Finally the committee on health, education, labor, and pensions will come to order. I think everyone for their patience. We have a lot of votes on the senate floor. Reconvene this hearing. Of the extraordinary publichealth efforts that have driven down tobacco use and the enormous challenges that remain. The nation has made remarkable progress in the 50 years as the first Surgeon Generals report on smoking and health. That time does not carry has been cut by more than half. We have learned what works from smoke free workplace is to access to free Cessation Services from meaningful tobacco taxes to robust regulations to Media Campaigns led a wildly successful tips from a former smoker to commonsense marketing restrictions. We know what works. Yes, despite all these efforts and successes tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death and the u. S. Let me repeat that. Tobacco use remains the number one preventable cause of death in the u. S. Right now 16 million americans are
So personal savings can only go so far for these individuals. At the same time though Social Security treat single women far less well than it does married women so they are not getting much help from that end of things either. Thats one reason i and others have proposed reforming Social Security to provide a flat universal benefit for all retirees regardless of income participation. On top of that individual would save in accounts provided through their employer or of not available through the government. This approach is qualitatively similar to that of the u. K. Australia canada and new zealand. In the u. S. Context you can affordably reduce the elderly poverty rate from todays level of roughly 9 to approximately 0 while increasing the Retirement Savings among the middle and high highincome workers who truly should be saving more. The lesson in all this is that there is no simple problem and no simple solution but a small if more complex problem is better in the retirement crisi cri
We are going to work. His answer made me angry. It still makes me angry. As a child of tomorrow, it isnt the boy sitting with me in my classroom. Now that tomorrow has become today. I am today. You are today. The time for every child to have the right to life, the right to freedom, to freedom, the right to health, the right to education camera to dignity, right to equality and the right to be. [applause] today, today beyond the darkness i see the Smiling Faces of children. Do. Close your eyes and feel the child inside you. And so you can listen to that child, listen please. Today Mahatma Gandhi, nelson mandela, Martin Luther king calling on us. Let us democratize knowledge. [applauding] let us renew. [applauding] together let us globalize compassion. I call upon you in this room and all across the world. I call upon a march from exploitation to education. Education. [applauding] i call for a march from poverty to shared hospitality, from hospitality, from slavery to liberty, and from v
The two remaining witnesses on the panels are noshow. They were invited, accepted the invitations and confirmed them of their attendance and we informed them the hearing will proceed so it is unfutunate they have chosen not to chose this official hearing. We will go ahead with the witnesses who did proceed. Thank you very much for coming down from rhode island for this hearing. Thank you. It as a pleasure to be here. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am an associate professor at the Brown University center for health. I earned by doctorate from ha r hararharava harvard. Shortterm ozone exposure and health effects. This is based on studies over decades and showing that ozone leads to increased deaths, hospital visits, increased symptoms and more medical use and reduced air function and reduced air levels. A 2010 study by the scientist at emory found in the atlanta area, ozone was linked to higher rates of hospital visits for asthma even at levels below the current standa
The proposed rule is based on the early hundreds of studies that demonstrate the current standard is not protected. The studies employed multiple scientific methods and models as mentioned by previous speakers but the data are clear. The current ozone standard is not productive, protective of Public Health and the epa must issue a more protective standard. Thank you. Thank you very much doctor. Let me ask a few questions and let me start with dr. Weil nas. You have done some impressive work in rhode island studying heat related deaths and hospitalizations. Is ozone formulation, is ozone formation exacerbated by Climate Change in your view and what is the linkage between added heat and added ozone . Thank you senator for that question. At a local question in rhode island. In rhode island but we have looked at is the relationship between warm temperatures and extreme heat and the number of Emergency Department visits and deaths in the state of rhode rhode island and we have found a Stron