Tag: Uncertainty

Blue states are buying up abortion medication amid legal uncertainty

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California contracted with ANI Pharmaceuticals through the state’s drug affordability initiative to pay a little over $100,000 for the first 250,000 doses on hand, with an option to purchase more at the same price of around 43 cents per pill, according to Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary Julia Spiegel. Pharmacies who cannot find the drug on their own can request some from the state’s supply.
The details have been shared with other states who may want to take advantage of the same deal. “We wanted to be very mindful about not creating any kind of run on the market or uncertainty in other states,” Spiegel said.
Newsom is not the only Democratic governor buying abortion medication in bulk. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey also announced Monday that her state would be purchasing 15,000 doses of mifepristone through the state university system. Last week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced his state had purchased 30,000 doses of mifepristone through the correctional system and 10,000 doses through the university system.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday told CNN she would push legislation that would require insurance companies to cover misoprostol. “We’re trying to figure out all the different ways we can get ahead of this,” she said.
Newsom and fellow Democrats have long proclaimed California to be a “reproductive freedom state,” launching a website to connect abortion seekers with services, appropriating money to help people with the costs of getting an abortion and teaming up with other states to secure abortion access.
Misoprostol works by causing contractions, so the uterus expels any products of conception and passes a pregnancy. It’s usually taken 24-48 hours after mifepristone, a drug that blocks the hormone progesterone and terminates a pregnancy.
Mifepristone was the subject of two federal court rulings on Friday that could complicate patients’ access. A judge in Texas ruled that the FDA’s 20-year-old approval of the drug should be blocked — a decision the Justice Department immediately vowed to appeal. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said the Biden administration may simply ignore the decision. But on the same day, a federal judge in Washington ruled in a separate case against blocking mifepristone.
Misoprostol can also be used by itself to end a pregnancy, which could provide a backstop if mifepristone suddenly becomes unobtainable.

“Given the uncertainty and fear with the ongoing litigation and conflicting court opinions, it’s hard enough for those in the weeds of it to follow what’s happening,” Speigel said. “We purchased this stockpile to ensure Californians know that they have ongoing access to medication abortion no matter what is happening in the courts.”
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#Blue #states #buying #abortion #medication #legal #uncertainty
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 11, 2023
US court ends uncertainty over work permit for H-1B spouses

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Washington: In major relief for thousands of Indian techies, a US court has dismissed a lawsuit that sought to deny work authorisation to spouses of H-1B visa holders in queue for Green Card, ending the uncertainty that has dogged them for years.
A district court of Washington ruled on Wednesday that the work authorisation is in compliance with the Immigration and Naturalisation Act and supported by “decades of Executive-branch practice, and both explicit and implicit congressional ratification of that practice”.
The United States had granted more than 59,000 work authorisations – called Employment Authorisation Documents (EADs) and Form I-765 – in 2021, including both initial and renewal to holders of H-4 visas that are granted to spouses of H-1B visa holders who are mostly from India. There are more than 100,000 H-4 EAD holders now, mostly women.

The US has been granting EADs to H-4 spouses of H-1B visa holders whose applications have been accepted for Green Card since 2015, under a rule introduced by then President Barack Obama. The objective was to make it financially worthwhile for H-1 holders waiting for Green Card, which takes many years for applicants from India.
The rule, technically issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was challenged by Save Jobs USA, an organisation of workers of a California company laid off because their jobs had been outsourced – also in 2015 – to two companies from India, Infosys and Tata Consultancy, which were staffed almost entirely at the time with Indian IT workers on H-1B visas.
The rule was defended by the DGS, joined by intervenors Immigration Voice and an impacted Indian-descent H-1B spouse, and friend-of-court filings from more than 40 companies and organisations.
Save Jobs USA had argued, chiefly, that the “rule lacks statutory authorization, violates the non-delegation doctrine, and is arbitrary and capricious”.
US District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan threw out their lawsuit, ending years of uncertainty, which included four years of President Donald Trump’s term, when immigration hardliners of his administration had appeared more sympathetic to the case made out by the Save Jobs USA than to DHS.

After proposing it in 2017, the Trump administration had notified a rule in 2019 rescinding the H-4 EAD rule.
And as an out-of-court settlement seemed between the Trump administration and Save Jobs USA, Immigration Voice, an advocacy group of Indians pushing for changes in US laws to end long waiting periods for Indians in queue for Green Card. Vikram Desai of the organisation said it was this intervention that prevented the out-of-court settlement.
“None of the big tech companies in 2017 and during the Trump administration did anything to help with saving the H4 EAD programme. In fact, big tech discouraged their employees citing fear of retaliation from the Trump administration,” Desai said, adding, “Our members have been extremely upset about the double-standards that the large tech companies continue to show on high-skilled immigration and equality for their employees.”
President Joe Biden withdrew the Trump era proposal on his first day in office, among a whole host of other rules and decisions from his predecessor’s administration. Clearly, the Biden administration has been in favour of letting H-1B spouses work, as ordered during President Obama’s tenure.
The court order has ended all and any remaining uncertainty.
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#court #ends #uncertainty #work #permit #H1B #spouses
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 1, 2023
Uncertainty looms over key govt projets following Sisodia’s arrest

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New Delhi: With the arrest of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the excise policy scam case, uncertainty looms over several critical Delhi government projects, including streetscaping and traffic decongestion plans, ahead of the G20 summit.
Sisodia, who held 18 of the 33 Delhi government departments, was the administrative face of the AP-led dispensation, and was also handling crucial departments like education, health, PWD, among others.
Departments like health and home were handed over to him following his cabinet colleague Satyendar Jain’s arrest in an alleged money laundering case in May last year.
A special CBI court on Monday remanded Sisodia to five-day custody of the central probe agency till March 4.
The CBI on Sunday evening arrested Sisodia in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped liquor policy for 2021-22
Under the streetscaping project, 16 stretches are being revamped and is aimed at decongesting, redesigning and beautifying 540 km of roads across the national capital.
Nearly 1,300 kilometre roads fall under the Public Works Department of the Delhi government.
The beautification of roads includes well-designed pedestrian-friendly footpaths, development of green stretches through plantations, creation of open air sitting areas, cycle tracks, selfie points, public facilities like water ATMs, toilets and street furniture.

Sisodia was keenly involved in checking progress of the work under the project by holding regular meetings with officials and carrying out inspections.
His arrest will definitely hinder the progress, said party functionaries.
“It was estimated that more than Rs 1,000 crore will be spent by the Delhi government on events related to the G20 Summit.
“The deputy chief minister had been holding various meetings to review projects related to the G20 Summit and to expedite other ambitious works of the government, including making roads akin to European standards. These projects will of course be hindered,” said an AAP functionary.
Asked whether the party has thought of anyone to replace Sisodia, the functionary said it is ‘too early’ to think about it.
“Sisodia will continue to be part of the cabinet like Jain. His portfolio will be distributed among the existing ministers like Kailash Gahlot, Imran Hussain and Gopal Rai.
“There is a possibility that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal might assume charge of some key portfolios. But meetings will be held among the party’s top brass to decide the future course of action,” he said.
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#Uncertainty #looms #key #govt #projets #Sisodias #arrest
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 27, 2023
Demolitions Trigger Uncertainty, Azad Tells Amit Shah

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SRINAGAR: Democratic Azad Party chief Ghulam Nabi Azad called upon Union Home Minister Amit Shah to apprise him of “land eviction issues” in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a statement, DAP said Ghulam Nabi Azad met Amit Shah to apprise him of “serious unrest and uncertainty prevailing” among the public due to the “circular of eviction issued by the UT administration directing all Deputy Commissioners to remove the encroachments on state land, including Roshni and Kacharai.”
Taking to social networking site Twitter, Azad said he met Amit Shah on Wednesday regarding the land eviction issues in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Met union Home minister Amit Shah Ji regarding land eviction issues in J&K. Apprised him about the prevailing unrest & uncertainty among the common people who are forced to vacate the properties which are otherwise recognized by successive regimes. Amit Shah Ji assured me no small landholders who constructed houses will be touched!” said Azad, in a series of tweets.
The DAP chairman said that he informed the Home Minister that the majority of the occupants who are holding small lands and have constructed houses over the past few decades are migrants and are mostly victims of militancy, “as well as victims of abnormal situations arising from time to time, being a border state.”
The DAP statement further stated that Azad had taken up the same issue with LG Manoj Sinha, who also assured him to do the needful with a cogent land policy for small landholders.

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#Demolitions #Trigger #Uncertainty #Azad #Tells #Amit #Shah

( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

February 2, 2023