US Environmental Protection Agency Introduces a New Social Cost of Carbon for Public Comment

 Environmental Justice.  What if Environmental fines and violations CUT into corporate profits?   Say 20 Minimum%

BEMA International

New on Common Resources   The US Environmental Protection Agency Introduces a New Social Cost of Carbon for Public Comment   Nordroden / Shutterstock

In a recently proposed regulation, the US Environmental Protection Agency introduces an updated approach to estimating the social cost of carbon that incorporates important scientific and statistical advances.     Read More   On November 11, 2022, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a rule to regulate emissions of methane from the oil and gas sector. The proposed actions themselves are worthy of discussion, but one key technical feature of the announcement is worth highlighting: EPA has introduced a new approach to estimating the social cost of carbon (SCC) for a sensitivity case in its regulatory analysis. EPA’s use of this new SCC is noteworthy because it marks the first time a government agency has put forward an updated approach to estimating the SCC that responds to Executive Order 13990, which was announced in January 2021. This executive order initiated an update to the SCC, an important number that the federal government uses in various policy applications. In short, EPA’s update is comprehensive, quite detailed and technical, and likely to be influential. It’s a worthy subject to unpack. Read the full blog post from RFF Fellows Kevin Rennert and Brian C. Prest.     Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Our mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement.

Police departments bring mental health professionals to help respond to crisis calls

 

INSIDE: Police departments bring mental health professionals to help respond to crisis calls; how one county screens and connects people in jail to housing; & upcoming events.     November 16, 2022 | Edited by Brenna Callahan

WHAT WE'RE READING    Police Departments Bring Mental Health Professionals to Help Respond to Crisis Calls   Megan Quattlebaum, director of the CSG Justice Center, recently weighed in on an WSB-TV story about the rise of community responder programs as an alternative to traditional law enforcement responses. “I would say there’s been almost an explosion of interest in other models for responding to people in behavioral health crisis,” she said. The CSG Justice Center surveyed 70 police departments across the country and found that 76 percent of them use a program similar to the one WSB-TV profiled in Alexandria, Virginia, where police say that of the calls that could have resulted in an arrest, 71 percent were resolved without anyone going to jail since the program started last year. Read the article > P.S. Learn more about community responder models by checking out the CSG Justice Center’s Expanding First Response toolkit and attending our event today at noon ET.    🎥 IN THEIR OWN WORDS    How One County Screens and Connects People in Jail to Housing   Officials in Salt Lake County, Utah, developed a public dashboard to help identify and connect individuals in the county jail with housing and services. This collaboration occurs across county agencies, the jail, and community-based providers. In this video, learn about some of the ways that the dashboard helps officials connect people to permanent housing options. Watch the video >    UPCOMING EVENTS    Expanding First Response Assessment Tool Launch This webinar will launch the Expanding First Response Assessment Tool, an online, interactive tool that will provide tailored, step-by-step guidance for communities to plan and implement a new community responder program. Join us and learn about how jurisdictions across the U.S. are reimagining their approach to public safety by investing in community responder programs. Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Time: 12:00–1:30 p.m. ET Register >   Addressing Concerns and Responding to Myths About Safety during Crisis Calls This webinar will highlight the challenges and benefits of creating a cross-system collaboration between partners including law enforcement, behavioral health, and EMS. Join us and learn from national experts about best practices for responding to calls for services with people experiencing a behavioral health crisis.  Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022 Time: 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET Register >   Photo credit: querbeet via Canva

December 7, 2022. Celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities!!

 

Join USICD on December 7th to Celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities!!   Dine and Raise a Glass to Celebrate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with USICD!! You're invited to a glamorous evening. USICD will host its eighth annual gala on December 7th, in celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. At its gala, USICD will honor leaders of the disability rights movement whose impact has been felt on the international stage- American policymakers are recipients of the Dole-Harkin Award, for distinction in public service to the global disability community, and an overseas disability rights advocate is honored for his/her outstanding work in advancing the rights, opportunities and dignity of persons with disabilities. This year, USICD will present the Dole-Harkin award to USICD Board Member, Mr. John Wodatch. The International Advocate award will be presented to Mr. Sadiq Mohibi from Afghanistan/Canada. The annual USICD Gala brings together disability rights advocates, legislative leaders, new and long-term donors, business and philanthropic leaders, and other friends of the disability rights movement. We hope you will join us!!   When: 7 December, 2022 Time:   6:00 - 8:30 PM EST Where: AT&T Forum 601 New Jersey Avenue, NW, 5th Floor Washington, DC 20006     Purchase Tickets     Thank you to our 2022 Gala Sponsors thus far: Rehabilitation International JP Morgan Chase & Co Google New Editions Consulting AT&T Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living Paralyzed Veterans of America Mr. Bill Abrams

Small Businesses this should be part of your basic policy and guidance. It goes both ways. Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace.

-Institute as part of your initial workplace awareness for new staff members, and contractors.

-Institute as part of you annual mandatory training for 'ALL' members. From the frontline to board.

BEMA International

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Dear Friend, Sexual harassment of any kind, especially in the workplace, is an abomination that must be rooted out in full force. One in three women has faced sexual harassment in the workplace, forcing many to leave their occupation or industry, or pass up opportunities for advancement. Sadly, an estimated 87-94% of victims never come forward to report incidents in the workplace and even worse, 95% of perpetrators go unpunished. Part of this troubling phenomena can be explained by the fact that over 1/3 of American workers are bound by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in their employment contracts, which could prevent them from discussing harassment or assault in the workplace. Too many survivors have already signed away their rights to come forward before their abuse even occurs, and more continue to do so every single day. That is why we must put an end to this unjust practice. Let’s be clear, the original purpose of the NDA was to protect trade secrets and ensure that when a company has a truly unique idea or piece of information, a competitor cannot get its hands on that valuable knowledge. This makes sense and is a legal framework that helps build and protect so many of America’s successful small and large businesses.  Over time, however, the NDA has been used for more sinister reasons. To protect an organization’s reputation, many have weaponized the NDA, abusing its strong legal power to cover up allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault. In many instances, these agreements are buried in a standard employment contract, and when a new employee is hired, many do not even know they are giving up critical rights. Given this wrong that needs to be addressed, I am proud to have helped pass today in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Speak Out Act. The Speak Out Act makes pre-dispute NDAs unenforceable in disputes regarding sexual assault or sexual harassment, giving survivors the choice between telling their story publicly or signing an NDA as part of a settlement. This extensive legislation also covers non-disparagement clauses, which prohibit communicating anything negative about one’s company, services, products, or leadership.  This legislation takes a significant step in the right direction and will make people in power think twice about their actions. We must end this culture of silence that empowers the perpetrator and mutes the survivor, and the Speak Out Act helps us achieve that goal. Yours in service,       Kweisi Mfume Member of Congress

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