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Public Policy Tipoffs Involving Pennsylvania Newsletter for 2026-07-20 ( 19 items )  
AASCU Expands a Proven Fix for a Hidden Barrier to Graduation: The Course Schedule (10)
WASHINGTON, July 16 -- The American Association of State Colleges and Universities posted the following news release: * * * AASCU Expands a Proven Fix for a Hidden Barrier to Graduation: The Course Schedule A new accelerator program brings course scheduling reform to 12 more institutions, funded by Lumina Foundation with support from the Gates Foundation. - NEW ORLEANS, July 16, 2026--The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) today announced the Student-Centered Course Scheduling Accelerator, expanding its course more PR

AFT Re-elects Officers, Hears from Union and Political Leaders, Passes Suite of Resolutions at 2026 Convention (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO American Federation of Teachers issued the following news release: * * * AFT Re-elects Officers, Hears from Union and Political Leaders, Passes Suite of Resolutions at 2026 Convention * WASHINGTON- The 1.88 million-member AFT wrapped its 89th biennial convention today, with union delegates voting overwhelmingly to re-elect President Randi Weingarten, Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram and Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus to new two-year terms. In six packed sessions over four day more PR

All Copays Count Coalition Urges Federal Action to Ban Copay Accumulators and Maximizers in Health Plans (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site. Hon. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20201 The Hon. Mehmet Oz Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services U.S. Department of Health and Human Services P.O. Box 8013 Baltimore, MD 21244-8013 Attention: CMS-9874-NC RE: Request for Information; Comprehensive Review  more ST

American Lung Association Urges Strengthened Essential Health Benefits Protections and Improved Oversight for Lung Disease Patients (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site. The Honorable Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Secretary U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20201 The Honorable Mehmet Oz Administrator Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244 Re: Request for Information; Comprehensive Review  more ST

American Water Works Association: EPA Urged to Expedite Finalization of Rule Extending Compliance Deadline for PFOA and PFOS Standards (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site. July 16, 2026 Jennifer McLain Director Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20460 SUBMITTED ELECTRONIALLY RE: Extending the Compliance Deadline for the PFOA and PFOS Maximum Contaminants Levels (Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2025-1742) Dear Dr. McLain, The American Water Works Association (AWWA more ST

Better Markets Issues Letter to SEC (10)
WASHINGTON, July 20 (TNSletter) -- Better Markets, an organization that says it promotes pro-market, pro-business and pro-growth policies to help build a better financial system, issued the following letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission: * * * Here is the text of the letter: July 6, 2026 Vanessa A. Countryman Secretary U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 100 F Street, NE Washington, DC 20549-1090 Re: Semiannual Reporting, File No. S7-2026-15, 91 Fed. Reg. 24968 (May 7, 2026) Dear Ms. Countryman: Better Markets appreci more PR

Better Markets: CFTC Urged to Ban Event Contracts That Are Gambling and Threaten National Security (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site. Christopher J. Kirkpatrick Secretary Commodity Futures Trading Commission Three Lafayette Center 1155 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20581 Re: Prediction Markets, RIN 3038-AF65, 91 Fed. Reg. 12516 (Mar. 16, 2026) Dear Mr. Kirkpatrick: Better Markets1 appreciates the opportunity to respond to the above-referenced Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) and the more ST

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper: EPA Faces Criticism for Proposed Rollback of PFAS Drinking Water Protections (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site. July 16, 2026 Submission via www.regulations.gov Lee Zeldin, Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA Docket Center, Water Docket, Mail Code 28221T 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20460 Re: Proposed Rule to Rescind Regulatory Determinations and Regulations for Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, Perfluorononanoic Acid, Hexafluoropropylene oxide  more ST

Delta Dental Supports CMS Decision to Exclude Routine Adult Dental Services From Essential Health Benefits (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site. Dr. Mehmet Oz Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Attention: CMS-9874-NC P.O. Box 8016, Baltimore, MD 21244-8016 Re: Request for Information; Comprehensive Review of the Essential Health Benefits Framework and Typical Employer Plan Standard Dear Dr. Oz: On behalf of Delta Dental of California, New York, Pennsylvania, and it affiliates in 15 state more ST

NAACP Issues Letter to Justice Dept. (10)
WASHINGTON, July 20 (TNSletter) -- The NAACP issued the following letter to the U.S. Department of Justice: * * * Here is the text of the letter: July 10, 2026 Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Acting Attorney General Blanche: In just one week, two young Black men have been killed while in the custody of, or in the presence of, law enforcement agencies in Tennessee. We write to request that the U.S. Department of Justice immediately open and conduct a f more PR

Penn State-York: Discovery Grants Awarded to 31 Students for Research Support (10)
YORK, Pennsylvania, July 13 -- Pennsylvania State University York campus issued the following news: * * * Discovery Grants awarded to 31 students for research support Thirty-one students earned Discovery Grants to help fund their summer research and projects, gaining the opportunity for valuable experience in the field, in the lab and abroad. Discovery Grant applications are open to all current undergraduate Penn State students at all campuses, regardless of major. Applications typically open in December and close in February. For 2026, gra more PR

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Warns Against CFTC Authorization of Prediction Markets Targeting Youth and Undermining State Sports Betting Laws (10)
WASHINGTON, July 19 -- In response to a federal agency request for information, the following public comment letter was submitted electronically to the regulations.gov site. PENNSYLVANIA GAMING CONTROL BOARD 303 WALNUT STREET, COMMONWEALTH TOWER Chair HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA 17101 DENISE J. SMYLER KEVIN F. O'TOOLE Executive Director Commissioners April 30, 2026 303 Walnut Street SHAWN DILLON Commonwealth Tower, 5th Floor GEORGE DUNBAR Harrisburg, PA 17101 EDWARD C. GAINEY Phone: (717) 346-8300 CHRISTOPHER W. HUFFMAN Fax: (717) 346- more ST

Pennsylvania State University: Erin Morton, Mary Fitzpatrick Honored With Fortunato Award for Excellence in HR (10)
LEMONT FURNACE, Pennsylvania, July 15 -- Pennsylvania State University Fayette campus issued the following news: * * * Erin Morton, Mary Fitzpatrick honored with Fortunato Award for Excellence in HR Mary Fitzpatrick, manager of Human Resources compliance and records management at Penn State, and Erin Morton, Penn State Human Resources strategic partner supporting five Commonwealth Campuses, are the recipients of the 2026 Ray T. Fortunato Award for Excellence in Human Resources for their outstanding contributions to Penn State HR. Establishe more PR

Pitt is Part of an Effort to Recharge Energy Security and Resilience With $320M for New Technology, Infrastructure and Jobs (10)
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, July 14 -- The University of Pittsburgh issued the following news: * * * Pitt is part of an effort to recharge energy security and resilience with $320M for new technology, infrastructure and jobs The Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium, led by West Virginia University in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and more than 60 regional partners, will use $321 million in public and private funding to develop the nation's next leading industrial energy  more PR

PJM Capacity Auction Procures 138,318 MW of Generation Resources as Work Continues To Address Growing Electricity Demand (10)
VALLEY FORGE, Pennsylvania, July 14 -- PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity, issued the following news release: * * * PJM Capacity Auction Procures 138,318 MW of Generation Resources as Work Continues To Address Growing Electricity Demand Price Comes in at FERC-Approved Cap, Down 2.5%; Total Capacity Cleared Is 6,831 MW Short of Reliability Requirement - PJM Interconnection today announced the results of its 2028/2029 Base Residual Auction, which secured 138,318 MW more PR

Record 22 University of Delaware Students, Alumni Earn Prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (10)
DOVER, Delaware, July 15 -- The University of Delaware issued the following research news: * * * Launching research careers A record 22 UD students, alumni earn prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships - The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellows Program's (GRFP) 2026 Class of Fellows includes 22 University of Delaware students and alumni -- a record number of recipients for a single year. UD's previous record-high was 19, in 2022. Since 2007, 210 UD students and alumni have been selected more PR

Sen Whitehouse Issues Letter to Acting A.G. Blanche (10)
WASHINGTON, July 20 (TNSletter) -- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, issued the following letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche: * * * Here is the text of the letter: July 15, 2026 The Honorable Todd Blanche Acting Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530 Dear Acting Attorney General Blanche: Further to my letters on May 26, 2026, and July 1, 2026, I write to assure that the Department of Justice will provide documents and responses about the proposed $1.776 billion " more PR

University of Pittsburgh: Why is It So Hard to Find DNA in Bird Poop? (10)
PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania, July 14 (TNSjou) -- The University of Pittsburgh issued the following news: * * * Why is it so hard to find DNA in bird poop? By Patrick Monahan For years, scientists talked about the problem. They swapped stories of failed projects, came up with explanations and hinted at it in published studies. Only this May did a team of microbiome researchers finally publish a paper asking the question directly: Why is it so hard to find DNA in bird poop? "There's all kinds of things you can do with feces, and mammalian fece more PR

UPenn School of Dental Medicine: Turning Fermented Plant-Based Foods Into Precision-Nutrition for Oral and Gut Health (10)
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, July 16 (TNSjou) -- The University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine issued the following news: * * * Turning Fermented Plant-Based Foods into Precision-Nutrition for Oral and Gut Health Fermented plant-based foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut may offer more than bold flavors. According to a review paper published online in Nature Reviews Microbiology on June 23, these traditional foods could help inspire a new generation of microbiome-informed dietary strategies for supporting oral and gut health. The r more PR