Pet Care Month (April)

We are celebrating Pet Care Month here at the Stuff Gazette!

Fair Housing Month (April)

by: Joyce Beatty (D-OH, 3rd)

Washington, D.C. - April 24, 2019 - (The Stuff Gazette) -- Fifty-one years ago, on April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in the housing sector based on race, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, and family status. In recognition of the landmark piece of legislation, each April our country commemorates Fair Housing Month. To mark the occasion, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) issued the following statement:

“Thanks to the Fair Housing Act, Americans have the right to live where they choose, regardless of race, gender, religion, disability, and family status. But the dream of equal housing opportunity is far from fulfilled; still today, it is legal to refuse housing based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and institutional racism continues to make it very difficult for people of color to access affordable, quality housing. I will not rest until every hardworking family in Central Ohio and beyond can access housing that best meets their needs.”

As Chair of the House Financial Services Diversity and Inclusion Subcommittee as well as a member of the Housing, Community Development, and Insurance Subcommittee, Beatty is working hard to guarantee all Americans—no matter what they look like, where they’re from, or who they love—have equal access to safe, secure housing. To that effect, she recently participated in an April 2nd Financial Services hearing entitled, “The Fair Housing Act: Reviewing Efforts to Eliminate Discrimination and Promote Opportunity in Housing” to examine the successes of the Fair Housing Act and persistent challenges that too many potential homeowners and renters still face today.

To learn more about fair housing laws, including your rights when seeking housing and as a tenant or homeowner, visit the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity website.

World Meningitis Day (April 24)

by: Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)

Washington, D.C. - April 24, 2019 - (The Stuff Gazette) -- U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Representative Elissa Slotkin (MI-08) are working to raise awareness for meningitis B prevention and treatment. April 24 is World Meningitis Day, and Peters, Stabenow and Slotkin recently led the introduction of a bicameral resolution to recognize the importance of confronting meningitis B. Although this disease kills or disables over 170,000 patients across the globe annually, few in the U.S. have received meningitis B vaccines due to a lack of public awareness.

“In 2019, no parent should have to experience the pain of losing a child to a vaccine-preventable disease,” said Senator Peters. “This resolution highlights the need to expand awareness of both the dangers of meningitis B and the vaccinations that prevent it, and I look forward to supporting further efforts in Congress to help more families protect their children’s health.”

“When a parent sends their child off to college, the last thing they are thinking about is that their child could become seriously ill,” said Senator Stabenow. “This resolution helps ensure that parents know the risk for Meningitis B and know that it’s preventable.”

“We know that infants, adolescents, and young adults are among those with the greatest risk for meningococcal disease – which is both potentially deadly and highly preventable with a vaccine,” said Representative Slotkin. “We must work harder to confront this deadly disease and support community efforts to ensure as many young people as possible are protected.”

“I am so appreciative of Senator Peters, Senator Stabenow and Representative Slotkin for introducing the 2019 Meningitis B Awareness Day Resolution,” said Alicia Stillman of West Bloomfield, Director of the Emily Stillman Foundation, Co-Director of the Meningitis B Action Project, and loving mother to Emily, who went to Kalamazoo College. “Meningitis B is a very serious disease that killed my 19 year old daughter Emily during her second year of college in 2013. Six years later, we now have vaccines available to prevent this disease, but sadly many people are still unaware of this. I am hopeful that this resolution will help us educate all adolescents and their parents for the need for this very important Meningitis B vaccine in addition to the MenACWY vaccine they already get at ages 11 and 16. I am hopeful that this resolution will help us educate Colleges and Universities for the need to protect their student bodies with this additional vaccine. Finally, I am hopeful that the members of the medical community will see the Congressional commitment as encouragement to engage and protect every patient at every opportunity by increasing the vaccination rates against this disease.”

While meningitis B has been found to claim the lives of approximately ten to twenty percent of patients within the first forty-eight hours of initial symptoms, most Americans are currently ill-informed regarding the life-threatening danger this disease poses, especially for children and teenagers. This bicameral resolution aims to rectify this issue by underscoring the seriousness of this disease and highlighting the work undertaken by various organizations to equip parents and young adults with the proper questions to ask their healthcare provider.

Earth Day (April 22, 2019)

Today's News from the Lawmakers

Presidential Message on Earth Day, 2019
by: President Donald Trump
April 15, 2019
Earth Day is a celebration of the abundant beauty and life-sustaining bounty of our natural environment. On this day, we reaffirm our responsibility to protect God’s wondrous creation for future generations.

From the Appalachian Mountains to the golden shores of California, America is blessed with some of the most beautiful scenery on Earth. As Americans, we all share an immense pride in these God-given treasures and a tremendous appreciation for our abundance of natural resources.

Environmental protection and economic prosperity go hand in hand. A strong market economy is essential to protecting our critical natural resources and fostering a legacy of conservation. My Administration is committed to being effective stewards of our environment while encouraging opportunities for American workers and their families.

At the same time that our Nation is experiencing historic economic and job growth, our air and water quality ranks among the highest in the world. Under my Administration, we are improving the quality of life for communities across America by strengthening the security and reliability of our drinking water and accelerating spending on water infrastructure. Additionally, we have expanded support for conservation of land, water, and wildlife, and we are reforming land management policies to improve the health of our forests and other Federal lands.

As we observe Earth Day, I hope all Americans will reflect with gratitude on the glorious blessings and awe-inspiring majesty of our planet.

National Infant Immunization Week (April 24-May 4)

National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to highlight the importance of protecting infants from vaccine-preventable diseases and to celebrate the achievements of immunization programs and their partners in promoting healthy communities.

In 2019, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of NIIW. Since 1994, hundreds of communities across the United States have joined to celebrate the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our children, communities, and public health.

NIIW 2019 is April 27-May 4, 2019.

For more information click HERE