Fast Facts for April 12, 2021
After a two week recess Congress is back in Washington DC.
So what’s on their agenda? Items like, Immigration, police reform, gun laws, and yes, President Biden’s $2 trillion+ Infrastrucrure/Stimulus plan.
Let me clarify — yes this is a stimulus plan however at this point it does NOT technically include a stimulus check for you. Things may change as the negotiation is expected to take time. The White House is hoping for passage by May but the House Speaker says it’ll probably be closer to the 4th of July.
PLUS
With the Derek Chauvin murder trial entering its third week of testimony and the national conversation on police reform growing louder and louder – now would be the right time for the president to fulfill a campaign promise to form a white house commission on police reform…
Except – the white house has decided to scrap that plan.
Wait – what?
The white house says after talking with civil rights organizations like The NAACP –among others – and police unions, it was determined that the police reform commission would be repetitive from the Obama era, not the best use of white house power, and most importantly – would take everyone’s eyes off the ball of passing meaningful legislation.
Like the George Gloyd Justice in Policing Act.
That law has already passed the house but is an uphill climb in the senate.
If passed it would do several things like– set national standards for police behavior, bans the use of several types of chokeholds, bans no-knock warrants, restricts the transfer of military weaponry to police forces, awards federal money to local police forces that require cop body cams and squad cameras and restricts qualified immunity that shields police from civil liability.
Even though this move by the white house appears to be a stand down from Biden’s campaign rhetoric on police reform, the white house continues to insist the president sees police reform as a “priority.”
Dr. Susan Rice, the director of the domestic policy council said: based on close, respectful consultation with partners in the civil rights community, the administration made the considered judgment that a police commission, at this time, would not be the most effective way to deliver on our top priority in this area, which is to sign the George Floyd justice in policing act into law.”
PLUS
I know for so many of you it’s annoying to wear one of these.
Your glasses fog up.
It’s uncomfortable.
And it makes it hard to communicate.
So the federal government is running a contest and you can win up to a hundred thousand dollars.
Yes the department of health and human services has launched the mask innovation challenge – building tomorrow’s mask. The goal is to use new designs, materials and technologies to create an innovative and effective mask designed to be mass-produced at low cost, that also gives protection for respiratory disease pathogens for the general public to wear.
This is a six month process with two phases – design and proof of concept.
The deadline to submit your design for phase one is April 21 at 5 p.m. if you’re interested in more details the link is here.
