In January, President Trump said he wanted to empower local law enforcement to act as immigration officers and help with the “investigation, apprehension, or detention” of immigrants in the country illegally. Traditionally, local police departments are not involved in immigration enforcement and those duties are carried out by federal authorities.
Police chiefs from cities across the U.S. are resisting the move by the administration to enlist local police officers to help deport undocumented immigrants. In a joint letter sent to Congress, 61 sheriffs and police chiefs wrote, “We can best serve our communities by leaving the enforcement of immigration laws to the federal government. Threatening the removal of valuable grant funding from jurisdictions that choose not to spend limited resources enforcing federal immigration law is extremely problematic.” The White House plan would also withhold federal funds from sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
Some of the cities that have vowed not to participate in the involvement of immigration laws include Los Angeles, Newark, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle, Providence and Denver. Many expressed concerns that immigrants already wary of reporting crimes or being interviewed as witnesses will retreat further into the shadows.
Trump’s plan is not a new idea but is not regularly practiced throughout the country. A 1996 federal law opened up the possibility for local agencies to participate in immigration enforcement on the streets and do citizenship checks of people in local jails. Immigration and Customs Enforcement trained and certified roughly 1,600 officers to carry out these checks from 2006 to 2015.
The Obama administration phased out all the arrest power agreements in 2013, but still let agencies check whether people jailed in their jurisdiction were citizens. If an inmate is found to be in the country illegally, the department typically notifies federal authorities or hands them over to immigration officers. Today, more than 30 local agencies participate in the jail program.
Experts said Trump’s outreach to local law enforcement will create an even bigger split between sanctuary cities that keep police out of immigration enforcement and those eager to help the new president bolster deportations.
During the election, Trump found support among some law enforcement officers who viewed him as more pro-police than his Democratic opponent. But even officers who privately said they had voted for him- are not eager to help with his immigration agenda. Many officers feel that they have enough on their plate. They are too busy answering 911 calls, arresting robbers, stopping erratic drivers and solving homicides to add federal immigration enforcement to their to-do lists.
Read more
Congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday released their long-awaited plan for the dismantling of the ‘Affordable’ Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare.
The 123-page bill, called the American Health Care Act, would replace the ACA’s income-based premium tax credits with fixed, age-based tax credits that generally would be smaller. It would end enhanced federal funding for states to expand Medicaid to low-income adults. And it would convert Medicaid from an open-ended entitlement to a program of capped, per-capita payments to the states.
The plan would also repeal Obamacare’s statute assessing the unpopular fines on people who don’t have health insurance, and do not qualify for an exemption. It also allows insurers to increase premiums on those who have gone without insurance for a period of time.
WHAT THE BILL DOES NOT CHANGE:
The bill keeps in place two of the most popular Obamacare provisions: those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage, and young people can stay on their parent’s health insurance plans until they reach the age of 26.
WHAT WE DO NOT KNOW YET ABOUT THE LEGISLATION:
The cost and number of people who might choose to go without insurance is still unclear. The bill has not yet been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan congressional research office that provides guidance on economics and the budget for Congress.
The CBO’s guidance will provide information about how many Americans could potentially lose their coverage or opt-out of insuring themselves and the full cost of the bill.
This piece of legislation maintains exemptions that employer-plan premiums currently enjoy, but congressional leaders predict that they will still be able to save money from tax refunds from the repealing of ACA spending and taxes.
President Trump has railed against the ‘Affordable’ Care Act, calling it a “horrible disaster” and a “lie” and made its replacement a top priority. In fact, some insurance carriers have publicly proclaimed that President Barack Obama’s signature heath reform legislation, had now fallen into a “death spiral”, with one-third of the country being served by only one insurer, and rate hikes that in some states were over 112% higher than their 2016 premiums.
Congressional leaders acknowledge that their plan may cover fewer people, saying that unlike ObamaCare, they are not forcing people to buy coverage through a mandate – it will be up to the individual consumer to decide if they wish to purchase the insurance, and which plan they choose instead of the government mandating plans. They say their system is less intrusive and provides people a tax credit without mandates or a range of tax increases.
To pass the bill through the reconciliation process and avoid a Senate Democratic filibuster, Republicans will have to convince the Senate parliamentarian that ALL the provisions of the bill are germane to the budget. And the bill can’t be deemed to increase the federal deficit 10 years or more from now. Some of the bill’s insurance market changes may have a tough time surviving those procedural tests. By using the budget reconciliation process, the U.S. Senate can pass the bill with a simple 51 vote majority – not the normal 60 votes which would require Democratic support.
Congress had completed the initial phase of a three-step process to kill Obamacare in January, by passing in a vote of 51 to 48, and followed up by a 227-198 vote in the House, a budget resolution to repeal and replace Obamacare.
The new budget reconciliation legislation (Step 2) introduced this week is now in committee, and will then go up for a vote in both houses of Congress, possibly later this month in March. If the Senate gets its 51 votes and the House gets its simple majority, the reconciliation will pass. Only then will the parts of Obamacare detailed within this week’s bill be repealed. The rest of it will have to be disassembled, possibly piecemeal, with bipartisan support in what would be Step 3 later this year.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that was not available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 
Click-On for LinkedIn: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips! HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blogs and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events! 
Company Blogs
Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft protection plans. 
LegalShield
Read more
Jewish community centers (JCCs) and schools in a dozen US states have reported waves of bomb threats. It was the fourth wave of nationwide bomb threats against JCCs in the last five weeks. In total, 69 threats have been reported against 54 Jewish Community Centers.
The JCC Association of North America reported that since the beginning of the year, there have been 69 incidents at 54 Jewish Community Centers in 27 states and one Canadian province. Some of the centers that received threats are in Chicago, Buffalo, Houston, Tampa, Nashville, New Jersey, Manhattan and Long Island. All of the bomb threats were determined to be hoaxes.
At a Jewish cemetery in University City, Missouri, the gravesites of 170 Jews were vandalized over the weekend. On President’s Day, the Nashville facility, more full than usual with people exercising on the holiday weekend, was evacuated before security gave the all-clear.
Across the United States, Jewish communities are struggling to deal with this new wave of threats. The calls may not have resulted in violence yet but the intimidation has been felt across the country. American Jews are victims of more reported hate crimes than any other group in the United States and have been subject to the majority of religiously motivated offenses every year since 1995, according to FBI statistics. The threats and vandalism contribute to an atmosphere of anti-Semitism already well-established in the United States.
Dave Simon, the executive director of the JCC in Albuquerque, which has received multiple recent threats said “ The JCCs are equipped to handle these kinds of threats. Some, like Nashville, have full-time security staff, and members seem to understand the need for security. People don’t seem to be staying home; they’re still showing up to community events, swimming classes, and pre-school, all of which are central parts of JCC life.”
Nashville has gotten letters and postcards of support from Massachusetts, Vermont, and Washington State. The neighboring Catholic parish and local Islamic center sent messages of support as well. The attacks have been widely denounced by Jewish organizations and political leaders alike.
President Trump received heavy criticism after he chastised a Jewish reporter and told him to “sit down” at his news conference when the reporter asked about the bomb threats. Reporter Jake Turx was cut off by Trump and chastised for not asking a simple question. Trump added, “So here’s the story, folks. Number one, I am the least anti-Semitic person that you’ve ever seen in your entire life.”
Jewish leaders were disappointed that the president didn’t take the opportunity to denounce the waves of attacks and anti-Semitism. Trump did finally speak out during a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington on Tuesday when he said that the anti-Semitic threats are “horrible,” “painful,” and a “very sad reminder of the work that still must be done.”
Read more
In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, March 5th, 2017 was:
JENNIFER MASON
SugarLand, TX
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEx Gift Card
Each day, fans of either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex Gift. Card
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook “fan” on either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
Here are the daily contestants from last week’s Trivia Contest that were entered into the Sunday drawing:
2/27/17
Heather Jacques
Jennifer Zarafino-Griffiths
Christine Acoba
Priscilla Shimp
Lotorya Patrick
Lisa Wright
Bea Patrick
Morgan Alexandra
Angel Anderson
Susanne Killion
Penny Fisher
Mary Ann Cody
Brandi Chaney
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Crystal Hazelwood
Jennifer Mason
Lisa Breece
Jennifer Kinner
Sheila Carvell
Melissa Turner Baker
Alisa Jones
2/28/17
Tina Marie
Crystal Young
Samantha Brwn Ramos
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Brandy Marie Williams
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Desiree Ann
Trish Marks
Susanne Killion
Mary Ann Cody
Holly Cajigas
Rachel Michelle
Kayla Clemons
Tammy Alcorta
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Paula M Bondy
Jennifer Alice Duran
Stephanie Beckwith
Phylicia Phillips
Annette French
3/1/17
Cheryl Hall
Carol Scheive
Brittany Michelle
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Angela Nicole
Roberta Thomas
Kendra George
Alicia Dansby
Melissa Turner Baker
Brandi Kerr
Sandra Sue Blanton
Deborah Farris
Lori Capobianco
Anna Nichols
Phylicia Phillips
Megan Akins
Ralph Gonzales
Mike Adamski
Wendi Black
Annette French
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Tina Marie
Sandy Nevels
3/2/17
Mary Achio
Carole Jacobs
Crystal Young
Phyllis Hines
Roberta Thomas
Megan Rhyne
Steve Hardy
Dean Bruss
Jade Good
Jennifer Downing
Amy Conyers
Brooke Scott
Sherri Kidwell
Paula Rousseau
Jennifer Mason
Cassandra Berholtz
Kim Floyd
Lotorya Patrick
Abby Cox
Jennifer Saavedra
Kristi Cervantes
3/3/17
Angela Nicole
Jade Good
Lori Capobianco
Kimberly Snyder
Melissa Turner Baker
Michelle Hughes
Angela Hendricks
Megan Rhyne
Christy Hawkes
Christine Acoba
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Sean Stover
Justin Wilcox
Jean Simmons Homfeld
Fitch Donna
Priscilla Shimp
Phyllis Hines
Jennifer Downing
Kathleen Hickman
Anna Nichols
Jamie Shapiro
3/4/17
Crystal Young
Christine Acoba
Kristina Harris
Beeg Reeb
Alisa Jones
Brian K Henson
Brandi Chaney
Priscilla Shimp
Dawn Raasch
Holly Cajigas
Joanie Waterman
Paula Rivers
Alexis Maureen
Wizdom Norwood-Goins
Althea Thomas
Susanne Killion
Jennifer Mason
Jakara Jackson
Paula M Bondy
Beth Cleveland
3/5/17
Christina Domingue
Derek Jennings
Juanita Williams-Jones
Cheryl Hall
Sheila Carvell
Jonnalyn Gates
Kimberly Snyder
Rebecca Fauteux
Jennifer Downing
Kristina Rosson
Jessica Miller
Anna Nichols
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Preeti Chand
Vickie Gipson
Kendra George
Megan Rhyne
Holly Cajigas
Phyllis Hines
Abby Cox
Dawn Raasch
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better. You may also find that if you “Like” both of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
—————————————————————-
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX & HI4Eshop Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
Click-On for LinkedIn To Follow Our Posts: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Over 54,000 Combined Fans/Followers To Our Social Media Sites, & We’re Growing Daily!
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips!
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blog and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events!
Company Blogs
Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft plans. 
LegalShield
Read more
The Trump administration announced that it will enforce federal laws barring the use of marijuana, reversing an Obama administration policy that gave wide latitude to states to determine their own pot laws. Eight states – Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Maine – and Washington, D.C. have legalized both medicinal and recreational marijuana. The Obama administration had opted not to enforce federal prohibitions in states that had passed legislation legalizing the drug. It’s classified as a Schedule 1 drug — putting it in the same category as heroin — and the government can restrict cross-state shipment and financing as a result.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the Trump administration would prioritize enforcement in states that have passed laws allowing for the recreational—rather than medical—use of the drug. Just a day after the announcement, publicly traded shares of marijuana-related companies were tumbling and executives at recreational marijuana businesses were expressing their disappointment in the announcement.
The announcement was not a surprise to legalization advocates after Trump’s nomination of Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Many advocates feel that Mr. Sessions has been “the single biggest opponent to legalization in the US Senate.”
In August 2013, a four-page directive issued by then-Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole essentially instructs that a hands-off approach be taken by the federal government in states that have voted on laws to legalize marijuana, regardless of the fact that marijuana is illegal at the federal level. The directive has been dubbed the “Cole Memo”.
President Trump has issued differing stances on marijuana legalization. In the 1990s, Trump told the Miami Herald that the US needed to “legalize drugs to win” the war on drugs. And in an interview with Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly a year ago, Trump said he was in favor of medical marijuana “a hundred percent” while also calling Colorado’s recreational marijuana industry “a real problem.”
The industry is still new and is estimated to be worth over $6 billion so the reversal will cost some states millions in revenue and a loss of jobs. Recreational marijuana retailers in Oregon sell about $7 million worth of cannabis every week, or about $364 million a year.
In 2016, the marijuana industry in Colorado created more than 18,000 new full-time jobs and over $1 billion in retail sales. The industry also generated over $1 billion in additional economic activity such as growers renting warehouse space and the purchases of sophisticating lighting and irrigation equipment. Marijuana retailers also boost the economy when they rely on other companies, like contractors, lawyers and bookkeeping services, to conduct their own businesses. If the Trump Administration’s promise of a crackdown does take effect- all of this new found revenue will be lost.
Read more
Many are outraged after a viral video showed an off-duty LAPD officer firing a gun near a group of kids after the officer grabbed a 13-year-old boy by his hoodie and restraining him. The incident took place near the officer’s home in Anaheim, California.
The cellphone video shows a man in plainclothes holding a boy against his will. The boy repeatedly says, “Let me go” but the man refuses. The man, who never identifies himself as an officer is surrounded by other children as he pulls the boy down the street over lawns. Eventually, the other kids come to the aid of the boy, pushing the officer over a row of hedges. The man, who still has hold of the boy is then seen drawing a pistol from his waistband before a gunshot rings out. No one was injured in the incident.
According to one of the youths, the group was walking home from school when the incident took place. The 13 year old says it quickly escalated and turned physical when the man tackled him and choked him. While the video does not show what happened prior, it starts with the boy being restrained and asking to be let go. He then says “why are you grabbing me, I just said not to talk to a girl like that! You called her a dumb c**t.” The man replies that she shouldn’t have been on his lawn.
Anaheim police say the officer had an ongoing dispute against children who were walking on his lawn. Both the 13-year-old boy and his 15-year-old brother were arrested. The off-duty officer, who has not been identified, was questioned by Anaheim police and released.
Overnight, around 300 protesters gathered near the officer’s home, before marching through Anaheim’s streets and blocking intersections. Some protesters shouted “hands up, don’t shoot” and “no justice, no peace.” Some demonstrators threw rocks and kicked police cars, while others broke windows or residences and cars, according to the LA Times.
There was also a small group of protestors who lingered around the officer’s home chanting “Don’t shoot the children.” The officer’s home and vehicle were vandalized before riot police arrived to protect the officer’s home. Twenty-four people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of failure to disperse.
The LAPD says the officer is on paid administrative leave while the department evaluates if his “use of deadly force complied with LAPD’s policies and procedures.” Anaheim police say they are reviewing other videos of the altercation to get a clearer picture of what happened.
Anaheim mayor Tom Tait and Police Chief Raul Quezada both said they were thankful no one was wounded when the officer fired a handgun into the ground. They also both said they are disturbed by video that shows an off-duty Los Angeles police officer firing his gun during a confrontation with a teenager.
Police Chief Quezada told reporters “As a father and as a police chief, I too am disturbed by what I saw on the videos that were posted on the Internet,” He said he hopes a criminal investigation into the matter, which involved several teens and an off-duty Los Angeles police officer who lives in Anaheim, will be completed within two weeks. No one has been formally charged in the incident.
Read more
In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, February 26th, 2017 was:
ALLYSON BECKER
Eureka Springs, AR
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEx Gift Card
Each day, fans of either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex Gift. Card
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook “fan” on either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
Here are the daily contestants from last week’s Trivia Contest that were entered into the Sunday drawing:
2/20/17
Lori Capobianco
Kendra George
Brenda Casey
Kiki Roberson
Samantha Brwn Ramos
Nai Merri
John Mellor
Juanita Williams-Jones
Brooke Scott
Jamie Shapiro
Jennifer Downing
Kristina Harris
Andrea Timms
Tara Lennox
Amy Hopper
Tonya Velazquez
Trish Marks
Angela Nicole
Michelle Hughes
Christy Hawkes
Tabitha Sinks
2/21/17
Kristina Harris
Megan Akins
Jennifer Kinner
Juanita Williams-Jones
Cora Persephone
Patricia Oehlert-Vazquez
Tessa Davis
Sheila Carvell
Melissa Turner Baker
Brandi Chaney
Dean Bruss
Kristina Rosson
Crystal Hazelwood
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Alexandria Fields
Priscilla Shimp
Holly Cajigas
Katrina Worford
Phyllis Hines
Christina Domingue
2/22/17
Sandra Sue Blanton
Jennifer Downing
Crystal Young
Melissa Barnes Walker
Kevin James Anderson
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Donna Manchester
Jamie Shapiro
Brandi Kerr
Crystal Bell
Brittany Michelle 13
Kimberly Foster
Nai Merri
Tammy Alcorta
Nelle Bailey
Christina Domingue
Angela Hendricks
Karyn Koehler
Tonya Velazquez
Mary Perez Ramz
Glenna Zanaglio
Brandy Marie Williams
Cathy Osborne
Hollie Jahnke
2/23/17
Samantha Smith
Sandy Nevels
Jennifer Saavedra
Jennifer Downing
Misty Shallcross
Kristina Harris
Derek Jennings
Phyllis Hines
Dean Bruss
Marcy Coull
Karen Bondehagen
Sarah Bellestri Shih
Melissa Barnes Walker
Lotorya Patrick
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Lori Capobianco
Candy Dyer
Kevin James Anderson
Jakara Jackson
Jessica Jenry
Bea Patrick
2/24/17
Angela Nicole
Tessa Davis
Phyllis Hines
Samantha Mer
Christine McKinnon
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Jackie Poole
Rebecca Fauteux
Juanita Williams-Jones
Dawn Raasch
Crystal Hazelwood
Amy Conyers
Allyson Becker
Brandi Chaney
Megan Akins
Alexis Maureen
Lori Marie Timms
Amber McGrath
Jackie Hicks
Heather Jacques
2/25/17
Kendra George
Sherri Kidwell
Christy Hawkes
Christina Domingue
Carole Jacobs
Mary Perez Ramz
Jessica Jenry
Beata Tybor
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Jessica Miller
Deborah Farris
Nai Merri
Melissa Barnes Walker
Misty Shallcross
Michelle Webb
Marie Beauregard
Nelle Bailey
Lotorya Patrick
Bea Patrick
Rebecca Honey Graham
Erin Leigh Will
Chrissy Kim
Stephanie Beckwith
Lisa Wright
2/26/17
Lisa Puckett
Sheila Carvell
Carole Jacobs
Amy Conyers
Holly Cajigas
Brandy Marie Williams
Tessa Davis
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Dean Bruss
Nai Merri
Kristina Rosson
Hollie Jahnke
Nelle Bailey
Jennifer Mason
Phyllis Hines
Kendra Lynne Ramsey
Deborah Farris
Jennifer Downing
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Cheryl Hall
Nancy Scharnhorst
Jennifer Ramlet
Kimberly Foster
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better. You may also find that if you “Like” both of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
—————————————————————-
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX & HI4Eshop Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
Click-On for LinkedIn To Follow Our Posts: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Over 54,000 Combined Fans/Followers To Our Social Media Sites, & We’re Growing Daily!
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips!
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blog and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events!
Company Blogs
Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft plans.
LegalShield
Read more
President Trump signed legislation to repeal a Dodd-Frank anti-corruption measure requiring oil and mining companies to disclose payments to governments. The rule had required public oil, gas and mineral extraction companies to disclose annually its payments to both foreign governments and the U.S. government.
According to lawmakers, these disclosures help fight corruption in resource-rich countries. The requirement was the Cardin-Lugar Anti-Corruption Provision of 2010’s Dodd-Frank Act – signed by former President Barack Obama and named for former Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. The regulation was widely support from Democrats, who argued the transparency requirement could reduce instances of corruption in resource-rich countries overseas.
The goal of the rule is to prevent foreign leaders from skimming off the payments that drillers and miners make to their countries. It was put in place to stop the corruption that enriches the politically connected but deprives regular people of their country’s mineral wealth.
The oil industry had fiercely lobbied against the measure. The resource extraction rule has been controversial since it was mandated in 2010, which is why it took six years for it to be finalized. Exxon, Chevron (CXW) and the National Mining Association were among the dozens of entities to submit comments opposing the rule.
Longtime ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who is now secretary of state, personally lobbied against the rule, flying to Washington, D.C., to meet with then-Senator Richard Lugar in 2010 to try to get the measure removed from Dodd-Frank. The American Petroleum Institute, the chief U.S. energy lobbying organization”s main argument against the rule was that it puts U.S. companies at a disadvantage, because their foreign competitors are not subject to the requirements.
However, many major European drillers like BP, Total and Royal Dutch Shell, Russian oil and gas giants Rosneft and Gazprom, as well as Canadian firms must report what they pay to foreign governments. The U.S. rules would have forced some Chinese and Brazilian firms to do so as well.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement that the provision in question “would have put American oil and natural gas companies at a disadvantage on the world stage, and actually could have threatened the safety of American workers abroad.”
Lawmakers used the Congressional Review Act, a seldom-used legislative route that essentially fast-tracks the regulatory repeal process. By accessing the provisions laid out, it allows lawmakers to expedite a resolution that requires little notice before introduction and is not subject to filibuster. It also requires only a simple majority of 51 votes in the Senate to pass.
Read more
On February 9th, a federal appeals court in San Francisco unanimously upheld a suspension of President Trump’s executive order barring all refugees from entering the U.S. and restricting travel from seven Muslim-majority countries. In the unanimous decision, a three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled courts have the authority to review constitutional challenges to executive actions.
Last week, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order halting the ban after Washington state and Minnesota sued. The ban temporarily suspended the nation’s refugee program. After the ban was put on hold, the State Department quickly said people from the seven countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — with valid visas could travel to the U.S. The decision led to tearful reunions at airports around the country.
Justice Department lawyers appealed to the 9th Circuit, arguing that the president has the constitutional power to restrict entry to the United States and that the courts cannot second-guess his determination that such a step was needed to prevent terrorism.
The panel declined to block a lower-court ruling that suspended the ban and allowed previously barred travelers to enter the U.S. The judges rejected the administration’s argument that courts did not have the authority to review the president’s immigration and national security decisions. They also said the administration failed to show that the order met constitutional requirements to provide notice or a hearing before restricting travel and presented no evidence that any foreigner from the seven countries cited by the travel ban had committed terrorism in the U.S.
This controversial court battle has just begun. Now, the lower court must debate the merits of the ban, and an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court seems likely. When that happens, it could put the decision in the hands of a divided court that has a vacancy. A potential 4-4 tie would leave the appeals court’s ruling in place.
The appeals court only sided with the administration on one issue: the argument that the lower court’s temporary restraining order could not be appealed. While under 9th Circuit precedent such orders are not typically reviewable, the panel ruled that due to the intense public interest at stake and the uncertainty of how long it would take to obtain a further ruling from the lower court, it was appropriate to consider the federal government’s appeal.
Trump’s nominee, Neil Gorsuch, could not be confirmed in time to take part in any consideration of the ban. President Trump responded to the ruling on Twitter, tweeting “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” The ban was set to expire in 90 days, meaning it could run its course before the Supreme Court would review the issue.
Read more
In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, February 19th, 2017 was:
STEPHANIE BECKWITH
Jefferson, OH
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEx Gift Card
Each day, fans of either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex Gift. Card
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook “fan” on either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
Here are the daily contestants from last week’s Trivia Contest that were entered into the Sunday drawing:
2/13/17
Phyllis Hines
Dean Bruss
Angela Nicole
Amy Hopper
Jennifer Ramlet
Deborah Farris
Derek Jennings
Karen Bondehagen
Sharon Swenson-Nelson
Alisa Jones
Leslie Wagner Hobson
2/14/17
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Kimberly Snyder
Nitasha Shank
Christina Radcliff
Beth Cleveland
Paula Rivers
Nai Merri
Stephanie Beckwith
Jade Good
Mikayla Oakes
Cheryl Hall
Alicia Dansby
Kayla Clemons
Jennifer Ramlet
Kendra George
Mary Alice Ford
Jennifer Ramlet
Emily Rice Bowersock
Anna Nichols
Adaria Johnson
Anna Ashley Pinder
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Amy Stonger
2/15/17
Kathi Taylor
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Christine Acoba
Tabitha Sinks
Lori Capobianco
Misty Shallcross
Joanie Waterman
Kathi Taylor
Alicia Dansby
Michelle Rayeske-Jeske
Judy Custer
Jennifer Sparks
Sandra Sue Blanton
Alisa Jones
Kim Floyd
Michelle Hughes
Adaria Johnson
Sheila Carvell
Amy Hopper
Kayla Clemons
2/16/17
Nai Merri
Holly Cajigas
Christina Domingue
Rhonda Nicholson
Phyllis Hines
Brooke Scott
Amy Hopper
Tina Casto-Shafer
LaKishia Wagers
Dale Fish
Kendra George
Kimberly Foster
Jessica Miller
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Lotorya Patrick
Melissa Barnes Walker
Kristina Rosson
Lisa Wright
Lori Capobianco
Bea Patrick
Trish Marks
2/17/17
Sherri Kidwell
Katrina Worford
Brian K Henson
Tara Lennox
Priscilla Shimp
Megan Akins
Sheila Carvell
Alexandra Vindiola
Kayla Hernandez
Alicia Dansby
Brandi Chaney
Tessa Davis
Althea Thomas
Mikayla Oakes
Carla S-Paige Williams
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Dawn Raasch
Susanne Killion
Kassi Krick-King
Melissa Turner Baker
2/18/17
Nikki Hunsaker
Christina Domingue
Geri Rus
Kristen Raia Bowman
Joanie Waterman
Anna Nichols
Brandy Marie Williams
Phyllis Hines
Christina Radcliff
Dean Bruss
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Ashley Nichole Busse
Crystal Young
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Kristina Harris
Cheryl Hall
Lori Capobianco
Heather Marie Stacy
Kristina Harris
Chelcie Malow
2/19/17
Heather Jacques
Lisa David Carr
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Kimberly Snyder
Kathleen Hickman
Jakara Jackson
Allison Frederick
Patricia Oehlert Vazquez
Juanita Williams-Jones
Jeanine Jones
Paula Rivers
Priscilla Shimp
Cheryl Hall
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Susanne Killion
Katrina Worford
Lisa Back
Jodi Stevens
Wayne Gallas
Jackie Hicks
Jane Peterson
Jennifer Downing
Crystal Hazelwood
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better. You may also find that if you “Like” both of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
—————————————————————-
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX & HI4Eshop Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
Click-On for LinkedIn To Follow Our Posts: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips!
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blog and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events!
Company Blogs
Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft plans.
LegalShield
Read more
