http://themiddleclass.org/topics/corporateaccountability/consumers/drugsafety The taxonomy view with a depth of 0. en http://themiddleclass.org/bill/amendment-military-construction-and-veterans-affairs-and-related-agencies-appropriations-act-20 <div class="field field-type-legislation field-field-legislation"> <h3 class="field-label">Legislation</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-number-integer field-field-position"> <h3 class="field-label">The middle class</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">Supports</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-video-cck field-field-video-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Video Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><object height="185" width="223"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WWx49INshIs"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WWx49INshIs&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="185" width="223"></object></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-injustice-facts"> <h3 class="field-label">Injustice Facts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p>Approximate total award that service members can currently receive toward their education, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.iava.org/documents/ANewGIBill.pdf">39,600</a></strong></p> <p>Average total charges, including tuition and fees and room and board, for four years at an in-state public college or university in 2007, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/trends/trends_pricing_07.pdf">54,356<br /> </a></strong></p> <p>Estimated percentage of the unemployed who will be unemployed for longer than six months by the end of 2009, according to the Economic Policy Institute: <strong><a href="http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_unemp_ins_Shierholz">20.8</a></strong></p> <p>Number of states with an unemployment rate greater than 6.0% as of April 2008, including Washington D.C.: <strong><a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm">5</a></strong></p> <p>Amount of stimulus produced for every $1 spent on extending emergency federal unemployment insurance benefits, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.economy.com/dismal/article_free.asp?cid=102598">1.64</a></strong></p> <p>Unemployment rate in Michigan in April 2008: <strong><a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm">6.9%</a></strong></p> <p>Minimum estimated cost of the Iraq War paid by Michigan as of May 2008, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home">13 billion</a></strong></p> <p>Estimated 10-year cost of extending unemployment insurance benefits, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/EmergencySupplemental05-14-08.pdf">11.1 billion</a></strong></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Overview/Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-middle-class-position-ana"> <h3 class="field-label">Middle Class Position Analysis</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><strong>The Middle Class Supports.</strong> The American economy remains at risk of recession and the employment picture is dim. In the first four months of 2008, the American economy <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_05022008.htm">lost</a> 260,000 jobs and 400,000 workers were <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">classified</a> as “discouraged,” wanting work but believing that no jobs were available for them. Unemployment benefits provide direct assistance to the current and aspiring middle-class Americans likely to be hardest hit during the economic downturn. Moreover, the unemployed are most likely to spend their unemployment benefits immediately, providing an economic jolt that will enhance the stimulus generated by the <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/recovery-rebates-and-economic-stimulus-american-people-act-2008">tax rebates</a> sent out earlier this year. Indeed, extension of unemployment benefits provides $1.64 in stimulus for every dollar spent, making the policy one of the most effective stimulus measures.</p> <p>The “New GI Bill” measures are also important. Our nation owes those young people who have volunteered to fight for the United States a fair opportunity to enter the middle class. After World War II, the education and other benefits of the GI Bill allowed unprecedented numbers of returning soldiers to access a middle-class standard of living, but today’s GI Bill, intended for peacetime, does not provide adequate benefits. This amendment would change that. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars face not only the challenges of readjustment to civilian life, frequently complicated by injury or mental illness, but the rising cost of higher education impacting middle-class Americans across the United States. The current GI bill covers only <a href="http://www.iava.org/documents/ANewGIBill.pdf">60-70%</a> of the cost of tuition at a four-year public university and less than two years at a private college. The Amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill would permit the equivalent of full scholarships to public institutions of higher learning to any service member who completed three years of service.</p> <p>Imposing a moratorium on Administration-proposed Medicaid regulations will <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/protecting-medicaid-safety-net-act-2008">ensure</a> continued health care access for aspiring middle-class beneficiaries and <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/protecting-medicaid-safety-net-act-2008">prevent</a> a devastating loss of funding to states, public hospitals, and local schools already struggling during the economic downturn.</p> <p>The provisions that increase accountability and transparency in federal contracting are welcome, but are not as comprehensive as those included in the <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/accountability-contracting-act-2007">Accountability in Contracting Act</a>, passed by the House last year.</p> <p>The Senate version contains welcome funding for programs that benefit aspiring middle-class and middle-class Americans.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog-header"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Header</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">The Discussion on DMIBlog</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-quotes"> <h3 class="field-label">Quotes from Experts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Text</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-beyond"> <h3 class="field-label">Beyond this Bill</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-related-blog-link"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Link</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><a href="http://www.dmiblog.com/archives/2008/05/education_for_vets.html#comments" target="_blank">Education for Vets: Shouldn’t They Go to College, Too?</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-additional-resources"> <h3 class="field-label">Additional Resources</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><a href="http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/pm124">"Making the Case - Again - for Economic Rebound,"</a> from the Economic Policy Institute</p> <p><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/ui.htm">Unemployment Insurance and the Stimulus Debate</a>, from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities</p> <p><a href="http://www.iava.org/documents/ANewGIBill.pdf">"A New GI Bill,"</a> from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America</p> </div> </div> </div> College tuition Contracting Drug safety Education Food safety Government Accountability Health Care Heating fuel Income taxes Medicare Public infrastructure Tax Fairness Unemployment Workplace &amp; Job Creation Fri, 16 May 2008 18:23:04 -0400 hmoroz 139 at http://themiddleclass.org http://themiddleclass.org/bill/amendment-military-construction-and-veterans-affairs-and-related-agencies-appropriations-act-20 <div class="field field-type-legislation field-field-legislation"> <h3 class="field-label">Legislation</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-number-integer field-field-position"> <h3 class="field-label">The middle class</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">Supports</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-video-cck field-field-video-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Video Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><object height="185" width="223"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WWx49INshIs"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WWx49INshIs&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="185" width="223"></object></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-injustice-facts"> <h3 class="field-label">Injustice Facts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p>Approximate total award that service members can currently receive toward their education, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.iava.org/documents/ANewGIBill.pdf">39,600</a></strong></p> <p>Average total charges, including tuition and fees and room and board, for four years at an in-state public college or university in 2007, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/about/news_info/trends/trends_pricing_07.pdf">54,356<br /> </a></strong></p> <p>Estimated percentage of the unemployed who will be unemployed for longer than six months by the end of 2009, according to the Economic Policy Institute: <strong><a href="http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_unemp_ins_Shierholz">20.8</a></strong></p> <p>Number of states with an unemployment rate greater than 6.0% as of April 2008, including Washington D.C.: <strong><a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm">5</a></strong></p> <p>Amount of stimulus produced for every $1 spent on extending emergency federal unemployment insurance benefits, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.economy.com/dismal/article_free.asp?cid=102598">1.64</a></strong></p> <p>Unemployment rate in Michigan in April 2008: <strong><a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.t03.htm">6.9%</a></strong></p> <p>Minimum estimated cost of the Iraq War paid by Michigan as of May 2008, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home">13 billion</a></strong></p> <p>Estimated 10-year cost of extending unemployment insurance benefits, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://appropriations.house.gov/pdf/EmergencySupplemental05-14-08.pdf">11.1 billion</a></strong></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Overview/Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-middle-class-position-ana"> <h3 class="field-label">Middle Class Position Analysis</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><strong>The Middle Class Supports.</strong> The American economy remains at risk of recession and the employment picture is dim. In the first four months of 2008, the American economy <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_05022008.htm">lost</a> 260,000 jobs and 400,000 workers were <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm">classified</a> as “discouraged,” wanting work but believing that no jobs were available for them. Unemployment benefits provide direct assistance to the current and aspiring middle-class Americans likely to be hardest hit during the economic downturn. Moreover, the unemployed are most likely to spend their unemployment benefits immediately, providing an economic jolt that will enhance the stimulus generated by the <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/recovery-rebates-and-economic-stimulus-american-people-act-2008">tax rebates</a> sent out earlier this year. Indeed, extension of unemployment benefits provides $1.64 in stimulus for every dollar spent, making the policy one of the most effective stimulus measures.</p> <p>The “New GI Bill” measures are also important. Our nation owes those young people who have volunteered to fight for the United States a fair opportunity to enter the middle class. After World War II, the education and other benefits of the GI Bill allowed unprecedented numbers of returning soldiers to access a middle-class standard of living, but today’s GI Bill, intended for peacetime, does not provide adequate benefits. This amendment would change that. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars face not only the challenges of readjustment to civilian life, frequently complicated by injury or mental illness, but the rising cost of higher education impacting middle-class Americans across the United States. The current GI bill covers only <a href="http://www.iava.org/documents/ANewGIBill.pdf">60-70%</a> of the cost of tuition at a four-year public university and less than two years at a private college. The Amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill would permit the equivalent of full scholarships to public institutions of higher learning to any service member who completed three years of service.</p> <p>Imposing a moratorium on Administration-proposed Medicaid regulations will <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/protecting-medicaid-safety-net-act-2008">ensure</a> continued health care access for aspiring middle-class beneficiaries and <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/protecting-medicaid-safety-net-act-2008">prevent</a> a devastating loss of funding to states, public hospitals, and local schools already struggling during the economic downturn.</p> <p>The provisions that increase accountability and transparency in federal contracting are welcome, but are not as comprehensive as those included in the <a href="http://www.themiddleclass.org/bill/accountability-contracting-act-2007">Accountability in Contracting Act</a>, passed by the House last year.</p> <p>The Senate version contains welcome funding for programs that benefit aspiring middle-class and middle-class Americans.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog-header"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Header</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">The Discussion on DMIBlog</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-quotes"> <h3 class="field-label">Quotes from Experts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Text</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-beyond"> <h3 class="field-label">Beyond this Bill</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-related-blog-link"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Link</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><a href="http://www.dmiblog.com/archives/2008/05/education_for_vets.html#comments" target="_blank">Education for Vets: Shouldn’t They Go to College, Too?</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-additional-resources"> <h3 class="field-label">Additional Resources</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><a href="http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/pm124">"Making the Case - Again - for Economic Rebound,"</a> from the Economic Policy Institute</p> <p><a href="http://www.cbpp.org/pubs/ui.htm">Unemployment Insurance and the Stimulus Debate</a>, from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities</p> <p><a href="http://www.iava.org/documents/ANewGIBill.pdf">"A New GI Bill,"</a> from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America</p> </div> </div> </div> College tuition Contracting Drug safety Education Food safety Government Accountability Health Care Heating fuel Income taxes Medicare Public infrastructure Tax Fairness Unemployment Workplace &amp; Job Creation Fri, 16 May 2008 18:23:04 -0400 hmoroz 139 at http://themiddleclass.org http://themiddleclass.org/bill/plain-language-government-communications-act-2008 <div class="field field-type-legislation field-field-legislation"> <h3 class="field-label">Legislation</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-number-integer field-field-position"> <h3 class="field-label">The middle class</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">Supports</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-video-cck field-field-video-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Video Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-injustice-facts"> <h3 class="field-label">Injustice Facts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p>Response rate to a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) letter to veterans asking them to update their beneficiaries, written before the VBA switched the letter to plain language: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">43%</a></strong></p> <p>Response rate to the VBA letter after the agency switched the letter to plain language: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">65%</a></strong></p> <p>Amount saved by the VBA’s use of plain language in the same letter in staff time spent researching valid beneficiaries when veterans’ have not updated their beneficiaries, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">5 million</a></strong></p> <p>Amount of time to answer questions about a Federal Communications Commission regulation not written in plain language by experienced people affected by the regulation, in minutes: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">2.43</a></strong></p> <p>Amount of time to answer questions about the same regulation written in plain language, in minutes: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">1.5</a></strong></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Overview/Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-middle-class-position-ana"> <h3 class="field-label">Middle Class Position Analysis</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><strong>Middle Class Supports.</strong> Middle-class Americans should be able to easily understand communications from their government. Yet legalese is not confined to legislation and internal government memoranda. Americans who rely on Social Security benefits or veterans’ benefits to make ends meet, anyone who fills out tax paperwork, and any American who uses medication must interpret the convoluted technical language of benefits and tax documents and medicine warning labels. The audience-focused approach of the plain language standard would make benefits available to more Americans by making both application for federal benefits and eligibility requirement less confusing. Public access and transparency are key elements of good government and using plain, understandable language in government communications is a modest step toward both. The federal government would benefit because individuals and small businesses are more likely to comply with notices and instructions that they are able to understand easily and quickly. Additionally, the standard would reduce the customer support services that federal agencies must employ to explain obscure instructions. In general, the legislation would save time, money, and errors both inside of government and outside, benefiting middle-class Americans who rely on government services that are run effectively and efficiently.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog-header"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Header</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">The Discussion on DMIBlog</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-quotes"> <h3 class="field-label">Quotes from Experts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Text</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-beyond"> <h3 class="field-label">Beyond this Bill</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-related-blog-link"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Link</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-additional-resources"> <h3 class="field-label">Additional Resources</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><a href="http://www.plainlanguage.gov/examples/index.cfm">Examples of Plain Language</a>, from PlainLanguage.gov</p> <p><a href="http://www.centerforplainlanguage.org/">Center for Plain Language</a></p> </div> </div> </div> Drug safety Government Accountability Prescription drugs Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:24:33 -0400 hmoroz 133 at http://themiddleclass.org http://themiddleclass.org/bill/plain-language-government-communications-act-2008 <div class="field field-type-legislation field-field-legislation"> <h3 class="field-label">Legislation</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-number-integer field-field-position"> <h3 class="field-label">The middle class</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">Supports</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-video-cck field-field-video-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Video Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-injustice-facts"> <h3 class="field-label">Injustice Facts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p>Response rate to a Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) letter to veterans asking them to update their beneficiaries, written before the VBA switched the letter to plain language: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">43%</a></strong></p> <p>Response rate to the VBA letter after the agency switched the letter to plain language: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">65%</a></strong></p> <p>Amount saved by the VBA’s use of plain language in the same letter in staff time spent researching valid beneficiaries when veterans’ have not updated their beneficiaries, in dollars: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">5 million</a></strong></p> <p>Amount of time to answer questions about a Federal Communications Commission regulation not written in plain language by experienced people affected by the regulation, in minutes: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">2.43</a></strong></p> <p>Amount of time to answer questions about the same regulation written in plain language, in minutes: <strong><a href="http://www.house.gov/smbiz/hearings/hearing-02-26-08-plainlang-sub/testimony-02-26-08-cheek.pdf">1.5</a></strong></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Overview/Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-middle-class-position-ana"> <h3 class="field-label">Middle Class Position Analysis</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><strong>Middle Class Supports.</strong> Middle-class Americans should be able to easily understand communications from their government. Yet legalese is not confined to legislation and internal government memoranda. Americans who rely on Social Security benefits or veterans’ benefits to make ends meet, anyone who fills out tax paperwork, and any American who uses medication must interpret the convoluted technical language of benefits and tax documents and medicine warning labels. The audience-focused approach of the plain language standard would make benefits available to more Americans by making both application for federal benefits and eligibility requirement less confusing. Public access and transparency are key elements of good government and using plain, understandable language in government communications is a modest step toward both. The federal government would benefit because individuals and small businesses are more likely to comply with notices and instructions that they are able to understand easily and quickly. Additionally, the standard would reduce the customer support services that federal agencies must employ to explain obscure instructions. In general, the legislation would save time, money, and errors both inside of government and outside, benefiting middle-class Americans who rely on government services that are run effectively and efficiently.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog-header"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Header</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">The Discussion on DMIBlog</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-quotes"> <h3 class="field-label">Quotes from Experts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Text</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-beyond"> <h3 class="field-label">Beyond this Bill</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-related-blog-link"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Link</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-additional-resources"> <h3 class="field-label">Additional Resources</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><a href="http://www.plainlanguage.gov/examples/index.cfm">Examples of Plain Language</a>, from PlainLanguage.gov</p> <p><a href="http://www.centerforplainlanguage.org/">Center for Plain Language</a></p> </div> </div> </div> Drug safety Government Accountability Prescription drugs Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:24:33 -0400 hmoroz 133 at http://themiddleclass.org http://themiddleclass.org/bill/fda-amendments-act-2007 <div class="field field-type-legislation field-field-legislation"> <h3 class="field-label">Legislation</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-number-integer field-field-position"> <h3 class="field-label">The middle class</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">Supports</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-video-cck field-field-video-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Video Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><object height="185" width="223"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/utI_LROPgI0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/utI_LROPgI0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="185" width="223"></object></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-injustice-facts"> <h3 class="field-label">Injustice Facts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p>Number of letters sent by the FDA to pharmaceutical manufacturers warning them that they had violated regulations for prescription-drug advertising in 1997: <a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/7/673"><strong>142</strong></a> </p> <p>Number of letters sent in 2006: <a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/7/673"><strong>21</strong></a> </p> <p>Percentage of the warning letters regarding direct-to-consumer advertisements between 1997 and 2006 that admonished drug companies for minimizing drug risk or exaggerating drug effectiveness: <a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/7/673"><strong>84</strong></a> </p> <p>Pounds of imported foods the average American eats in a year: <a href="http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-oi-hrg.071707.SmithDeWaal-testimony.pdf"><strong>260</strong></a> </p> <p>Percentage of food imports currently inspected by the FDA: <a href="http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-oi-hrg.071707.Staff-testimony.pdf"><strong>1</strong></a> </p> <p>Estimated number of Americans who become sick each year due to food-borne illness: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/"><strong>76 million</strong></a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Overview/Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-middle-class-position-ana"> <h3 class="field-label">Middle Class Position Analysis</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><strong>The Middle Class Supports.</strong> Middle-class Americans depend on over-the-counter and prescription drugs for everything from relieving aches and pains to sustaining life. Because these medications are so important, and because every drug has risks associated with it, the power this legislation provides the FDA to more closely regulate the pharmaceutical industry is vital. Middle-class Americans, inundated with advertisements extolling the benefits of innumerable and at times indistinguishable medications, need the FDA to ensure that the drugs they rely upon are safe and appropriate for the individuals to whom they are marketed. </p> <p>For more than five years, 20 million Americans took the arthritis pain medication Vioxx before studies demonstrating an increased risk of heart attacks associated with the drug forced Merck to withdraw it. The new authority that this legislation grants the FDA to demand post-approval studies of medications is a regulatory tool that could have exposed the risks associated with Vioxx much sooner, saving many Americans from heart attack and death. Fines to punish false advertisements will do much to ensure that Americans are not misled about the purposes, risks, and benefits of the medications they are taking. Finally, the concealment and obfuscation of safety information that puts consumers at risk of taking dangerous drugs – a charge that Merck has faced in the products liability litigation involving Vioxx – will be made difficult by the FDAAA’s expansion of public access to safety data. A public database of clinical trial data with mandatory disclosure requirements will allow consumer advocacy groups, concerned academics, and products liability litigators, along with jealous industry competitors, to expose misinformation, ultimately protecting middle-class consumers.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog-header"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Header</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">The Discussion on DMIBlog</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-quotes"> <h3 class="field-label">Quotes from Experts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Text</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-beyond"> <h3 class="field-label">Beyond this Bill</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-related-blog-link"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Link</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><a href="http://www.dmiblog.com/archives/2007/12/the_fda_amendment_act_of_2007_1.html" target="_blank">The FDA Amendments Act of 2007, or the Law Inspired by 27,000 Lawsuits</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-additional-resources"> <h3 class="field-label">Additional Resources</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><a href="http://www.gao.gov/htext/d07599t.html">“Drug Safety: FDA Needs to Further Address Shortcomings in Its Postmarket Decision-making Process,”</a> from the GAO </p> <p><a href="http://www.gao.gov/htext/d0754.html">“Prescription Drugs: Improvements Needed in FDA’s Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising,”</a> from the GAO </p> <p><a href="http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/26341/37329/37331.aspx">“The Future of Drug Safety: Action Steps for Congress,”</a> from the Institute of Medicine</p> </div> </div> </div> Consumers Corporate Accountability Deceptive advertising and marketing Drug safety Food safety Health Care Prescription drugs Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:29:15 -0500 atraub 84 at http://themiddleclass.org http://themiddleclass.org/bill/fda-amendments-act-2007 <div class="field field-type-legislation field-field-legislation"> <h3 class="field-label">Legislation</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-number-integer field-field-position"> <h3 class="field-label">The middle class</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">Supports</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-video-cck field-field-video-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Video Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><object height="185" width="223"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/utI_LROPgI0"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/utI_LROPgI0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="185" width="223"></object></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-injustice-facts"> <h3 class="field-label">Injustice Facts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p>Number of letters sent by the FDA to pharmaceutical manufacturers warning them that they had violated regulations for prescription-drug advertising in 1997: <a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/7/673"><strong>142</strong></a> </p> <p>Number of letters sent in 2006: <a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/7/673"><strong>21</strong></a> </p> <p>Percentage of the warning letters regarding direct-to-consumer advertisements between 1997 and 2006 that admonished drug companies for minimizing drug risk or exaggerating drug effectiveness: <a href="http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/7/673"><strong>84</strong></a> </p> <p>Pounds of imported foods the average American eats in a year: <a href="http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-oi-hrg.071707.SmithDeWaal-testimony.pdf"><strong>260</strong></a> </p> <p>Percentage of food imports currently inspected by the FDA: <a href="http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-oi-hrg.071707.Staff-testimony.pdf"><strong>1</strong></a> </p> <p>Estimated number of Americans who become sick each year due to food-borne illness: <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/"><strong>76 million</strong></a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-summary"> <h3 class="field-label">Overview/Summary</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-middle-class-position-ana"> <h3 class="field-label">Middle Class Position Analysis</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><strong>The Middle Class Supports.</strong> Middle-class Americans depend on over-the-counter and prescription drugs for everything from relieving aches and pains to sustaining life. Because these medications are so important, and because every drug has risks associated with it, the power this legislation provides the FDA to more closely regulate the pharmaceutical industry is vital. Middle-class Americans, inundated with advertisements extolling the benefits of innumerable and at times indistinguishable medications, need the FDA to ensure that the drugs they rely upon are safe and appropriate for the individuals to whom they are marketed. </p> <p>For more than five years, 20 million Americans took the arthritis pain medication Vioxx before studies demonstrating an increased risk of heart attacks associated with the drug forced Merck to withdraw it. The new authority that this legislation grants the FDA to demand post-approval studies of medications is a regulatory tool that could have exposed the risks associated with Vioxx much sooner, saving many Americans from heart attack and death. Fines to punish false advertisements will do much to ensure that Americans are not misled about the purposes, risks, and benefits of the medications they are taking. Finally, the concealment and obfuscation of safety information that puts consumers at risk of taking dangerous drugs – a charge that Merck has faced in the products liability litigation involving Vioxx – will be made difficult by the FDAAA’s expansion of public access to safety data. A public database of clinical trial data with mandatory disclosure requirements will allow consumer advocacy groups, concerned academics, and products liability litigators, along with jealous industry competitors, to expose misinformation, ultimately protecting middle-class consumers.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog-header"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Header</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item">The Discussion on DMIBlog</div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-quotes"> <h3 class="field-label">Quotes from Experts</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-related-blog"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Text</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-beyond"> <h3 class="field-label">Beyond this Bill</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-link field-field-related-blog-link"> <h3 class="field-label">Related Blog: Link</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><a href="http://www.dmiblog.com/archives/2007/12/the_fda_amendment_act_of_2007_1.html" target="_blank">The FDA Amendments Act of 2007, or the Law Inspired by 27,000 Lawsuits</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-additional-resources"> <h3 class="field-label">Additional Resources</h3> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item"><p><a href="http://www.gao.gov/htext/d07599t.html">“Drug Safety: FDA Needs to Further Address Shortcomings in Its Postmarket Decision-making Process,”</a> from the GAO </p> <p><a href="http://www.gao.gov/htext/d0754.html">“Prescription Drugs: Improvements Needed in FDA’s Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising,”</a> from the GAO </p> <p><a href="http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/26341/37329/37331.aspx">“The Future of Drug Safety: Action Steps for Congress,”</a> from the Institute of Medicine</p> </div> </div> </div> Consumers Corporate Accountability Deceptive advertising and marketing Drug safety Food safety Health Care Prescription drugs Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:29:15 -0500 atraub 84 at http://themiddleclass.org