Rita's Current Events Blog!

S.2750 is the "Preserving Our Commitment to Homeless Veterans Act" was proposed by Senator Nelson (D-FL). The bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide case management support to local housing authorities under the VA supported housing program. The program assists veterans who are homeless and their families in finding and sustaining permanent housing for homeless Veterans. The federal budget process occurs in two stages: appropriations and authorizations. This bill is considered authorization, which determines how federal funding should be spent. The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on November 6, 2019.

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act was introduced recently by multiple Republican and Democratic Congress members. The legislative bill will establish a program for agricultural workers in the country to earn legal documentation through their employment and economic contribution to the agricultural sector. The bill also focuses on reforming the H-2A program to make it more flexible and accessible year round instead of specific periods. The last goal will establish a mandatory, nationwide E-verify system for all agricultural employees with a more structured process for authorized workers who are incorrectly rejected by the system. The bipartisan proposal has also had great feedback and support from almost 250 agricultural groups and labor organizations.

It comes to no surprise that serious mental illnesses like depression and anxiety have become normalized and have become an industry. Because it has become normalized, there has been an increase in false diagnoses and giving out medication to people who really do not need it. Gabapentin is a drug utilized for treating seizures and nerve pain, but majority of people use it for other conditions without a concrete reason why. Recent studies and data are questioning its role as a "benign catch-all" while it's proven that it can be misused if it is used along with other drugs. The non-FDA-approved uses for this drug shows that giving this drug to people with actual mental illnesses can cause even further damage to their chemical imbalance. Drugs are not something one uses lightly, it has serious repercussions. Article

Multiple universities are dropping their  SAT/ACT requirements in reaction to the growing disenchantment with standardized testing. The debate is if it is a disenchantment with merit or the testing. Schools research shows that the standardized testing scores are strongly linked to family income and the parents education level and race. Although the College Board and ACT Inc. argue that the tests are predictive of college success. If colleges were not to consider SAT/ACT scores then they would look at high school grades more closely. Will this create grade inflation? How will this affect low income students and minorities in inner cities? Is this considered "holistic admissions"?

Lebanon has a revolution once again. The Middle East is having revolutions back to back concerning their corrupt governments. The people are protesting for a complete government reform. They are fighting for their current president to step down, including the rest of their government. The main reason for the revolution is for the decline in its' economy over the years with inflated taxes on apps and certain items. Students and the unemployed are the main ones being affected. This demographic is usually the base of revolutions in the Middle East. Like Egypt's revolutions, Lebanon has its' different and conflicted demographics unite under the flag including people practicing Christianity, Islam, and Druze. The goal they all seek to acquire is a "tax-free rebel economy". Article

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently proposed an anti-poverty bill, "A Just Society" that would authorize new protections for tenants, children, undocumented immigrants, and other demographics that are usually vulnerable to the high costs of housing. The legislation would expand federal benefits to undocumented immigrants and people with past criminal conviction, now this is a controversy in itself. AOC wants the affordable housing crisis to be at the top of the Liberals agenda, multiple Democratic politicians have proposed detailed plans of how they would want to tackle the issue. Although, there are housing experts across the nation that believe this legislation would be more harmful than beneficial. On the other side, people also believe that this proposal will provide just-cause protections against evictions, specifically in areas like San Francisco. With any proposal, many questions need to be asked and answered. The proposal does not address va