the boundaries granted to individual's freedom and autonomy. This problem is universal and exists mainly in countries without mandatory vaccinations. Analyzing recent years, it must be underlined that a process in some legislatures has been introduced to enforce various forms of vaccination coercion. Although, refusing vaccinations has been treated liberally, the last wave of epidemics in the United States and Europe forced the creation of a different approach. Gradually in the USA, a duty (not a 'coercion') of vaccination is being enforced. Occurring epidemics, (e.g. measles) and dangers resulting from them, force authorities to violate the principle of autonomy and restrict individuals' freedoms regarding their own body. The article presents legal solutions relating to vaccinations in the United States and Europe i.e. administrative decisions imposing vaccinations, solutions conditioning social existence and financial penalties for not complying with this obligation and proposes a solution based on financial liability that will balance out patients' autonomy and public security.

Vaccination refusal. Autonomy and permitted coercion

PubMed Central

Grzybowski, Andrzej; Patryn, Rafał K.; Sak, Jarosław

2017-01-01

The article presents vaccination obligation in relation to the existing or newly enacted legislation. Mass vaccinations and a wave of criticism they cause, forces us to reflect on the limits of medical intervention in the human body and the boundaries granted to individual’s freedom and autonomy. This problem is universal and exists mainly in countries without mandatory vaccinations. Analyzing recent years, it must be underlined that a process in some legislatures has been introduced to enforce various forms of vaccination coercion. Although, refusing vaccinations has been treated liberally, the last wave of epidemics in the United States and Europe forced the creation of a different approach. Gradually in the USA, a duty (not a ‘coercion’) of vaccination is being enforced. Occurring epidemics, (e.g. measles) and dangers resulting from them, force authorities to violate the principle of autonomy and restrict individuals’ freedoms regarding their own body. The article presents legal solutions relating to vaccinations in the United States and Europe i.e. administrative decisions imposing vaccinations, solutions conditioning social existence and financial penalties for not complying with this obligation and proposes a solution based on financial liability that will balance out patients’ autonomy and public security. PMID:28486849

The 2010 U.S. health care reform: approaching and avoiding how other countries finance health care.

PubMed

White, Joseph

2013-07-01

This article describes and analyzes the U.S. health care legislation of 2010 by asking how far it was designed to move the U.S. system in the direction of practices in all other rich democracies. The enacted U.S. reform could be described, extremely roughly, as Japanese pooling with Swiss and American problems at American prices. Its policies are distinctive, yet nevertheless somewhat similar to examples in other rich democracies, on two important dimensions: how risks are pooled and the amount of funds redistributed to subsidize care for people with lower incomes. Policies about compelling people to contribute to a finance system would be further from international norms, as would the degree to which coverage is set by clear and common substantive standards--that is, standardization of benefits. The reform would do least, however, to move the United States toward international practices for controlling spending. This in turn is a major reason why the results would include less standard benefits and incomplete coverage. In short, the United States would remain an outlier on coverage less because of a failure to make an effort to redistribute--a lack of solidarity--than due to a failure to control costs.

1975 State Education Legislation. A Survey of the States. Research Brief, Vol. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayas, Denise Kale; Ross, Doris M.

This publication is a state-by-state compilation of state educational legislation enacted in 1976. Brief summaries of each new law are listed by individual states. In addition, all entries are cross-referenced and indexed by subject. Most of the legislation listed deals with elementary secondary education or is too broad to be identified by level;…

The Schooling of State Pesticide Laws: Review of State Pesticide Laws Regarding Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owens, Kagan; Feldman, Jay

1999-01-01

There are a variety of state statutes that have been enacted to protect children in schools, but only about half of all state legislatures have examined pesticide use in schools, only 16 states directly address indoor use of pesticides, and the federal government is silent. While the federal government gives states and local governments the…

78 FR 39298 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-01

... in Intergovernmental IV- D; Federally Approved Forms. OMB No.: 0970-0085. Description: Public Law 104.... 666 to require State Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agencies to enact the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) into State law by January 1, 1998. Section 311(b) of UIFSA requires the States to use...

Children, Youth, and Families Issues. 1988 State Legislative Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Conference of State Legislatures, Denver, CO.

This publication is the sixth annual compilation of summaries of legislation pertaining to children, youth, and families enacted by the individual states and by Puerto Rico. It contains information gathered by National Conference of State Legislatures staff through direct requests from legislative staff, and includes summaries of legislation…

Fact or Factitious? A Psychobiological Study of Authentic and Simulated Dissociative Identity States

PubMed Central

Simone Reinders, A. A. T.; Willemsen, Antoon T. M.; Vos, Herry P. J.; den Boer, Johan A.; Nijenhuis, Ellert R. S.

2012-01-01

Background Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a disputed psychiatric disorder. Research findings and clinical observations suggest that DID involves an authentic mental disorder related to factors such as traumatization and disrupted attachment. A competing view indicates that DID is due to fantasy proneness, suggestibility, suggestion, and role-playing. Here we examine whether dissociative identity state-dependent psychobiological features in DID can be induced in high or low fantasy prone individuals by instructed and motivated role-playing, and suggestion. Methodology/Principal Findings DID patients, high fantasy prone and low fantasy prone controls were studied in two different types of identity states (neutral and trauma-related) in an autobiographical memory script-driven (neutral or trauma-related) imagery paradigm. The controls were instructed to enact the two DID identity states. Twenty-nine subjects participated in the study: 11 patients with DID, 10 high fantasy prone DID simulating controls, and 8 low fantasy prone DID simulating controls. Autonomic and subjective reactions were obtained. Differences in psychophysiological and neural activation patterns were found between the DID patients and both high and low fantasy prone controls. That is, the identity states in DID were not convincingly enacted by DID simulating controls. Thus, important differences regarding regional cerebral bloodflow and psychophysiological responses for different types of identity states in patients with DID were upheld after controlling for DID simulation. Conclusions/Significance The findings are at odds with the idea that differences among different types of dissociative identity states in DID can be explained by high fantasy proneness, motivated role-enactment, and suggestion. They indicate that DID does not have a sociocultural (e.g., iatrogenic) origin. PMID:22768068

U.S. congressional district cancer death rates.

PubMed

Hao, Yongping; Ward, Elizabeth M; Jemal, Ahmedin; Pickle, Linda W; Thun, Michael J

2006-06-23

Geographic patterns of cancer death rates in the U.S. have customarily been presented by county or aggregated into state economic or health service areas. Herein, we present the geographic patterns of cancer death rates in the U.S. by congressional district. Many congressional districts do not follow state or county boundaries. However, counties are the smallest geographical units for which death rates are available. Thus, a method based on the hierarchical relationship of census geographic units was developed to estimate age-adjusted death rates for congressional districts using data obtained at county level. These rates may be useful in communicating to legislators and policy makers about the cancer burden and potential impact of cancer control in their jurisdictions. Mortality data were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for 1990-2001 for 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all counties. We computed annual average age-adjusted death rates for all cancer sites combined, the four major cancers (lung and bronchus, prostate, female breast, and colorectal cancer) and cervical cancer. Cancer death rates varied widely across congressional districts for all cancer sites combined, for the four major cancers, and for cervical cancer. When examined at the national level, broad patterns of mortality by sex, race and region were generally similar with those previously observed based on county and state economic area. We developed a method to generate cancer death rates by congressional district using county-level mortality data. Characterizing the cancer burden by congressional district may be useful in promoting cancer control and prevention programs, and persuading legislators to enact new cancer control programs and/or strengthening existing ones. The method can be applied to state legislative districts and other analyses that involve data aggregation from different geographic units.

U.S. congressional district cancer death rates

PubMed Central

Hao, Yongping; Ward, Elizabeth M; Jemal, Ahmedin; Pickle, Linda W; Thun, Michael J

2006-01-01

Background Geographic patterns of cancer death rates in the U.S. have customarily been presented by county or aggregated into state economic or health service areas. Herein, we present the geographic patterns of cancer death rates in the U.S. by congressional district. Many congressional districts do not follow state or county boundaries. However, counties are the smallest geographical units for which death rates are available. Thus, a method based on the hierarchical relationship of census geographic units was developed to estimate age-adjusted death rates for congressional districts using data obtained at county level. These rates may be useful in communicating to legislators and policy makers about the cancer burden and potential impact of cancer control in their jurisdictions. Results Mortality data were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for 1990–2001 for 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all counties. We computed annual average age-adjusted death rates for all cancer sites combined, the four major cancers (lung and bronchus, prostate, female breast, and colorectal cancer) and cervical cancer. Cancer death rates varied widely across congressional districts for all cancer sites combined, for the four major cancers, and for cervical cancer. When examined at the national level, broad patterns of mortality by sex, race and region were generally similar with those previously observed based on county and state economic area. Conclusion We developed a method to generate cancer death rates by congressional district using county-level mortality data. Characterizing the cancer burden by congressional district may be useful in promoting cancer control and prevention programs, and persuading legislators to enact new cancer control programs and/or strengthening existing ones. The method can be applied to state legislative districts and other analyses that involve data aggregation from different geographic units. PMID:16796732

Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Primary Stroke Center Policy in the United States: Results From 4 Case Study States

PubMed Central

Slade, Catherine P.; Brewer, Gene A.; Gase, Lauren N.

2011-01-01

Objectives. We identified barriers and facilitators to the state-level implementation of primary stroke center (PSC) policies, which encourage the certification or designation of specialized stroke treatment facilities and may address concerns such as transportation bypass, telemedicine, and treatment protocols. Methods. We studied the experiences of 4 states (Florida, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and New York) selected from the 18 states that had enacted PSC policies or were actively considering doing so. We conducted semistructured interviews during fieldwork in each case study state. Results. Our results showed that system fragmentation, gaps in human and financial resources, and complexity at the interorganizational and operational levels are common barriers and that policy champions, stakeholder support and communication, and operational adaptation are essential facilitators in the adoption and implementation of PSC policies. Conclusions. The identification of barriers and facilitators reveals the contextual elements that can help or hinder policy implementation and may be useful in informing policy formulation and implementation in other jurisdictions. Proactively identifying jurisdictional challenges and opportunities may help facilitate the policy process for PSC designation and allow jurisdictions to develop more effective stroke systems of care. PMID:21233430

Excellence Creates Itself.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keegan, Lisa Graham

2001-01-01

Discusses challenges and benefits of Arizona's public charter-school system enacted by the state legislature in 1994. Includes descriptions of some charter-school experiences. Arizona was the first state to pass legislation allowing public charter schools to operate independently of local school board control. (PKP)

State Labor Legislation Enacted in 1973

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, David A.

1974-01-01

The primary areas considered by State legislatures in 1973 included higher minimum wage rates and broader coverage of minimum wage laws, improved occupational safety, collective bargaining procedures for public employees, elimination of discrimination in employment, and updating of child labor standards. (Author)

Should the Red Dragon arise? Assessing China's options vis-à-vis the enactment of a domestic space resources utilization law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao, L.; Tronchetti, F.

2017-05-01

The past couple of years have witnesses one of the most exciting, yet controversial, developments in the field of space law, namely the adoption of domestic laws authorizing the (private) appropriation and utilization of outer space resources. Even though the technology to effectively mine resources in outer space is still under development countries like the United States and Luxembourg have taken this legislative step as a mean to promote the growth of a domestic private space mining sector. The enactment of national space resources utilization laws has generated extensive interest both within academic circles and official fora, such as the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS). In this context, several countries have expressed their opinion about these initiatives, by often criticizing their legality vis-a-vis international space law. Despite this remarkable level of interest there is a country that throughout this process has maintained a low profile, namely China. Indeed, China has neither reacted to the US and Luxembourgish moves nor has officially commented on the lawfulness of domestic space mining laws. This conduct is particularly relevant not only in the light of the growing importance of the Chinese space program but also if one considers that China is the country most involved in the exploration and study of celestial bodies and their resources, particularly the Moon. For this reasons it would have been legitimate to expect China to have a more engaged behavior. However, China has acted otherwise. It seems thus worth evaluating whether China should maintain this 'wait and see' approach or should instead switch towards a more assertive position, both internationally and domestically, especially one which includes the adoption of a space resources utilization act.

State Education Reform within Reach? Exploring the Effectiveness of State Support Teams for Districts and Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanna, Robert

2013-01-01

Since Congress enacted the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965, the federal government has emphasized states' shared responsibility for improving student achievement. When Congress reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2001 as the No Child Left Behind Act, it called upon states to provide technical support to…

Report: States See Test-Score Gains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viadero, Debra

2004-01-01

This article discusses a report from Education Trust, a Washington-based research and advocacy group. The report says almost half the states have seen rising math scores on their state exams for elementary school pupils since the federal No Child Left Behind law was enacted. It also states that reading scores have improved among 4th and 5th…

29 CFR 1952.173 - Developmental schedule.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Inservice training plans for enforcement personnel will be developed within 18 months of plan approval. (f... (CONTINUED) APPROVED STATE PLANS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF STATE STANDARDS California § 1952.173 Developmental schedule. (a) Within 1 year following plan approval, legislation will be enacted authorizing complete...

30 CFR 710.2 - Objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... REGULATIONS INITIAL REGULATORY PROGRAM § 710.2 Objectives. The objectives of the initial regulatory program... resulting from surface coal mining operations during the interval between enactment of the Act and adoption of a permanent State or Federal regulatory program; and (b) Coordinate the State and Federal...

30 CFR 710.2 - Objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... REGULATIONS INITIAL REGULATORY PROGRAM § 710.2 Objectives. The objectives of the initial regulatory program... resulting from surface coal mining operations during the interval between enactment of the Act and adoption of a permanent State or Federal regulatory program; and (b) Coordinate the State and Federal...

30 CFR 710.2 - Objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... REGULATIONS INITIAL REGULATORY PROGRAM § 710.2 Objectives. The objectives of the initial regulatory program... resulting from surface coal mining operations during the interval between enactment of the Act and adoption of a permanent State or Federal regulatory program; and (b) Coordinate the State and Federal...

30 CFR 710.2 - Objectives.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... REGULATIONS INITIAL REGULATORY PROGRAM § 710.2 Objectives. The objectives of the initial regulatory program... resulting from surface coal mining operations during the interval between enactment of the Act and adoption of a permanent State or Federal regulatory program; and (b) Coordinate the State and Federal...

Legislative history of .08 per se laws

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-06-01

This report documents the legislative history of .08 per se legislation at the state level. It was conducted prior to the October 2000 passage of a federal provision mandating states to enact .08 per se laws by 2004 or otherwise begin losing federal ...

The effects of competition on premiums: using United Healthcare's 2015 entry into Affordable Care Act's marketplaces as an instrumental variable.

PubMed

Agirdas, Cagdas; Krebs, Robert J; Yano, Masato

2018-01-08

One goal of the Affordable Care Act is to increase insurance coverage by improving competition and lowering premiums. To facilitate this goal, the federal government enacted online marketplaces in the 395 rating areas spanning 34 states that chose not to establish their own state-run marketplaces. Few multivariate regression studies analyzing the effects of competition on premiums suffer from endogeneity, due to simultaneity and omitted variable biases. However, United Healthcare's decision to enter these marketplaces in 2015 provides the researcher with an opportunity to address this endogeneity problem. Exploiting the variation caused by United Healthcare's entry decision as an instrument for competition, we study the impact of competition on premiums during the first 2 years of these marketplaces. Combining panel data from five different sources and controlling for 12 variables, we find that one more insurer in a rating area leads to a 6.97% reduction in the second-lowest-priced silver plan premium, which is larger than the estimated effects in existing literature. Furthermore, we run a threshold analysis and find that competition's effects on premiums become statistically insignificant if there are four or more insurers in a rating area. These findings are robust to alternative measures of premiums, inclusion of a non-linear term in the regression models and a county-level analysis.

The role of advance directives in end-of-life decisions in Austria: survey of intensive care physicians.

PubMed

Schaden, Eva; Herczeg, Petra; Hacker, Stefan; Schopper, Andrea; Krenn, Claus G

2010-10-21

Currently, intensive care medicine strives to define a generally accepted way of dealing with end-of-life decisions, therapy limitation and therapy discontinuation.In 2006 a new advance directive legislation was enacted in Austria. Patients may now document their personal views regarding extension of treatment. The aim of this survey was to explore Austrian intensive care physicians' experiences with and their acceptance of the new advance directive legislation two years after enactment (2008). Under the aegis of the OEGARI (Austrian Society of Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care) an anonymised questionnaire was sent to the medical directors of all intensive care units in Austria. The questions focused on the physicians' experiences regarding advance directives and their level of knowledge about the underlying legislation. There were 241 questionnaires sent and 139 were turned, which was a response rate of 58%. About one third of the responders reported having had no experience with advance directives and only 9 directors of intensive care units had dealt with more than 10 advance directives in the previous two years. Life-supporting measures, resuscitation, and mechanical ventilation were the predominantly refused therapies, wishes were mainly expressed concerning pain therapy. A response rate of almost 60% proves the great interest of intensive care professionals in making patient-oriented end-of-life decisions. However, as long as patients do not make use of their right of co-determination, the enactment of the new law can be considered only a first important step forward.

Alaska State Legislature

Science.gov Websites

The Alaska State Legislature search menu Home Senate Current Members Past Members By Session search Home Get Started About the Legislative Branch Legislative Branch The Legislative Branch is responsible for enacting the laws of the State of Alaska and appropriating the money necessary to operate the

The Association of State Policy Attributes with Teachers' Instructional Alignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Polikoff, Morgan S.

2012-01-01

States vary greatly in their implementation of standards-based accountability under No Child Left Behind, yet little evidence is available to guide policymakers on what attributes of state policy advance more tightly aligned instruction. This study uses survey data and content analyses from the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum to describe elements of…

75 FR 44731 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Albuquerque/Bernalillo County, NM; Interstate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-29

... does states. Enacted in 1967, the New Mexico Air Quality Control Act allowed the establishment of the... approve a revision to the Albuquerque/ Bernalillo County, New Mexico State Implementation Plan (SIP) to... any state. The Albuquerque/ Bernalillo Air Quality Control Board (AQCB) is responsible for the portion...

EQUAL PAY FACTS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Women's Bureau (DOL), Washington, DC.

EQUAL PAY MEANS PAYMENT OF "RATE OF THE JOB" WITHOUT REGARD TO SEX. EQUAL PAY LAWS WERE ENACTED IN 29 STATES FROM 1919 TO 1965. FOUR ADDITIONAL STATES HAVE FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES LAWS. SUPPORT FOR SUCH LEGISLATION HAS COME FROM WOMEN'S AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, AFL-CIO, AND THE PRESIDENT'S AND STATE COMMISSIONS ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN. THE…

Children, Youth and Family Issues, 1997. State Legislative Summary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stelzer, Leann, Ed.

This document is a compilation of legislation on issues critical to children and families enacted during 1997 by the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The laws pertaining to various issues are listed by state and briefly described. Issues are: (1) abuse and neglect (including background checks and screening, court procedures, financing,…

10 More States Enact Laws on Vandalizing Animal Laboratories.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blumenstyk, Goldie

1991-01-01

Twenty-two states now specifically outlaw such activities as entering a research laboratory without permission, releasing animals, disrupting experiments, and removing documents and photographs related to research. Several expand the definition of criminal activity to include videotaping or photographing facility interiors. Penalties vary by…

Abortion Incidence and Service Availability In the United States, 2014

PubMed Central

Jones, Rachel K.; Jerman, Jenna

2017-01-01

CONTEXT National and state-level information about abortion incidence can help inform policies and programs intended to reduce levels of unintended pregnancy. METHODS In 2015–2016, all U.S. facilities known or expected to have provided abortion services in 2013 or 2014 were surveyed. Data on the number of abortions were combined with population data to estimate national and state-level abortion rates. The number of abortion-providing facilities and changes since a similar 2011 survey were also assessed. The number and type of new abortion restrictions were examined in the states that had experienced the largest proportionate changes in clinics providing abortion services. RESULTS In 2014, an estimated 926,200 abortions were performed in the United States, 12% fewer than in 2011; the 2014 abortion rate was 14.6 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44, representing a 14% decline over this period. The number of clinics providing abortions declined 6% between 2011 and 2014, and declines were steepest in the Midwest (22%) and the South (13%). Early medication abortions accounted for 31% of nonhospital abortions, up from 24% in 2011. Most states that experienced the largest proportionate declines in the number of clinics providing abortions had enacted one or more new restrictions during the study period, but reductions were not always associated with declines in abortion incidence. CONCLUSIONS The relationship between abortion access, as measured by the number of clinics, and abortion rates is not straightforward. Further research is needed to understand the decline in abortion incidence. PMID:28094905

Enactments in Psychoanalysis: Therapeutic Benefits.

PubMed

Stern, Stanley

The therapeutic benefits of enactments are addressed. Relevant literature reveals disparate conceptions about the nature and use of enactments. Clarification of the term is discussed. This analyst's theoretical and technical evolution is addressed; it is inextricably related to using enactments. How can it not be? A taxonomy of enactments is presented. The article considers that enactments may be fundamental in the evolution from orthodox to contemporary analytic technique. Assumptions underlying enactments are explored, as are guidelines for using enactments. Finally, the article posits that enactments have widened the scope of analysis and contributed to its vitality.

Using Food Science Concepts to Enact Science-Indigenous Knowledge Systems Classroom Based Discourses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwofie, Samuel; Ogunniyi, Meshach

2011-01-01

According to the World Bank and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) could serve as leverage for augmenting policy formulation regarding health, environment and education. By exploring the appropriate pedagogic approaches, the potential exist for integrating IKS into the…

Symbolizing as a Constructive Activity in a Computer Microworld.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steffe, Leslie P.; Olive, John

1996-01-01

Describes how 2 10-year olds developed drawings and numeral systems to symbolize their mental operations while dividing unit bars into thirds and fourths using TIMA: Bars, a computer microworld, as a medium for enacting mathematical actions. The symbolic nature of their partitioning operations was crucial in establishing more conventional…

"It's All Human Error!": When a School Science Experiment Fails

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viechnicki, Gail Brendel; Kuipers, Joel

2006-01-01

This paper traces the sophisticated negotiations to re-inscribe the authority of Nature when a school science experiment fails during the enactment of a highly rated science curriculum unit. Drawing on transcriptions from classroom videotapes, we identify and describe four primary patterns of interaction that characterize this process, arguing…

Fresh Thinking about Academic Development: Authentic, Transformative, Disruptive?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loads, Daphne; Campbell, Fiona

2015-01-01

We highlight three ways of conceptualising and enacting academic development: firstly as authentic, practice-based activity, secondly in terms of a new transformative paradigm for academic development units (ADUs), and thirdly as a space for disruption. We illustrate these conceptualisations through our investigation of the practice of internal…

Drama Activities as Ideational Resources for Primary-Grade Children in Urban Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varelas, Maria; Pappas, Christine C.; Tucker-Raymond, Eli; Kane, Justine; Hankes, Jennifer; Ortiz, Ibett; Keblawe-Shamah, Neveen

2010-01-01

In this study we explored how dramatic enactments of scientific phenomena and concepts mediate children's learning of scientific meanings along material, social, and representational dimensions. These drama activities were part of two integrated science-literacy units, "Matter" and "Forest," which we developed and implemented…

Policies aren't enough: the importance of interpersonal communication about workplace breastfeeding support.

PubMed

Anderson, Jenn; Kuehl, Rebecca A; Drury, Sara A Mehltretter; Tschetter, Lois; Schwaegerl, Mary; Hildreth, Marilyn; Bachman, Charlotte; Gullickson, Heidi; Yoder, Julia; Lamp, Jamison

2015-05-01

Formal policies can establish guidelines and expectations for workplace breastfeeding support. However, interpersonal communication between employees and managers is the context where such policies are explained, negotiated, and implemented. As such, this article focuses on interpersonal communication about breastfeeding support in the workplace. The objective of this article is to describe interpersonal communication related to workplace breastfeeding support. We conducted 3 focus groups with 23 business representatives from a rural city in the Midwest United States. Participants were recruited through the area chamber of commerce. We analyzed the transcripts of the focus groups and derived themes related to the study objective. Our analysis of responses from business representatives in the focus groups revealed 3 major themes about interpersonal communication concerning breastfeeding support in the workplace: (1) interpersonal communication may be more important than written communication for enacting breastfeeding support, (2) multiple factors (age, sex, and power dynamics) complicate the interpersonal communication required to enact breastfeeding support in local businesses, and (3) positive interpersonal communication strategies may improve the success of workplace breastfeeding support. Interpersonal communication between employees and managers is where the specifics of workplace breastfeeding support (eg, policies) are determined and applied. Interpersonal communication about breastfeeding can be challenging due to issues such as age, sex, and power dynamics. However, positive and open interpersonal communication can enhance workplace breastfeeding support. © The Author(s) 2015.

Systematic Evaluation of Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Food Waste Management Strategies in the United States.

PubMed

Hodge, Keith L; Levis, James W; DeCarolis, Joseph F; Barlaz, Morton A

2016-08-16

New regulations and targets limiting the disposal of food waste have been recently enacted in numerous jurisdictions. This analysis evaluated selected environmental implications of food waste management policies using life-cycle assessment. Scenarios were developed to evaluate management alternatives applicable to the waste discarded at facilities where food waste is a large component of the waste (e.g., restaurants, grocery stores, and food processors). Options considered include anaerobic digestion (AD), aerobic composting, waste-to-energy combustion (WTE), and landfilling, and multiple performance levels were considered for each option. The global warming impact ranged from approximately -350 to -45 kg CO2e Mg(-1) of waste for scenarios using AD, -190 to 62 kg CO2e Mg(-1) for those using composting, -350 to -28 kg CO2e Mg(-1) when all waste was managed by WTE, and -260 to 260 kg CO2e Mg(-1) when all waste was landfilled. Landfill diversion was found to reduce emissions, and diverting food waste from WTE generally increased emissions. The analysis further found that when a 20 year GWP was used instead of a 100 year GWP, every scenario including WTE was preferable to every scenario including landfill. Jurisdictions seeking to enact food waste disposal regulations should consider regional factors and material properties before duplicating existing statutes.

The Animal Welfare Act: from enactment to enforcement.

PubMed

Cardon, Andrew D; Bailey, Matthew R; Bennett, B Taylor

2012-05-01

Originally enacted in 1966, the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act has been amended several times and renamed the Animal Welfare Act. Responsibility for administering the Animal Welfare Act was delegated within the United States Department of Agriculture to the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and regulations and standards have been developed to implement the intent of Congress conveyed in the language of the Act. In our opinion, the key to compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and its regulations and standards is to have in place a proactive, progressive Animal Care and Use Program that uses the semiannual inspection and programmatic review process to improve the day-to-day management of the program. Successfully managing the inspection process has taken on new meaning in what has recently become known as the 'Age of Enforcement.' As part of this approach, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service made changes to the inspection process and issued an Enhanced Animal Welfare Enforcement Plan, which included the development of an Inspection Requirements Handbook. The Inspection Requirements Handbook provides inspectors with information on conducting inspections and includes as an attachment a flow chart for Enforcement Action Guidance. The chart describes 4 types of actions that may occur as part of the enforcement process and the steps that will be followed if noncompliant items are documented during an inspection.

The Prediction of States' PK-12 Funding Effort and Distribution Based on Their Ideological Makeups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malin, Joel R.

2016-01-01

States differ markedly in their funding for public schools, both in terms of the fiscal effort their citizens demonstrate and the progressivity with which funds are distributed. Yet, less is known about why different states have enacted such different policies and financing systems. In this study, the relationships between a measure of states'…

Considerations in civil commitment of individuals with substance use disorders.

PubMed

Cavaiola, Alan A; Dolan, David

2016-01-01

Several states currently have enacted laws that allow for civil commitment for individuals diagnosed with severe substance use disorders. Civil commitment or involuntary commitment refers to the legal process by which individuals with mental illness are court-ordered into inpatient and/or outpatient treatment programs. Although initially civil commitment laws were intended for individuals with severe mental illness, these statutes have been extended to cover individuals with severe substance use disorders. Much of the recent legislation allowing for civil commitment of individuals with substance use disorders has come about in response to the heroin epidemic and is designed to provide an alternative to the unrelenting progression of opioid use disorders. Civil commitment also provides an opportunity for individuals with opioid use disorders to make informed decisions regarding ongoing or continued treatment. However, civil commitment also raises concerns regarding the potential violation of 14th Amendment rights, specifically pertaining to abuses of deprivation of liberty or freedom, which are guaranteed under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution. This commentary examines these issues while supporting the need for effective brief civil commitment legislation in all states.

Technology transfer: federal legislation that helps businesses and universities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oaks, Bill G.

1992-05-01

In 1980, Congress enacted the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act to encourage federal laboratories to `spin off' their technology to industry, universities, and state and local governments. The law reflected Congressional concern for the economic well-being of the nation and the need for the United States to maintain its technological superiority. Almost half the nation's research is conducted in federal laboratories. Other legislation, the Small Business Innovation Development Act of 1982 and the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984, was followed by the Technology Transfer Act of 1986 that strengthened and consolidated policy concerning the technology transfer responsibilities of the federal labs. The law allows the labs to directly license their patents and permits the issuance of exclusive licenses. It allows the labs to enter into cooperative research and development agreements with industry, universities, and state and local governments. It institutionalized the Federal Laboratory consortium which, to that point in time, had been a formal but largely unrecognized body. Under the provisions of the law, the United States Air Force Rome Laboratory located in Rome, New York, as the Air Force lead laboratory in photonics research entered into an agreement with the Governor of the State of New York to collaborate in photonics research and development. Subsequent to that agreement, the state established the not-for-profit New York State Photonics Development Corporation in Rome to facilitate business access to Rome Laboratory's photonics research facilities and technologies. Rome Laboratory's photonics research and development program is described in this paper. The Technology Transfer Act of 1986 is summarized, and the roles and missions of the New York State Photonics Development Corporation is explained.

Coordinating transportation and growth management planning : 1998 Legislation : HB 1487 : Level of Service Bill : implementation guidance

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-01-01

In 1990 the Washington State Legislature passed the Growth Management Act (GMA). When enacted, the GMA did not address a number of transportation related issues for a variety of reasons. During the 1998 session the Washington State Legislature passed...

A market approach to better care at lower cost.

PubMed

Antos, Joseph

2015-11-01

The Affordable Care Act expanded health insurance coverage in the United States but did little to address the structural problems that plague the U.S. health care system. Controlling cost while maintaining or improving access to quality care requires a more fundamental reform based on market principles. Such an approach means aligning the financial incentives of patients and providers to promote smarter spending. It also requires better information and more flexible regulation to promote well-functioning competitive markets. Key elements of these reforms include setting reasonable limits on subsidies for Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance; modernizing the Medicare program and adopting reforms that promote competition between traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage; allowing greater flexibility for states in running their Medicaid programs; enacting smarter regulations to protect consumers without imposing greater inefficiency on the health market; and promoting more direct consumer involvement in all phases of their health and health care. These changes will challenge academic medical centers as a new era of creativity and competition emerges in the health care market.

Current Practice in Relation to the Past: The Mirror State Counterplan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fadely, Dean

The mirror state counterplan is a straightforward form of negative refutation used in debate in which the negative team proposes that each state enact a miniature version of the affirmative plan that was to be adopted on the federal level. For example, the 1981-82 national debate proposition resolved that the federal government should…

States Raise Proficiency Standards in Math and Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Paul E.; Ackerman, Matthew

2015-01-01

Since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was enacted into federal law in 2002, states have been required to test students in grades 3 through 8 and again in high school to assess math and reading achievement. The federal law also asks states to establish the performance level students must reach on the exams in order to be identified as…

State Legislative Session Highlights for Public Charter Schools. Communications State Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziebarth, Todd

2017-01-01

There were a number of historic public charter school policy wins across the country in 2017. Kentucky became the 44th state (along with the District of Columbia) to enact a charter school law. Colorado and Florida provided charter school students with unprecedented access to locally raised dollars for facilities. Tennessee and Texas created new…

Preschool Literacy and the Common Core: A Professional Development Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wake, Donna G.; Benson, Tammy Rachelle

2016-01-01

Many states have adopted the Common Core Standards for literacy and math and have begun enacting these standards in school curriculum. In states where these standards have been adopted, professional educators working in K-12 contexts have been working to create transition plans from existing state-based standards to the Common Core standards. A…

West Virginia Physical Education Teacher Perceptions of State Mandated Fitnessgram® Testing and Application of Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, William M.

2013-01-01

Background/Purpose: In response to concerns with increasing rates of childhood obesity, many states have enacted policies that affect physical education. A commonly used approach is state mandated fitness test administration in school-based settings. While this approach is widely debated throughout the literature, one area that lacks research is…

Assessing nursing staffing ratios: variability in workload intensity.

PubMed

Upenieks, Valda V; Kotlerman, Jenny; Akhavan, Jaleh; Esser, Jennifer; Ngo, Myha J

2007-02-01

In 2004, California became the first state to implement specific nurse-to-patient ratios for all hospitals. These mandated enactments have caused significant controversy among health care professionals as well as nursing unions and professional organizations. Supporters of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios cite patient care quality, safety, and outcomes, whereas critics point to the lack of solid data and the use of a universally standardized acuity tool. Much more remains to be learned about staffing policies before mature links may be made regarding set staffing ratios and patient outcomes - specifically, how nurses spend their time in terms of variability in their daily work. This study examines two comparable telemetry units with a 1:3 staffing ratio within a California hospital system to determine the relative rates of variability in nursing activities. The results demonstrate significant differences in categorical nursing activities (e.g., direct care, indirect care, etc.) between the two telemetry units (chi(2) = 91.2028; p < or = .0001). No correlation was noted between workload categories with daily staffing ratios and staffing mix between the two units. Although patients were grouped in a similar telemetry classification category and care was mandated at a set ratio, patient needs were variable, creating a significant difference in registered nurse (RN) categorical activities on the two units.

Final Report on 1989 Legislation Affecting Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Community Colleges, Sacramento. Office of the Chancellor.

A summary is provided of 1989 legislation of importance to California community colleges. The first section of the report provides an overview of the 1989 legislative year, including both federal and state issues. State highlights concern extensive negotiations over the allocation of funds to community colleges under the newly enacted Proposition…

Literacy Instruction in the Wake of Common Core State Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett-Mynes, Jennifer

2013-01-01

As teachers modify their instruction to meet English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards (CCSS), how do these modifications influence literacy instruction and learning opportunities afforded to students? While the CCSS standardized objectives for literacy instruction, the enacted curriculum is uniquely shaped by teachers and their…

Analytical study of the legal and operational aspects of the Minnesota law entitled "Chemical Test for Intoxication" M.S.A. Sec. 169.123

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1981-12-01

This report provides information for use by state legislatures, state governmental agencies, traffic safety organizations and other persons in enacting laws to control driving and drinking on the highways and specifically the type of "administrative ...

Legislative Priorities for the 105th Congress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education Consortium.

The National Association of State Directors of Vocational Technical Education Consortium (NASDVTEC) supports enactment of legislation that is dedicated solely to vocational-technical education (VTE). NASDVTEC urges the 105th Congress to build on the existing foundation of a strong state role in VTE by drafting legislation that achieves the…

Crafting a Successful Bully Prevention Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMurrer-Shank, Marlene R.

2010-01-01

Bullying continues to be a serious problem in schools everywhere, and states are enacting laws that target bullying and harassment on campus. Several state legislatures have proposed laws that require schools to establish anti-bullying policies and programs. Therefore, education leaders and school business officials should ensure that the bully…

An Educational Transition: Post-Secondary Correctional Education--A Qualitative Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartholomew, Greg

2013-01-01

Administration of post-secondary correctional education (PSCE) programs within state was vastly changed through legislation enacted in 2009. This study examined the transition of a PSCE system formerly facilitated by higher education to the current system administered by the State Department of Corrections (SDC). This qualitative case study…

DNR Recorder's Office

Science.gov Websites

and/or purchase. Why are documents recorded in the official records? What types of documents are recorded in the official records? A: Documents are recorded in the Official Records of the State of Alaska to declare their enactment and existence. Individuals research the state records to identify property

Motorcycle helmet use laws

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) encourages States to enact legislation that requires all motorcycle riders to wear helmets. Motorcycle helmets provide the best protection from head injury for motorcyclists involved in traff...

Health characteristics of female victims of domestic violence housed in a state care shelter.

PubMed

Ferreira, Rebeca Monteiro; Vasconcelos, Thiago Brasileiro de; Moreira, Renato Evando; Macena, Raimunda Hermelinda Maia

2016-12-01

The promotion of care for female victims of violence implies action that is not limited to combatting the problem, but also to the dimension of care provided to the victims. This study seeks to understand the sociodemographic and health characteristics of female victims of violence who are/have been under the protective custody of the state, before and after the Maria da Penha Law (MPL), and the healthcare offered to them. It is a cross-sectional, exploratory-descriptive documentary study, with a qualitative/quantitative approach, conducted in the second semester of 2013 in a special unit for the protection of female victims of violence in the State of Ceará. The sample was composed of 197 medical records of women attended between 2001 and 2012. Few changes occurred in the health profile of female victims of domestic violence sheltered by the State after the enactment of the MPL. Significant changes occurred in the pattern of care provided, such as increased investigation, promotion, and registration of health-related activities. The identification of the aftereffects of aggression per se is still scarce. A suggested addition would be the inclusion of a health professional in the staff at the shelters to meet this demand.

Ground water investigations in Utah to June 30, 1936: A part of Chapter 8 in Twentieth biennial report of the State Engineer to the governor of Utah: 1935-1936

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, G.H.; Thomas, H.E.

1936-01-01

During the past few years of drouth the importance of ground-water supplies has become more fully appreciated. During this time, because of subnormal replenishment of the ground-water reservoirs and the increased withdrawals from wells, the ground-water levels have declined in most developed areas in the State, a condition which has made the well owners acutely aware that ground water is not inexhaustible. Numerous cases of contention between well owners resulted in increased demands for adequate regulation of the appropriation and use of ground water. Realizing that more information concerning the ground water of the State was imperative, not only to administer the ground-water regulations but to prepare for the conservation and replenishment of existing supplies and development of new supplies, the State Legislature enacted, during its 1935 session, Senate Bill 206, which authorized the State Engineer to make an investigation of the ground water of the State. To provide for the expenses of the investigation, the bill allotted /$10,000 to the State Engineer, this sum to be matched by a State or Federal organization, and the investigation to be carried out co-operatively during the biennium beginning July 1, 1935. A co-operative agreement between the State Engineer and the United States Geological Survey was made on July 1, 1935.

State preemption of local smoke-free laws in government work sites, private work sites, and restaurants - United States, 2005-2009.

PubMed

2010-02-05

Smoke-free policies (i.e., policies that completely eliminate smoking in indoor workplaces and public places) result in health benefits, including preventing heart attacks. Preemptive legislation at the state level prohibits localities from enacting laws that vary from state law or are more stringent. A Healthy People 2010 objective (27-19) is to eliminate state laws that preempt stronger local tobacco control laws. A 2005 CDC review found that little progress was being made toward reducing the number of state laws preempting local smoking restrictions in three indoor settings: government work sites, private-sector work sites, and restaurants. These three settings were selected for analysis because they are settings that often are addressed by state and local smoking restrictions and because they are major settings where nonsmoking workers and patrons are exposed to secondhand smoke. This report updates the previous analysis and summarizes changes that occurred from December 31, 2004, to December 31, 2009, in state laws that preempt local smoke-free laws for the same three settings. During that period, the number of states preempting local smoking restrictions in at least one of these three settings decreased from 19 to 12. In contrast with the 2005 findings, this decrease indicates progress toward achieving the goal of eliminating state laws preempting local smoking restrictions. Further progress could result in additional reductions in secondhand smoke exposure.

Type of unit and population served matters when implementing a smoke-free policy in mental health settings: Perceptions of unit managers across England.

PubMed

Zabeen, Sara; Tsourtos, George; Campion, Jonathan; Lawn, Sharon

2015-11-01

Globally, smoking remains a significant issue for mental health populations. Many mental health trusts in England are facing challenges of implementing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance according to which all mental health settings, no matter the type, should be entirely smoke-free and provide comprehensive smoking cessation support. The aim of this paper was to determine if unit type and unit manager smoking status influence mental health smoke-free policy implementation. This paper reports on the secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional survey of 147 mental health inpatient settings in England, in 2010. The original study's main aim was to understand unit managers' perceived reasons for success or failure of smoke-free policy. Unit managers (n = 131) held a positive stance towards supporting smoke-free policy and most perceived that the policy was successful. Non-smoker unit managers were more likely to adopt complete bans than smoker unit managers, whereas smoker unit managers were more likely than non-smoker unit managers to think that stopping smoking aggravated patients' mental illness. Smoking rates for staff and patients remain high, as perceived by unit managers, regardless of unit type. Proportion of units offering nicotine replacement therapy and peer support to patients was significantly higher in locked units compared to semi-locked or residential rehabilitation. Applied strategies significantly vary by type of unit, whereas unit managers' knowledge, attitude and practices vary by their smoking status. There are nuanced differences in how smoke-free policy is enacted which vary by unit type. These variations recognise the differing contexts of care provision in different types of units serving different patient groups. Addressing staff smoking rates, promoting consistency of staff response to patients' smoking and providing staff education and support continue to be key strategies to successful smoke-free policy. Our results demonstrate the importance of taking into account the type of unit and acuity of patients when enacting smoke-free policy and addressing staff smoking. © The Author(s) 2015.

ICT Tools in Environmental Education: Reviewing Two Newcomers to Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fauville, G.; Lantz-Andersson, A.; Säljö, R.

2014-01-01

United Nations of Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO's) founding statements about environmental education (EE) in the 1970s positioned it as a multidisciplinary field of inquiry. When enacted as such, it challenges traditional ways of organising secondary school education by academic subject areas. Equally,…

Repeating Patterns in Kindergarten: Findings from Children's Enactments of Two Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsamir, Pessia; Tirosh, Dina; Levenson, Esther S.; Barkai, Ruthi; Tabach, Michal

2017-01-01

This paper describes kindergarten children's engagement with two patterning activities. The first activity includes two tasks in which children are asked to choose possible ways for extending two different repeating patterns and the second activity calls for comparing different pairs of repeating patterns. Children's recognition of the unit of…

Health Advocacy: A Vital Step in Attaining Human Rights for Adults with Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brolan, C. E.; Boyle, F. M.; Dean, J. H.; Gomez, M. Taylor; Ware, R. S.; Lennox, N. G.

2012-01-01

Background: People with intellectual disability (ID) experience health inequity compared with the general population, a key contributing factor being disparities in social determinants of health. The enactment of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provides a platform for the progression and promotion of…

Enacting Disability Policy through Unseen Support: The Everyday Use of Disability Classifications by University Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Nigel

2017-01-01

In the United Kingdom (UK), Higher Education Institutions share with other educational providers the duty to provide reasonable adjustments for students who disclose disabilities. The role of academic administrators in the operationalisation of legislation-driven policy related to disability within the university context is overlooked within…

Hybrid Discourse Practice and Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamberelis, George; Wehunt, Mary D.

2012-01-01

In this article, we report on a study of how creative linguistic practices (which we call "hybrid discourse practices") were enacted by students in a fifth-grade science unit on barn owls and how these practices helped to produce a synergistic micro-community of scientific practice in the classroom that constituted a fertile space for students…

The Birth of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Michael

1998-01-01

Outlines the history of the ideals and enactment of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Includes a discussion of the origins of the concept of human rights, the impact of World War II, the role of nongovernmental organizations, and the process of drafting and adopting the UDHR. (DSK)

Using an interprofessional competency framework to examine collaborative practice.

PubMed

Hepp, Shelanne L; Suter, Esther; Jackson, Karen; Deutschlander, Siegrid; Makwarimba, Edward; Jennings, Jake; Birmingham, Lisa

2015-03-01

Healthcare organisations are starting to implement collaborative practice to increase the quality of patient care. However, operationalising and measuring progress towards collaborative practice has proven to be difficult. Various interprofessional competency frameworks have been developed that outline essential collaborative practice competencies for healthcare providers. If these competencies were enacted to their fullest, collaborative practice would be at its best. This article examines collaborative practice in six acute care units across Alberta using the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) competency framework (CIHC, 2010 ). The framework entails the six competencies of patient-centred care, communication, role clarification, conflict resolution, team functioning and collaborative leadership (CIHC, 2010 ). We conducted a secondary analysis of interviews with 113 healthcare providers from different professions, which were conducted as part of a quality improvement study. We found positive examples of communication and patient-centred care supported by unit structures and processes (e.g. rapid rounds and collaborative plan of care). Some gaps in collaborative practice were found for role clarification and collaborative leadership. Conflict resolution and team functioning were not well operationalised on these units. Strategies are presented to enhance each competency domain in order to fully enact collaborative practice. Using the CIHC competency framework to examine collaborative practice was useful for identifying strength and areas needing improvement.

Examining Teacher Talk in an Engineering Design-Based Science Curricular Unit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aranda, Maurina L.; Lie, Richard; Selcen Guzey, S.; Makarsu, Murat; Johnston, Amanda; Moore, Tamara J.

2018-03-01

Recent science education reforms highlight the importance for teachers to implement effective instructional practices that promote student learning of science and engineering content and their practices. Effective classroom discussion has been shown to support the learning of science, but work is needed to examine teachers' enactment of engineering design-based science curricula by focusing on the content, complexity, structure, and orchestration of classroom discussions. In the present study, we explored teacher-student talk with respect to science in a middle school curriculum focused on genetics and genetic engineering. Our study was guided by the following major research question: What are the similarities and differences in teacher talk moves that occurred within an engineering design-based science unit enacted by two teachers? Through qualitative and quantitative approaches, we found that there were clear differences in two teachers' use of questioning strategies and presentation of new knowledge that affected the level of student involvement in classroom discourse and the richness and details of student contributions to the conversations. We also found that the verbal explanations of science content differed between two teachers. Collectively, the findings in this study demonstrate that although the teachers worked together to design an engineering designed-based science curriculum unit, their use of different discussion strategies and patterns, and interactions with students differed to affect classroom discourse.

HIV-related stigma and optimism as predictors of anxiety and depression among HIV-positive men who have sex with men in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

PubMed

Murphy, Patrick J; Garrido-Hernansaiz, Helena; Mulcahy, Fiona; Hevey, David

2018-03-01

This study investigated the associations between forms of HIV-related optimism, HIV-related stigma, and anxiety and depression among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. HIV health optimism (HHO) and HIV transmission optimism (HTO) were hypothesised to be protective factors for anxiety and depression, while the components of HIV-related stigma (enacted stigma, disclosure concerns, concern with public attitudes, and internalised stigma) were hypothesised to be risk factors. Data were collected from 278 HIV-positive MSM using an online questionnaire. The prevalence of psychological distress was high, with close to half (48.9%) of all participants reporting symptoms of anxiety, and more than half (57.9%) reporting symptoms of depression. Multiple linear regressions revealed that both anxiety and depression were positively predicted by internalised stigma and enacted stigma, and negatively predicted by HHO. For both anxiety and depression, internalised stigma was the strongest and most significant predictor. The results highlight the continued psychological burden associated with HIV infection among MSM, even as community support services are being defunded across the United Kingdom and Ireland. The results point to the need for clinicians and policy makers to implement stigma reduction interventions among this population.

The role of advance directives in end-of-life decisions in Austria: survey of intensive care physicians

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Currently, intensive care medicine strives to define a generally accepted way of dealing with end-of-life decisions, therapy limitation and therapy discontinuation. In 2006 a new advance directive legislation was enacted in Austria. Patients may now document their personal views regarding extension of treatment. The aim of this survey was to explore Austrian intensive care physicians' experiences with and their acceptance of the new advance directive legislation two years after enactment (2008). Methods Under the aegis of the OEGARI (Austrian Society of Anaesthesiology, Resuscitation and Intensive Care) an anonymised questionnaire was sent to the medical directors of all intensive care units in Austria. The questions focused on the physicians' experiences regarding advance directives and their level of knowledge about the underlying legislation. Results There were 241 questionnaires sent and 139 were turned, which was a response rate of 58%. About one third of the responders reported having had no experience with advance directives and only 9 directors of intensive care units had dealt with more than 10 advance directives in the previous two years. Life-supporting measures, resuscitation, and mechanical ventilation were the predominantly refused therapies, wishes were mainly expressed concerning pain therapy. Conclusion A response rate of almost 60% proves the great interest of intensive care professionals in making patient-oriented end-of-life decisions. However, as long as patients do not make use of their right of co-determination, the enactment of the new law can be considered only a first important step forward. PMID:20964852

The Tax Limitation Movement of the 1970's: A National Perspective [Chapter Two].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Charles S.; Weinstock, Phyllis

This analysis is the second of a series of seven reports on the ways that the urban fiscal crisis has affected children. During the 1970s, as a result of general public disenchantment with government, 39 states (78 percent of the 50 states) appear to have enacted tax limitations that affected children's services. Of these states, 37 imposed…

When Neighbours Matter Most: Innovation, Diffusion and State Policy Adoption in Tertiary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen-Vogel, Lora; Ingle, William Kyle

2007-01-01

We now have ample evidence that public policies diffuse across the American states; that is, policy adoption is due at least in part to the emulation of policies enacted in nearby states. But, policy adoption is the result of a complex process, a process that often takes years and sometimes decades to complete. According to the "stage"…

The Demise of Higher Education Performance Funding Systems in Three States. CCRC Brief. Number 41

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Kevin J.; Natow, Rebecca S.

2009-01-01

Performance funding in higher education ties state funding directly to institutional performance on specific indicators, such as rates of retention, graduation, and job placement. One of the great puzzles about performance funding is that it has been both popular and unstable. Between 1979 and 2007, 26 states enacted it, but 14 of those states…

The Demise of Higher Education Performance Funding Systems in Three States. CCRC Working Paper No.17

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Kevin J.; Natow, Rebecca S.

2009-01-01

Performance funding in higher education ties state funding directly to institutional performance on specific indicators, such as rates of retention, graduation, and job placement. One of the great puzzles about performance funding is that it has been both popular and unstable. Between 1979 and 2007, 26 states enacted it, but 14 of those states…

Conducting Field Research on Gender Relations in a Gender Repressive State: A Case Study of Gender Research in Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rezai-Rashti, Goli M.

2013-01-01

This paper reflects on the experience of conducting fieldwork and the gendering of research within the context of a gender repressive state. The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently enacted discriminatory policies regarding gender relations since 1979. These regressive measures have made the state apprehensive and sensitive towards any…

Making Progress: An Update on State Implementation of Federal Education Laws Enacted in 1994.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Leslie M.; Welsh, Megan

This study focuses on the work of state administrators of federal programs. It follows up on baseline information collected during late fall 1996 and early winter 1997, analyzing the ways in which state administrators have continued to respond to the new laws. The programs included in the follow-up study are as follows: the Goals 2000: Educate…

US Traffic Fatalities, 1985–2014, and Their Relationship to Medical Marijuana Laws

PubMed Central

Mauro, Christine M.; Wall, Melanie M.; Kim, June H.; Cerdá, Magdalena; Keyes, Katherine M.; Hasin, Deborah S.; Galea, Sandro; Martins, Silvia S.

2017-01-01

Objectives. To determine the association of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) with traffic fatality rates. Methods. Using data from the 1985–2014 Fatality Analysis Reporting System, we examined the association between MMLs and traffic fatalities in multilevel regression models while controlling for contemporaneous secular trends. We examined this association separately for each state enacting MMLs. We also evaluated the association between marijuana dispensaries and traffic fatalities. Results. On average, MML states had lower traffic fatality rates than non-MML states. Medical marijuana laws were associated with immediate reductions in traffic fatalities in those aged 15 to 24 and 25 to 44 years, and with additional yearly gradual reductions in those aged 25 to 44 years. However, state-specific results showed that only 7 states experienced post-MML reductions. Dispensaries were also associated with traffic fatality reductions in those aged 25 to 44 years. Conclusions. Both MMLs and dispensaries were associated with reductions in traffic fatalities, especially among those aged 25 to 44 years. State-specific analysis showed heterogeneity of the MML–traffic fatalities association, suggesting moderation by other local factors. These findings could influence policy decisions on the enactment or repealing of MMLs and how they are implemented. PMID:27997245

State legislation to improve employee wellness.

PubMed

Lankford, Tina; Kruger, Judy; Bauer, Deborah

2009-01-01

Categorize and describe the content and status of state legislation of worksite wellness. State worksite wellness legislation was compiled from the Centers for Disease Control's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity State Legislative Database (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DNPALeg/index.asp) and from LexisNexis (http://www.lexisnexis. com). Key word searches were used to gather worksite wellness legislation (2001-2006), with the exception of resolutions and those bills not pertaining to general employee wellness. Legislation was individually examined, categorized, and analyzed for content and status. The four categories of state legislation that appeared to be most common were tax credits (n = 34; 0 passed), wellness policies and programs (n = 21; 4 passed), alternative transportation (n = 18; 4 passed), and health insurance (n = 14; 3 passed). During 2001 to 2006, seven of 27 states enacted worksite wellness bills. In the three categories in which bills passed (wellness policies and programs, alternative transportation, and health insurance), 19% to 22% were enacted. This proportion, similar to other health promotions bills, indicates that worksite health promotion legislation passed as favorably as other health promotion topics. Further, the language in the bills did not recommend a specific standard for employee health, such as that in the national Healthy People 2010 objectives.

An Overview of the EOS Data Dissemination Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramapriyan, H.K.; Pfister, Robin; Weinstein, Beth

2008-01-01

The Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is the primary data system serving the broad-scope of NASA s Earth Observing System (EOS) program and a significant portion of the "heritage" Earth science data. EOSDIS was designed to support the Earth sciences within NASA s Science Mission Directorate (previously the Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) and Mission to Planet Earth). The EOS Program was NASA s contribution to the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) enacted by Congress in 1990 as part of the Global Change Act. ESE s objective was to launch a series of missions to help answer fundamental global change questions such as "How is Earth changing?" and "What are the consequences for life on Earth?" resulting support of this objective, EOSDIS distributes a wide variety of data to a diverse community.

Reproductive technology: in Britain, the debate after the Warnock Report.

PubMed

Gillon, Raanan

1987-06-01

Gillon contributes an article on Great Britain to the Hastings Center Report series on reproductive technologies outside the United States. In 1984 the Warnock Committee's report represented the first attempt by a national government to formulate a policy on reproductive issues such as artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, surrogate mothers, and research on human embryos. Reaction to the Warnock report has focused on its recommendations to ban commercial surrogacy and to allow experimentation on embryos up to 14 days after fertilization. Legislation on surrogacy was passed in 1985, while bills banning embryo research failed in 1986. A 1986 government consultation paper called for discussion of other aspects of the Warnock report, including its recommendation that a statutory licensing authority to regulate reproductive technologies be established. Gillon predicts that no new legislation will be enacted under the present government.

The future of the US Space Industrial Base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1992-11-01

Our space industrial base has given the United States the capability to be the world's leading space-faring nation. We have exploited space to greatly advance our national security by using extraordinarily sophisticated reconnaissance space systems to guard against military surprise, and other spacecraft that support the pinpoint delivery of weapons. We have fulfilled the dreams of those visionary national leaders who enacted the first National Aeronautics and Space Act by advancing our scientific knowledge of the planet we occupy and the universe around us. And the advancements in technology engendered by the U.S. space program have had world-wide impact in fostering entire new industries. The industrial base is broad. It is not merely plant and equipment, but an entire infrastructure of skilled scientific and technical manpower backed up by superb government, private and academic facilities and institutions.

The Unfinished Business, Twenty Years Later. A Report Submitted to The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights by its Fifty-One State Advisory Committees.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Commission on Civil Rights, Washington, DC.

This reference work details state by state progress in civil rights since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The 51 reports (50 states plus the District of Columbia) reiterate the major problems of the past two decades including education and employment. Other civil rights issues identified by the State advisory committees were:…

29 CFR 1952.380 - Description of the plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) APPROVED STATE PLANS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF STATE STANDARDS Puerto Rico § 1952.380 Description of the plan. (a) The plan designates the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources as the agency.... (b) The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted on July 7, 1975, and approved by...

29 CFR 1952.380 - Description of the plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) APPROVED STATE PLANS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF STATE STANDARDS Puerto Rico § 1952.380 Description of the plan. (a) The plan designates the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources as the agency.... (b) The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted on July 7, 1975, and approved by...

29 CFR 1952.380 - Description of the plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) APPROVED STATE PLANS FOR ENFORCEMENT OF STATE STANDARDS Puerto Rico § 1952.380 Description of the plan. (a) The plan designates the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources as the agency.... (b) The Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted on July 7, 1975, and approved by...

75 FR 13291 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-19

...: Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, amended 42 U.S.C. 666 to require State Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agencies to enact the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) into State law by January 1, 1998. Section 311(b) of UIFSA requires the...

78 FR 70950 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-27

... Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, amended 42 U.S.C. 666 to require State Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agencies to enact the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) into State law by January 1, 1998. Section 311(b) of UIFSA requires the...

Coded Statutory Data Sets for Evaluation of Public Health Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Costich, Julia Field

2012-01-01

Background and objectives: The evaluation of public health law requires reliable accounts of underlying statutes and regulations. States often enact public health-related statutes with nonuniform provisions, and variation in the structure of state legal codes can foster inaccuracy in evaluating the impact of specific categories of law. The optimal…

Evaluation of the HOPE Act: New State Services for Street Youth. Interim Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLain, Barbara

This report reviews the effectiveness of Washington's HOPE Centers and Responsible Living Skills Programs (RLSPs) and reports findings and recommendations. In 1999, state legislators enacted the HOPE Act, which created these two services. HOPE Centers are temporary residential facilities where street youth can stay for 30 days while being…

States Stepping up Mandates for School Safety Drills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Nirvi

2013-01-01

Hundreds of U.S. schools will supplement fire drills and tornado training next fall with simulations of school shootings. In response to the December shootings by an intruder at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, several states have enacted or are considering laws that require more and new types of school safety drills, more…

Fidelity of Implementation of a State Antibullying Policy with a Focus on Protected Social Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, William J.; Chapman, Mimi V.

2018-01-01

Bullying threatens the mental and educational well-being of students. All states have enacted antibullying laws. This study surveyed 634 educators about the implementation of the North Carolina School Violence Prevention Act, which enumerated social classes protected from bullying: race, national origin, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual…

77 FR 48171 - Comment Request for Information Collection for State Administration of Applications and Grants...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-13

...). Individuals with hearing or speech impairments may access the telephone number above via TTY by calling the... to the enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Implementation Act (Pub. L. 103... Collection for State Administration of Applications and Grants for the Self-Employment Assistance (SEA...

State Legislative Summary: Children, Youth, and Family Issues: 1989.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Conference of State Legislatures, Denver, CO.

Representing a continuing effort to document and track legislative activity on issues critical to families, this publication provides a compilation of brief summaries of all legislation enacted up to the end of August, 1989 by 48 states and Puerto Rico. Included are bills covering 16 major public policy topics related to children, youth, and…

Nevada State Five-Year Plan: July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevada Department of Education, 2008

2008-01-01

With the recent enactment of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, Congress has demonstrated overwhelming bipartisan support to continue the country's federal investment in career and technical education. This document, the "Nevada State Five-Year Plan for the Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006," referred hereinafter…

Revegetation of surface-mined lands in Pennsylvania

Treesearch

G. Nevin Strock

1980-01-01

The reforestation of surface mines in Pennsylvania became prevalent in the middle 1940's with enactment of state legislation to regulate surface mining of bituminous coal. Though this early legislation did not provide for intensive environment protection standards in comparison to state legislation which followed in the early 1960's and early 1970's and...

Tenure: How Due Process Protects Teachers and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kahlenberg, Richard D.

2015-01-01

Teacher tenure rights, first established more than a century ago, are under unprecedented attack. Tenure--which was enacted to protect students' education and those who provide it--is under assault from coast to coast, in state legislatures, in state courtrooms, and in the media. In June 2014, in the case of "Vergara v. California," a…

State contraceptive coverage laws: creative responses to questions of "conscience".

PubMed

Dailard, C

1999-08-01

The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) guaranteed contraceptive coverage for employees of the federal government. However, opponents of the FEHBP contraceptive coverage questioned the viability of the conscience clause. Supporters of the contraceptive coverage pressed for the narrowest exemption, one that only permit religious plans that clearly states religious objection to contraception. There are six of the nine states that have enacted contraceptive coverage laws aimed at the private sector. The statutes included a provision of conscience clause. The private sector disagrees to the plan since almost all of the employees¿ work for employers who only offer one plan. The scope of exemption for employers was an issue in five states that have enacted the contraceptive coverage. In Hawaii and California, it was exemplified that if employers are exempted from the contraceptive coverage based on religious grounds, an employee will be entitled to purchase coverage directly from the plan. There are still questions on how an insurer, who objects based on religious grounds to a plan with contraceptive coverage, can function in a marketplace where such coverage is provided by most private sector employers.

Field station as stage: Re-enacting scientific work and life in Amani, Tanzania.

PubMed

Geissler, P Wenzel; Kelly, Ann H

2016-12-01

Located high in Tanzania's Usambara Mountains, Amani Hill Station has been a site of progressive scientific endeavours for over a century, pushing the boundaries of botanical, zoological and medical knowledge, and providing expertise for imperial expansion, colonial welfare, national progress and international development efforts. The station's heyday was from the 1950s to the 1970s, a period of global disease eradication campaigns and the 'Africanization' of science. Today, Amani lies in a state of suspended motion. Officially part of a national network of medical research stations, its buildings and vegetation are only minimally maintained, and although some staff report for duty, scientific work has ceased. Neither ruin nor time capsule, Amani has become a quiet site of remains and material traces. This article examines the methodological potentials of re-enactment - on-site performances of past research practices - to engage ethnographically with the distinct temporalities and affective registers of life at the station. The heuristic power of re-enactment resides in its anachronicity, the tensions it introduces between immediacy and theatricality, authenticity and artifice, fidelity and futility. We suggest that re-enacting early post-colonial science as events unfolding in the present disrupts straightforward narratives about the promises and shortfalls of scientific progress, raising provocative questions about the sentiments and stakes of research in 'the tropics'.

Finance issue brief: prompt payment.

PubMed

Stauffer, M

1999-06-25

Although under standard business laws withholding prompt payment is considered an unfair trade practice, a number of states are enacting new laws or clarifying existing language to ensure that health plans are paying providers in a timely fashion.

Finance issue brief: prompt payment.

PubMed

Stauffer, M

1999-10-22

Although under standard business laws withholding prompt payment is considered an unfair trade practice, a number of states are enacting new laws or clarifying existing language to ensure that health plans are paying providers in a timely fashion.

29 CFR 452.53 - Application of qualifications for office.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... requirement. A qualification which is not part of the constitution and bylaws or other duly enacted rules of... Federal or State law. 32 Qualifications must be specific and objective. They must contain specific...

29 CFR 452.53 - Application of qualifications for office.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... requirement. A qualification which is not part of the constitution and bylaws or other duly enacted rules of... Federal or State law. 32 Qualifications must be specific and objective. They must contain specific...

Alaska Department of Labor Administrative Services Division

Science.gov Websites

Sections Fiscal Research & Analysis Procurement Data Processing Budget Links State Employee Directory FY 2019 DOLWD Budget (Proposed) FY 2018 DOLWD Budget (Enacted) FY 2018 Indirect Cost Proposal FY 2016

Supporting students' construction of scientific explanation through curricular scaffolds and teacher instructional practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McNeill, Katherine Lynch

An essential goal of classroom science is to help all students become scientifically literate to encourage greater public understanding in a science infused world. This type of literacy requires that students participate in scientific inquiry practices such as construction of arguments or scientific explanations in which they justify their claims with appropriate evidence and reasoning. Although scientific explanations are an important learning goal, this complex inquiry practice is frequently omitted from k-12 science classrooms and students have difficulty creating them. I investigated how two different curricular scaffolds (context-specific vs. generic), teacher instructional practices, and the interaction between these two types of support influence student learning of scientific explanations. This study focuses on an eight-week middle school chemistry curriculum, How can I make new stuff from old stuff?, which was enacted by six teachers with 578 students during the 2004-2005 school year. Overall, students' written scientific explanations improved during the unit in which they were provided with multiple forms of teacher and curricular support. A growth curve model of student learning showed that there was a significant difference in the effect of the two curricular scaffolds towards the end of the unit and on the posttest. The context-specific scaffolds resulted in greater student learning of how to write scientific explanations, but only for three of the six teachers. The case studies created from the videotapes of classroom enactments revealed that teachers varied in which instructional practices they engaged in and the quality of those practices. Analyses suggested that the curricular scaffolds and teacher instructional practices were synergistic in that the supports interacted and the effect of the written curricular scaffolds depended on the teacher's enactment of the curriculum. The context-specific curricular scaffolds were more successful in supporting students in this complex task only when teachers' enactments provided generic support for scientific explanation through instructional practices. For teachers who did not provide their students with generic support, neither curricular scaffold was more effective. Classrooms are complex systems in which multiple factors and the interactions between those factors influence student learning.

Breast Density Notification Legislation and Breast Cancer Stage at Diagnosis: Early Evidence from the SEER Registry.

PubMed

Richman, Ilana; Asch, Steven M; Bendavid, Eran; Bhattacharya, Jay; Owens, Douglas K

2017-06-01

Twenty-eight states have passed breast density notification laws, which require physicians to inform women of a finding of dense breasts on mammography. To evaluate changes in breast cancer stage at diagnosis after enactment of breast density notification legislation. Using a difference-in-differences analysis, we examined changes in stage at diagnosis among women with breast cancer in Connecticut, the first state to enact legislation, compared to changes among women in control states. We used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) registry, 2005-2013. Women ages 40-74 with breast cancer. Breast density notification legislation, enacted in Connecticut in October of 2009. Breast cancer stage at diagnosis. Our study included 466,930 women, 25,592 of whom lived in Connecticut. Legislation was associated with a 1.38-percentage-point (95 % CI 0.12 to 2.63) increase in the proportion of women in Connecticut versus control states who had localized invasive cancer at the time of diagnosis, and a 1.12-percentage-point (95 % CI -2.21 to -0.08) decline in the proportion of women with ductal carcinoma in situ at diagnosis. Breast density notification legislation was not associated with a change in the proportion of women in Connecticut versus control states with regional-stage (-0.09 percentage points, 95 % CI -1.01 to 1.02) or metastatic disease (-0.24, 95 % CI -0.75 to 0.28). County-level analyses and analyses limited to women younger than 50 found no statistically significant associations. Single intervention state, limited follow-up, potential confounding from unobserved trends. Breast density notification legislation in Connecticut was associated with a small increase in the proportion of women diagnosed with localized invasive breast cancer in individual-level but not county-level analyses. Whether this finding reflects potentially beneficial early detection or potentially harmful overdiagnosis is not known. Legislation was not associated with changes in regional or metastatic disease.

29 CFR 779.200 - Coverage expanded by 1961 and 1966 amendments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Coverage Enterprise; the Business Unit § 779.200 Coverage expanded by 1961 and 1966 amendments. The 1961 amendments for the first time since the enactment of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 provided that all... 29 Labor 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Coverage expanded by 1961 and 1966 amendments. 779.200...

The Challenges of Observing Geologically: Third Graders' Descriptions of Rock and Mineral Properties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Danielle J.

2005-01-01

The understandings of properties that children develop in the context of rock and mineral identification point to the challenges of observing in a manner authentic to the discipline of geology. The notebook entries of 34 third graders written during the enactment of a commercial unit on earth materials were investigated for their descriptions of…

Mapping Trade-Offs in Teachers' Integration of Technology-Supported Inquiry in High School Science Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandoval, William A.; Daniszewski, Kenneth

2004-01-01

This paper explores how two teachers concurrently enacting the same technology-based inquiry unit on evolution structured activity and discourse in their classrooms to connect students' computer-based investigations to formal domain theories. Our analyses show that the teachers' interactions with their students during inquiry were quite similar,…

The Fidelity and Usability of 5-DIE: A Design Study of Enacted Cyberlearning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kern, Cindy L.; Crippen, Kent J.; Skaza, Heather

2014-01-01

This paper describes a design study of a cyberlearning instructional unit about climate change created with a new inquiry-based design framework, the 5-featured Dynamic Inquiry Enterprise (5-DIE). The 5-DIE framework was created to address the need for authentic science inquiry experiences in cyberlearning environments that leverage existing tools…

The Global Citizenship Agenda and the Generation of Cosmopolitan Capital in British Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Jonathan Z.

2018-01-01

Cosmopolitanism has been cast by some in recent years as a form of cultural capital, disproportionately available to students on elite educational pathways. This article tests this supposition, by comparing the enactment of global citizenship education reforms at two high-status and two low-status universities in the United Kingdom. These…

76 FR 24816 - Government Employees Serving in Official Capacity in Nonprofit Organizations; Sector Unit...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-03

... pursuant to section 208(a). On August 28, 1995, the Office of Government Ethics published its first interim... nonprofit organization, it can be very difficult for the employee to avoid the mistaken impression that he... before Congress first. No legislative changes to section 208 were enacted in response to the report...

Risk Assessment of Sexual Offenders for Extended Supervision Orders in New Zealand: Basic Principles and Current Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vess, James

2009-01-01

A growing number of jurisdictions in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australasia have enacted legislation allowing for special sentencing, civil commitment, and community supervision options for high risk sexual offenders. In New Zealand, one example of this concern for public protection is the Parole (Extended Supervision) Amendment Act…

Essays in renewable energy and emissions trading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kneifel, Joshua D.

Environmental issues have become a key political issue over the past forty years and has resulted in the enactment of many different environmental policies. The three essays in this dissertation add to the literature of renewable energy policies and sulfur dioxide emissions trading. The first essay ascertains which state policies are accelerating deployment of non-hydropower renewable electricity generation capacity into a states electric power industry. As would be expected, policies that lead to significant increases in actual renewable capacity in that state either set a Renewables Portfolio Standard with a certain level of required renewable capacity or use Clean Energy Funds to directly fund utility-scale renewable capacity construction. A surprising result is that Required Green Power Options, a policy that merely requires all utilities in a state to offer the option for consumers to purchase renewable energy at a premium rate, has a sizable impact on non-hydro renewable capacity in that state. The second essay studies the theoretical impacts fuel contract constraints have on an electricity generating unit's compliance costs of meeting the emissions compliance restrictions set by Phase I of the Title IV SO2 Emissions Trading Program. Fuel contract constraints restrict a utility's degrees of freedom in coal purchasing options, which can lead to the use of a more expensive compliance option and higher compliance costs. The third essay analytically and empirically shows how fuel contract constraints impact the emissions allowance market and total electric power industry compliance costs. This paper uses generating unit-level simulations to replicate results from previous studies and show that fuel contracts appear to explain a large portion (65%) of the previously unexplained compliance cost simulations. Also, my study considers a more appropriate plant-level decisions for compliance choices by analytically analyzing the plant level decision-making process to show how cost-minimization at the more complex plant level may deviate from cost-minimization at the generating unit level.

Stuck in Neutral: Stalled Progress in Statewide Comprehensive Smoke-Free Laws and Cigarette Excise Taxes, United States, 2000–2014

PubMed Central

King, Brian A.; Babb, Stephen D.

2016-01-01

Introduction Increasing tobacco excise taxes and implementing comprehensive smoke-free laws are two of the most effective population-level strategies to reduce tobacco use, prevent tobacco use initiation, and protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. We examined state laws related to smoke-free buildings and to cigarette excise taxes from 2000 through 2014 to see how implementation of these laws from 2000 through 2009 differs from implementation in more recent years (2010–2014). Methods We used legislative data from LexisNexis, an online legal research database, to examine changes in statewide smoke-free laws and cigarette excise taxes in effect from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2014. A comprehensive smoke-free law was defined as a statewide law prohibiting smoking in all indoor areas of private work sites, restaurants, and bars. Results From 2000 through 2009, 21 states and the District of Columbia implemented comprehensive smoke-free laws prohibiting smoking in work sites, restaurants, and bars. In 2010, 4 states implemented comprehensive smoke-free laws. The last state to implement a comprehensive smoke-free law was North Dakota in 2012, bringing the total number to 26 states and the District of Columbia. From 2000 through 2009, 46 states and the District of Columbia implemented laws increasing their cigarette excise tax, which increased the national average state excise tax rate by $0.92. However, from 2010 through 2014, only 14 states and the District of Columbia increased their excise tax, which increased the national average state excise tax rate by $0.20. Conclusion The recent stall in progress in enacting and implementing statewide comprehensive smoke-free laws and increasing cigarette excise taxes may undermine tobacco prevention and control efforts in the United States, undercutting efforts to reduce tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, health disparities, and tobacco-related illness and death. PMID:27309417

Stuck in Neutral: Stalled Progress in Statewide Comprehensive Smoke-Free Laws and Cigarette Excise Taxes, United States, 2000-2014.

PubMed

Holmes, Carissa Baker; King, Brian A; Babb, Stephen D

2016-06-16

Increasing tobacco excise taxes and implementing comprehensive smoke-free laws are two of the most effective population-level strategies to reduce tobacco use, prevent tobacco use initiation, and protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke. We examined state laws related to smoke-free buildings and to cigarette excise taxes from 2000 through 2014 to see how implementation of these laws from 2000 through 2009 differs from implementation in more recent years (2010-2014). We used legislative data from LexisNexis, an online legal research database, to examine changes in statewide smoke-free laws and cigarette excise taxes in effect from January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2014. A comprehensive smoke-free law was defined as a statewide law prohibiting smoking in all indoor areas of private work sites, restaurants, and bars. From 2000 through 2009, 21 states and the District of Columbia implemented comprehensive smoke-free laws prohibiting smoking in work sites, restaurants, and bars. In 2010, 4 states implemented comprehensive smoke-free laws. The last state to implement a comprehensive smoke-free law was North Dakota in 2012, bringing the total number to 26 states and the District of Columbia. From 2000 through 2009, 46 states and the District of Columbia implemented laws increasing their cigarette excise tax, which increased the national average state excise tax rate by $0.92. However, from 2010 through 2014, only 14 states and the District of Columbia increased their excise tax, which increased the national average state excise tax rate by $0.20. The recent stall in progress in enacting and implementing statewide comprehensive smoke-free laws and increasing cigarette excise taxes may undermine tobacco prevention and control efforts in the United States, undercutting efforts to reduce tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, health disparities, and tobacco-related illness and death.

When Do Personality and Emotion Predict Destructive Behavior During Relationship Conflict? The Role of Perceived Commitment Asymmetry.

PubMed

Lemay, Edward P; Dobush, Sarah

2015-10-01

The current research examined whether perceived asymmetries in relationship commitment moderate the associations of personality traits and emotional states with enactment of hostile behavior during relationship conflicts. Participants included both members of 53 heterosexual romantic couples (Mage  = 25.5 years). Participants completed questionnaire measures assessing personality traits, emotional states, relationship commitment, and perceptions of their partner's commitment. Participants then had an observed conflict discussion with their partner, which was rated by a panel of objective observers for hostile behavior. When participants perceived that they were less committed than their partners, their enactment of hostile behavior was predicted by traits and states that are associated with antisocial and pro-social orientations (i.e., agreeableness, trait anger, chronic jealousy, and state negative emotion). In contrast, participants who perceived that they were more committed than their partners tended to refrain from hostile behavior, despite traits or states that may suggest hostile inclinations. These results suggest that perceiving that one is less committed than one's partner promotes behavioral expression of interpersonal dispositions and emotions, whereas perceiving that one is more committed than one's partner motivates inhibition of hostile behavior. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

National understanding and acceptance of occupant protection systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1986-07-01

Regulations requiring new cars to be equipped with automatic occupant protection systems unless states representing two-thirds of the population enact mandatory safety belt use regulation by 1989 necessitated a study to determine the public's knowled...

Waste Materials in Hot Mix Asphalt - An Overview

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-12-01

Numerous waste materials result from manufacturing operations, service industries, sewage treatment plants, households and mining. Legislation has been enacted by several states in recent years to either mandate the use of some waste materials or to ...

Education Savings Accounts: A Promising Way Forward on School Choice. WebMemo. No. 3382

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Lindsey M.

2011-01-01

Across the country, states are enacting and expanding school choice options for families. This year alone, 12 states and the District of Columbia have implemented new school choice options for children or expanded existing options, leading The Wall Street Journal to label 2011 "The Year of School Choice." Among the many school choice…

Moving Theory to Practice: One State's Role in Professional Learning for School and District Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Augustine-Shaw, Donna

2016-01-01

As a continuum of professional learning for building and district leaders transitioning from leadership preparation programs into practice, the state of Kansas enacted mentoring and induction requirements as part of their role in supporting development of leadership skills important to on-the-job application of essential knowledge. One approved…

Chronic Absenteeism: A Key Indicator of Student Success. Policy Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rafa, Alyssa

2017-01-01

Research shows that chronic absenteeism can affect academic performance in later grades and is a key early warning sign that a student is more likely to drop out of high school. Several states enacted legislation to address this issue, and many states are currently discussing the utility of chronic absenteeism as an indicator of school quality or…

Conflict between Work and Family: An Investigation of Four Policy Measures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruppanner, Leah

2013-01-01

Welfare states enact a range of policies aimed at reducing work-family conflict. While welfare state policies have been assessed at the macro-level and work-family conflict at the individual-level, few studies have simultaneously addressed these relationships in a cross-national multi-level model. This study addresses this void by assessing the…

Wise Leadership for Student Success: An Interview with Tim White

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kezar, Adrianna

2015-01-01

Adrianna Kezar recently sat down with Chancellor Tim White of the California State University system to discuss, among many other things, the newly released California State Graduation Initiative and what it will take to enact it. The key commitments of the initiative are: (1) hire more tenure-track faculty; (2) develop engaged advising; (3) solve…

Ahead of the Curve: State Success in the Developmental Education Initiative. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altstadt, David

2012-01-01

Less than 25 percent of college students who take any developmental education courses earn a credential within eight years. Over the past three years, the six states in the Developmental Education Initiative have developed and enacted unprecedented changes in policy and practice in an effort to reverse these dismal outcomes. "Ahead of the…

Medicaid Matters: Children's Health and Medicaid Eligibility Expansions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lykens, Kristine A.; Jargowsky, Paul A.

2002-01-01

In the late 1980s, a series of federal laws were enacted which expanded Medicaid eligibility to more of the nation's children. States had a great amount of discretion in how fast and how far these expansions were implemented. As a result, there was great variation among the states in defining who was eligible for the program. This variation…

When Success Pays: Lessons Learned from Arkansas' Move to Performance-Based Funding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callaway, Collin

2012-01-01

In 2011, state legislators in Arkansas passed Act 1203, effectively enacting performance-based funding models for all state-run institutions of higher education. Over a period of five years beginning in 2013-14, 25 percent of every institution's base funding will be allocated according to performance. Under the direction of the Arkansas Department…

"This State is Racist..": Policy Problematization and Undocumented Youth Experiences in the New Latino South

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Sophia; Monreal, Timothy

2017-01-01

This article examines how state-level policy discourse articulates a category of knowledge about immigrants in South Carolina that governs the everyday experiences of undocumented immigrants. In the analysis of proposed and enacted immigration legislation from 2005 to the present, we use a Foucauldian-inspired critical discourse analysis to better…

Teacher Concerns and the Enacted Curriculum of the Common Core State Standards in High School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diletti, Jeri S.

2017-01-01

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) highlight the importance of students' conceptual understanding, mathematical reasoning, and problem solving in order to prepare students for college and careers. However, the success of this reform effort largely depends on how teachers actually design and implement instruction based on the…

23 CFR 1210.5 - Certification requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161, and this part. (b) The certification shall contain: (1) A copy of the State zero..., that the State has enacted and is enforcing a conforming zero tolerance law. The certifying statement... a zero tolerance law that conforms to the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161 and 23 CFR 1210.4(c). (c) An...

23 CFR 1210.5 - Certification requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161, and this part. (b) The certification shall contain: (1) A copy of the State zero..., that the State has enacted and is enforcing a conforming zero tolerance law. The certifying statement... a zero tolerance law that conforms to the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161 and 23 CFR 1210.4(c). (c) An...

23 CFR 1210.5 - Certification requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161, and this part. (b) The certification shall contain: (1) A copy of the State zero..., that the State has enacted and is enforcing a conforming zero tolerance law. The certifying statement... a zero tolerance law that conforms to the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161 and 23 CFR 1210.4(c). (c) An...

23 CFR 1210.5 - Certification requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161, and this part. (b) The certification shall contain: (1) A copy of the State zero..., that the State has enacted and is enforcing a conforming zero tolerance law. The certifying statement... a zero tolerance law that conforms to the requirements of 23 U.S.C. 161 and 23 CFR 1210.4(c). (c) An...

Special Education Finance in California

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Laura; Warren, Paul; Murphy, Patrick; Ugo, Iwunze; Pathak, Aditi

2016-01-01

California's system of special education served about 718,000 students in 2014-15, or about 11.5 percent of the K-12 population. It is expensive, consuming some $12 billion in federal, state, and local dollars annually. Special education operates within a legal framework that sets it apart from the rest of the K-12 system. The state's enactment of…

76 FR 21949 - Medicaid Program; Federal Funding for Medicaid Eligibility Determination and Enrollment Activities

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-19

..., enacted on March 23, 2010), as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L... new Exchanges, it is essential that States have modern and cost-effective eligibility systems that... reporting aspect of the traditional, legacy eligibility system, if the State does not have a plan for...

The Experiences of Registered Sex Offenders with Internet Offender Registries in Three States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ackerman, Alissa R.; Sacks, Meghan; Osier, Lindsay N.

2013-01-01

For over two decades, U.S. state and federal governments have enacted broad legislation in an effort to keep communities aware about and safe from sex offenders living nearby. The current study qualitatively analyzes unsolicited responses from sex offenders regarding their feelings, attitudes, and experiences living under the auspices of such…

The reemergence of smokeless tobacco.

PubMed

Connolly, G N; Winn, D M; Hecht, S S; Henningfield, J E; Walker, B; Hoffmann, D

1986-04-17

Smokeless tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco) is reemerging as a popular form of tobacco, particularly among male adolescents. In different regions of the United States, from 8 to 36 percent of male high-school students are regular users. The use of smokeless tobacco has been shown to cause oral-pharyngeal cancer. The strongest link is with cancers of the cheek and gum. White mucosal lesions (leukoplakia) are found in 18 to 64 percent of users, often at the site where the tobacco was held. Other associations have been suggested for cancers of the esophagus, larynx, and pancreas. Nitrosamines, found in high concentrations in smokeless tobacco, most likely have a role in its carcinogenicity. Other health problems include periodontal disease, acute elevations of blood pressure, and dependence. In early 1986, after action at the state level, Congress enacted a federal law requiring health-warning labels on packages of smokeless tobacco and a ban on electronic advertising. Other regulatory measures under consideration include raising state and federal excise taxes, tightening controls on advertising, and prohibiting sales to minors. In view of the recent growth of this problem, policy makers are taking the opportunity to intervene with preventive measures to protect a new generation of tobacco users.

WHEN TOBACCO TARGETS DIRECT DEMOCRACY

PubMed Central

Laposata, Elizabeth; Kennedy, Allison P.

2013-01-01

Tobacco control advocates began to use ballot initiatives to enact tobacco control policies in the late 1970s. In response, the tobacco industry worked for over two decades to change laws governing initiative and referendum processes to prevent passage of tobacco control measures. In 1981, the tobacco industry’s political lobbying arm, the Tobacco Institute, created a front group that presented itself as a neutral initiative research clearinghouse to affect changes in state initiative and referenda laws. In 1990, the Tobacco Institute began creating an in-house team, and worked with third party groups to try to change state initiative laws. While the industry ultimately abandoned both efforts when neither achieved immediate success, over time, the industry’s goals have penetrated legitimate discourse on the I&R process in the United States and many specific ideas it advocated have garnered mainstream support. Direct democracy advocates, as well as public health advocates and policymakers, need to understand the tobacco industry’s goals (which other industries adopted) of limiting the direct democracy process in order to ensure that any changes do not inadvertently increase the power of the special interests that direct democracy was developed to counterbalance. PMID:24603083

Environmental health and hazardous waste issues related to the U.S.-Mexico border.

PubMed Central

Carter, D E; Peña, C; Varady, R; Suk, W A

1996-01-01

Environmental health and environmental quality issues along the U.S.-Mexico border have been of concern for several years. The enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the presence of the maquiladoras (foreign-owned industries using imported raw materials) have intensified those concerns recently. Efforts to assess these issues are complicated by the fact that many of the issues affecting the border region are within federal jurisdiction, but the problems are regional and local in nature. Thus, state and local governments become involved with public concerns about real and potential problems. One major problem is that environmental health data from this region are lacking, particularly from Mexico. Some new agencies such as the Border Environment Cooperation Commission, the United States-Mexico Border Health Commission, and the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation have joined several existing agencies at the federal and state level to address environmental quality and health. Several studies have been initiated to determine air and water quality, but little is being done in the areas of hazardous waste and health assessment. Several problems are anticipated in the generation of such data, such as its format and accessibility. Data gaps and research needs are discussed. PMID:8793340

From Policy to Practice: Tracing the Development and Implementation of Placement and Diagnostic Assessments across States, Systems, and Community Colleges. Lessons from Florida and Virginia Community Colleges -- Phase 2 Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Mark; Tandberg, David A.; Harrill, Sandra; Jack, James; Park, Elizabeth; Shaw, Kathleen M.

2013-01-01

National initiatives to raise K-12 standards and align them to postsecondary entrance requirements have prompted states and/or state postsecondary systems to enact policies to improve alignment among postsecondary readiness standards, postsecondary placement and diagnostic exams, and developmental education curricula. This report examines how six…

State Laws Relating to Education Enacted in 1915, 1916, and 1917. Bulletin, 1918, No. 23

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hood, WIlliam R. Comp.

1919-01-01

In an earlier publication of the Bureau of Education Bulletin, 1915, No. 47, "Digest of State Laws Relating to Public Education" an effort was made to summarize all State school laws of a general nature which were in force on January 1,1915. The purpose of the bulletin presented here is to supplement the bulletin of 1915 with a compilation of the…

Impact of reduced ignition propensity cigarette regulation on consumer smoking behavior and quit intentions: evidence from 6 waves (2004–11) of the ITC Four Country Survey

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Although on the decline, smoking-related fires remain a leading cause of fire death in the United States and United Kingdom and account for over 10% of fire-related deaths worldwide. This has prompted lawmakers to enact legislation requiring manufacturers to implement reduced ignition propensity (RIP) safety standards for cigarettes. The current research evaluates how implementation of RIP safety standards in different countries influenced smokers’ perceptions of cigarette self-extinguishment, frequency of extinguishment, and the impact on consumer smoking behaviors, including cigarettes smoked per day and planning to quit. Methods Participants for this research come from Waves 3 through 8 of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey conducted longitudinally from 2004 through 2011 in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Results Perceptions of cigarette self-extinguishment and frequency of extinguishment increased concurrently with an increase in the prevalence of RIP safety standards for cigarettes. Presence of RIP safety standards was also associated with a greater intention to quit smoking, but was not associated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Intention to quit was higher among those who were more likely to report that their cigarettes self-extinguish sometimes and often, but we found no evidence of an interaction between frequency of extinguishment and RIP safety standards on quit intentions. Conclusions Overall, because these standards largely do not influence consumer smoking behavior, RIP implementation may significantly reduce the number of cigarette-related fires and the associated death and damages. Further research should assess how implementation of RIP safety standards has influenced smoking-related fire incidence, deaths, and other costs associated with smoking-related fires. PMID:24359292

Impact of reduced ignition propensity cigarette regulation on consumer smoking behavior and quit intentions: evidence from 6 waves (2004-11) of the ITC Four Country Survey.

PubMed

Adkison, Sarah E; O'Connor, Richard J; Borland, Ron; Yong, Hua-Hie; Cummings, K Michael; Hammond, David; Fong, Geoffrey T

2013-12-21

Although on the decline, smoking-related fires remain a leading cause of fire death in the United States and United Kingdom and account for over 10% of fire-related deaths worldwide. This has prompted lawmakers to enact legislation requiring manufacturers to implement reduced ignition propensity (RIP) safety standards for cigarettes. The current research evaluates how implementation of RIP safety standards in different countries influenced smokers' perceptions of cigarette self-extinguishment, frequency of extinguishment, and the impact on consumer smoking behaviors, including cigarettes smoked per day and planning to quit. Participants for this research come from Waves 3 through 8 of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey conducted longitudinally from 2004 through 2011 in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Perceptions of cigarette self-extinguishment and frequency of extinguishment increased concurrently with an increase in the prevalence of RIP safety standards for cigarettes. Presence of RIP safety standards was also associated with a greater intention to quit smoking, but was not associated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Intention to quit was higher among those who were more likely to report that their cigarettes self-extinguish sometimes and often, but we found no evidence of an interaction between frequency of extinguishment and RIP safety standards on quit intentions. Overall, because these standards largely do not influence consumer smoking behavior, RIP implementation may significantly reduce the number of cigarette-related fires and the associated death and damages. Further research should assess how implementation of RIP safety standards has influenced smoking-related fire incidence, deaths, and other costs associated with smoking-related fires.

CZM from the state perspective: the New Jersey experience

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kinsey, D.N.

1985-01-01

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, New Jersey sold extensive tide-flowed lands at bargain prices to railroad and land development companies to promote seashore and waterfront development. Beginning in 1869, the legislature entrusted the executive branch with the responsibility of selling tide-flowing lands. In the early 1900s, the state began regulation of construction along tidal waterfronts. Beginning in the 1940s, state government undertook various shore protection projects, funding the construction of groins, jetties, dredging activities, and beach nourishment projects in the Jersey Shore. Enactment in 1970 of the Wetlands Act clearly signaled recognition of the need for a strongmore » state role in the management of fragile coastal resources. Finally the Coastal Area Facility Review Act (CAFRA) was enacted in 1973, the year after passage of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA). CZMA provided the State of New Jersey and other coastal states and territories with new incentives and requirements for managing coastal resources. The pressures faced by New Jersey's coast of offshore oil and gas exploration, recreation, fisheries development, casino gambling, and many other activities, along with the opportunities provided by the CZMA, have further intensified and concentrated New Jersey's efforts to manage its coastal resources. 108 references.« less

75 FR 16088 - Notice: Request for Substantive Comments on the EAC's Proposed Requirements for the Testing of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-31

... legislation was enacted before the advent of today's global electronic communications technology. Consequently... businesses, governments and the general public. Therefore it was a natural development for FVAP and states to...

76 FR 53717 - Notice of Open Meetings To Prepare and Release 2011 Annual Report to Congress

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-29

... material for its 2011 Annual Report to Congress that have been prepared for its consideration by the... Act (FACA) with the enactment of the Science, State, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies...

Finance issue brief: genetic testing.

PubMed

Herstek, J

1999-06-25

States have enacted genetic testing laws to address the contentious privacy, consent, research, discrimination, insurance and employment issues surrounding genetic information. These genetic testing laws attempt to strike a balance between the concerns of the consumer, research, insurance and business communities.

Debating Dissection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orlans, F. Barbara

1988-01-01

Argues the pros, cons, and alternatives to animal dissection. Discusses several cases involving student objections and the enactment of a California state law which upholds the right of a student to conscientious objection to dissection involving the harmful or destructive use of animals. (RT)

Bacteria and emerging chemical contaminants in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin, Michigan

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fogarty, Lisa R.

2007-01-01

Introduction Since the enactment of the Clean Water Act in 1972, awareness of the quality of the Nation's water has continued to improve. Despite improvements to wastewater-treatment systems and increased regulation on waste discharge, bacterial and chemical contamination is still a problem for many rivers and lakes throughout the United States. Pathogenic microorganism and newly recognized chemical contaminants have been found in waters that are used for drinking water and recreation (Rose and Grimes, 2001; Kolpin and others, 2002). This summary of bacteria and emerging-chemical-contaminant monitoring in the St. Clair River/Lake St. Clair Basin (fig. 1) was initiated by the Lake St. Clair Regional Monitoring Project (LSCRMP) in 2003, in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), the Counties of Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

Legionnaires' Disease Outbreaks and Cooling Towers, New York City, New York, USA.

PubMed

Fitzhenry, Robert; Weiss, Don; Cimini, Dan; Balter, Sharon; Boyd, Christopher; Alleyne, Lisa; Stewart, Renee; McIntosh, Natasha; Econome, Andrea; Lin, Ying; Rubinstein, Inessa; Passaretti, Teresa; Kidney, Anna; Lapierre, Pascal; Kass, Daniel; Varma, Jay K

2017-11-01

The incidence of Legionnaires' disease in the United States has been increasing since 2000. Outbreaks and clusters are associated with decorative, recreational, domestic, and industrial water systems, with the largest outbreaks being caused by cooling towers. Since 2006, 6 community-associated Legionnaires' disease outbreaks have occurred in New York City, resulting in 213 cases and 18 deaths. Three outbreaks occurred in 2015, including the largest on record (138 cases). Three outbreaks were linked to cooling towers by molecular comparison of human and environmental Legionella isolates, and the sources for the other 3 outbreaks were undetermined. The evolution of investigation methods and lessons learned from these outbreaks prompted enactment of a new comprehensive law governing the operation and maintenance of New York City cooling towers. Ongoing surveillance and program evaluation will determine if enforcement of the new cooling tower law reduces Legionnaires' disease incidence in New York City.

Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreaks and Cooling Towers, New York City, New York, USA

PubMed Central

Fitzhenry, Robert; Cimini, Dan; Balter, Sharon; Boyd, Christopher; Alleyne, Lisa; Stewart, Renee; McIntosh, Natasha; Econome, Andrea; Lin, Ying; Rubinstein, Inessa; Passaretti, Teresa; Kidney, Anna; Lapierre, Pascal; Kass, Daniel; Varma, Jay K.

2017-01-01

The incidence of Legionnaires’ disease in the United States has been increasing since 2000. Outbreaks and clusters are associated with decorative, recreational, domestic, and industrial water systems, with the largest outbreaks being caused by cooling towers. Since 2006, 6 community-associated Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks have occurred in New York City, resulting in 213 cases and 18 deaths. Three outbreaks occurred in 2015, including the largest on record (138 cases). Three outbreaks were linked to cooling towers by molecular comparison of human and environmental Legionella isolates, and the sources for the other 3 outbreaks were undetermined. The evolution of investigation methods and lessons learned from these outbreaks prompted enactment of a new comprehensive law governing the operation and maintenance of New York City cooling towers. Ongoing surveillance and program evaluation will determine if enforcement of the new cooling tower law reduces Legionnaires’ disease incidence in New York City. PMID:29049017

Sport-related concussions in adolescent athletes: a critical public health problem for which prevention remains an elusive goal

PubMed Central

Fidrocki, Diana; Parachuri, Venu

2017-01-01

Sport-related concussions in young athletes are common, generally under reported and often unrecognized. Preventive strategies include education, modification of sport rules, use of equipment such as headgears, face masks and mouth guards, and neck muscle training. Evidence is limited to support effectiveness of these preventive measures with the exception of rule modification in some sports. In the United States, laws have been enacted that require medical evaluation and clearance prior to return to play; however, evidence thus far does not show that laws have been effective in reducing the incidence of concussions in sport. More research is needed in all areas of preventive measures. Sports participation is a complex personal decision on the part of the adolescent and his or her family. They should be provided with all information on inherent risks so that they can make an informed decision. PMID:28795000

Death - whose decision? Euthanasia and the terminally ill

PubMed Central

Fraser, S.; Walters, J.

2000-01-01

In Australia and Oregon, USA, legislation to permit statutory sanctioned physician-assisted dying was enacted. However, opponents, many of whom held strong religious views, were successful with repeal in Australia. Similar opposition in Oregon was formidable, but ultimately lost in a 60-40% vote reaffirming physician-assisted dying. This paper examines the human dilemma which arises when technological advances in end-of-life medicine conflict with traditional and religious sanctity-of-life values. Society places high value on personal autonomy, particularly in the United States. We compare the potential for inherent contradictions and arbitrary decisions where patient autonomy is either permitted or forbidden. The broader implications for human experience resulting from new legislation in both Australia and Oregon are discussed. We conclude that allowing autonomy for the terminally ill, within circumscribed options, results in fewer ethical contradictions and greater preservation of dignity. Key Words: Physician-assisted suicide • voluntary euthanasia • patient autonomy • religious belief PMID:10786323

The Political Consequences of Latino Prejudice against Blacks

PubMed Central

Krupnikov, Yanna; Piston, Spencer

2016-01-01

A good deal of scholarship examines the effects of prejudice against blacks on public opinion and vote choice in the United States. Despite producing valuable insights, this research largely ignores the attitudes of Latinos—a critical omission, since Latinos constitute a rapidly growing share of the population. Using two nationally representative survey data sets, we find that the level of racial prejudice is comparable for Latinos and non-Hispanic whites. Equally comparable are associations between prejudice and political preferences: policy opinion and support for Obama in the 2008 presidential election. Our findings suggest that despite demographic changes, efforts to enact policies intended to assist blacks and elect black candidates will continue to be undermined by prejudice. That said, Latinos are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to support policies intended to assist blacks, because Latinos are more Democratic than non-Hispanic whites, more egalitarian, and less committed to the value of limited government. PMID:27274574

Bioeconomic analysis supports the endangered species act.

PubMed

Salau, Kehinde R; Fenichel, Eli P

2015-10-01

The United States Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted to protect and restore declining fish, wildlife, and plant populations. The ESA mandates endangered species protection irrespective of costs. This translates to the restriction of activities that harm endangered populations. We discuss criticisms of the ESA in the context of public land management and examine under what circumstance banning non-conservation activity on multiple use federal lands can be socially optimal. We develop a bioeconomic model to frame the species management problem under the ESA and identify scenarios where ESA-imposed regulations emerge as optimal strategies. Results suggest that banning harmful activities is a preferred strategy when valued endangered species are in decline or exposed to poor habitat quality. However, it is not optimal to sustain such a strategy in perpetuity. An optimal plan involves a switch to land-use practices characteristic of habitat conservation plans.

Professional values, self-esteem, and ethical confidence of baccalaureate nursing students.

PubMed

Iacobucci, Trisha A; Daly, Barbara J; Lindell, Debbie; Griffin, Mary Quinn

2013-06-01

Professional identity and competent ethical behaviors of nursing students are commonly developed through curricular inclusion of professional nursing values education. Despite the enactment of this approach, nursing students continue to express difficulty in managing ethical conflicts encountered in their practice. This descriptive correlational study explores the relationships between professional nursing values, self-esteem, and ethical decision making among senior baccalaureate nursing students. A convenience sample of 47 senior nursing students from the United States were surveyed for their level of internalized professional nursing values (Revised Professional Nursing Values Scale), level of self-esteem (Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale), and perceived level of confidence in ethical decision making. A significant positive relationship (p < 0.05) was found between nursing students' professional nursing values and levels of self-esteem. The results of this study can be useful to nursing educators whose efforts are focused on promoting professional identity development and competent ethical behaviors of future nurses.

Managing the nation`s nuclear waste. Site descriptions: Cypress Creek, Davis Canyon, Deaf Smith, Hanford Reference, Lavender Canyon, Richton Dome, Swisher, Vacherie Dome, and Yucca Mountain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1985-12-31

In 1982, the Congress enacted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (Public Law 97-425), which established a comprehensive national program directed toward siting, constructing, and operating geologic repositories for the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste. In February 1983, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) identified the nine referenced repository locations as potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository. These sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE`s General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for Nuclear Waste Repositories. The DOE findings and determinations are based on the evaluations contained in the draft Environmental Assessments (EA). A finalmore » EA will be prepared after considering the comments received on the draft EA. The purpose of this document is to provide the public with specific site information on each potential repository location.« less

A Critical Analysis and Applied Intersectionality Framework with Intercultural Queer Couples.

PubMed

Chan, Christian D; Erby, Adrienne N

2018-01-01

Intercultural queer couples are growing at an extensive rate in the United States, exemplifying diversity across multiple dimensions (e.g., race, ethnicity, sexuality, affectional identity, gender identity) while experiencing multiple converging forms of oppression (e.g., racism, heterosexism, genderism). Given the dearth of conceptual and empirical literature that unifies both dimensions related to intercultural and queer, applied practices and research contend with a unilateral approach focusing exclusively on either intercultural or queer couples. Intersectionality theory has revolutionized critical scholarship to determine overlapping forms of oppression, decenter hegemonic structures of power relations and social contexts, and enact a social justice agenda. This article addresses the following aims: (1) an overview of the gaps eliciting unilateral approaches to intercultural queer couples; (2) an illustration of intersectionality's theoretical underpinnings as a critical approach; and (3) applications for insights in practices and research with intercultural queer couples.

“Kicked out”: LGBTQ youths’ bathroom experiences and preferences

PubMed Central

Porta, Carolyn M.; Gower, Amy L.; Mehus, Christopher J.; Yu, Xiaohui; Saewyc, Elizabeth; Eisenberg, Marla E.

2017-01-01

Attention toward who can use which gender binary, multi-stall bathroom has brought to the forefront, once again, the ways in which youth are supported or marginalized. No study has documented sexual and gender minority youths’ experiences with and perspectives about bathrooms. We collected qualitative data in 2014-2015. Participants were 25 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth, aged 14-19, in the United States and Canada. Their comments describe first- and second-hand bathroom experiences, identify advocacy efforts, and highlight the roles of peers and adults in making bathrooms safe (or not). Youth emphasized the importance of gender-neutral bathrooms in fostering a sense of safety and inclusivity. Adult support and gay-straight alliances (GSAs) were important contributors to a welcoming environment and fostered advocacy efforts for gender-neutral bathrooms. We encourage purposeful inclusivity of youths’ voices when enacting bathroom-specific policies and legislation that directly influence their health and well-being. PMID:28212504

MACRA: A New Age for Physician Payments.

PubMed

Huston, Kent Kwasind

2017-04-01

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 introduced a new system of physician payments in the United States. This legislation and the complex rules written to enact the law intend to force a shift away from volume-based payments and into so called value-based payments. Physicians and other clinicians will be graded via quality and cost metrics and payments will be adjusted based on performance. Robust use of certified electronic health records is required under MACRA. Physicians will follow one of two payment reform tracks known as the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the Alternative Payment Model (APM) pathways. Although there are rheumatology and other specialty specific quality measures in the MIPS program, there are no rheumatology specific APMs to date. A thorough understating of MACRA is required for medical practices to survive the new era of payment reform.

Understanding the health of veterans who are homeless: A review of the literature.

PubMed

Weber, Jillian; Lee, Rebecca C; Martsolf, Donna

2017-09-01

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that almost 50,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Homeless veterans are at greater risk of health disparities than their housed counterparts due to the multifactorial nature of their health and social needs. The Department of Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with more than a dozen other federal agencies, has concentrated efforts to improve the health of this vulnerable population while enacting a plan to eliminate veteran homelessness within the near future. Understanding the unique health needs of veterans who are homeless allows the profession of nursing to better support these efforts. The purpose of this literature review was to provide comprehensive knowledge to nurses about the health of homeless veterans for their use in clinical practice, research, and in contributing to the positive health outcomes for this vulnerable population. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of America Invents Act on Biotech Intellectual Property

PubMed Central

Murphy, Amanda; Stramiello, Michael; Stroud, Jonathan; Lewis, Stacy; Irving, Tom

2015-01-01

This review introduces the America Invents Act (AIA), a comprehensive reform of U.S. law on patentability and patent enforceability that Congress enacted in 2011. The AIA’s most publicized change transforms the United States from a “first-to-invent” system to a “first-inventor-to-file” regime, bringing U.S. patent law more in line with the patent systems of nearly every other industrialized country in the world. This new system requires small companies and independent inventors to toe the line against larger competitors in what many have called a “race to the patent office.” But a closer look at the AIA reveals several opportunities for smaller entities that may even the playing field, particularly for innovators in the biotech sector. This article addresses changes that the AIA brings to U.S. patent law, keeping an eye toward issues relevant to biotech companies. PMID:25918182

Sleepiness/fatigue and distraction/inattention as factors for fatal versus nonfatal commercial motor vehicle driver injuries.

PubMed

Bunn, T L; Slavova, S; Struttmann, T W; Browning, S R

2005-09-01

A retrospective population-based case-control study was conducted to determine whether driver sleepiness/fatigue and inattention/distraction increase the likelihood that a commercial motor vehicle collision (CVC) will be fatal. Cases were identified as CVC drivers who died (fatal) and controls were drivers who survived (nonfatal) an injury collision using the Kentucky Collision Report Analysis for Safer Highways (CRASH) electronic database from 1998-2002. Cases and controls were matched on unit type and roadway type. Conditional logistic regression was performed. Driver sleepiness/fatigue, distraction/inattention, age of 51 years of age and older, and nonuse of safety belts increase the odds that a CVC will be fatal. Primary safety belt law enactment and enforcement for all states, commercial vehicle driver education addressing fatigue and distraction and other approaches including decreased hours-of-service, rest breaks and policy changes, etc. may decrease the probability that a CVC will be fatal.

Promoting Public Health in the Context of the “Obesity Epidemic”: False Starts and Promising New Directions

PubMed Central

Mann, Traci; Tomiyama, A. Janet; Ward, Andrew

2015-01-01

In the battle to combat obesity rates in the United States, several misconceptions have dominated policy initiatives. We address those misconceptions, including the notion that restrictive diets lead to long-term weight loss, that stigmatizing obesity is an effective strategy for promoting weight reduction, and that weight and physical health should be considered synonymous with one another. In offering correctives to each of these points, we draw on psychological science to suggest new policies that could be enacted at both the local and national levels. Instead of policies that rely solely on individual willpower, which is susceptible to failure, we recommend those that make use of environmental changes to reduce the amount of willpower necessary to achieve healthy behavior. Ultimately, the most effective policies will promote health rather than any arbitrary level of weight. PMID:26581722

The use of tobacco tax revenues to fund the Guam Cancer Registry: A double win for cancer control.

PubMed

David, Annette M; Haddock, Robert L; Bordallo, Renata; Dirige, Janet T; Mery, Les

2017-06-01

Cancer registries that provide reliable data on cancer incidence, mortality and burden are essential to cancer control. However, establishing sustainable local funding mechanisms to support cancer registries remains a challenge in many countries. Guam, an unincorporated Territory of the United States of America in the Western Pacific, enacted a bill that raised tobacco taxes, and earmarked a percentage of tobacco tax revenues to support its Cancer Registry. This provided a reliable funding stream for the Registry, allowing for continued staffing and capacity building; at the same time, youth tobacco consumption decreased following the tax increase. Linking tobacco tax revenues to cancer registry support is a feasible strategy with a double benefit: higher tobacco prices from higher tobacco taxes reduce tobacco-related cancer risk while assuring the long-term viability of systematic cancer data collection and dissemination.

New food safety law: effectiveness on the ground.

PubMed

Drew, Christa A; Clydesdale, Fergus M

2015-01-01

The demand for safety in the US food supply from production to consumption necessitates a scientific, risk-based strategy for the management of microbiological, chemical, and physical hazards in food. The key to successful management is an increase in systematic collaboration and communication and in enforceable procedures with all domestic and international stakeholders. The enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) aims to prevent or reduce large-scale food-borne illness outbreaks through stricter facility registration and records standards, mandatory prevention-based controls, increased facility inspections in the United States and internationally, mandatory recall authority, import controls, and increased consumer communication. The bill provisions are expected to cost $1.4 billion over the next four years. Effective implementation of the FSMA's 50 rules, reports, studies, and guidance documents in addition to an increased inspection burden requires further funding appropriations. Additional full-time inspectors and unprecedented foreign compliance is necessary for the full and effective implementation of the FSMA.