Many MIRA members received a Settlement Notice regarding the MasterCard/VISA lawsuit settlement. In fact, all retailers who accepted VISA and/or MasterCard at any time between January 1, 2004, and November 27, 2012, are affected by the proposal. The notice requires each individual to take action to object and/or opt-out before the May 28 deadline. After…
DetailsSNAP Participation Takes Small Drop in January 2013. SNAP national participation in January 2013 decreased by 19,948 people over the month to 47,772,108 people—1.3 million persons higher than in January 2012. USDA Secretary Battles Attacks on SNAP/Food Stamps. Speaking at an event, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said the SNAP/Food Stamp Program and other federal nutrition…
DetailsPresident Obama’s budget plan would increase taxes by $1 trillion over the next decade, reported the Associated Press, including a new tax on cigarettes and familiar proposals to increases taxes on the wealthy and some corporations. Obama’s proposal would increase the federal tax on cigarettes from $1.01 per pack to $1.95. The new cigarette tax…
DetailsWith nearly one in five Americans saying they struggle to afford enough food for their households, President Barack Obama’s FY2014 budget, released last week, protects and proposes to further strengthen federal nutrition programs. “President Obama’s budget recognizes the crucial role the federal nutrition programs play in helping low-income people afford and access healthy food. By…
DetailsAt a U.S. Senate Appropriations hearing on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed FY2014 budget last week, Senators Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) asked Commissioner Margaret Hamburg about menu labeling. The exchange is transcribed below. Senator Blunt: Where are you on the topic of menu labeling? When do you expect the FDA…
DetailsCalling electronic cigarettes a possible pathway to traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products, five U.S. senators are calling on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to issue “deeming regulations” asserting regulatory authority over tobacco products such as cigars, pipe tobacco, e-cigarettes, and dissolvable tobacco products—and to restrict the sale, distribution, and marketing of e-cigarettes…
DetailsRep. DeLauro Speaks Out for Strong Safety Net in Farm BillU.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) has urged her colleagues working on the Farm Bill to stop looking to the SNAP/Food Stamp Program for cuts in their deficit reduction strategies. “We simply should not be reducing our efforts to prevent hunger here at home while so…
DetailsU.S. Rep. Jim Moran has introduced a measure that would put a 5-cent tax on plastic and paper bags given out at all retail locations, including convenience stores. Fee revenue would be earmarked for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. “Small steps, like replacing plastic bags with reusable ones, yield large returns in reducing the…
DetailsTobacco retailers, suppliers, and other NATO Show attendees crowded the general session, eager to hear whether Mitch Zeller, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s newly appointed director of the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), would provide any insights on if and when the agency would issue its stance on menthol. Those expecting a clue to…
DetailsA federal judge overseeing a pending $7.25-billion class-action settlement involving Visa and MasterCard ordered merchant trade groups opposed to the deal to show why they should not be held in contempt over a website blasting the accord, according to a Dow Jones report. “The Merchantsobject.com site continues to this day to obfuscate the important differences…
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