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On Tuesday Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that the House Agriculture Committee has advanced his bipartisan WHIP+ Reauthorization Act.
This legislation would reactivate the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) for all 2020 and 2021 natural disasters.
It was introduced by Members of Congress from both parties who represent Western states hit hard by 2020 fires and boosts a program that is an important lifeline for agricultural producers whose crops were damaged by disaster, including smoke from fires.
“From extreme fires to historic drought, our district and our nation have seen devastating disasters this year and last year. The Federal government must provide every tool and resource possible as we rebuild. That includes supporting family farmers and producers who had their crops ruined by smoke damage in the 2020 fires in our district,” said Thompson, whose district continues to recover from the LNU Lightning Complex and Glass Fires of 2020. “Earlier this year, I introduced the WHIP+ Reauthorization Act to ensure we reactivate the critical Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus to help agricultural producers in our district. Today I’m glad to see my bipartisan bill approved by the Agriculture Committee and I’ll work to ensure it’s considered on the House floor as soon as possible.”
“I’m glad that we were able to come together in a bipartisan way to pass this bill that, once enacted, will provide the framework for getting much needed disaster assistance to our agricultural producers. As we can see right now, today, through the ravaging fires through so many of our western agriculture states in our country, our unanimous, bipartisan bill is most timely and very much needed. I am very proud of the bipartisan work on this disaster bill today by both Democrats and Republicans, working together for our great nation. As we know, severe and unforeseen weather events wreaked havoc on crops and livestock throughout 2020 and continue now during the 2021 growing season. It is my hope and expectation that as a Committee, we continue to focus on disaster relief and engage every opportunity available to strengthen the farm safety net and find a way to get immediate disaster aid out to our farmers, ranchers, and foresters more quickly without delays,” said Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott.
Thompson first introduced the WHIP+ Reauthorization Act in November 2020 and reintroduced it in January 2021.
The bill has been amended to reauthorize WHIP+ for 2020 and 2021 disasters and to provide relief for a broad range of events, including wildfires, hurricanes, drought, high winds or derechos, freeze, polar vortexes and excessive heat.
Amendments also changed the eligibility requirements for drought from a D3 declaration to a D2 declaration for at least 8 consecutive weeks.
It was coauthored by Representatives Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Dan Newhouse (WA-04).
View the Tuesday committee markup above. The legislation is below.
Learn more about the WHIP+ program here.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
Whip+ Authorization Bill by LakeCoNews on Scribd
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LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lake County Tourism Improvement District Board of Directors has entered into a contract with a founding board member as its first executive director for the organization.
Brian Fisher, a Kelseyville hospitality business owner, has resigned from the board to assume these responsibilities.
Fisher chaired the marketing and communications committee for the Lake County Tourism Improvement District, or LCTID, from its start in 2018.
Under his leadership, the “Visit Lake County” website grew its active users to over 30,000 a month and increased its social media following by 130%. He was also treasurer for the organization for one year.
Prior to starting his curated apartment hotel business in Kelseyville, known as “Suite on Main,” Fisher held a number of executive sales and management positions in advertising, working for publishers including The Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast, and Hearst Publishing.
“Brian’s background in marketing and communications has been an invaluable asset to the work of the LCTID as we refreshed the County’s branding strategy and executed our new tourism marketing campaign,” said Lynne Butcher, LCTID treasurer and owner of the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.
In his new role, Fisher will be responsible for the “Clearly Different” marketing campaign that was recently launched in San Francisco and Sacramento, as well as across the organization’s social networking platforms.
He will also focus on securing a renewal of the LCTID assessment that enables the organization to market Lake County to visitors across California and the United States.
Interested owners and operators in Lake County’s lodging industry are encouraged to apply for the vacant position on the LCTID board of directors by sending a message to Wilda Shock, board secretary, via email to
More information about the LCTID and its marketing campaigns may be requested from
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"The Work Sharing program subsidizes wages for workers kept on employer payrolls, as an alternative to being let go,” said EDD Director Rita Saenz. "EDD has automated and improved this Work Sharing program to help employers bringing their skilled workers back after the pandemic.”
The Work Sharing program allows workers to collect both their pay for hours worked and unemployment benefits for reduced hours--including the federally-funded boost of $300 in weekly benefits. The program is fully funded by the federal government until September 4, 2021, when federal unemployment benefit programs are scheduled to expire.
The Work Sharing program lets employers with a reduced business keep valued employees and avoid the costs of recruiting and training new employees when conditions improve.
Many economists say Work Sharing is one of the best ways to strengthen the labor market because employers preserve their relationships with employees.
"California's Work Sharing program gives businesses the flexibility to adjust work hours as demand changes--keeping more workers on payrolls and helping rehire previously laid-off workers," said UCLA Professor of Economics Till von Wachter during a stakeholder meeting this week with EDD and organizations representing employers across California. "Now is a great time for businesses to participate in the Work Sharing program and speed rehiring during the economic recovery.”
The department has heavily invested in improving this program for the benefit of workers and employers. EDD has automated application processing of Working Sharing plans submitted by employers and the weekly certifications to make it easier for employers to participate.
Businesses can now apply for the program online and easily submit Work Sharing plans electronically. Employees approved by their employers to take part in the program can also complete their weekly certifications online.
"The Work Sharing program helps our company keep more employees on payroll--saving us the cost and challenge of having to rehire workers as product supply chains open up," said Jerry Wilkins, President and CEO of Custom Kitchens by John Wilkins Inc.
As recently recommended by the U.S. Department of Labor, EDD has also ensured that Work Sharing is open to anyone laid off during the pandemic. These actions mean that employers with laid off workers can now apply for the program right away and without their employees first returning to work for any period of time.
"This program was very helpful in allowing our business to keep its employees working--which is number one," said Bruce Kamolnick, Director, Secretary and CFO of The Jupiter Foundation, Inc.
“This program is 100 percent effective in retaining employees,” said Oxnard Family Circle Administrator Katy Krul. “Work Sharing helps employers not have to lay off employees and then lose time and money on rehiring back those who are still available, or looking for one employees to hire and train.”
EDD has created a Work Sharing information page here, with frequently asked questions and links to the new online applications for employers.
The Employers: Reopening Your Business and Hiring Employees page can also offer guidance and resources designed to help employers find qualified job candidates to fill their openings. Last week the Department also hosted a stakeholder workshop with organizations representing employers across California to provide useful tools and information about programs such as Work Sharing.
EDD offers many services to assist people looking for safe and suitable work and get training. That includes the CalJOBS online labor exchange system, as well as the job search assistance, resume and interview preparation, and access to job training available through America’s Job Center of California locations throughout the state. CalJOBS is a no-cost virtual job center with hundreds of thousands of job postings and tools to help people find work.
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