SCHotline Press Releases

Boston, MA – Today, Romney for President announced the “Team Mitt: Create Your Own Ad!” contest, an unprecedented initiative to create the campaign’s new television advertisement by empowering grassroots supporters of Governor Mitt Romney. The winner of the contest will become the first amateur ever to have his or her work used as an official television advertisement for a presidential campaign.

By partnering with Yahoo! and Jumpcut.com, supporters from across the country will be able to utilize an innovative video editing platform to create their own ad by remixing or “mashing up” a large variety of the campaign’s photos, videos and audio clips, as well as their own multimedia content.

After the contest’s submission period ends on September 17, the campaign will conduct online voting at MittRomney.com to help select the winner of the contest. The ad will air in conjunction with the campaign’s massive grassroots event, “Rally for Romney,” during the week of September 20.

Alex Castellanos, Senior Adviser and media strategist to Governor Romney, said, “It is truly groundbreaking for amateur, grassroots supporters to so directly assist in introducing their candidate to the American people. This contest demonstrates Romney for President’s commitment to using unique and democratizing online tools to engage voters and harness the extraordinary enthusiasm of its growing team of supporters.”

To view the contest page on Jumpcut.com, please visit: http://www.MittRomney.com/YourAd

COLUMBIA - State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex today announced the addition of a veteran educator to his senior management team at the State Department of Education.  Valerie Evans Harrison, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Public Relations and Staff Development in Orangeburg School District Four, has been named to head the agency’s Division of Standards and Learning.

In her new role, Harrison will oversee the offices of Academic Standards, Instructional Promising Practices, Exceptional Children, Career and Technology Education, Adult Education and e-Learning.  She joins the Education Department next week.

“Valerie brings a wide range of knowledge and extensive experience to this position,” Rex said.  “She has worked in the trenches, and her specialized training in the area of curriculum will help accelerate our momentum for improving teaching and learning in South Carolina.”

Harrison holds certifications as a superintendent, secondary principal, secondary supervisor, and in English education.  She is a sought-after conference presenter whose training is varied and includes curriculum management, student assessment, strategic planning, grant proposals, school/community team building and conflict resolution.  In addition to being an ADEPT (Assisting, Developing, Evaluating Performance of Teachers) evaluator, she has served as an External Review Team member/chair and is a graduate of the Education Department’s School Leadership Executive Institute.

“I’m excited and honored to join Jim Rex’s team, and to work with standards and learning at the state level,” Harrison said.  “I realize the importance of this job, and I’m committed to working tirelessly to continue educational improvements for South Carolina’s children. “

Harrison is an Orangeburg native who began her career as a classroom teacher at Southside Junior High School in Florence School District 1.  She also taught in Darlington County and served that district as Chapter 1 parent coordinator, curriculum coordinator and assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.  She worked for two years as the curriculum coordinator for the Education Oversight Committee, one year as an assistant superintendent in Lee County and three years as superintendent in Florence School District 4.
Prior to joining the Orangeburg 4 staff, Harrison was as an assistant superintendent in Florence School District 1.

A graduate of Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, she received her bachelor’s degree and her master of education degree from South Carolina State University and her doctorate of education degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Carolina.

Her husband, Gerald, is an assistant football coach at South Carolina State University. They have two adult children, Gerald Jr. and Gerrin, who both work at the University of Tennessee.

Last week Superintendent Rex embarked on a statewide tour aimed at building support for his reform efforts. His priorities for the 2008 legislative session include:
*    Creating a new system of fiscal accountability for South Carolina’s schools and school districts;
*    Laying the groundwork for a new system of fair and equitable funding by addressing the way South Carolina raises and distributes all state revenue;
*    Creating a new system of public school choice that encourages and rewards innovation and allows parents, students, teachers, and schools more flexibility;
*    Reforming the Education Accountability Act to increase diagnostic testing, decrease costs, and reduce the amount time spent testing for accountability purposes;
*    Creating safer and healthier schools by reducing crime and disruption and improving the physical environments of our schools;
*    Elevating the teaching profession with fair, results-based compensation reform, including a pay increase for teachers, the launch of a pilot program on team teaching, and a new, statewide public relations campaign aimed at changing the image of the profession.

COLUMBIA, SC - U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today announced that the campaign will hold the grand opening of its South Carolina Headquarters on Thursday, August 30, 2007. As part of the celebration, the campaign will host a special screening of “Courageous Service,” a video look at how John McCain’s lifetime of service and sacrifice has prepared him to be commander in chief from day one.

WHAT: McCain S.C. Headquarters Grand Opening and Screening of “Courageous Service”

WHEN: Thursday, August 30, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. EDT

WHERE: 1600 Gervais Street
Columbia, South Carolina

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CNBC’s “Kudlow & Company”
August 28, 2007

Governor Romney:  “You know, I think it will always be considered a plus to have somebody who is President of the United States who understands how the economy works.  We’re in a global competitive race with nations around the world to make sure that we have good jobs here and that we’re the nation of growth and vitality.  And frankly, we’ve got three people on the Democratic side who are all running for president, not one of whom has ever had any experience really leading or managing.  And, you know, the government of the United States is the largest enterprise in the world with millions of employees, trillions of dollars of revenue – these guys have never run a corner store let alone run an enterprise.  And it would be helpful, in this country, particularly as we face the competitive array that we do, to have somebody that understands how jobs are created, why businesses decide to locate where they do, why they leave. And that’s something I certainly understand.”

CNBC’s Larry Kudlow:  “Have you come out on the proposals coming out of the Democratic Congress to raise taxes on hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital funds and so forth?”

Governor Romney:  “Yeah, I don’t think it’s a good idea to raise taxes.  My view is make the Bush taxes permanent, kill the death tax once and for all.  I also have a special savings rate for middle-income and modest-income individuals on their savings, which would be for interest, dividends and capital gains – that tax rate is zero.  I want people to be able to save their money and invest in America’s economy tax-free.  So my policies are just the opposite of the Democrats.  I want to lower taxes.  I want to lower marginal rates across the board.  I want to lower taxes for corporations – we’re high relative to our competition around the world.  We want to create jobs, the best thing we can do for the economic vitality of our citizens is to make sure that we have vibrant and thriving employers.  And taxing them such that they go to other nations is not the right way to go.”

Kudlow:  “Well, it doesn’t get much clearer than that actually.”

To watch Governor Romney discuss his pro-growth policies, please see:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjS6jZcMap0

Bill Frist Urges Presidential Candidates to Tackle Global Diseases and Other National Security Issues

ONE Vote ’08 Co-Chair and Former Senate Majority Leader to meet with SC ONE Vote ‘08 Ambassadors, Faith Leaders 

Columbia, SC– Former Republican Senate Majority Leader and ONE Vote ’08 co-chair Bill Frist will meet with South Carolina ambassadors of ONE Vote ’08 and faith leaders in Columbia this Thursday. Frist will urge ambassadors, faith leaders and presidential candidates to take up the fight against global poverty, preventable disease in the interest of national security.

Frist, along with former Democratic Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle, is a co-chair of ONE Vote ’08. Media is encouraged to attend Senator Frist’s briefing at the Lexington Rotary Club or his meeting with South Carolina ONE ambassadors.

WHO:             ONE Vote ’08 co-chair and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist

WHAT:           Remarks, meeting and lunch with South Carolina ambassadors, faith leaders

WHERE:       Lexington Rotary Club from 7:30 am - 8:45 am

                        Lexington Country Club, 1066 Barr Road

Lexington, SC 29072

                        Lunch at Capitol City Club from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

                        1201 Main St, 25^th Floor

                        Columbia, SC 29201

WHEN:          Thursday, August 30^th

For media inquiries, please contact Eric at 202.669.6139

# # #

ONE is a coalition of millions of individuals and more than 100 of the nation’s leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations.

ONE Vote ’08 was launched this summer by ONE – a new effort to rally Americans ONE by ONE to fight the emergency of global malaria, AIDS, and extreme poverty. ONE Vote is not endorsing any presidential candidate, but rather is working with each candidate on these critical issues.  The non-partisan effort brings together a broad range of talent including former Senators Bill Frist (R-TN), Tom Daschle (D-SD), Bob Kerrey (D-NE), Dina Powell, Donna Brazile, John Podesta, Tucker Eskew, Mike McCurry, pollsters Geoff Garin and John McLaughlin, campaign strategists Jack Oliver and Steve Jarding, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, actor Matt Damon, and evangelical pastor, Rev. Brian McLaren, and many others

ALEXANDRIA, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today released a statement by John McCain following remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

“Today, we are reminded again about the consequences of failure in Iraq and why the surge and the current counterinsurgency campaign must continue. Iran’s Holocaust-denying president today told the media that ’soon we will see a huge power vacuum in the region’ as the American effort in Iraq collapses and that his regime is ‘prepared to fill the gap’ in Iraq. Some time ago, Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden’s lieutenant, warned his terror network to ‘be ready’ to extend the ‘jihad wave’ to other nations once they ‘expel the Americans from Iraq.’ This is why it is imperative we give General Petraeus the time and support he needs to continue implementing his new plan, which even leading opponents of the surge, including Senator Clinton, acknowledge is succeeding, and do everything necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“In the coming month we will face a fork in the road. We can pursue our opportunity for victory in Iraq, strengthen our hand in the larger war against Islamic extremists, and make our nation more secure. Or we can fold our tents, embolden our enemies, throw a region into instability and greater conflict, and increase the risks faced on American soil. That course will make the world a more dangerous place.”

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CEDAR RAPIDS, IA — Speaking to fire fighters in Iowa today, Governor Bill Richardson announced his plan for America’s fire fighters and police officers, including guaranteeing health care between retirement and the age of Medicare eligibility.

“One of the things that I have been hearing from fire fighters is this problem with the health care gap,” Governor Richardson said. “We have to guarantee quality health care for retired fire fighters and police officers who have served their communities for twenty years. The federal government should partner 50-50 with the states to provide high-quality coverage for fire fighters and police officers from the time they retire until the time they reach Medicare age.”

Richardson also strongly supports presumptive disability for fire fighters and improvements in workers’ compensation.

“I have stood with the fire fighters throughout my career and I am proud of my strong and extensive record as Governor of New Mexico,” Richardson said. “Within a month after I was elected Governor, I restored collective bargaining rights for fire fighters and all public employees. We have card check and fair share in my state. We have done it in New Mexico.”"I have been a Congressman, UN Ambassador, Secretary of Energy, and Governor. I have negotiated with some of the toughest dictators in the world. But ask any kid in America: They want to be a fire fighter and it is easy to figure out why. It is because you are heroes. Maybe more importantly, it is because you keep your word. You keep your promise to protect. Folks in Washington could learn a thing or two from you.”

Governor Richardson outlined the following details of his plan:

• Guarantee health care for retired professional fire fighters and police officers. Through a 50-50 partnership with states and localities, Bill Richardson will eliminate the “health care gap” that too often affects our heroes between the time they retire and the time they become eligible for Medicare. Those who have served their communities for twenty years or more will never again have to worry about having the high-quality health care they deserve.
• Sign the bipartisan Federal Fire Fighters Fairness Act. Fire fighters who dedicate their lives to saving others deserve a “rebuttable presumption” that heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers, and certain infectious diseases were contracted while on the job. Passing this legislation is the least that we can do for these brave men and women; as President, Bill Richardson will make sure that it happens.
• Remove the burden of proof on denied workers’ compensation claims for fire fighters and police officers. When fire fighters are injured on the job, it is disgraceful that they have to wage a legal battle just to receive the compensation that they are due. Governor Richardson will create statutory presumptions for injuries—especially to the back and joints, burn injuries, smoke inhalation, and other common ailments. If a firefighter suffers these symptoms, it will be presumed to be job-related, provided that certain conditions are met.
• Institute collective bargaining for our nation’s federal fire fighters and police officers. As President, Bill Richardson will sign the bipartisan Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act that will institute collective bargaining rights for public safety employees, including fire fighters and police officers.
• Sign the Employee Free Choice Act and revive card-check recognition so that workers can choose to unionize without fear of intimidation or harassment. We must also have Fair Share so that there are no free-riders in America.
• Establish a National Fire Fighters’ Survivors Fund. This fund, modeled after the New Mexico Fire Fighters’ Survivors Fund, will match state money to increase payments to the surviving spouse, children, or family members of any fire fighter who falls in the line of duty. Governor Richardson will encourage the states to compete in showing their appreciation for the risks that fire fighters take by matching each state’s funding level dollar for dollar.
• Increase Homeland Security funding for fire fighters, police officers, and other first responders. Fire fighters are critical in the effort to protect our communities from terrorism and natural disasters. In President Bush’s 2008 budget, the Department of Homeland Security first responder grant programs are cut by 50%, or $1.7 billion. Bill Richardson believes this is unconscionable, and as President, he will ensure that our fire fighters and other first responders receive what they need to keep us safe.
• Increase funding for the Fire Fighters Grant Program. In his 2008 budget, President Bush slashed funding for the Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant Program (FIRE Act) by nearly 50% - a reduction of $300 million from the previous year. Bill Richardson believes the FIRE Act has been tremendously successful in providing local fire fighters with the tools they need to serve their communities, and as President, he will restore funding for this program.
• Fully fund the SAFER Act Program. Nearly two-thirds of our nation’s fire departments are unable to satisfy minimum safe staffing levels, and the SAFER program has been integral in helping local departments address this problem. The Bush Administration, however, has proposed eliminating the SAFER Program in the 2008 fiscal year. As President, Bill Richardson will revive the SAFER Program and help our nation’s firehouses meet safe staffing level guidelines.

Please find background documents on Governor Richardson’s plan here:

http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/issues/first_responders.

Hillary Clinton released her plan to fight cancer today as she appeared at Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG Presidential Cancer Forum in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Cancer is the leading cause of death in this country for people under age 85.  One in two men and one in three women will get cancer in their lifetime.  About 1.4 million new cancer cases are expected in the United States in 2007, and more than 1,500 people per day will die of cancer.  NIH estimates the overall cost of cancer in the U.S. in 2006 was about $206 billion for direct medical costs and lost productivity due to illness and early death. As President, Hillary Clinton will invest the necessary resources so that our nation is on a path to achieve the National Cancer Institute’s goal of ending death and suffering from cancer by 2015 through:

Ending Insurance Discrimination.  Today, insurance companies spend millions of dollars working to discriminate against those with expensive, pre-existing conditions by denying them coverage or treatment.  Cancer patients are those most victimized by insurance company practices of trying not to cover care when it’s needed most.  In order to end insurance discrimination, Hillary Clinton will:  

·        Create a guarantee issue system.  A “guarantee issue” system, built on the concept of shared responsibility, allows anyone to join a health insurance plan. This system will end the days of relegating high-cost individuals to separate, more costly, plans or public programs. In addition, insurance companies will no longer be allowed to carve out benefits or charge higher rates to people with health problems or at risk of them.

·        Reducing marketing costs and improving value for the premium dollar.  Under a universal coverage plan with real insurance regulations, insurers would compete on low costs and high quality, not on successful underwriting and deceptive marketing practices.  Hillary Clinton will create a structure of accountability for public and private insurance plans that provides transparency for consumers and allows us to wring out administrative costs that do nothing but add to the bottom line.

Ending Genetic Discrimination.  Today, many Americans, especially those with a history of cancer in their family, are fearful of getting genetic tests, because they are worried they will be denied health insurance even though these tests could enable them to make changes in their lifestyle or obtain more regular screenings that could save their lives.  Senator Clinton believes in the power and the promise of genetic testing to do good, but does not want to see these tests exploited to harm the very people who are at greatest risk for getting cancer.  Hillary will prohibit health insurance companies from discriminating against individuals or their families on the basis of a genetic test.  Insurance companies would not be allowed to require genetic tests or consider the results of any test when determining eligibility for or cost of health insurance. 

Increased federal funding for cancer.  Cancer research has made remarkable progress in prevention, detection, and treatment.  According to the American Cancer Society, the absolute number of cancer deaths declined for the second consecutive year last year.  Despite these advances, research funding is not keeping pace.  During the Clinton Administration, the NIH budget more than doubled – from $8.9 billion in 1992 to $20.5 billion in 2001.  It then grew to $27 billion by 2003. But adjusting for inflation, the NIH has not been increased over the past four years.  Since 2003, funding has fallen behind medical inflation and in 2006, the NIH budget was cut for the first time in 35 years.  Today, the National Cancer Institute has 12% less purchasing power than it had four years ago.  The American Association for the Advancement of Science predicts that the percentage of NIH proposals receiving funds will be cut nearly in half by the end of 2007, compared with 2001 levels.  As a result, cancer programs have stalled at major centers across the country; clinical trial accrual has slowed, and in some cases, clinical trials have been abandoned for lack of resources.  Young researchers are turning to other career opportunities because of the uncertainty of future funding, and many of the best and brightest no longer see the promise of a career in science.  In 1970, the average age of a first research grant was 34.2 years; today it is 41.7.  If the current situation continues, there will be lasting damage, even if funding is increased in future years.  As President, Hillary Clinton will:

·        Double the NIH and NCI budgets.  She has proposed to increase the NIH budget by 50% over five years and double the budget in ten.   She will call for comparable increases to the National Cancer Institute’s budget. 

·        Expand the Cancer Centers program so that every American lives within the service area of an NCI Cancer Center. Today, there are 18 states with no Cancer Center, including large swaths of the country.  As President, Hillary will expand this vital program so that it is in reach for every American living with cancer.

·        Increase by fivefold the number of patients participating in cancer clinical trials. This will require expanding access to experimental cancer therapies at NCI Cancer Centers; increasing the Community Clinical Oncology Group, which places underserved populations in rural and urban areas in community-based clinical trails; increasing funding for the cancer clinical cooperative group; and increasing the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORES) program, which conduct research on different types of cancer.

·        Preserve Medicare coverage of clinical trials.  President Clinton issued an Executive Memorandum in 2000 requiring Medicare to cover the routine costs associated with participation in clinical trials.  This policy has made it possible for many more Medicare cancer patients to participate in clinical trials – the number participating has grown from 25% to 38% of enrollees since the Clinton policy was adopted.  This policy has been praised by researchers, as well as advocates for cancer patients and the elderly, and there is no evidence it has caused harm, raised costs or negatively impacted the quality of care patients receive.  Nevertheless, the Bush Administration has proposed abandoning this simple system in favor of one that is much more complex and likely to deter researchers from using Medicare patients as part of their trials.  Senator Clinton will maintain the successful Clinton-era set of rules for enrolling Medicare participants in clinical trials. 

A Smart Approach to Prevention and Early Detection.  According to the National Cancer Legislation Advisory Committee, we could prevent up to two-thirds of all deaths from cancer if Americans consumed a healthy diet, got their cancer screenings, used sunscreen and minimized sun exposure, exercised, and refrained from smoking.  Timely and regular mammograms can prevent 30 percent of all deaths from breast cancer in women over 40.  If all adults over 50 were screened for colon cancer, we would cut the death rate in half and save 30,000 lives each year.  Almost a third of all cancer deaths are the result of tobacco use.  Early detection and treatment not only saves lives; it saves money.  Treating a precancerous lesion found in Pap smear costs $1,000 to $2,000.  Treating a cancerous lesion costs 30 times that.  Hillary will promote a five-tiered approach to preventing and detecting cancer early:

·        Require all insurers participating in federal programs to cover prevention priorities: Hillary will make it a condition of doing business with the Federal government that health plans cover high-priority preventive services. Covered services would be based on recommendations from the U.S. Prevention Services Task Force. Insurers would provide both individuals and providers with the financial incentives, such as eliminating copays for high-priority prevention services.

·        Target prevention by coordinating and pooling public funding: She will also ensure the government coordinates public spending on prevention across federal programs in the Department of Health and Human Services to maximize high-priority prevention. This public-private collaboration would ensure that prevention is pushed outside of the boundaries of the health care system and into schools, workplace, supermarkets and communities through free provision of preventive benefits. It would enlist a new prevention workforce including pharmacists, church leaders and others who can best use funds to ensure 100 percent use of cost-effective prevention.

·        Increase access to screening tools that have been shown to work.  In 2006, the biggest decrease in cancer deaths was instances of colorectal cancer in men and women.  This decrease occurred because of increased screening and early treatment.  Hillary will:

o       promote a national education campaign to increase awareness about effective screening, such as mammograms, colorectal screening, and the HPV vaccine;

o       require group and individual health plans to cover colorectal cancer screenings;

o       authorize a colorectal cancer early detection and treatment demonstration program to serve at least 2 million low-income, uninsured individuals ages 50-64;

o       remove Medicare co-pays for colorectal and breast cancer screenings and extend the Welcome to Medicare visit time limit from six months to one year;

o       fully fund the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program; and 

o       invest in research aimed at identifying the molecular and genetic combinations that make people more or less susceptible to different types of cancer.  Knowing more about the risks will enable people to alter their lifestyles in ways that could lower their risk of attaining cancer or increase their chances of catching it early.   

·        Help smokers quit and decrease the chances of young people starting to smoke.  Most smokers want to quit, but quitting is hard and they need more support.  Yet states aren’t dedicating the necessary funds to anti-smoking programs – even though they received substantial funding from the tobacco settlements – and the federal government is still hamstrung in regulatory efforts.  Senator Clinton will:

o       Enable the FDA to restrict advertising of tobacco products to children and stop illegal sales of tobacco products to children by finally enacting the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.  Most smokers try their first cigarette at age 13 and by 15, are smoking daily even though it is illegal for them to be purchasing cigarettes.  By empowering the FDA to regulate tobacco advertising and sales, we can reduce the number of children becoming addicted to this deadly substance.

o       Promote smoking cessation programs and fund them by increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes.  When the federal tax was implemented in 1960, it accounted for one third of a pack of cigarettes. Today, it makes up only 10 percent.  Evidence strongly demonstrates that a higher cigarette tax discourages children and adults from smoking. 

o       Provide coverage for comprehensive smoking cessation in Medicaid.

·        Put physical education and sports programs back in schools and take the junk food out.  Fighting cancer starts with instilling healthy habits in our children.  We want the next Lance Armstrong to have access to a bike, a pool, a track, and the time and encouragement to discover his potential.  Unfortunately, schools are cutting physical education and recess, cutting back on team sports, and relying increasingly on junk food vending machines to supplement their budgets as a result of inadequate education funding and an intense focus on raising reading and math scores.  As President, Hillary will:

o       increase funding for the Carol White Physical Education program, the only federal program aimed at improving physical education programs in schools, by 50% - $36 million – and ensure that this funding gets to underserved communities with the highest rates of childhood obesity;

o       implement a healthy schools program that will provide funding for schools that commit to replacing all unhealthy food in schools with healthy food by the year 2012

Improved Quality of Care for Americans Living with Cancer.  One of the greatest challenges facing cancer survivors and their loved ones is the complexity of the system they must navigate in order to obtain the care they need.  Survivors often interface with a variety of specialists, face challenging decisions with limited information, and feel enormous stress throughout the treatment process.  In order to improve the quality of care for cancer patients, Hillary will:

o       Provide funding for demonstration programs for comprehensive care and communication models.  She will propose $50 million to support the development of comprehensive care and communication plans (plans that let patients know what to expect with respect to their treatment) for patients in underserved areas and those enrolled in Medicare. The plan should outline the care the patient will receive in clear, concise language, and should be revisited at each major transition point in treatment, and when transitioning from active treatment to survivorship. She will fight for Medicare to reimburse health care providers who adopt this type of plan.

o       Develop patient-friendly decision aids to promote informed patient choice.  She will provide $25 million in federal funding to encourage the development of new programs that ensure that patients have access to up-to-date information and tools to help them understand their treatment options and make decisions that reflect their values.  Cancer is complex and cancer patients often lack access to basic information about their disease. 

o       Reduce racial and ethnic disparities in care.  She will provide $50 million in federal funding for the development of culturally and linguistically competent clinical care programs, to ensure that our healthcare providers can communicate with their patients and have training and skills to fully understand and respect cultural differences in the patients they serve.

·        New “Paperless” Health Information Technology System. Standardized electronic medical records will make possible significant advances in research, detection, treatment, and care over the long-term while empowering doctors and other healthcare providers to communicate electronically, reducing waste and redundancy, and improving safety and quality by reducing medical errors.

·        Environmental Health Tracking.  Hillary will expand the Centers for Disease Control biomonitoring work, establish a nationwide tracking network to help identify connections between disease and environment and develop a response system for addressing public health threats.  This plan will enable us to identify the linkage between cancer and other chronic diseases and environmental factors.

·        Enhanced Support for Survivors. Cancer treatments save lives, but they often have serious side effects and long-term impacts that we don’t yet fully understand.  In addition, adolescent and young adult survivors face unique physical and emotional challenges, and there is a paucity of research on how to best treat and support them.  As President, Hillary will undertake a federal survivorship initiative to:

o       Increase our Understanding of Survivor Health. By developing a survivorship study – an epidemiologic tracking of cancer survivors – with a particular focus on adolescents and young adults, we will be able to better understand the long-term health impacts of cancer treatments.  We can then factor this information into approach to treating cancers so that we not only save lives, but also improve the quality of life during and after treatment.

o       Improving Access to Support Groups. The CDC will provide $25 million to community-based groups, in conjunction with the health care institutions providing cancer treatment, to run survivorship support groups that allow cancer survivors to meet with other survivors in their communities and gain the support and information that would not necessarily be provided by health care professionals.

o       Special focus on young people. Adolescent and young adults diagnosed with cancer face different challenges than older individuals: they may feel more isolated; wrestle with body image and fertility issues; they are more likely to lack health insurance; and they have not yet lived out their dreams.  In addition, these are the only age categories that are not experiencing an increase in five year survivor rates.  Hillary will dedicate 10% of the funding within the survivorship study to analyzing the long term impact of cancer on adolescents and young adults. 

Guaranteed, high quality health care coverage for all.  Nearly 45 million Americans lack health insurance and about 16 million more are underinsured.  Studies consistently show that those who lack insurance or who are underinsured have higher cancer mortality rates than those with high quality coverage, yet for cancer patients, or those at high risk of obtaining cancer, securing and maintaining high quality insurance can be an uphill battle.  One out of every four cancer patients with insurance use up all or most of their life savings while treating their cancer because of the extraordinary costs of cancer drugs.  Universal health care with a high quality meaningful prescription drug benefit will help those without insurance and those with underinsurance obtain the treatment they need.  

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COLUMBIA * State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex is going to Latta and to Georgetown this week as part of a continuing statewide tour aimed at building support for his reform efforts and discussing his priorities for the 2008 legislative session.

On Tuesday, August 28, Rex is guest speaker for the noon luncheon meeting of the Latta Rotary Club at 201 West Main Street, Latta (Dillon County).  On Wednesday, August 29, he speaks at 5 p.m. at Georgetown County’s Teacher Forum held at Georgetown Middle School.

“We have spent the summer planning for an aggressive approach to education reform,” Rex said, “and I’m eager to visit every community in South Carolina over the coming weeks and months to discuss our plans - to get public input and ultimately build the support needed to accomplish a great deal next year.”

Rex said his reform plan would be a package of proposed legislation, regulations and modified policies designed to help the State Department of Education.  The package includes:

(1) Create a new system of fiscal accountability for South Carolina’s schools and school districts.  Rex will seek authority to work with schools and districts to provide fiscal support and oversight and intervene if resources are not being managed effectively.  He will seek incentives and resources to support consolidation of districts when it’s feasible and there’s community support to do so.

(2) Lay the groundwork for a new system of fair and equitable funding by addressing the way South Carolina raises and distributes all state revenues, with a special focus on public schools.

(3) Create a new system of public school choice that encourages and rewards innovation and allows parents, students, teachers, and schools more flexibility when choosing public education paths.

(4) Reform the 1998 Accountability Act to increase diagnostic testing, decrease costs, and reduce the amount time spent testing for accountability purposes.

(5) Create safer and healthier schools by reducing crime and disruption and improving the physical environments of our schools.

(6) Elevate the teaching profession with fair, results-based compensation reform, including a pay increase for teachers, the launch of a pilot program on team teaching, and a new, statewide public relations campaign aimed at changing the image of the profession.

Rex said grassroots support will be necessary to advance these reforms during the 2008 session, when lawmakers will need “political courage” to tackle big issues during an election year.

“As I have said before, we’re not talking about the kind of ‘courage’ needed to go into battle in Afghanistan or Iraq,” he said. “We’re talking about the kind of political courage that requires leaders to take risks to ensure a successful future for our children and our state.”

The back-to-school tour schedule began in Spartanburg in mid-August and is continuing in communities across South Carolina.

WASHINGTON, DC—House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn today commented on the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

“The resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is long overdue. His tumultuous tenure was marked by an unprecedented disregard for our nation’s civil rights laws and fundamental civil liberties that serve as essential safeguards for the American public.

“As a young civil rights leader in South Carolina in the 1960s, I had many run-ins and dealings with the U.S. Department of Justice but never in my lifetime have I witnessed a Justice Department more tarnished by misstatements, falsehoods, and disingenuous sentiments than Gonzales’ Justice Department. President Bush should seize on the resignation of Attorney General Gonzales as an opportunity to select not only an individual who is qualified on paper to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement official, but one who also has the moral standing to restore the prestige once associated with this distinguished position.”

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