51ºÚÁÏ

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State Enacted Food Safety Legislation: 2024 Sessions

September 19, 2024 For the 2024 state legislative sessions that began in January 2024, state legislators introduced 250 bills related to food safety. Of these bills, 41 were passed and enacted into law, with another 11 eligible for signing by th...

Back on the Hill Again, Virtually

May 28, 2024 During the hectic federal budget month of May, we were again talking to Congress, this time virtually.Republican appropriators from the House of Representative came out with their top line fiscal year (FY) 2025 budgets—$711 billion ...

We Were Back on Capitol Hill Advocating for You

May 15, 2024 We were again advocating for environmental health on Capitol Hill, this time to promote funding for the Human Foods Program within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Government Affairs Director Doug Farquhar met with 17 congress...

State Voices Amplified During 2024 Hill Day

April 8, 2024 We held our 7th Annual Hill Day on March 28, 2024, with a new twist. This was the first year that instead of only including our board members, we facilitated the opportunity for our members to join us. We are pleased to report that...

President Biden Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Proposal Released

March 18, 2024 President Biden released his fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget proposal on March 11, outlining the Administration’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, including amounts to fund environmental health programs at the Cen...

Congress to Approve Fiscal Year 2024 Funding for Several Federal Agencies

March 4, 2024 Congress released the massive $467.5 billion fiscal year (FY) 2024 appropriations package for the Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-VA and Transportation-HUD budgets. T...

Federal Funding: Congressional Update

February 26, 2024 As we move into the sixth month of the federal fiscal year (FY 2024) with no final agreement and the continuing resolution (CR) expiring, Congress needs to act—either to enact the appropriations bill or another CR.No one in Con...

2023 State Legislation on Body Art

January 9, 2024 A total of 60 pieces of legislation related to body art were introduced in 19 states and Puerto Rico during the 2023 legislative sessions. Of these 60, 9 were enacted in California, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee. ...

2023: Our Year in Review for Government Affairs

January 5, 2024 Washington, DC, remains as chaotic as ever. Congress spent more time trying to figure out a speaker than floor time on appropriations. The House of Representatives is as far behind as it has ever been on passing the fiscal year (...

Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill

Thursday, December 22, 2022dfarquhar@neha.orgCongress has released a bipartisan and bicameral (i.e. both legislative branched) spending package, known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023. The package includes all of the fiscal year (FY) ...

Congress in Negotiations to Finalize the Fiscal Year 2023 Appropriations

Tuesday, December 6, 2022dfarquhar@neha.org With the midterms over, Congress needs to finish their work on the fiscal year (FY) 2023 budgets. Republicans proposed a top-line of roughly $1.65 trillion in discretionary spending, in line with Presi...

Results of the Midterm Elections on Environmental Health

Tuesday, November 22, 2022dfarquhar@neha.org The 2022 midterm elections are finally over. And we know the results, mostly.The U.S. Senate will remain in control of the Democratic Party, having at least 50 seats and the vote of Vice President Kam...

State Ballot Measures on Environmental Health

November 11, 2022dfarquhar@neha.org On November 8, 2022, voters in the U.S. decided on 133 state ballot measures, including several that addressed water, climate change, health, and cannabis. Most measures get on the ballot in one of two ways: 1...

2021 Year in Government Affairs

Date posted: Monday, January 10, 2022Blog poster: Doug Farquhar, JDI've completed my first full year as director of Government Affairs for 51ºÚÁÏ and, as such, would like to list the accomplishments of the program in 2021.This endeavor is more tha...

Accomplishments So Far

Date posted: Thursday, June 2, 2022 - 13:30Blog poster: Doug Farquhar, JDEmail of Blog Poster: dfarquhar@neha.orgAs we approach the halfway mark of this year, I thought I would reflect on the activities that our Government Affairs department has...

Congress Finally Enacts Omnibus Spending Package for Fiscal Year 2022

Date posted: Wednesday, March 9, 2022Blog poster: Doug Farquhar, JDEmail of Blog Poster: dfarquhar@neha.orgThe U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, on an omnibus spending bill that would fund the Centers for Disease C...

Congressperson Rob Wittman Visits Harris Teeter Store

April 25, 202251ºÚÁÏ organized a site visit for Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA) at a local Harris Teeter grocery store in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Friday, April 22.Representative Wittman, cochair of the Congressional Public Health Caucus, work...

Food Safety Remains Top Government Concern

July 20, 2022Congress must be disappointed with food safety constantly being considered second to drug concerns at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."Food safety is currently a second-class citizen at the Food and Drug Administration", said...

51ºÚÁÏ in Washington, DC, 2022

March 2, 2022The 51ºÚÁÏ's (51ºÚÁÏ) fifth annual Hill Day is scheduled for Thursday, March 3. The 51ºÚÁÏ Board of Directors is scheduled to meet virtually with 30 congressional offices (with more confirmations pendi...

The 2022 Year Ahead in Government Affairs at 51ºÚÁÏ

January 10, 2022 The 51ºÚÁÏ Government Affairs program had a successful 2021 and we're planning for even more success in 2022.2022 will provide new challenges in government affairs. Being the foremost association advocating for environmental ...

The Biden Administration Tackles Environmental Justice

September 8, 202251ºÚÁÏ has been long involved with environmental justice. Our position statement, Role of Environmental Health in Addressing Racism as an Environmental Health Issue, recognizes that racism is a threat to public health. The stateme...