National Adoption and Foster Care Home Study Act

Requested programmatic funding in the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, HR 4432. Rare Earths from U.S. Extractions (REUSE) Appropriation Bill: Defense Army RDT&E Program Element: 0603119A Budget Line 52: Ground Advance Technology Of the funds appropriated on a competitive basis, $10 million is available for Rare Earths from US Extractions (REUSE) Proposal: Provide a funding increase of $10 million in Army RDT&E, Line 52, PE 0603119A, for competitively awarded funding for applied research into identification and recovery of domestic Rare Earth Element reserves and responsible handling of waste to prevent unintended environmental consequences. Novel sorption materials have been developed to extract Rare Earth Elements from liquids, even when other chemicals are present. This request is for a new FY2022 project. Discussion: Rare Earth Elements are critical to advanced military and consumer technology and electronics. Domestic production of these critical elements has decreased over the past 40 years such that China is now the primary global supplier, producing approximately 90% of the worlds supply of Rare Earth Elements. Identification, characterization, and recovery of domestic Rare Earth Resources is critical to maintaining national security and technological advantages. Identifying, developing, and recovering domestic Rare Earth Element resources supports the US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center-managed work focusing on the development of innovative technologies for military applications and detection of compounds of interest in the environment. Program activities include developing new methods for a range of resource compounds, rapid field sensors, and ultrasensitive laboratory methods. Rare Earth Elements are a critical component in advanced military technology, and therefore securing stable sources of these materials are of utmost importance. A novel sorption material that combines a silica matrix with rare-earth-selective binding capabilities was recently developed by academic researchers. Major advances with the material include easy reuse and the ability to function in the presence of large amounts of other metal compounds. This material will enable cleaner, cheaper, and easier recovery of Rare Earth Elements from natural and human-impacted systems. The sorption material has applications ranging from groundwater remediation to recovering Rare Earth Elements from coal fly ash and other waste product leachates. Rare Earth Elements stick to the material, and decontaminated water passes through. When the material is full, extraction solutions release the Rare Earth Elements for collection and subsequent use. The material can be reused and can also separate individual Rare Earth Elements, increasing the value of the collected elements. The proposed project seeks to make the resin more selective and couple with strategies to recover other metals from the source materials. Development and testing will rely on collaborations between Army researchers, academic institutions, and industry for identifying, characterizing, and recovering various domestic Rare Earth Element resources. Successful development of these resources will ultimately support the Army by providing domestic resources of valuable materials that are currently subject to uncontrollable geopolitical factors, leading to US independence on foreign suppliers. The proposed funding would be available for small businesses and academic institutions to submit innovative proposals to perform complimentary development of technologies that can enable the rapid development of these critical domestic resources. The Army will perform a competitive source selection and award to the most promising proposals. By setting aside these project awards to small businesses and academic institutions, these non-traditional defense contractors will be more involved in the defense technology enterprise. The Office of Womens Health at Wayne State University Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor, HHS and Education - $3 million Health and Human Services/Office of the Secretary/Office of Womens Health Summary: Wayne State University established a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, academically, research and treatment based Office of Womens Health (OWH) addressing the health disparities to underserved communities in 2019. This funding seeks to expand upon that research and treatment. Women, and in particular underrepresented minority women, are in a unique position in history. Great strides have been made in some areas; however, the disparities of health and economics, which have been in existence for decades, persist and have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. These inequities must be recognized and remedied. We are at a moment in history in the United States when women have higher rates of chronic disease than men, are delivering preterm births in some cities at rates that rival third world countries, and are underrepresented in STEM fields. The health, well-being and success of women, and the families they support, determine the success of a community. If we do not optimize the health, education and success of minority women, the long-term economic and educational impact will be detrimental to our entire country. A successful movement in womens health will not only empower women, but will propel them to a more prosperous future for themselves, their families and our nation. WSU has a substantial track record of executing world-renowned research programs in maternal and child health. For example, WSU has housed the National Institute of Healths Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) for over 25 years. Through the execution of the PRB contract, WSU has impacted the lives of over 25,000 pregnant women in an urban setting. Thus, WSU is well positioned to now lead this effort in Womens Health. WSU demonstrated its commitment to focus on womens health across the lifespan through scientific, economic, environmental, and social factors through its recent establishment of The Office of Womens Health. The Office of Womens Health (OWH) at Wayne State University was created to improve the health of women across the lifespan. The five pillars of the Office include: 1) Research and Development, 2) Education and Health Literacy, 3) Implementation Science, 4) Policy and Healthcare access; and 5) Women in STEM fields. These pillars are being applied through an overarching movement. For example, The OWH now serves as the Coordinating Center for over 12 clinical and university sites which collectively deliver over 50,000 pregnant women per year. This Statewide Collaborative will serve as a critical mechanism to conduct the work of the OWH as a Center of Excellence. In order to positively affect womens health, efforts must be more than many projects, but a movement. Our faculty and staff leadership have adopted a mission to improve the health of women in order to maximize the opportunity for families to thrive and achieve economic security. WSU has directed its focus to evaluate ways to diminish the pandemics substantial health, economic, and societal consequences. Women are in leadership roles worldwide - Governors, Representatives, Senators and the Vice President of the United States. Women have shattered very high glass ceilings. However, in order for women to be the best and strongest versions of themselves, we must take care of their health. The future of the economy, health and well-being of our society is increasingly dependent upon women through their roles as providers and caregivers. The center will focus on research in areas where health disparities are the greatest for minority women. An emphasis will be placed on establishing the most effective interventions to remedy societal inequities as it relates to health care, social determinants of health and policy. National Police De-escalation Training Center Appropriations Bill: Homeland Security HR4431 and HR4505, Commerce, Justice, Science - COPS programs or Byrne Grants - $11,000,000 Summary: Wayne State University has provided training to police officers for de-escalation of force since 2019, and has trained our entire police force, which patrols a third of the city of Detroit, as well as officers in the state of Michigan. This funding will expand and broaden the reach of our National De-Escalation Training Center. Following the recommendations of the Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing in 2015 and the calls for law enforcement reforms following the death of George Floyd in 2020, several congressional bills have proposed the establishment of standardization and best practices in de-escalation training for law enforcement officers nation-wide. To address this need, in early 2020 the newly established non-profit corporation, National De-escalation Training Center (NDTC) established its headquarters in Detroit Michigan at Wayne State University Police Department and began training. To be effective, de-escalation by a law enforcement officer requires several elements that are founded in procedural justice. Numerous studies reveal that when procedural justice is present law enforcement is deemed legitimate and likelihood of subject cooperation and peaceful compliance is significantly increased. Traditional de-escalation practices include these foundational elements such as being fair, impartial, and transparent and providing opportunity for the subject to be heard. Best practices have been determined to include the above as well as elements such as accepting abusive language without reacting, permitting venting , using non-judgmental communication, safe distancing and explaining options. The first and only de-escalation model available that integrates rapid personality identification into de-escalation is provided in NDTC training. This component of NDTC training was first developed as part of a university program funded by the Offices of the Director of National Intelligence and administered by the Defense Intelligence Agency, NDTC has an exclusive license to utilize this material specifically for first responder de-escalation purposes. Simulators easily accommodate the inclusion of licensed personality models currently used at NDTC. The funding would be utilized to augment state, and local training budgets in de-escalation using standardized training and materials deemed by network-wide consensus to be best evidence-based practices. Funding would also be used for furtherer development of innovations regarding alternatives to use of force via-de-escalation. Environmental Contaminants and Maternal Health Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor, HHS, Education/ Health Resources Administration/Health Care Systems - $11,000,000 Wayne State Universities seeks to form a comprehensive team to investigate, design and deploy novel mitigation technologies to address the alarming rates of preterm birth and associated adverse health outcomes in Detroit and other large urban centers connected to environmental contaminations. The focus is the relationship between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure and human health risks. This request is for a new FY2021 project. Originating from manufactured products, very volatile, volatile, and semi-volatile organic chemicals-collectively referred to as VOCs-are common legacy contaminants in post-industrial urban centers, including Detroit. VOCs and their mixtures contaminate groundwater, move through the sub-surface, volatilize in soil air pockets, and affect indoor air quality in buildings via vapor intrusion. Originally thought to be confined to designated high-risk sites, VOC contamination is now known to pervade homes, businesses, schools, and all facets of the urban built environment. VOCs have significant effects on human health and the environment. Exposure to VOCs during pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth (PTB, birth <37 weeks gestation) and associated adverse health outcomes, which can have lifelong effects. This project team has recently reported that higher air shed benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) levels are associated with PTB in Detroit. Our findings support several observational studies conducted in the US, Spain, France, Brazil, and Canada that found positive associations between VOC exposure and adverse birth outcomes. Also, several lines of evidence indicate VOCs impact inflammatory pathways linked to PTB, suggesting that VOCs may influence PTB via maternal and/or offspring inflammation. The widespread prevalence of VOC-contaminated parcels and high PTB rate in the City of Detroit make this a uniquely compelling location for the study of the relationship between VOC exposure and maternal-offspring health. The WSU team, based in Detroit, is dedicated to understanding and mitigating this serious environmental health problem. The project address critical gaps in understanding the: (1) migration, (2) impact, and (3) mitigation of environmentally significant VOC contaminants in an urban context. Through a transdisciplinary team of engineering, environmental science, and medical investigators, the team will pursue three specific aims. These aims collectively advance the goal of reducing the impacts of environmental contaminants on environmental and public health, focusing on the alarming rate of PTB in Detroit. The team will develop innovative analytical and mitigation approaches (Aim 1), assess the role of VOCs in PTB rates (Aim 2), and determine the mechanisms by which VOCs produce their adverse effects, leading to improved science-based decision-making and protection of public health from VOCs (Aim 3). The WSU team environmental research and outreach is centered on the City of Detroit, Michigan, which has the highest PTB rate (15.2%) in the country. The findings will not only be applicable to the large number of U.S. cities seeking to limit environmental and health impacts of VOC exposure, but also allow the team to directly intervene in a city disproportionately impacted by this national health priority. Open Source Academic Publishing Platform Appropriations Bill: HR 4505, Commerce-State-Justice/Commerce/Economic Development Administration/National Science Foundation -$1 million (over two years) Wayne State University current has Vega, a state-of-the-art publishing platform that provides free access to research to all. WSU publishing hopes to provide more, better and quicker means to produce and preserve open-access scholarship for regional, state-wide and international scholars, readers and community members. Of the funds appropriated, $1,000,000 over two years is available to support the establishment and research of the impact of a non-profit academic demonstration project to produce and preserve open-access scholarship for regional, state-wide, national and international scholars, readers and community members. As an academy-owned, open-source publishing platform, Vega is unique in offering a truly born-digital publishing experience, meaning authors and publishers can get research to readers in the quickest manner possible while including multimedia content that helps readers better interpret scholarly research. Vega is customizable for publishers of all types of content: scholarly books, textbooks, articles and journals, video and audio content, data sets, and other presentational forms. Vega structures its content for easy export, preservation, and accessibility far into the future. Scholarly publishing has been in crisis for decades. Academics submit publications to commercial publishing venues that charge universities exorbitant fees (hundreds of thousands to millions of U.S. dollars per contract) to access their own scholars work. Those same venues also charge authors thousands of dollars per submission to provide their article for free to readers who do not have subscriptions to these costly journals. Life-saving work is being hidden behind paywalls that only the most prestigious and endowed universities in the world can afford. In response, university libraries have been promoting open-access (OA) scholarship-work that is freely available to anyone with an internet connection. Vega is an open-access platform built to break down the proprietary nature of commercial scholarly publishing by putting the power of publishing back into the hands of researchers. Vega propagates interdisciplinary, innovative, and trans-global research and exists to help authors, universities, and non-profit academic publishers deliver research through efficient, inexpensive, and beautiful means. In doing so, Vega helps users fulfill federal and global open-access mandates (i.e., Open Data Policy, OA2020, Plan S). Regional Poison Control Center Appropriations Bill: HR 4052, Labor/HHS/Education/HHS/Health Resources Services Administration/Health Care Systems - $7.3 Million The Michigan Regional Poison Control Center (PCC), located at Wayne State University, receives about 64,000 calls annually and is open 24/7/365 days per year. Poison Control Centers: The Committee supports the funding of Poison Control Centers at $30 million. This program funds poison centers, a national toll-free number (800-222-1222) and informs health care providers about poison prevention and poison center services. The Michigan Regional PCCs interventions have enabled over 71% of the unintentional exposure calls (among children under the age of 19) to be handle in the home so that children did not have to use an emergency department or need a 911 call and response. This has become even more dire during the various lock-downs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. For those children whose exposure necessitated hospital evaluation and treatment, the Michigan PCCs interventions contributed substantially to reducing resource utilization and decreasing length of stay at hospitals with significant cost savings to the city, counties and state of Michigan. Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor/HHS/Education/HHS/Health Resources Services Administration/Health Care Systems - $16.3 Million Provide full funding for the Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Disorders (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The PRB at Wayne State University is the only branch of NIH located outside of Bethesda, MD. Sample draft language: The Committee recognized that in recent years, preterm birth affected about 1 out of every 10 infants born in the United States. For Black women and other ethnic minorities, this rate is often three times higher. The Committee applauds the work of the Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University and supports the full funding for the continued research and training of perinatal and maternal fetal medicine specialists and prenatal research. The PRBs mission is to conduct clinical and basic research in perinatology and related disciplines with the goal of developing novel diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive strategies to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes, infant mortality and disabilities. The PRB also provides research training for physicians, scientists and other health care professionals whose aim is to improve the health care of mothers and their children. The PRB has assisted more than 25,000 at-risk mothers since the program launched over 20 years ago in Detroit - most of them uninsured patients of the Detroit Medical Center. The PRB has had many successes in its tenure at Wayne State University, with several world-shattering discoveries that have reduced preterm birth world-wide. HR 959, the Momnibus Health Care Act - lobbied in support of this legislation that will address health care disparities for Black women and their children. HR 3684, INVEST in America Act - lobbied in support of House passage of the infrastructure authorization for road and water improvements.

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Requested programmatic funding in the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, HR 4432. Rare Earths from U.S. Extractions (REUSE) Appropriation Bill: Defense Army RDT&E Program Element: 0603119A Budget Line 52: Ground Advance Technology Of the funds appropriated on a competitive basis, $10 million is available for Rare Earths from US Extractions (REUSE) Proposal: Provide a funding increase of $10 million in Army RDT&E, Line 52, PE 0603119A, for competitively awarded funding for applied research into identification and recovery of domestic Rare Earth Element reserves and responsible handling of waste to prevent unintended environmental consequences. Novel sorption materials have been developed to extract Rare Earth Elements from liquids, even when other chemicals are present. This request is for a new FY2022 project. Discussion: Rare Earth Elements are critical to advanced military and consumer technology and electronics. Domestic production of these critical elements has decreased over the past 40 years such that China is now the primary global supplier, producing approximately 90% of the worlds supply of Rare Earth Elements. Identification, characterization, and recovery of domestic Rare Earth Resources is critical to maintaining national security and technological advantages. Identifying, developing, and recovering domestic Rare Earth Element resources supports the US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center-managed work focusing on the development of innovative technologies for military applications and detection of compounds of interest in the environment. Program activities include developing new methods for a range of resource compounds, rapid field sensors, and ultrasensitive laboratory methods. Rare Earth Elements are a critical component in advanced military technology, and therefore securing stable sources of these materials are of utmost importance. A novel sorption material that combines a silica matrix with rare-earth-selective binding capabilities was recently developed by academic researchers. Major advances with the material include easy reuse and the ability to function in the presence of large amounts of other metal compounds. This material will enable cleaner, cheaper, and easier recovery of Rare Earth Elements from natural and human-impacted systems. The sorption material has applications ranging from groundwater remediation to recovering Rare Earth Elements from coal fly ash and other waste product leachates. Rare Earth Elements stick to the material, and decontaminated water passes through. When the material is full, extraction solutions release the Rare Earth Elements for collection and subsequent use. The material can be reused and can also separate individual Rare Earth Elements, increasing the value of the collected elements. The proposed project seeks to make the resin more selective and couple with strategies to recover other metals from the source materials. Development and testing will rely on collaborations between Army researchers, academic institutions, and industry for identifying, characterizing, and recovering various domestic Rare Earth Element resources. Successful development of these resources will ultimately support the Army by providing domestic resources of valuable materials that are currently subject to uncontrollable geopolitical factors, leading to US independence on foreign suppliers. The proposed funding would be available for small businesses and academic institutions to submit innovative proposals to perform complimentary development of technologies that can enable the rapid development of these critical domestic resources. The Army will perform a competitive source selection and award to the most promising proposals. By setting aside these project awards to small businesses and academic institutions, these non-traditional defense contractors will be more involved in the defense technology enterprise. The Office of Womens Health at Wayne State University Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor, HHS and Education - $3 million Health and Human Services/Office of the Secretary/Office of Womens Health Summary: Wayne State University established a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, academically, research and treatment based Office of Womens Health (OWH) addressing the health disparities to underserved communities in 2019. This funding seeks to expand upon that research and treatment. Women, and in particular underrepresented minority women, are in a unique position in history. Great strides have been made in some areas; however, the disparities of health and economics, which have been in existence for decades, persist and have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. These inequities must be recognized and remedied. We are at a moment in history in the United States when women have higher rates of chronic disease than men, are delivering preterm births in some cities at rates that rival third world countries, and are underrepresented in STEM fields. The health, well-being and success of women, and the families they support, determine the success of a community. If we do not optimize the health, education and success of minority women, the long-term economic and educational impact will be detrimental to our entire country. A successful movement in womens health will not only empower women, but will propel them to a more prosperous future for themselves, their families and our nation. WSU has a substantial track record of executing world-renowned research programs in maternal and child health. For example, WSU has housed the National Institute of Healths Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) for over 25 years. Through the execution of the PRB contract, WSU has impacted the lives of over 25,000 pregnant women in an urban setting. Thus, WSU is well positioned to now lead this effort in Womens Health. WSU demonstrated its commitment to focus on womens health across the lifespan through scientific, economic, environmental, and social factors through its recent establishment of The Office of Womens Health. The Office of Womens Health (OWH) at Wayne State University was created to improve the health of women across the lifespan. The five pillars of the Office include: 1) Research and Development, 2) Education and Health Literacy, 3) Implementation Science, 4) Policy and Healthcare access; and 5) Women in STEM fields. These pillars are being applied through an overarching movement. For example, The OWH now serves as the Coordinating Center for over 12 clinical and university sites which collectively deliver over 50,000 pregnant women per year. This Statewide Collaborative will serve as a critical mechanism to conduct the work of the OWH as a Center of Excellence. In order to positively affect womens health, efforts must be more than many projects, but a movement. Our faculty and staff leadership have adopted a mission to improve the health of women in order to maximize the opportunity for families to thrive and achieve economic security. WSU has directed its focus to evaluate ways to diminish the pandemics substantial health, economic, and societal consequences. Women are in leadership roles worldwide - Governors, Representatives, Senators and the Vice President of the United States. Women have shattered very high glass ceilings. However, in order for women to be the best and strongest versions of themselves, we must take care of their health. The future of the economy, health and well-being of our society is increasingly dependent upon women through their roles as providers and caregivers. The center will focus on research in areas where health disparities are the greatest for minority women. An emphasis will be placed on establishing the most effective interventions to remedy societal inequities as it relates to health care, social determinants of health and policy. National Police De-escalation Training Center Appropriations Bill: Homeland Security HR4431 and HR4505, Commerce, Justice, Science - COPS programs or Byrne Grants - $11,000,000 Summary: Wayne State University has provided training to police officers for de-escalation of force since 2019, and has trained our entire police force, which patrols a third of the city of Detroit, as well as officers in the state of Michigan. This funding will expand and broaden the reach of our National De-Escalation Training Center. Following the recommendations of the Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing in 2015 and the calls for law enforcement reforms following the death of George Floyd in 2020, several congressional bills have proposed the establishment of standardization and best practices in de-escalation training for law enforcement officers nation-wide. To address this need, in early 2020 the newly established non-profit corporation, National De-escalation Training Center (NDTC) established its headquarters in Detroit Michigan at Wayne State University Police Department and began training. To be effective, de-escalation by a law enforcement officer requires several elements that are founded in procedural justice. Numerous studies reveal that when procedural justice is present law enforcement is deemed legitimate and likelihood of subject cooperation and peaceful compliance is significantly increased. Traditional de-escalation practices include these foundational elements such as being fair, impartial, and transparent and providing opportunity for the subject to be heard. Best practices have been determined to include the above as well as elements such as accepting abusive language without reacting, permitting venting , using non-judgmental communication, safe distancing and explaining options. The first and only de-escalation model available that integrates rapid personality identification into de-escalation is provided in NDTC training. This component of NDTC training was first developed as part of a university program funded by the Offices of the Director of National Intelligence and administered by the Defense Intelligence Agency, NDTC has an exclusive license to utilize this material specifically for first responder de-escalation purposes. Simulators easily accommodate the inclusion of licensed personality models currently used at NDTC. The funding would be utilized to augment state, and local training budgets in de-escalation using standardized training and materials deemed by network-wide consensus to be best evidence-based practices. Funding would also be used for furtherer development of innovations regarding alternatives to use of force via-de-escalation. Environmental Contaminants and Maternal Health Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor, HHS, Education/ Health Resources Administration/Health Care Systems - $11,000,000 Wayne State Universities seeks to form a comprehensive team to investigate, design and deploy novel mitigation technologies to address the alarming rates of preterm birth and associated adverse health outcomes in Detroit and other large urban centers connected to environmental contaminations. The focus is the relationship between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure and human health risks. This request is for a new FY2021 project. Originating from manufactured products, very volatile, volatile, and semi-volatile organic chemicals-collectively referred to as VOCs-are common legacy contaminants in post-industrial urban centers, including Detroit. VOCs and their mixtures contaminate groundwater, move through the sub-surface, volatilize in soil air pockets, and affect indoor air quality in buildings via vapor intrusion. Originally thought to be confined to designated high-risk sites, VOC contamination is now known to pervade homes, businesses, schools, and all facets of the urban built environment. VOCs have significant effects on human health and the environment. Exposure to VOCs during pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth (PTB, birth <37 weeks gestation) and associated adverse health outcomes, which can have lifelong effects. This project team has recently reported that higher air shed benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) levels are associated with PTB in Detroit. Our findings support several observational studies conducted in the US, Spain, France, Brazil, and Canada that found positive associations between VOC exposure and adverse birth outcomes. Also, several lines of evidence indicate VOCs impact inflammatory pathways linked to PTB, suggesting that VOCs may influence PTB via maternal and/or offspring inflammation. The widespread prevalence of VOC-contaminated parcels and high PTB rate in the City of Detroit make this a uniquely compelling location for the study of the relationship between VOC exposure and maternal-offspring health. The WSU team, based in Detroit, is dedicated to understanding and mitigating this serious environmental health problem. The project address critical gaps in understanding the: (1) migration, (2) impact, and (3) mitigation of environmentally significant VOC contaminants in an urban context. Through a transdisciplinary team of engineering, environmental science, and medical investigators, the team will pursue three specific aims. These aims collectively advance the goal of reducing the impacts of environmental contaminants on environmental and public health, focusing on the alarming rate of PTB in Detroit. The team will develop innovative analytical and mitigation approaches (Aim 1), assess the role of VOCs in PTB rates (Aim 2), and determine the mechanisms by which VOCs produce their adverse effects, leading to improved science-based decision-making and protection of public health from VOCs (Aim 3). The WSU team environmental research and outreach is centered on the City of Detroit, Michigan, which has the highest PTB rate (15.2%) in the country. The findings will not only be applicable to the large number of U.S. cities seeking to limit environmental and health impacts of VOC exposure, but also allow the team to directly intervene in a city disproportionately impacted by this national health priority. Open Source Academic Publishing Platform Appropriations Bill: HR 4505, Commerce-State-Justice/Commerce/Economic Development Administration/National Science Foundation -$1 million (over two years) Wayne State University current has Vega, a state-of-the-art publishing platform that provides free access to research to all. WSU publishing hopes to provide more, better and quicker means to produce and preserve open-access scholarship for regional, state-wide and international scholars, readers and community members. Of the funds appropriated, $1,000,000 over two years is available to support the establishment and research of the impact of a non-profit academic demonstration project to produce and preserve open-access scholarship for regional, state-wide, national and international scholars, readers and community members. As an academy-owned, open-source publishing platform, Vega is unique in offering a truly born-digital publishing experience, meaning authors and publishers can get research to readers in the quickest manner possible while including multimedia content that helps readers better interpret scholarly research. Vega is customizable for publishers of all types of content: scholarly books, textbooks, articles and journals, video and audio content, data sets, and other presentational forms. Vega structures its content for easy export, preservation, and accessibility far into the future. Scholarly publishing has been in crisis for decades. Academics submit publications to commercial publishing venues that charge universities exorbitant fees (hundreds of thousands to millions of U.S. dollars per contract) to access their own scholars work. Those same venues also charge authors thousands of dollars per submission to provide their article for free to readers who do not have subscriptions to these costly journals. Life-saving work is being hidden behind paywalls that only the most prestigious and endowed universities in the world can afford. In response, university libraries have been promoting open-access (OA) scholarship-work that is freely available to anyone with an internet connection. Vega is an open-access platform built to break down the proprietary nature of commercial scholarly publishing by putting the power of publishing back into the hands of researchers. Vega propagates interdisciplinary, innovative, and trans-global research and exists to help authors, universities, and non-profit academic publishers deliver research through efficient, inexpensive, and beautiful means. In doing so, Vega helps users fulfill federal and global open-access mandates (i.e., Open Data Policy, OA2020, Plan S). Regional Poison Control Center Appropriations Bill: HR 4052, Labor/HHS/Education/HHS/Health Resources Services Administration/Health Care Systems - $7.3 Million The Michigan Regional Poison Control Center (PCC), located at Wayne State University, receives about 64,000 calls annually and is open 24/7/365 days per year. Poison Control Centers: The Committee supports the funding of Poison Control Centers at $30 million. This program funds poison centers, a national toll-free number (800-222-1222) and informs health care providers about poison prevention and poison center services. The Michigan Regional PCCs interventions have enabled over 71% of the unintentional exposure calls (among children under the age of 19) to be handle in the home so that children did not have to use an emergency department or need a 911 call and response. This has become even more dire during the various lock-downs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. For those children whose exposure necessitated hospital evaluation and treatment, the Michigan PCCs interventions contributed substantially to reducing resource utilization and decreasing length of stay at hospitals with significant cost savings to the city, counties and state of Michigan. Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor/HHS/Education/HHS/Health Resources Services Administration/Health Care Systems - $16.3 Million Provide full funding for the Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Disorders (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The PRB at Wayne State University is the only branch of NIH located outside of Bethesda, MD. Sample draft language: The Committee recognized that in recent years, preterm birth affected about 1 out of every 10 infants born in the United States. For Black women and other ethnic minorities, this rate is often three times higher. The Committee applauds the work of the Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University and supports the full funding for the continued research and training of perinatal and maternal fetal medicine specialists and prenatal research. The PRBs mission is to conduct clinical and basic research in perinatology and related disciplines with the goal of developing novel diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive strategies to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes, infant mortality and disabilities. The PRB also provides research training for physicians, scientists and other health care professionals whose aim is to improve the health care of mothers and their children. The PRB has assisted more than 25,000 at-risk mothers since the program launched over 20 years ago in Detroit - most of them uninsured patients of the Detroit Medical Center. The PRB has had many successes in its tenure at Wayne State University, with several world-shattering discoveries that have reduced preterm birth world-wide. HR 959, the Momnibus Health Care Act - lobbied in support of this legislation that will address health care disparities for Black women and their children. HR 3684, INVEST in America Act - lobbied in support of House passage of the infrastructure authorization for road and water improvements.

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

Requested programmatic funding in the Department of Defense Appropriations Bill, HR 4432. Rare Earths from U.S. Extractions (REUSE) Appropriation Bill: Defense Army RDT&E Program Element: 0603119A Budget Line 52: Ground Advance Technology Of the funds appropriated on a competitive basis, $10 million is available for Rare Earths from US Extractions (REUSE) Proposal: Provide a funding increase of $10 million in Army RDT&E, Line 52, PE 0603119A, for competitively awarded funding for applied research into identification and recovery of domestic Rare Earth Element reserves and responsible handling of waste to prevent unintended environmental consequences. Novel sorption materials have been developed to extract Rare Earth Elements from liquids, even when other chemicals are present. This request is for a new FY2022 project. Discussion: Rare Earth Elements are critical to advanced military and consumer technology and electronics. Domestic production of these critical elements has decreased over the past 40 years such that China is now the primary global supplier, producing approximately 90% of the worlds supply of Rare Earth Elements. Identification, characterization, and recovery of domestic Rare Earth Resources is critical to maintaining national security and technological advantages. Identifying, developing, and recovering domestic Rare Earth Element resources supports the US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center-managed work focusing on the development of innovative technologies for military applications and detection of compounds of interest in the environment. Program activities include developing new methods for a range of resource compounds, rapid field sensors, and ultrasensitive laboratory methods. Rare Earth Elements are a critical component in advanced military technology, and therefore securing stable sources of these materials are of utmost importance. A novel sorption material that combines a silica matrix with rare-earth-selective binding capabilities was recently developed by academic researchers. Major advances with the material include easy reuse and the ability to function in the presence of large amounts of other metal compounds. This material will enable cleaner, cheaper, and easier recovery of Rare Earth Elements from natural and human-impacted systems. The sorption material has applications ranging from groundwater remediation to recovering Rare Earth Elements from coal fly ash and other waste product leachates. Rare Earth Elements stick to the material, and decontaminated water passes through. When the material is full, extraction solutions release the Rare Earth Elements for collection and subsequent use. The material can be reused and can also separate individual Rare Earth Elements, increasing the value of the collected elements. The proposed project seeks to make the resin more selective and couple with strategies to recover other metals from the source materials. Development and testing will rely on collaborations between Army researchers, academic institutions, and industry for identifying, characterizing, and recovering various domestic Rare Earth Element resources. Successful development of these resources will ultimately support the Army by providing domestic resources of valuable materials that are currently subject to uncontrollable geopolitical factors, leading to US independence on foreign suppliers. The proposed funding would be available for small businesses and academic institutions to submit innovative proposals to perform complimentary development of technologies that can enable the rapid development of these critical domestic resources. The Army will perform a competitive source selection and award to the most promising proposals. By setting aside these project awards to small businesses and academic institutions, these non-traditional defense contractors will be more involved in the defense technology enterprise. The Office of Womens Health at Wayne State University Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor, HHS and Education - $3 million Health and Human Services/Office of the Secretary/Office of Womens Health Summary: Wayne State University established a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, academically, research and treatment based Office of Womens Health (OWH) addressing the health disparities to underserved communities in 2019. This funding seeks to expand upon that research and treatment. Women, and in particular underrepresented minority women, are in a unique position in history. Great strides have been made in some areas; however, the disparities of health and economics, which have been in existence for decades, persist and have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. These inequities must be recognized and remedied. We are at a moment in history in the United States when women have higher rates of chronic disease than men, are delivering preterm births in some cities at rates that rival third world countries, and are underrepresented in STEM fields. The health, well-being and success of women, and the families they support, determine the success of a community. If we do not optimize the health, education and success of minority women, the long-term economic and educational impact will be detrimental to our entire country. A successful movement in womens health will not only empower women, but will propel them to a more prosperous future for themselves, their families and our nation. WSU has a substantial track record of executing world-renowned research programs in maternal and child health. For example, WSU has housed the National Institute of Healths Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) for over 25 years. Through the execution of the PRB contract, WSU has impacted the lives of over 25,000 pregnant women in an urban setting. Thus, WSU is well positioned to now lead this effort in Womens Health. WSU demonstrated its commitment to focus on womens health across the lifespan through scientific, economic, environmental, and social factors through its recent establishment of The Office of Womens Health. The Office of Womens Health (OWH) at Wayne State University was created to improve the health of women across the lifespan. The five pillars of the Office include: 1) Research and Development, 2) Education and Health Literacy, 3) Implementation Science, 4) Policy and Healthcare access; and 5) Women in STEM fields. These pillars are being applied through an overarching movement. For example, The OWH now serves as the Coordinating Center for over 12 clinical and university sites which collectively deliver over 50,000 pregnant women per year. This Statewide Collaborative will serve as a critical mechanism to conduct the work of the OWH as a Center of Excellence. In order to positively affect womens health, efforts must be more than many projects, but a movement. Our faculty and staff leadership have adopted a mission to improve the health of women in order to maximize the opportunity for families to thrive and achieve economic security. WSU has directed its focus to evaluate ways to diminish the pandemics substantial health, economic, and societal consequences. Women are in leadership roles worldwide - Governors, Representatives, Senators and the Vice President of the United States. Women have shattered very high glass ceilings. However, in order for women to be the best and strongest versions of themselves, we must take care of their health. The future of the economy, health and well-being of our society is increasingly dependent upon women through their roles as providers and caregivers. The center will focus on research in areas where health disparities are the greatest for minority women. An emphasis will be placed on establishing the most effective interventions to remedy societal inequities as it relates to health care, social determinants of health and policy. National Police De-escalation Training Center Appropriations Bill: Homeland Security HR4431 and HR4505, Commerce, Justice, Science - COPS programs or Byrne Grants - $11,000,000 Summary: Wayne State University has provided training to police officers for de-escalation of force since 2019, and has trained our entire police force, which patrols a third of the city of Detroit, as well as officers in the state of Michigan. This funding will expand and broaden the reach of our National De-Escalation Training Center. Following the recommendations of the Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing in 2015 and the calls for law enforcement reforms following the death of George Floyd in 2020, several congressional bills have proposed the establishment of standardization and best practices in de-escalation training for law enforcement officers nation-wide. To address this need, in early 2020 the newly established non-profit corporation, National De-escalation Training Center (NDTC) established its headquarters in Detroit Michigan at Wayne State University Police Department and began training. To be effective, de-escalation by a law enforcement officer requires several elements that are founded in procedural justice. Numerous studies reveal that when procedural justice is present law enforcement is deemed legitimate and likelihood of subject cooperation and peaceful compliance is significantly increased. Traditional de-escalation practices include these foundational elements such as being fair, impartial, and transparent and providing opportunity for the subject to be heard. Best practices have been determined to include the above as well as elements such as accepting abusive language without reacting, permitting venting , using non-judgmental communication, safe distancing and explaining options. The first and only de-escalation model available that integrates rapid personality identification into de-escalation is provided in NDTC training. This component of NDTC training was first developed as part of a university program funded by the Offices of the Director of National Intelligence and administered by the Defense Intelligence Agency, NDTC has an exclusive license to utilize this material specifically for first responder de-escalation purposes. Simulators easily accommodate the inclusion of licensed personality models currently used at NDTC. The funding would be utilized to augment state, and local training budgets in de-escalation using standardized training and materials deemed by network-wide consensus to be best evidence-based practices. Funding would also be used for furtherer development of innovations regarding alternatives to use of force via-de-escalation. Environmental Contaminants and Maternal Health Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor, HHS, Education/ Health Resources Administration/Health Care Systems - $11,000,000 Wayne State Universities seeks to form a comprehensive team to investigate, design and deploy novel mitigation technologies to address the alarming rates of preterm birth and associated adverse health outcomes in Detroit and other large urban centers connected to environmental contaminations. The focus is the relationship between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure and human health risks. This request is for a new FY2021 project. Originating from manufactured products, very volatile, volatile, and semi-volatile organic chemicals-collectively referred to as VOCs-are common legacy contaminants in post-industrial urban centers, including Detroit. VOCs and their mixtures contaminate groundwater, move through the sub-surface, volatilize in soil air pockets, and affect indoor air quality in buildings via vapor intrusion. Originally thought to be confined to designated high-risk sites, VOC contamination is now known to pervade homes, businesses, schools, and all facets of the urban built environment. VOCs have significant effects on human health and the environment. Exposure to VOCs during pregnancy has been linked to preterm birth (PTB, birth <37 weeks gestation) and associated adverse health outcomes, which can have lifelong effects. This project team has recently reported that higher air shed benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) levels are associated with PTB in Detroit. Our findings support several observational studies conducted in the US, Spain, France, Brazil, and Canada that found positive associations between VOC exposure and adverse birth outcomes. Also, several lines of evidence indicate VOCs impact inflammatory pathways linked to PTB, suggesting that VOCs may influence PTB via maternal and/or offspring inflammation. The widespread prevalence of VOC-contaminated parcels and high PTB rate in the City of Detroit make this a uniquely compelling location for the study of the relationship between VOC exposure and maternal-offspring health. The WSU team, based in Detroit, is dedicated to understanding and mitigating this serious environmental health problem. The project address critical gaps in understanding the: (1) migration, (2) impact, and (3) mitigation of environmentally significant VOC contaminants in an urban context. Through a transdisciplinary team of engineering, environmental science, and medical investigators, the team will pursue three specific aims. These aims collectively advance the goal of reducing the impacts of environmental contaminants on environmental and public health, focusing on the alarming rate of PTB in Detroit. The team will develop innovative analytical and mitigation approaches (Aim 1), assess the role of VOCs in PTB rates (Aim 2), and determine the mechanisms by which VOCs produce their adverse effects, leading to improved science-based decision-making and protection of public health from VOCs (Aim 3). The WSU team environmental research and outreach is centered on the City of Detroit, Michigan, which has the highest PTB rate (15.2%) in the country. The findings will not only be applicable to the large number of U.S. cities seeking to limit environmental and health impacts of VOC exposure, but also allow the team to directly intervene in a city disproportionately impacted by this national health priority. Open Source Academic Publishing Platform Appropriations Bill: HR 4505, Commerce-State-Justice/Commerce/Economic Development Administration/National Science Foundation -$1 million (over two years) Wayne State University current has Vega, a state-of-the-art publishing platform that provides free access to research to all. WSU publishing hopes to provide more, better and quicker means to produce and preserve open-access scholarship for regional, state-wide and international scholars, readers and community members. Of the funds appropriated, $1,000,000 over two years is available to support the establishment and research of the impact of a non-profit academic demonstration project to produce and preserve open-access scholarship for regional, state-wide, national and international scholars, readers and community members. As an academy-owned, open-source publishing platform, Vega is unique in offering a truly born-digital publishing experience, meaning authors and publishers can get research to readers in the quickest manner possible while including multimedia content that helps readers better interpret scholarly research. Vega is customizable for publishers of all types of content: scholarly books, textbooks, articles and journals, video and audio content, data sets, and other presentational forms. Vega structures its content for easy export, preservation, and accessibility far into the future. Scholarly publishing has been in crisis for decades. Academics submit publications to commercial publishing venues that charge universities exorbitant fees (hundreds of thousands to millions of U.S. dollars per contract) to access their own scholars work. Those same venues also charge authors thousands of dollars per submission to provide their article for free to readers who do not have subscriptions to these costly journals. Life-saving work is being hidden behind paywalls that only the most prestigious and endowed universities in the world can afford. In response, university libraries have been promoting open-access (OA) scholarship-work that is freely available to anyone with an internet connection. Vega is an open-access platform built to break down the proprietary nature of commercial scholarly publishing by putting the power of publishing back into the hands of researchers. Vega propagates interdisciplinary, innovative, and trans-global research and exists to help authors, universities, and non-profit academic publishers deliver research through efficient, inexpensive, and beautiful means. In doing so, Vega helps users fulfill federal and global open-access mandates (i.e., Open Data Policy, OA2020, Plan S). Regional Poison Control Center Appropriations Bill: HR 4052, Labor/HHS/Education/HHS/Health Resources Services Administration/Health Care Systems - $7.3 Million The Michigan Regional Poison Control Center (PCC), located at Wayne State University, receives about 64,000 calls annually and is open 24/7/365 days per year. Poison Control Centers: The Committee supports the funding of Poison Control Centers at $30 million. This program funds poison centers, a national toll-free number (800-222-1222) and informs health care providers about poison prevention and poison center services. The Michigan Regional PCCs interventions have enabled over 71% of the unintentional exposure calls (among children under the age of 19) to be handle in the home so that children did not have to use an emergency department or need a 911 call and response. This has become even more dire during the various lock-downs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. For those children whose exposure necessitated hospital evaluation and treatment, the Michigan PCCs interventions contributed substantially to reducing resource utilization and decreasing length of stay at hospitals with significant cost savings to the city, counties and state of Michigan. Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University Appropriations Bill: HR 4502, Labor/HHS/Education/HHS/Health Resources Services Administration/Health Care Systems - $16.3 Million Provide full funding for the Perinatology Research Branch (PRB) at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Disorders (NICHD) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The PRB at Wayne State University is the only branch of NIH located outside of Bethesda, MD. Sample draft language: The Committee recognized that in recent years, preterm birth affected about 1 out of every 10 infants born in the United States. For Black women and other ethnic minorities, this rate is often three times higher. The Committee applauds the work of the Perinatology Research Branch at Wayne State University and supports the full funding for the continued research and training of perinatal and maternal fetal medicine specialists and prenatal research. The PRBs mission is to conduct clinical and basic research in perinatology and related disciplines with the goal of developing novel diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive strategies to reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes, infant mortality and disabilities. The PRB also provides research training for physicians, scientists and other health care professionals whose aim is to improve the health care of mothers and their children. The PRB has assisted more than 25,000 at-risk mothers since the program launched over 20 years ago in Detroit - most of them uninsured patients of the Detroit Medical Center. The PRB has had many successes in its tenure at Wayne State University, with several world-shattering discoveries that have reduced preterm birth world-wide. HR 959, the Momnibus Health Care Act - lobbied in support of this legislation that will address health care disparities for Black women and their children. HR 3684, INVEST in America Act - lobbied in support of House passage of the infrastructure authorization for road and water improvements.

Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE