First week at HHS

I was walking to meet a friend for a drink and it ocurree to me that the Founding Fathers weren't as smart as they are made out to be. I understand that it was important to put the Capitol somewhere in between the North and the South and they found this swamp on which cto build a new city. But as I was trudging through the 95 degree 90% humidity, reaching my destination with my shirt soaked through, I thought, "Why didn't they put the Capitol in Washington in the Spring and Fall, Florida in the winter, and New Hampshire in the Summer?". It would have been even better from the point of view of regionalism, and sure would be a lot more pleasant. Of course as the country grew westward, we could have had capitals in Chicago, St Louis, Denver and SF as well. Perhaps there'd be some benefit in not having the federal government so far away from most of the people . . . .

I just finished my first week at my new job. For those of you who missed it, here's the full job title, for the last time. Take a deep breath: Director, Division of Enforcement, Office of Oversight, Office of Consumer Informarion and Insurance Oversight (OCIIO) Office of the Secretary (OS), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Whew!

I spent a good part of the week interviewing candidates for the fourteen (plus or minus) attorney positions that I'll have reporting up to me. And I'm pleased to say that I've made some excellent progress--including some candidates who were already in progress, I've got one hire and offers out to five others. Not bad for one week! I've got some more interviews scheduled, but if you know any lawyers who want to be a part of history, tell 'em to send me their resumes.

I learned that the Office is moving in July to a commercial office building in Bethesda. At first I was a bit bummed that we will be away from headquarters and Capitol Hill, but that feeling only lasted until I saw where they have me sitting now, about which the less said the better. I've posted photos of the Humphrey Building and of the new digs, across the street from the Bethesda Metro Station. I'm told I'll have a window, and everything.

I'm now immersed in a process that's been going on here for several months now, of figuring out how we're going to interpret and enforce this law. There are countless decisions to be made, scores of people, within our office, elsewhere in the government, in state government, and among "stakeholders" (industry, consumer groups, etc) who are involved in one way or another in making them, and very little time. The law goes into effect September 23, and we've got to be ready to enforce it from Day 1. Much of the enforcement will ultimately be done by the state insurance departments, but we will have some direct enforcement and will also have to be making determinations as to whether the states are "substantially enforcing" the law. It is daunting, exciting. I feel trust I'm in the right place at the right time and that everything I've done until now has prepared me for this moment. I guess we'll see whether I'm right about that, won't we?

The next phase of the journey . . . .

It is with a mix of excitement, pride, anxiety, hope and fear that I report that as of June 21 I will be taking the position as the (first) Director of Enforcement in the Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight in the Department of Health and Human Services. Quite a mouthful, I know. I will be responsible for enforcing the provisions of the health care reform law that impact the insurance companies. I'm expecting a ride every bit as wild as when I went to the CPUC during the energy crisis.

Probably needless to say, but I am extremely pleased and stunned that my move to DC has worked out as well and as quickly as it has. Come visit!

They give you hope for the future

WASHINGTON, DC–The DC office of Congressman John Garamendi (D-Walnut Creek, CA), a member of the House Science and Technology Committee, welcomed and congratulated the President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) winners for the southwest region. Since 1971, PEYA is award annually to young Americans for demonstrating excellence in protecting our country’s air, water, land, and ecology. Adarsha Shivakumar, Apoorva Rangan, and Callie Roberts, high school students from Pleasant Hill and Martinez, earned the PEYA by founding Project Jatropha, a biofuel venture that seeks to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels and mitigate global climate change.
As described by the students, “Project Jatropha Team promotes the cultivation of Jatropha curcas, a perennial shrub with oil-rich seeds, as an ecologically friendly and economically sustainable source of alternative fuel production. To date, the work of Project Jatropha has supported the planting of 13,000 seedlings by more than 50 farm families in Southern India.”
On Wednesday May 19th, Adarsha, Apoorva, Callie, their family members, and their EPA liaison were given a tour of the Capitol complex and Congressman John Garamendi’s office. Chief-of-Staff Gary Cohen spoke with the students about their project, the COMPETES bill to fund scientific research, and the Joint BioEnergy Institute. The Joint BioEnergy Institute is a partnership project that includes Lawrence-Livermore and Sandia National Labs and aims to develop the next generation of biofuels.
“I want to commend Adarsha, Apoorva, and Callie for their ongoing work on Project Jatropha. Unhindered by their young age and the scale of the problem, these students are courageously working to combat global warming. They approach this serious challenge with humility and youthful excitement,” Gary Cohen said.
“This generation’s students enter a globally competitive labor market. Their success depends on the ability to work hard, think creatively, and adapt to quickly evolving market conditions,” Mr. Cohen added “These three Bay Area students display these qualities in spades and serve as an inspiration to the many talented young students of the 10th District.”
On Friday May 21st, the students joined other PEYA winners in meeting President Barack Obama.


More information about Project Jatropha is available at http://projectjatropha.com/
Contact: Adarsha Shivakumar at adarsha@projectjatropha.com
More information about the President’s Environmental Youth Award and the 2009 winners is available at http://www.epa.gov/peya/winners.html.

Look Who Stopped By (3)

No, I'm not in the picture, and this doesn't truly qualify as a "Look who stopped by" because Don Cheadle and Jame Goodall didn't come to our office, but they did speak at a briefing on the Global Conservation Act of 2010. It was fun to see Don Cheadle and to hear him apeak on the need for the US to have a global conservation strategy with meaningful benchmarks to measure its success. But to hear and then meet Jane Goodall was inspirational. When she was introduced we were told that it was 50 years ago that she first went to the Gombi in Tansania to study chimpanzees, so young that the British Government wouldn't permit her to travel there alone, insisting that her mother go with her. I remember vividly those National Geographic stories with the pictures of that slight young woman living with those apes, our closest relatives. (I confess that I didn't learn as much as I might have, because unlike Playboy, which I read only for the articles, I looked at National Geographic for the pictures).
Dr Goodall has gone on to do amazing things, not only for conservation of animal habitat, but much more which you can read about at www.janegoodall.org.
After she spoke, we talked about one of her programs and what could be done to expand its presence in Israel and Palestine. More on that if and as it develops. Amazing woman, such a privilege to have heard her and met her.

They just don't care about what's good for the country

The Republicans defeated a bill in the House today called COMPETES, which is a jobs bill, an innovation bill and a science and technology education bill. The US Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National Associatiom of Manufacturere and many, many other Business and.academic organizations urged passage of this bill. The Republicans defeated it by means of a nasty parliamentary trick, which is described here http://www.aei.org/article/102070.

The Republicans are willing to throw the economic recovery, American competitiveness, and the wishes of the business community under the bus in order to stop something that the Democratic majority wants to do. Their lust to return to power knows no limits, even at the expense of their biggest supporters. I mean, why be a Republican if you're not going to support what the Chamber of Commerce wants?

I'm convinced that the only way to stop this is for the business community to make it known that it's not going to work; opposing everything, no matter how meritorious, is not the path back to the majority. It needs to make clear that they will not support Members who vote against measures needed to keep the country moving out of recession and to enable it to compete in the global economy.

Old Town Alexandria

I took a trip to Old Town Alexandria yesterday. Very charming, lots of old buildings, lots of newer buildings made to look like old buildings. Looking at them, it is difficult to imagine the lives that were led by the people who lived there in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. But then I saw this statue, a soldier gazing toward the south, as the plaque reads, toward the places where his comrades fell during the War Between the States. It is erected on the spot from which in 1861 the Confederates fled the occupying Union Army to join the rebel forces.

Alexandria is also the boyhood home of Robert E Lee, the son of Harry "Light Horse" Lee, who was a hero of the American Revolution and a Governor of Virginia.

What does it mean that Robert E Lee, who served in the US Army for 32 years before he took up arms against it, was not tried for treason and shot after the war, and that he is venerated today? What does it mean that this statue honoring those who fell seeking to preserve a society based on the right to own other human beings retains its place a short subway ride from the Capitol?

I know that I can't help but think that like those who put up this statue, the members of the Tea Party and their ilk are longing for a lost world, one that if it ever existed, can never exist again, and that a key part of that world is that its benefits belong to "people like us" not "people like them."

No More Spill, Baby, Spill

The Congressman introduced his first bill today, The West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2010, which would ban all new oil and gas drilling in federal waters off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. We expect that it will get substantial support in light of the disaster in the Gulf.

The other news today was that he has been put on the House Armed Services Committee, which is a big deal for a new member. It will be interesting to see how that plays out, since he is a strong opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lots going on, yesterday we met with Transportation Secretary LaHood, who had good things to say about the prospects for High Speed Rail in California.

Don't let anyone tell you that change isn't happening, because it is. It's slow, sometimes, and sometimes not as much as we'd like, but it is happening.