The LuLac Edition #4,853, November 25th, 2022

 

BABY BOGNET FILES A LAWSUIT

Jim Bognet has filed a baseless lawsuit in his second loss to Matt Cartwright. Using twisted Republican logic, Bognet is claiming that paper gate was a factor in the election.

The sore loser did the following

• A writ of mandamus compelling the election board to complete the general election reconciliation process before certifying the results.

 • A declaratory judgments prohibiting the board from foregoing any aspect of the reconciliation process under state law.

 • An injunction prohibiting the board from certifying the election results until it has completed the reconciliation process.

It is his right to file the actions listed. It is my right to call Lying, Crying Bognet a very sore loser. A two time loser at that!

 

HARVEY’S CONCESSION

GOP candidate Eryn Harvey (Photo: Twiiter.com)

Republican Eryn Harvey ran a very competitive race against Eddie Day Pashinski. She canvassed the entire district and I’m sure made a lot of new friends. When the votes came in, Harvey actually conceded the race, didn’t whine and will most likely live on to fight another day. Harvey showed class and knowledge of the system while GOP whiners like James May in the 118^th and the aforementioned Bognet are still complaining like their Lord and Savior Donald Trump. Harvey, an engaging and earnest young woman who has more stones than these two male retreads. 

Additionally, Harvey won a lot of points by being the only candidate to date that ran a "Thank You" ad for everyone (not for just her voters) who cast their ballot on Election Day. 

We'll hear from her again. 

BLUNDERING 

LUZERNE COUNTY COUNCIL STRIKES AGAIN

The GOP majority on County Council told the local newspapers that they may hire a local person to be the new County Manager after Lying Crying Brian Thornton’s boy Randy Robertson resigned. You recall it was Thornton who torpedoed the chances of the interim manager Romilda Crocamo. She was local. She was an accomplished Attorney. She was by all accounts doing a great job. But my theory is some people on County Council had a problem with her because she was a woman.

Now the Majority slaps their collective foreheads, knocking their dunce hats off saying, “Hey maybe we should go local!” And I’ll bet you dollars to donuts they’ll go with a man.

On another note, Robertson was willing to stay longer to complete his work but they dismissed him immediately. But PAID HIM ANYWAY.

These are the same birds who chirped about saving tax payer money when Dave Pedri and Crocamo were making capital improvements. But when they wasted money on this whole manager fiasco, that was okay.    

They have proven THEY CAN'T GOVERN.  

 

GUN VIOLENCE STRIKES AGAIN 

This week gun violence struck more than three times in separate areas of the country. The GOP brought up thoughts and prayers and mental illness. Zilch about guns. When the story of gun violence is written for history, the Republicans of today will be regarded as impotent enablers of murder of innocent bystanders. 

We are now immune to the violence. It has become the white noise of our politics. We fail to forget that the slain were people like us, people who had families, who loved them and  did not spend Thanksgiving with them. 

There for the grace of God go all of us. It will not change until the impotent obstructionists are from the right wing are vanquished by thinking people who know better. 

 

NEW CARTWRIGHT LEGISLATION WILL SAVE TAXPAYER DOLLARS BY IMPROVING FEDERAL SOFTWARE PURCHASING PROTOCOLS

Congressman Matt Cartwright (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) introduced the Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act, bipartisan legislation to increase oversight of federal government software purchases and reduce wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. 

Each year, the federal government spends billions of taxpayer dollars on software purchases, renewals, and license modifications. Limited assessments of existing software assets, combined with the way vendors sell software, often results in federal agencies making duplicative purchases. Without increased agency oversight and governance, software vendors profit at the expense of American taxpayers. 

The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act would require federal agencies to conduct an independent, comprehensive assessment of their current software assets and restructure their operations to reduce unnecessary costs.

“Without in-depth assessments of how agencies buy and use software, vendors often have the upper hand in transactions with federal agencies,” said Rep. Cartwright. “This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will streamline software procurement practices governmentwide to the benefit of American taxpayers.”

The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act builds on the success of Rep. Cartwright’s MEGABYTE Act, which reduced duplicative software purchases. Signed into law in 2016, the bipartisan MEGABYTE Act has saved American taxpayers over $450 million.

Specifically, this new legislation would require:

·        Federal agencies to provide an independent, comprehensive assessment of their software purchasing practices to Congress, the Office of Management and Budget, (OMB), and the General Services Administration (GSA);

·        Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to develop a plan to adopt enterprise licensing agreements, improving negotiating power against software vendors, and reduce costs; 

·        OMB to publish a governmentwide strategy for software modernization based on the aforementioned audits and plans; and

·        Agencies to include their respective plans and performance assessments in annual budget submissions. 

This legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Dan Meuser (R-PA-09), Ed Case (D-HI-01), Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-01), Glenn Grothman (R-WI-6), Michael Guest (R-MS-03), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI-14), Mike Levin (D-CA-49), Ted Lieu (D-CA-33), ,Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Katie Porter (D-CA-45), and Jamie Raskin (D-MD-08).

Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced companion legislation in September, which advanced out of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

This legislation has received the support of the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, NetChoice, and SIE Consulting Group.

“Taxpayers deserve to have their dollars used efficiently. Restrictive software licensing prevents customers, including federal agencies, from utilizing the most innovative, secure, and cost-effective software and cloud services. The result is hard-earned taxpayer dollars wasted by inflexible and opaque licensing agreements,” said Coalition for Fair Software Licensing Executive Director Ryan Triplette. “The Coalition for Fair Software Licensing applauds the introduction of The Strengthening Agency Management and Oversight of Software Assets Act in the House today by Representative Cartwright. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation demonstrates the growing momentum against restrictive software licensing practices in the U.S by establishing a process to identify IT budget redundancies and ensure that every Department and agency gets the most out of their IT spend.”

 

CASEY, SCOTT, DURBIN, DUCKWORTH ANNOUNCE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE COMMITMENT TO CONDUCT WEB ACCESSIBILITY REPORT

Senator Bob Casey (Photo: LuLac archives)

U.S. Senate Aging Committee Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) and Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-SC), as well as Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) are announcing that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has committed to prepare and submit to Congress a report on web accessibility across the federal government, after the Senators pushed for transparency. In June, Casey led a group of bipartisan colleagues who sent a letter to DOJ urging the Attorney General to restart federally mandated reports on the federal government’s compliance with accessibility standards for people with disabilities. This week, DOJ sent a letter to Senator Casey stating that it is currently preparing a Section 508 report based on the most recent data analysis conducted by the Government Services Administration (GSA) and that they “anticipate that report will be available in the coming weeks.”

“We welcome the Department of Justice’s pledge to restart its monitoring of federal websites and technology for compliance with accessibility laws and look forward to receiving a robust, comprehensive report in the coming weeks. Earlier this year, we called on the Department of Justice to take immediate steps to issue these statutorily required biennial reports that provide taxpayers with transparent information about the accessibility of federal technology for older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans. Despite legal requirements, these reports had not been issued for a decade, leaving Congress without critical information about how the federal government addresses accessibility of its technology. We have a long way to go to make all aspects of the federal government accessible for older adults, people with disabilities, and veterans, but getting this information from DOJ is a critical first step,” Senators Casey, Scott, Durbin, and Duckworth said in a joint statement.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires the federal government to make all its information technology accessible to people with disabilities and requires DOJ to publicly report on the federal government’s compliance with accessibility standards every two years. However, DOJ has not provided a publicly available report since 2012, and that report reflected serious gaps in accessibility across the federal government.

The letter to DOJ was sent along with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), as well as Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

Here's the letter from the Department of Justice here and below.

 

November 14, 2022

The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr.

Chair

Special Committee on Aging

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chair Casey,

This responds to your letter dated June 30, 2022, regarding reporting on the federal government’s Section 508 compliance with accessibility standards for information technology. The Department of Justice (Department) recognizes the critical importance of accessible technology to millions of Americans with disabilities. To that end, the Department has been working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the General Services Administration (GSA) to analyze and report on federal agencies’ compliance with Section 508. As explained below, we anticipate submitting a Section 508 report to Congress and the President in the coming weeks.

Under Section 508, the U.S. Access Board is responsible for issuing accessibility standards, and GSA is responsible for providing technical assistance to help federal agencies comply with the law’s requirements and ensure that covered information and communication technology is accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. The statute also requires the Department to collect and report information to the President and Congress concerning the state of federal agencies’ compliance with Section 508.

Following the last Section 508 report issued by the Department in 2012, OMB issued a Strategic Plan for Improving Management of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act1 setting up a program to track federal agencies’ progress in complying with Section 508. The Strategic Plan, issued in 2013, requires federal agencies to report to OMB twice per year on their IT accessibility/Section 508 program maturity and effectiveness. It also tasks GSA with issuing an interagency data call every six months to Federal agency Chief Information Officers to gather information regarding the accessibility of their electronic applications and communications and analyze these reports to determine ways to improve agency coordination, reduce redundancies, and develop solutions and recommendations to improve the management of government accessibility programs. Pursuant to OMB’s Strategic Plan, GSA also produces a semiannual report analyzing agency-specific information across a variety of areas relating to Section 508 implementation, such as acquisition, training, testing, website accessibility, complaints, and Section 508 program resources and staffing. Based on this information, GSA makes recommendations to federal agencies on how to enhance compliance. This process has been ongoing since 2013, and GSA’s analysis includes the same types of information included in prior Section 508 reports prepared by the Department.

The Department and GSA are currently preparing a Section 508 report based on the most recent data analysis conducted by GSA. We anticipate that report will be available in the coming weeks.

The Department also continues to use its authority under the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure that the websites of state and local governments and of public businesses are accessible to individuals with disabilities. In March, the Department issued guidance2 on Web Accessibility and the ADA to educate state and local governments and businesses open to the public on how they can make sure that their websites are accessible to people with disabilities as required by the ADA. On June 22, 2022, the Spring 2022 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions3 was published by the Office of Management and Budget, and included an entry announcing the Department’s plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) covering the accessibility of web information and services of state and local governments in Spring 2023.4 Through this NPRM, the Department is proposing to amend its ADA Title II regulation to provide technical standards to assist public entities in complying with their existing obligations to make their websites accessible to individuals with disabilities. This rulemaking is an important step in ensuring that people with disabilities can access public services, programs, and activities, including education programs, voter registration, health services, and many other key services.

Further, the Department continues to actively enforce the ADA’s requirements concerning the accessibility of websites used by public services and public accommodations. For example, in recent months the Department entered into five settlement agreements with major pharmacy and grocery chains to ensure that websites for scheduling vaccine appointments are accessible.5 The Department has also taken recent enforcement actions to ensure that websites of public transportation systems and higher education institutions are accessible to people with disabilities.

 

GOVERNOR WOLF: NEW JOBS COMING TO LUZERNE COUNTY WITH CVS HEALTH EXPANSION

Governor Tom Wolf (Photo; LuLac archives)

Governor Tom Wolf announced today that CVS Health will create and retain 912 total jobs as part of a planned expansion at the company’s Hanover Township facility in Luzerne County.

“It’s a big win for Pennsylvania when a nationally-renowned company like CVS Health expands operations in the commonwealth,” said Gov. Wolf. “This project is going to create and retain good, family-sustaining jobs for folks in Luzerne and Somerset counties.”

CVS Health will invest $4.9 million to renovate and repurpose 13,000-square-feet of space at its distribution center located at 1 Great Valley Boulevard in Hanover Township to create a new prescription drug sorting, handling, and packaging operation.

“Our new pharmacy distribution facility will expand our operations capabilities and provide meaningful work to hundreds of Pennsylvanians,” said David Dederichs, Executive Director, Government Affairs, CVS Health.

The company received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $192,000 Pennsylvania First grant and a $100,000 workforce development grant to train its new workers. As part of its expansion project, CVS Health committed to creating 64 new jobs at the Hanover Township facility within three years and retaining 848 existing employees between that facility and their location at 322 Revco Road in Somerset Township.

This project was coordinated by the Governor’s Action Team, an experienced group of economic development professionals who report directly to the governor and work with businesses that are considering locating or expanding in Pennsylvania.

“We’re thrilled that DCED and the Governor’s Action Team could play a role in this expansion project,” said DCED Acting Secretary Neil Weaver. “We look forward to CVS Health growing their footprint in Luzerne and Somerset counties and providing the region with more good jobs.”

Through GAT, Gov. Wolf has invested nearly $18 billion over the past seven years to support 432 completed projects, create more than 48,500 new jobs, and retain more than 145,500 jobs for Pennsylvanians.

CVS Health is a leading health solutions company that works to improve the health of communities across America through its local presence, digital channels and over 300,000 dedicated colleagues – including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and nurse practitioners. CVS Health helps patients with their health whether that’s managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications, or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. The company helps people navigate the health care system and their personal health care by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. Follow @CVSHealth on social media.

For more information about the Governor’s Action Team or the Department of Community and Economic Development, visit the DCED website.

Gov. Wolf has served for two terms as a leader consistently at work for the people of Pennsylvania. Learn more about how his Priorities for Pennsylvania have fueled the commonwealth’s comeback, leaving Pennsylvania in a much better place than when he arrived.

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1975

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Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, 82, died in Madrid, effectively marking the end of the dictatorship established following the Spanish Civil War and the beginning of Spain's transition to democracy…..Juan Carlos de Borbon was administered an oath as the first King of Spain in 44 years, two days after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the third restoration of the House of Bourbon in the country. His reign would continue until his abdication on June 19, 2014…..The Edmonton Eskimos won the Grey Cup and the championship of the Canadian Football League, beating the Montreal Alouettes, 9-8, in a game that went down to the last play. With 0:45 left and trailing 9-7, Montreal was on the 19 yard line to kick what would have won the game 10-9, but a bad snap, bad placement and bad kick caused Don Sweet's kick to go wide right and through the end zone for a single….In his first major act as Spain's monarch, King Juan Carlos abolished the death penalty for all prisoners awaiting execution, and issued a general pardon of political prisoners, with the exception of 500 people arrested under the antiterrorism law passed in September. About 9,000 prisoners would be released…..In Sacramento, California, Lynette Fromme became the first person to be convicted under a federal law against attempted assassination of a United States President. The jury of 8 women and 4 men deliberated for 19 hours over a three-day period before returning a guilty verdict. The jurors, believed to have been in fear of revenge from the "Manson family" and other followers of Charles Manson, declined interviews and photographs…Ross McWhirter, co-founder of the Guinness Book of Records, was killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army after confronting two men at his home in North London. A month earlier, McWhirter had offered a $102,000 reward for the capture of the perpetrators of IRA house bombings that had killed eight people…In elections in New Zealand, the Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Bill Rowling, lost its 55-32 majority in the House of Representatives, with 23 seats going to the National Party, headed by Rob Muldoon. The result was an exact reversal, with the Nationals having the 55-32 control of the House…Graham Hill, 46, English race car driver, twice Formula One World Champion (1962 and 1968), and 1966 Indianapolis 500 winner, was killed along with five other people when his Piper Aztec airplane crashed into trees before coming to a rest on a golf course at the London suburb of Barnet. Hill's plane was apparently attempting to land at a small airfield in Elstree…..and the number one song in LuLac land and America was “Fly Robin Fly “by Silver Convention.