Todays news from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): Veterans Benefits: The Senate will vote Monday on legislation from Sen. Mark Pryor, who faces a tough reelection race, to reverse $6 billion in cuts in military pensions included in the recent budget agreement. If the bill fails, as expected, the Senate is likely to proceed to a broader package from Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, National Journal reported. Majority Leader Harry Reid also is looking for an opening to bring up a proposal by Sanders to expand veterans’ health care, repeal the military-retiree COLA change and cut overseas contingency operations funds, Congressional Quarterly reported. VA Family Care: The number of veterans who have their reproductive organs damaged in combat is growing, leading a top senator to propose legislation that would make fertility care a bigger part of Veterans Affairs hospitals missions. Under legislation by Sen. Sanders, wounded male veterans spouses would be able to get artificial insemination at VA hospitals, and wounded women could designate surrogate mothers who would be able to receive fertility treatment at the VA, The Washington Times reported. Starting a family is a two-person job, said Tom Tarantino, chief policy officer at Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Low-Wage Workers: The number of American workers who are low-wage and low-income earners jumped 94 percent from 1979 to 2011, reaching 20.9 million workers, according to a new study from University of Massachusetts Boston economists Randy Albelda and Michael Carr. That means that 1 in 7 U.S. workers lives in a household whose main source of income is a low-paying job, such as working as a retail sales clerk or a fast-food restaurant cashier. The findings may go some way to explain why fewer Americans today identify as middle class, while those calling themselves lower or lower-middle class has jumped to 40 percent, up from only one-quarter in 2008, CBS News reported. UPSP Banks: The post office could provide banking needs for everything from loading up a debit card to taking out a small personal loan. The idea floated by the U.S. Postal Services inspector general is supported in theory by Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. It could yield $8.9 billion a year for the post office by offering limited banking services to the tens of millions of people locked out of the current banking system due to geography or relative poverty and who often rely on payday lenders, pawnshops, and title loans for their cash, National Journal reported. Continue reading here: sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/newswatch/021014
Posted on: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 14:14:38 +0000
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