Federal:
Appropriations Committees for both the House and Senate have approved level funding for libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA; $186.3 million) and the Innovative Approaches to Literacy program (IAL; $27 million) for FY19. Committees in the House and Senate also approved an increase to NIH funding for FY19 (by $1.25 billion in the House and $2 billion in the Senate). The full House and Senate will need to make final approval by vote before October 1, 2018.
With the resignation of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, what is the future of his proposed data policy? Pruitt’s replacement, Andrew Wheeler, may carry the torch, according to this National Resources Defense Council blog post, which is bad news for health professionals: “The rule would block the studies used to set air pollution regulations that will have prevented more than 230,000 premature deaths by 2020…” and “The rule would also block the studies that protect children from lead poisoning in air, water, and soil [and] the neurotoxic pesticide chlorpyrifos…”
Curious about the status of net neutrality following the implementation of its repeal on June 11, 2018? Read an update from District Dispatch (states are taking action; the Senate has already voted to repeal; the House is yet to vote, with one House Republican agreeing to sign on so far).
State:
Illinois finances now ‘stable’ according to Moody’s. Read the State Journal-Register article for more information.
The Healthy Food Program Development Act (HB5332) has been sent to the House Rules Committee. The program would be a coordinated effort between the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity “to expand access to healthy foods in eligible areas in the State by providing assistance to grocery stores, corner stores, farmers markets, and other small food retailers.”