News from around the nation.

Acting FEMA chief told staff he didn't know about U.S. hurricane season; New WA law aims to reel in workers' comp abuse; MN's rural job vacancy rate eases but still on troubled ground; CA Senate to vote on bill to allow car dealers to increase fees.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told employees on Monday that he did not know the United States has a hurricane season, according to two people who heard the remarks and said it was unclear if he was serious.

That's from the New York Times.

They report the official, David Richardson, has served in the Marines and worked in the Department of Homeland Security's Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office.

After he joined FEMA in May, some workers expressed concern about his lack of experience in emergency management.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that Richardson was joking.

The Times notes even if the comment was a joke, the timing would be questionable.

The hurricane season, which began on Sunday and lasts through November 30th, is considered the agency's most challenging period.

In addition, FEMA has gone through a major reduction in staffing.

Workers' rights advocates are celebrating a new law mandating good faith and fair dealing in Washington's workers' compensation system.

They say the law will curb abuses that have denied workers fair claims.

Doug Palmer is a workers' comp attorney.

He explains Washington doesn't allow private insurers to provide workers' comp coverage.

Instead, employees are covered by either the state or large employers.

Palmer says this means large companies and municipalities pay claims directly, which motivates them to be stingy. -It creates a lot of incentives for self-insured employers, like Boeing, like Weyerhaeuser, to minimize those workers' compensation costs despite evidence on the claim.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

And new data show improvements in reducing job vacancy rates in Minnesota, but researchers say the numbers are still too stubbornly high in most rural regions.

The Center for Rural Policy and Development is out this week with a fresh analysis of state survey data when it comes to filling the many job openings around Minnesota.

It says these rates have climbed down from their pandemic peak, but leaving out the Twin Cities and Southeast region, they're still above what's considered healthy levels.

The Center's Kelly Ash says smaller towns and cities have jobs to fill, but the talent isn't lining up for them.

In the 1970s and '80s, we were all worried about how do we get more jobs to our rural areas 'cause we had people that were unemployed and now we have so many jobs and we just don't have the people to fill those jobs.

Ash says if these problems persist, companies will leave, making it even harder for towns and cities to provide services for their aging populations.

I'm Mike Moen.

And when you buy a car in California, the most the dealer can charge to process the sales documents is $85, but the cap will be raised to 500 bucks if Senate Bill 791 becomes law.

Rosemary Shahan is president of the nonprofit agency group Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety.

It's a huge giveaway to car dealers, multi-billion dollar corporations like Tesla, AutoNation, CarMax will benefit at the expense of California car buyers.

The bill already passed several committees and is expected to get a vote in the full Senate this week.

This is Public News Service.

June is Pride Month and transgender advocates are speaking out seeking equal recognition in society and in the workplace.

The US Supreme Court recently ruled that President Donald Trump can enforce a ban on transgender people in the military while litigation proceeds.

Martha Gomez with the nonprofit Trans Can Work says the attacks on transgender people ultimately hurt society as a whole.

Of course, transgender are at the forefront of a lot of those attacks, but the truth is that these DEI cuts, they hurt all of us as a nation to not have opinions outside of just one.

The armed forces are also changing the names of transgender members of the military back to their names at birth.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Transgender, gender diverse, and intersex individuals continue to face high rates of economic insecurity, job discrimination, and barriers to stable employment.

An Indiana rise in autism diagnosis is sparking new conversations as health experts urge early screening and clear guidance for families.

More on this Wish TV public news service collaboration by Joe Ulery.

Recent data shows that one in 31 American children now has autism spectrum disorder.

That's triple the rate from the early 2000s.

Dr. Janelle Gordon with Community Health Network says the increase stems partly from better screening and broader diagnostic criteria, but more research is still needed, especially into environmental factors.

Case control studies have shown that there is no association.

Then individuals were worried about the preservatives that are in vaccines, not MMR, but other vaccines.

That also has been disproven.

Despite the findings, Gordon says misinformation remains a barrier for parents seeking answers.

This story was produced with original reporting from Dr.

Janelle Gordon.

Families without a regular doctor can contact their local health department.

Gordon says early action can make a big difference.

Finally, the U.S. Department of Transportation has frozen millions in grant dollars awarded by the Biden administration, leaving those counting on them in limbo.

Powell County, Montana, was set to receive more than $6.3 million for its Parks to Passes project, a collaboration with neighboring groups and governments to close gaps in a pedestrian and biking corridor spanning roughly 230 miles between Butte and the Idaho border.

That's part of the larger Great American Rail Trail route, which Kevin Mills with the Rails to Trails Conservancy says will stretch 3,700 miles between D.C. and Washington state.

It's really stalling an important connection in that nationwide trail.

And then that puts at risk Montana's potential to tap into what we've calculated to be 16 million dollars in new economic development.

The grant was part of President Joe Biden's rebuilding American infrastructure with sustainability and equity program.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the Biden administration delayed construction with, quote, leftist social requirements, including the consideration of a project's climate change and social justice impacts.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

This is Farah Siddiqui in for Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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