Latest news with #AdvocacyDay
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘Crime Survivors' advocate for safety and justice at State Capitol
(WHTM) — Crime victims shared their stories of survival while drumming up support for legislation at the State Capitol today. 'Advocacy Day,' hosted by Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a national network with 200,000 crime victims, supported state legislation to provide safe housing and job protection for crime victims. Tiffiney Hall of Harrisburg became an advocate 20 years ago, after surviving multiple stabbings stemming from domestic violence. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'Unless it happened to you, your legislators don't know what it is that you need, so it's relevant you bring your voice and you speak up about these things that you need,' said Hall. The group also supports legislation that helps non-violent offenders get early parole if they take part in educational programs and job skills training while serving time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Cision Canada
26-05-2025
- General
- Cision Canada
ONTARIO BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION TRADESWOMEN HEAD TO QUEEN'S PARK TO PUSH FOR SAFER, MORE INCLUSIVE JOB SITES
TORONTO, May 26, 2025 /CNW/ - On Monday, May 26, the Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT), will host its first-ever Advocacy Day at Queen's Park. Tradeswomen from across the province will gather to meet with Members of Provincial Parliament, including Minister of Labour David Piccini, to advocate for progress in the skilled trades for tradeswomen. OBCT's top priorities include: Legislate mandatory Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment (ADAH) training as part of all apprenticeships in Ontario Ensure mandatory access to properly fitting PPE for all workers, especially women and non-standard-sized tradespeople Inspect and enforce new access and clean washroom regulations to ensure OSHA compliance and hot water access "We've made real strides in improving safety and inclusion on job sites," said Karen Pullen, Chairperson of the OBCT, "But there's more work to do. Culture change doesn't happen overnight—and by making ADAH training a standard part of apprenticeship, we're setting the tone from day one." ADAH training, created by OBCT and delivered free across Ontario, addresses the root causes of workplace harassment and discrimination. But while it's proven effective, it remains optional. Without a legislative requirement, too many job sites still leave tradespeople—particularly women and marginalized workers—vulnerable to unsafe and unwelcoming conditions. "This is about building a stronger, skilled trades workforce—for everyone," Pullen said. "When workers feel safe, respected, and seen, they stay. And that's what Ontario needs." Quick Facts Harassment on job sites in construction is still an issue today: 64% of women in construction report discrimination; nearly half report sexual harassment. ADAH works: The OBCT-developed ADAH training, delivered free across Ontario, educates workers, employers, and union reps on recognizing, preventing, and addressing discrimination. Current law isn't enough: Ontario's OHSA mandates policies—not training. Other provinces (BC, Alberta, Quebec) already require it. 90% of tradeswomen report being hampered at work by PPE that doesn't fit. Ill-fitting gloves, harnesses, and overalls increase injury risk. Only 6% of women surveyed said their PPE is designed for them. Standard-issue PPE is often made for the average male body—leaving women and others unprotected. About OBCT Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT) is a network committed to advancing, supporting, and advocating for women in the skilled trades. OBCT connects tradeswomen across Ontario, provides leadership opportunities, and works to build an inclusive, respectful industry where all workers thrive. The OBCT is a program of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario which represents over 150,000 construction workers throughout the province.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alzheimer's Association of Louisiana to release new data on dementia
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The Louisiana Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association will release data on April 29 to reveal the burden of Alzheimer's and dementia on individuals and caregivers. The non-profit's executive director, Delores Hurst, said the facts and figures report will show how Louisiana compares to other states, and it will break down information by parish. Hurst said in 2024, Orleans Parish ranked tenth in the nation for those 65 and older diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The group will gather at the State Capitol on May 6 for Advocacy Day. Hurst said they plan to ask lawmakers for resources to create a Dementia Care Specialist Program to help families. The Louisiana chapter offers several education programs and support groups. Families can call the 24/7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900 to learn more information. 11 injured amid shooting at busy Myrtle Beach tourist area Republicans unveil proposal for $150B in new Pentagon spending New pro curling league set to start in 2026 with hopes of prolonging the Olympic spotlight Alzheimer's Association of Louisiana to release new data on dementia Connolly to step out of top Democratic spot on Oversight panel, citing health Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
KC Cancer survivor heading to D.C. to fight for research funding
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City cancer survivor is heading to Washington D.C. next week to meet with lawmakers. She's fighting for research funding and access to life-saving medications. Patt Papenfuhs considers herself lucky to have had early detection, responding to a flyer in the mail about body scans. 'It came back clean except for the little spot in my lung, and that's how it started,' Papenfuhs said. Vernon County tornado leaves residents stunned: 'Keep us in your prayers' After it calcified, she began chemo in October of 2023 and had surgery in 2024 to remove the lower lobe of her right lung. She'll be on a medication for the next three years that started out just as a general cancer drug. 'The more they studied it and the more research they realized that this drug targeted the gene mutation I have,' she said. After that, the future is unclear. She'll be one of the more than one million Missouri residents living with lung disease. 'If lung cancer comes back, it tends to migrate to the brain, so I'm hoping there's more research going forward. So that if and when it comes back and this drug doesn't work, I have a next step.' She'll head to Washington D.C. next week to speak to Missouri's Senators and her congressman Sam Graves or their staff, along with more than 40 other lung force heroes as part of the American Lung Association's Advocacy Day on April 9. 100 Hy-Vee grocery stores offer free A1C testing in April Tuesday, mass layoffs began in the Department of Health and Human Services, which contains both the CDC and National of Institute of Health, which participate in cancer research. 'I think it's a concern for anyone who has lung cancer, any kind of cancer or any type of illness that's chronic because research is what we are all counting on,' Papenfuhs said. Convincing Missouri's Republican delegation to try to curb CDC NIH or Medicaid cuts could be an uphill climb. But that's something the lung cancer survivor is used to, now quite literally. Exactly one month ago and a year removed from her surgery, the 72-year-old completed her first Fight for Air Climb, climbing 42 floors to the top of Kansas City's tallest building. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Politico
11-03-2025
- Business
- Politico
What Silicon Valley really wants from Sacramento
Available free through April 11, POLITICO Pro's Technology: California Decoded newsletter will explore how the Golden State is defining tech policy within its borders and beyond. QUICK FIX — A major tech business group says California must avoid being left in the dust on data centers. — Republican data bill sees path in key committee. — Rob Bonta cites Trump admin policies in data privacy crackdown. Welcome to California Decoded! Glad you're with us, this is your sign that Tuesday is half over. Send feedback, tips and story ideas to tkatzenberger@ and chasedf@ Driving the day FIRST IN DECODED: POWERED UP — Big, existential battles over AI safety are so last year: The next big fight in Sacramento is shaping up to be about the hardware, not the bits, that power the state's AI economy, according to a major tech business group. Cutting a legislative path toward building more energy-gobbling data centers in Silicon Valley and California is a major priority this session, said Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Ahmad Thomas, whose group wields significant sway in Sacramento with a membership roster that includes tech companies from Airbnb and Amazon to Zoom and Zoox. 'Data centers are huge,' Thomas told California Decoded ahead of his group's 'Advocacy Day' with Sacramento lawmakers and lobbyists today. The thinking goes that more data centers means more AI companies can take root and train the next generation of models. 'A lot of our focus is around the modernization of our infrastructure to allow for [the] tech to scale, and to scale here in Silicon Valley,' Thomas said. Thomas' group has also been in talks to merge with another major business organization, the Bay Area Council — a deal that if it goes through would throw major lobbying muscle behind a central priority for the tech industry. Thomas said he sees lifting limits on building new data centers as key to enticing big projects like OpenAI's massive Stargate effort to California. The San Francisco AI company recently announced the construction of its flagship data centers in Abilene, Texas. California is one of 16 states under consideration for the next phase of the $500 billion project announced by President Donald Trump, alongside OpenAI's Sam Altman and other tech luminaries in January. But there's a major catch: Data centers guzzle power and water at a prodigious rate, and building new ones could clash with California's relatively tight environmental regulations. OpenAI's Chris Lehane has said a Stargate campus would require at least 1 gigawatt of capacity — 10 times the upper limit to avoid the California Energy Commission's lengthy power plant licensing process, which can delay projects by months. 'We locked in place these arbitrary limits years ago, before the AI revolution was taking place, and it's just inflexible,' San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a data center proponent, recently told us. Last session, an effort backed by state Sen. Dave Cortese and SVLG that would have bumped the licensing limit up to 150 megawatts ran aground, in part over environmental concerns about the diesel generators that kick in when the power goes out. It doesn't look to be getting any easier for the data-center accelerationist crowd this year, though. One bill from Assemblymember Diane Papan would create energy and water efficiency standards for data centers, while Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan's AB 222 would require companies to be financially accountable for the power they use and annually report energy demand data to state regulators at the California Energy Commission. Bauer-Kahan told us she hasn't met with SVLG about her bill but has met with other industry groups, including the Data Center Coalition. She said those groups haven't taken issue with her proposal so far. It's not all stick from Sacramento. State Sen. Steve Padilla's SB 58 would give tax credits to data centers that use more green power and deploy water efficient systems. HAPPENING TODAY ALL DAY — Silicon Valley Leadership Group talks AI policy with state lawmakers and regulators during its annual 'Sacramento Advocacy Day,' hosted at Microsoft's Sacramento headquarters. Listed speakers include: State Sens. Scott Wiener, Cortese, Angelique Ashby and Aisha Wahab; Assemblymembers Bauer-Kahan, Marc Berman, Buffy Wicks, Ash Kalra, Lori Wilson, Patrick Ahrens and Alex Lee. 6:30 p.m. PT — Ned Segal, former CFO of Twitter and now San Francisco's chief of housing and economic development, speaks at Manny's in San Francisco. IN DC — Tech leaders, including the likes of Amazon and Meta, will meet at the INCOMPAS policy summit today to talk AI, energy (read: data centers), broadband and more. Privacy FIRST IN DECODED: NOT DEAD YET — Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio has a shot at advancing legislation that would let Californians shield their personal information from foreign governments (*cough* China) — so long as he's willing to play nice in deep-blue California. 'I look at every bill with policy in mind. If it's a bill that I think is in the best interest of Californians, then it'll get a fair shot,' Bauer-Kahan, chair of the Assembly's key Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, told California Decoded. Gaining support from Bauer-Kahan and her committee is likely the first hurdle for DeMaio as he tries to pass AB 364, which as we scooped yesterday, would require businesses to obtain consent from California-based users before sharing or storing their data in foreign countries. That could prove an uphill battle in the Democratic-controlled Legislature given DeMaio's reputation as an outspoken conservative. But privacy and digital safety have often proven fertile ground for cross-party collaboration in California: For example, Republican Assemblymember Josh Hoover last year successfully passed a law restricting student phone use in schools. Bauer-Kahan said she wants to keep the bipartisan vibes going, so long as DeMaio and other lawmakers work with committee staff and accept recommended amendments. 'We had less Republican [authors] in the last year than the year before, so it's getting harder. It was an election year, so maybe this year will be better,' she said. 'I'm optimistic.' LOVE, ROB — Attorney General Rob Bonta is hunting down companies that appear to be breaking California's privacy laws through location data as part of an investigative sweep aimed at protecting groups targeted by Trump administration policies. Bonta's office announced yesterday that it sent letters warning some advertising networks, app providers and data brokers that they may be violating the California Consumer Privacy Act, which gives users the right to opt out of sharing location data and other personal information like email addresses and phone numbers. His office said the issue is 'immediately and particularly relevant,' amid Trump's threats to carry out mass deportations and restrict access to gender-affirming care. 'This location data is deeply personal,' Bonta said in a press release. 'Given the federal assaults on immigrant communities, as well as gender-affirming healthcare and abortion, businesses must take the responsibility to protect location data seriously.' Bonta's office declined to identify organizations that received a letter, because the information is 'part of the investigative files of the Attorney General.' Byte Sized — Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna says Democrats should condemn vandalism at Tesla dealerships (X post) — OpenAI plans to double its workforce at newly opened San Francisco HQ (San Francisco Business Times) — Waymo is expanding its robotaxi service to parts of Silicon Valley (San Francisco Chronicle) — A new report finds two-thirds of Silicon Valley tech workers are foreign-born (The Mercury News) — HumanX conference to move from Las Vegas to San Francisco next year (Business Wire) Have a tip, event or data center pitch to share? Do reach out: Emma Anderson, California tech editor; Chase DiFeliciantonio, AI and automation reporter; and Tyler Katzenberger, Sacramento tech reporter.
