Texas public schools rank 41st in per-student funding, and that may not improve anytime soon. A large education funding package failed in the legislature last year, and Gov. Greg Abbott has said he won t get onboard unless lawmakers also agree to voucher programs that can be used to subsidize students private education. .
In the wake of the latest, highly contagious bird flu outbreak in Arkansas and across the country, Congress is considering a bill to improve the monitoring of wildlife diseases. The Wildlife Disease Surveillance for Pandemic Prevention Act aims to strengthen monitoring and response systems for illnesses with the potential to affect humans. Miles Goggans, board member of the Arkansas Wildlife Federation, said the bill is critically needed, because it would establish systems to detect outbreaks early and collect data on their spread. .
Federal employees rallied in Washington D.C. this week calling on Congress to raise their wages and avoid a government shutdown. With more than 120,000 federal employees based in Maryland, the March expiration of the latest continuing resolution looms large in the state. .
A Biden administration program called the American Climate Corps aims to hire and train 20,000 people in conservation, climate and clean energy jobs. Still in the early stages of development, groups in Appalachia say the program could potentially steer a significant number of young people in the region into well-paying jobs. Brendan Muckian-Bates, policy and advocacy associate for the Appalachian Citizens Law Center in Whitesburg, said Kentucky s Appalachian region has struggled with continuing flood disasters and other climate change impacts over the past decade. .
Groups concerned about air pollution and public health are asking the city councils of Long Beach and Los Angeles and their respective Harbor Commissions to pass major restrictions on air pollution from ships. The "Ports for People" ordinance would require agencies to take steps to reduce pollution from cargo ships by 50% from 2019 levels by 2030, and to achieve 100% zero-emission shipping at the ports by 2040. Dawny all Heydari, climate campaign advocacy manager for the nonprofit Pacific Environment, said ships running on fuel oil and Liquefied Natural Gas need to be phased out. .