Maryland
Maryland Delegation Members Applaud Final Passage of Veterans’ Health Care Bill with Funding for Two Maryland Veterans Clinics | U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland
![Maryland Delegation Members Applaud Final Passage of Veterans’ Health Care Bill with Funding for Two Maryland Veterans Clinics | U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland Maryland Delegation Members Applaud Final Passage of Veterans’ Health Care Bill with Funding for Two Maryland Veterans Clinics | U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland](https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/themes/vanhollen/images/sharelogo.jpg)
August 02, 2022
Invoice now goes to President Biden’s desk to be signed into regulation
Right this moment, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, and Anthony G. Brown (all D-Md.) introduced the ultimate Senate passage of laws to open two veterans clinics in Baltimore and Prince George’s County. The bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Handle Complete Toxics Act (PACT Act) which handed right now by a vote of 86-11, gives healthcare advantages for all generations of toxic-exposed veterans for the primary time within the nation’s historical past and can enhance entry to look after all those that served in our nation’s armed forces. The invoice now goes to President Biden to be signed into regulation.
The lawmakers fought to incorporate authorization and funding for the 2 Maryland veterans’ well being clinics – one within the Baltimore area and one other in Prince George’s County. $43 million will help the development of a brand new Baltimore Neighborhood Based mostly Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), which can substitute and broaden the outpatient companies presently supplied on the present Baltimore VA Clinic Annex on Fayette Avenue whereas lowering the pressure on the Baltimore VA Medical Middle. $32 million is put aside for the development of a Prince George’s CBOC; this new facility will probably be considerably bigger than the prevailing clinic within the southern a part of the county and symbolize a significant improve for space veterans, as the brand new clinic will probably be outfitted to supply companies past the capabilities of the present clinic in addition to the Southeast D.C. CBOC.
“We’ve obtained to maintain our guarantees to veterans who put themselves as danger to serve our nation, and that features making certain they’ve entry to high-quality well being care. The bipartisan PACT Act will just do that – investing $75 million in new and upgraded outpatient clinics that can assist ship much-needed companies to Maryland veterans,” stated Senator Van Hollen. “This can be a massive win for our communities and a vital step ahead in enhancing the community of look after veterans throughout our state whereas additionally making a historic funding in care and advantages for veterans uncovered to toxins. I stay up for the President signing this invoice into regulation as quickly as attainable.”
“Maryland veterans served this nation with honor and so they deserve entry to top-notch well being care companies in a well timed and handy method,” stated Senator Cardin. “Offering well being care advantages to the hundreds of American veterans uncovered to toxins emanating from burn pits is crucial. Increasing the community of Neighborhood Based mostly Outpatient Clinics out there to Baltimore space veterans and drastically upgrading the amenities and companies for veterans inside Prince George’s County will convey a lot wanted, state-of-the-art well being care companies inside simpler attain for all veterans who name Maryland residence.”
“This historic piece of laws can have a major influence on the lives of Prince George’s County veterans, enhancing the standard of their well being care and making certain that they obtain the advantages and companies they deserve. I’m glad that the Senate handed this invoice right now, sending it to President Biden for signature, and I stay up for witnessing the constructive distinction it is going to make within the Fifth District and all through the state of Maryland,” stated Congressman Hoyer.
“Our veterans deserve state-of-the-art healthcare in state-of-the-art amenities,” Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger stated. “Additionally they deserve a healthcare system that’s accessible and handy. This new clinic will assist us ship on all of those guarantees and I’m happy with the staff effort that went into making it occur for our native veterans.”
“Our nation can by no means repay the debt we owe our veterans, however passage of this laws right now is a vital step to enhance entry to the vital advantages they deserve. Upholding our accountability to care for individuals who defend our nation and democracy, the Honoring Our PACT Act expands protection for veterans uncovered to poisonous substances throughout their service and establishes two new veterans’ clinics in Maryland,” stated Congressman Sarbanes. “I’m happy that we’re sending this laws to President Biden’s desk with sturdy, bipartisan help.”
“In case you put your life on the road overseas to guard Individuals’ freedoms at residence, you should be taken care of each throughout and after your army service,” stated Congressman Kweisi Mfume. “I’m proud to have supported the Honoring Our PACT Act, which furthers our nation’s dedication to our courageous servicemembers by guaranteeing that their well being wants will at all times be met regardless of the circumstances.”
“We make a sacred promise to our servicemembers after they return residence – to supply our veterans with the perfect well being care our nation has to supply. Essential to upholding that promise, is a dedication to entry within the communities our veterans dwell in,” stated Congressman Anthony Brown. “This laws and funding will assist meet Maryland veterans the place they’re and supply the standard care that they deserve. We’ll by no means cease combating for the courageous women and men who’ve served and we’ll at all times have their backs.”
Extra Background on the Baltimore and Prince George’s County CBOC Plans
For the Baltimore CBOC, this laws gives for a lease of an roughly 112,624 sq. foot outpatient clinic, together with 800 parking areas. The brand new facility would allow VA to reinforce outpatient companies and supply extra main care area than is presently out there on the Baltimore VA Clinic Annex.
For the Prince George’s County clinic, the PACT Act gives for a lease of an roughly 85,116 sq. foot outpatient clinic, together with 600 parking areas. The brand new facility would allow VA to accommodate the workload that the Southern Prince George’s County and Southeast D.C. CBOCs presently service, which has elevated for the reason that closure of the Greenbelt CBOC in 2015, and permit extra sufferers to obtain care nearer to their houses.
Each clinics will permit for the complete implementation of the Affected person Aligned Care Staff (PACT) mannequin of care supply, enhancing operational efficiencies and the veteran expertise. They are going to be state-of-the-art, energy-efficient well being care amenities providing main care, psychological well being, specialty care, and ancillary companies to veterans.
Concerning the PACT Act
Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson deployed to Kosovo and Iraq with the Ohio Nationwide Guard. He died in 2020 from poisonous publicity because of his army service. Amongst its many priorities, the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 will:
- Broaden VA well being care eligibility to Publish-9/11 fight veterans, which incorporates greater than 3.5 million toxic-exposed veterans;
- Create a framework for the institution of future presumptions of service connection associated to poisonous publicity;
- Add 23 burn pit and poisonous exposure-related situations to VA’s checklist of service presumptions, together with hypertension;
- Broaden presumptions associated to Agent Orange publicity;
- Contains Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll as places for Agent Orange publicity;
- Strengthen federal analysis on poisonous publicity;
- Enhance VA’s sources and coaching for toxic-exposed veterans; and
- Set VA and veterans up for achievement by investing in:
- VA claims processing;
- VA’s workforce; and
- VA well being care amenities.
- Set up 31 new VA well being care amenities throughout 19 states, together with the 2 in Maryland.
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Maryland
University of Maryland reverses decision to allow anti-Israel protest on October 7
The University of Maryland on Sunday reversed its decision to allow an anti-Israel protest on the first anniversary of the October 7 Massacre, following backlash from local Jewish groups.
UMD Students for Justice in Palestine and UMD Jewish Voice for Peace had been set to hold their October 7 vigil for Gazans killed in the Israel-Hamas War at the campus’s Mckeldin Mall, but the University System of Maryland (USM) said in a statement that on the day of the Hamas-led pogrom it would limit campus events requiring permits or approval to those supporting “a university-sponsored Day of Dialogue.”
“From the beginning of the war, we have come together as a University System to urge that we use this moment to encourage conversation, compassion, and civility; to engage with one another across our differences and draw on our shared humanity and our shared values to bridge what divides us,” said USM. “These dialogues aren’t new. Many of our universities have been hosting this kind of programming for several months. Reserving Oct. 7 gives us a chance to continue these urgent conversations and to mark this solemn anniversary in a way that gives students—all students—the time and space to share and to be heard.”
USM said that its intent was not to infringe of the free expression and speech of students, but to be sensitive to the needs of students as October 7 was a “day of enormous suffering and grief for many in our campus communities.”
UMD Jewish Student Union, Maryland Hillel, Terps for Israel, and Israeli American Council Mishelanu at Maryland welcomed the USM decision and thanked UMD leadership in a joint social media statement on Sunday.
“October 7, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, is a day of mourning for the Jewish and Israeli community,” said the UMD JSU. “We are relieved that SJP will no longer to be able to appropriate the suffering of our family and friends to fit their false and dangerous narrative.”
The Jewish groups said that it was distraught that the decision to only hold university-sponsored event had to be made at all, and wished to used the campus space to “grieve together as a community” to promote unity at the university. The unideal situation was necessary, according to the Jewish groups, to ensure the physical and psychological safety of students on the day of mourning.
UMD JVP and SJP attacked the decision to cancel the event, claiming that the vigil for Palestinians killed since the October 7 Massacre was attacked without familiarity of the content. The anti-Israel groups said that the discourse was “the continuation inherently racist, Islamophobic, and dehumanizing rhetoric surrounding Palestinians.” JVP and SJP said that the actions against their event were an attempt to paint “Muslim, Arab, and anti-Zionist Jewish students as barbaric.”
The anti-Israel groups asserted that their vigil for Palestinians who died in the war was no threat to the campus’s Jewish community, but conflation of Zionism and Judaism did threaten UMD and the Jewish community.
“To claim that Palestinians cannot hold a day of remembrance in mourning one year of genocide, or lay claim to that date is an insult to every life lost in the Zionist entity’s genocidal campaign,” UMD SJP and JVP said on Instagram on Sunday. “The disproportionate scale of suffering experienced by the Palestinians over the past year necessitates their remembrance and our solidarity on this day. The suffering of all innocents killed must not be monopolized and necessitates a fair and just representation.”
SJP and JVP demanded the right to organize and exercise their right to free speech, accusing Zionists of attempting to stifle Palestinian voices.
The organizations indicated on their Sunday Instagram post that they still planned to hold their all-day event at Mckeldin Mall, and on Monday a link to register still active and listing the campus building as the rally location.
UMD Jewish groups said that they would be holding their own event to memorialize the victims of the October 7 pogrom at the Maryland Hillel.
Maryland
Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland
![Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/02/44f70b16-36c5-418b-a083-913b44ccccef/thumbnail/1200x630/35894c49deb7bc01bace1597e72e5c6f/354a4da6cd4b544ff5da5921dfff7e33.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
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Maryland
Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland
![Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4622,h_2599,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/spartan_nation/01j6q3dyp4hhn9f949m6.jpg)
Michigan State’s football team emerged with a 16-10 win against Florida Atlantic, but it was far from a convincing victory. The Spartans struggled throughout the game, exhibiting a range of issues that need immediate attention if they hope to find more consistent success moving forward.
With less than a week to prepare for its next opponent, Michigan State has a critical opportunity to address these shortcomings and refine its game plan.
The win over FAU exposed several areas of concern for Michigan State, particularly on offense. The Spartans were plagued by poor execution and missed opportunities, with several drives stalling due to penalties and miscues. The offensive line, in particular, struggled to establish a rhythm, which led to limited success in both the running and passing games.
Quarterback play from Aidan Chiles was inconsistent, with errant throws and a lack of cohesion with the receiving corps contributing to the team’s inability to sustain drives and put the game away early.
Defensively, Michigan State managed to hold FAU to just 10 points, but there were still some worrying signs. Despite the Spartans having multiple interceptions and a safety, they gave up several big plays, revealing potential vulnerabilities in the secondary and raising concerns about the unit’s ability to maintain discipline and focus throughout the game. Missed tackles and lapses in coverage could prove costly against more formidable opponents, making it imperative for the coaching staff to address these issues in the coming week.
Special teams were another area where Michigan State faltered. On multiple occasions, the Spartans gave up more punt return yards than they should have because of missed tackles.
With less than a week before its next game, Michigan State has a valuable window to regroup and make the necessary adjustments. The coaching staff will need to focus on tightening up execution across all phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams. This includes refining the game plan, improving communication and instilling a greater sense of urgency and discipline among the players.
The Spartans cannot afford to let the issues that plagued them against FAU carry over into their matchup against Maryland. If they hope to be competitive as the season progresses, the team must use this time to correct course and demonstrate growth in all facets of its game.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
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