House Republican Freshmen Push to Repeal Tax on Medical Devices

The nearly 40-member House Republican freshman class is pressing party leadership to finally allow action on a bill to repeal a 2.3-percent excise tax on medical devices that was enacted to help pay for President Obama's health reform.

That bill remains frozen in the House Ways and Means Committee, despite having 259 bipartisan cosponsors in the 435-seat chamber. Moreover, in March, the Senate, in a symbolic move of support for the legislation, voted 79-20 in a non-binding resolution to repeal the tax as part of the chamber's 2014 budget resolution.

"As a majority of freshmen in the 113th Congress, we believe this is exactly the kind of bill we were elected to pass," declares a letter to Speaker John Boehner and other GOP leaders signed by 35 of the 37 House Republican freshmen. They are led by class president Luke Messer of Indiana.

A 36th freshman, Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, had not yet signed the letter, but is a co-sponsor of the bill.

The GOP freshmen point out in their letter that the excise tax increases the total amount of federal taxes paid by the medical-device industry by 30 percent. And they say it already has caused medical device manufacturers "to cut jobs, halt hiring, and delay or eliminate facility expansion, all to subsidize President Obama's health care law."

There are more than 8,000 medical-device manufacturers in the United States, employing more than 20,000 Americans. The tax enacted in 2010, and which took effect in January 2013, "will raise nearly $30 billion from America's medical-device manufacturers, putting up to 43,000 high-paying U.S. jobs at risk," warns the letter.

The letter also notes that Ways and Means Chairman David Camp, R-Mich., has identified the medical-device tax repeal as something he wants to include in comprehensive tax reform.

So why isn't the bill already passed?

Its sponsor, Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., has said he's also been pressing House leaders to take action, but that they have expressed concern about sending a revenue bill to the Senate. Their strategy has been that the House will have to first secure a commitment from Senate Democrats that they would address the medical-device tax specifically, and not other priorities.

The Constitution requires revenue measures to originate in the House, but once the Senate receives those bills, they can be used as a vehicle for its own tax priorities. Some House Republicans point to the potential use of these bills by Senate Democrats to advance tax hikes and other measures that Republicans oppose

In an interview Thursday, GOP freshman class president Messer said he's had similar conversations with Republican leaders.

But he said House action should be taken on the bill, anyway--and that Republicans who control the chamber's majority can later determine how to deal with anything the Senate might try to alter.

"We should not have a fear of governing," said Messer.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/house-republican-freshmen-push-repeal-tax-medical-devices-140031382.html

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Billy Horschel's flashy fashion sense mirrors his zest for life, golf

BETHESDA, Md.? -- Billy Horschel loves that some of his fans and perhaps some of his foes might be wondering what he will wear next.
The 2009 University of Florida graduate showed up for the final round of the U.S. Open sporting navy pants with white octopuses on them and became an instant Internet sensation. The outfit seemed fitting for the 26-year-old from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., who has such a lust for life that he told Golf Digest he doesn't need to drink coffee in the morning to get going.
Horschel explained that the pants were a tribute to 1934 U.S. Open champion Olin Dutra, who won that championship at Merion wearing octopus socks. When the idea was raised by his sponsor, Ralph Lauren RLX, Horschel said he thought the pants were a new cut.
"They sent me a picture and I realized there's actual (octopuses) on them. They asked if I'd still wear them and I said, 'Sure, no problem,'???" Horschel said last month before the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club.
"I've caught a lot of grief from guys out here. All the fans have been unbelievably nice and love 'em. I got a lot of (Internet) hits and a lot of good stuff from it. Any press is good press, right?"
The pants drew critiques from bloggers who might not normally venture into golf. They were a hit with Marty Hackel, Golf Digest's fashion editor.
"There's no question that Billy Horschel not only has game, he's also willing to go bold with his clothes," Hackel wrote in his U.S. Open review on golfdigest.com. "I'm still getting emails about the octopi. Good for him! PS _ I'm starting to hear a lot of people say he probably won't be wearing those pants on Sunday ever again, but when was the last time an octopus made a 4-foot putt?"
Making his first appearance this week at the $8.75 million World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, Horschel might not be wearing anything as flamboyant. For a practice round at Congressional, he was outfitted in plain navy slacks.
Ralph Lauren RLX scripts all his outfits for the majors and leaves the rest to him. Before the British Open, he tweeted sketches of his fashion lineup @BillyHo _ Golf.
"Those are probably just a one-time gig," Horschel said of the octopuses. "But we do have a couple things in the works, some pants that might spice things up on Sundays."
When he's on his own and on the fence about his choice, Horschel said he relies on the input of his wife, Brittany.
"I've tried to get some stuff by her, and she won't go for it sometimes," Horschel said. "She was cool with octopus pants."
As for his golden rules, Horschel said, "You don't want to clash your colors. I'm always cautious of that."
His outside-the-box fashion sense seems to fit the intense, aggressive style of Horschel, who fought his emotions on the course after turning pro in 2009.
"I still beat myself up a lot," Horschel said at Congressional. "The less I can beat myself up, the better I play. It's still tough. I'm not a complacent guy. I don't want to say, 'I've got a win, let's go out there and free-wheel it' because then you start making mistakes and I start getting angry because I'm playing stupid.
"But there is a fine line between me being free and playing with ease and me being uptight and worrying and too much into what I'm trying to do. I've got to find that boundary a little bit and I've been pretty good at that so far this year."
He's got the results to prove it.
After finishing 147th on the money list in 2012, Horschel had to return to qualifying school to regain his card. This year he recorded his first career victory at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He has earned more than $3 million, ranks fifth on the FedExCup points list and has seven top-10 finishes in 20 events.
"I've always felt I was good enough to win out here. I just felt I had to check every box," Horschel said in New Orleans.
___
(c)2013 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) Distributed by MCT Information Services
Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.com
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bostonherald/sports/golf/~3/PvzGaPDcUpA/billy_horschels_flashy_fashion_sense_mirrors_his_zest_for_life_golf

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Julian Assange, on Eve of Verdict: 'Bradley Manning Is a Hero'

From his confinement in Ecuador's London Embassy, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange came to the defense of Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, the day before a verdict came down in the Manning case.?

On Monday, a military judge announced that a verdict was expected Tuesday afternoon in Bradley Manning's trial. Manning was accused of aiding the enemy by leaking a heap of classified national security documents to WikiLeaks, although he was acquitted of that charge on Tuesday. Manning was also accused of federal espionage, theft, and computer fraud. Defense attorneys for Manning claim he did not expect that the information he leaked would wind up in enemy hands, but said rather that he is a whistle-blower. Manning still faces life in prison, with sentencing set to begin on Wednesday.

Related Story: How the Manning Verdict Avoided a Serious Chill on Whistleblowing

"There's been no accusation in this entire case that any person has come to harm" based on information Manning gave to WikiLeaks, Assange told CNN's Jake Tapper. Contrary to the charges leveled against him by the U.S. government, Assange called Manning a "hero."?

Manning pleaded guilty to 10 of the 22 charges against him in February, although none of them carried the highest penalties. But he still faces a 20-year prison sentence for those charges alone.

In the CNN interview, Assange also touched on the plight of National Security Agency leaker Snowden, who is still stuck in a Moscow airport, awaiting permission to enter Russia. But Snowden, Assange said, was never even trying to go to Russia:

Mr. Snowden tried to go to South America, and the State Department ... canceled his passport en route. So he was stranded in Russia.

Assange went on to say that the State Department is "marooning him, effectively, in Russia." It's not clear when Snowden will be able to actually get out of the airport, but last week his attorney?implied that Snowden would like to stay in Russia for the foreseeable future, calling the country his "final destination, for now."

Assange himself didn't do Snowden too many favors in his search for asylum in South America. Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa shut down Snowden's asylum process in his country, reportedly in part over concerns that Assange was meddling too much.

In any event, with both Manning and Snowden at the center of the news, Assange is relevant again. Just in time for a bid for Australia's Senate.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/julian-assange-eve-verdict-bradley-manning-hero-170148704.html

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NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and More

With July at its endpoint, the once-busy NBA offseason has begun to slow down, and the surging stream of interesting tidbits from the rumor mill has been reduced to a trickle.

Regardless, there are still quite a few intriguing stories for basketball junkies to keep an eye on as the summer winds to a close.

Let?s take a look at some of the day?s best buzz in Tuesday?s rumor roundup.

?

Knicks Considering Delonte West

The New York Knicks are strapped for cap space, but they are still trying to maximize value and find an impact player to round out their roster.

According to CSNNW.com?s Chris B. Haynes (via ESPN New York?s Ian Begley), the team has had preliminary discussions with veteran guard Delonte West, but they have yet to make an offer.

West is best known for his on-court efforts with the Boston Celtics?the team that selected him No. 24 overall in the 2004 draft?Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks.

Is Delonte West worth it for the Knicks?

Is Delonte West worth it for the Knicks?

• Yes, he's a stud.

• No, he's too risky.

Total votes: 1

He holds averages of 9.7 points, 3.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds, plus he is more than capable of playing solid defense against opposing guards.

However, his off-the-court troubles have kept him out of the league since 2012, and his bipolar disorder has been an issue since 2008.

It?ll be interesting to see if the Knicks take a chance on West, as he has a ton of potential and is capable of contributing, but he may be a headache in the locker room and away from the game.

?

Sixers May Be Closer to Ending Coaching Search

Doug Collins resigned as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers back on April 18 of this year, but the team has yet to hire a new candidate to the position.

It seems that new general manager Sam Hinkie is getting closer to making his decision, as Yahoo! Sports? Adrian Wojnarowski has found that current Portland Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool has emerged as a top option for the gig.

Wojnarowski also noted that San Antonio Spurs assistant Brett Brown, Boston Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga and Michael Curry?a holdover from Collins? staff?have all made great impressions during the process.

Whomever the Sixers end up tabbing will have their work cut out for them.

The team is entering a full-blown rebuild mode around two prospects selected in the 2013 NBA draft?Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams?plus the potential to bring in two more lottery picks next summer.

Expect the next coach to have a long leash and plenty of leeway to identify and develop talent during his tenure at the top.

?

DeJuan Blair to Mavs?

DeJuan Blair has held out for much of the free-agency period waiting for the right contract offer to come along.

That looks like it will pay off, as ESPN?s Marc Stein is reporting that the Dallas Mavericks are on the verge of reaching an agreement with the free-agent big man.

Stein found that the projected signing is ?promising,? as the Mavs look to surround superstar Dirk Nowitzki with a number of new faces in the frontcourt.

Blair had his poorest season since entering the league last year, as he fell out of the San Antonio Spurs rotation and didn?t receive his normal minutes.

He should play a much bigger role in Dallas and could be one of the nicer success stories of the 2013-14 season if everything pans out.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1721083-nba-rumors-latest-buzz-surrounding-new-york-knicks-philadelphia-76ers-and-more

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Paterno family: Testimony shows report flaws

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) ? A spokesman for the family of the late Penn State coach Joe Paterno says testimony from a former assistant coach raises more questions about the credibility of the school's report into the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Former assistant Mike McQueary testified Monday at a hearing for three former school officials accused of covering up the scandal. He told the judge that the late Hall of Fame coach had told him over the years that university administrators mishandled the response to the scandal.

McQueary also testified that Paterno warned him the school would try to make the assistant coach a scapegoat.

Paterno wasn't charged. But former FBI Director Louis Freeh wrote in his report for the school that Paterno took part in a cover-up.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/paterno-family-testimony-shows-report-flaws-194116933.html

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FBI raids in 76 cities save 105 kids forced into prostitution; 150 others arrested (Star Tribune)

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Technology Should Replace Testing on Animals (Op-Ed)

Kathleen Conlee is vice president, animal research issues, for The Humane Society of the United States. She contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Efforts are underway ? and moving at an exponentially increasing pace ? that ultimately will yield medical- and cosmetic-testing technologies that provide timely and accurate results while sparing animals from needless suffering, or worse.?

This is an exciting time ? what seemed like science fiction just a few years ago is reality today. This includes the ability to grow human cells in a scaffold that mimics and functions as a living organ does ? for example, human skin and liver ? and a wide array of in vitro testing systems that, combined with interpretive computer algorithms, predict increasingly complicated biological outcomes for drugs and other therapeutic agents.

In 2007, the U.S. National Research Council first expressed the need to redesign chemical testing completely, inspiring companies to rethink the ways in which they conduct product testing. Since then, several institutions have received funding to develop technologies in nonanimal biological research, bioinformatics and engineering.?

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), for example, recently invested in the Hurel Corporation, which has designed miniature, functioning 3D liver cultures that will allow scientists to study how liver cells metabolize chemicals and drugs.?

The Wyss Institute at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., is developing a wide variety of organ-on-a-chip systems, funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Defense, all with the aim of replacing both chemical and drug testing on animals.?

Also, The HSUS recently awarded CeeTox Inc. the Henry Spira Humane Corporate Progress Award for the company's novel approach of combining nonanimal tests with computer programs that can predict skin allergy, acute systemic toxicity and endocrine activity, among other things.

Sentiment is growing around the world to end animal testing. Both India and the European Union now prohibit testing cosmetics on animals, and a recent poll showed that a majority of Americans oppose it.?

Moreover, regulators globally are embracing the idea that animal testing can be progressively replaced with more accurate, human-relevant and predictive methods.?

Here in the United States, collaboration among the FDA, the NIH and the Environmental Protection Agency ? an effort known as Tox21 ? is bringing experts from those agencies together to develop nonanimal test methods, hundreds of which can test a large number of chemicals in a very short time frame ? a process known as high-throughput testing.

In Europe, a large government-sponsored program called SEURAT-1 is focusing on nonanimal ways to evaluate toxicity as a result of repeated exposure. The Tox21 and SEURAT-1 groups recently met to explore possibilities for collaboration.?

All of these efforts to address toxicity testing are laying important groundwork and generating knowledge that can ultimately move the U.S. away from using animals in biomedical research.?

We interpret recent comments by former NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni, as reported by the NIH Record, as further support for the HSUS' efforts.

"We have moved away from studying human disease in humans," he said. "We all drank the Kool-Aid on that one ? me included," he said, adding that with the ability to knock in or knock out any gene in a mouse (which, Zerhouni quipped, "can't sue us"), researchers have overrelied on animal data.?

"The problem is that it hasn't worked, and it's time we stopped dancing around the problem," he said. "We need to refocus and adapt new methodologies for use in humans to understand disease biology in humans."

The HSUS is working to make sure this burgeoning energy to end toxicity testing in animals continues ? and stays the course ? by working with such corporations as Hurel as they continue to develop cutting-edge technologies and influencing our federal government to increase its investment in these technologies as well.?

By supporting such efforts, which will help build a humane economy, we hope to inspire and encourage others to join. This growing movement will bring the country much closer to the day when animals are no longer used as test subjects.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This article was originally published on LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/technology-replace-testing-animals-op-ed-193337183.html

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