This Week's Facts:
-
Minimum Wage Increase Info
Available Online
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Recognize ADA Birthday by
Understanding Disability Laws
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Saturday is Nat'l Minority
Donor Awareness Day
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Make Your Community a
CLEAN Community
Resources Raise Awareness & Inform About Juvenile Arthritis
If
you or your patrons don’t know about juvenile arthritis, or JA,
take some time to learn more. Juvenile Arthritis is arthritis
that appears in children who are less than 18 years old.
According to the
Medline Plus
entry for
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis,
it can cause joint swelling, stiffness, and reduced motion; and
it can affect any joint and sometimes internal organs. One early
sign of JRA may be limping in the morning. For more Fast Facts
about JA, visit the
Juvenile Arthritis
page of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
and Skin Diseases. The Arthritis Foundation celebrated July as
JA Awareness month.
Visit their page for more information about the latest research,
raising a child with arthritis, camps for kids, the Juvenile
Arthritis Alliance, and your local chapter of the organization.
-------------------------------
Friday Facts is a production of the Indiana State Library
Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
-------------------------------------
Join the
FDLP-IN
listserv
to get the latest
government information |
 As
of July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage is now $7.25/hour. This is the final
portion of a three-year program designed to raise minimum wage around the
country – it has increased incrementally each year. While some states may have
state-mandated minimum wages that are higher than the federal, Indiana is not
one of them. Employers looking for the new minimum wage poster can visit the
Indiana Department of Labor website or access it directly
here.
Workers who regularly receive $30 or more in tips per month are considered
“tipped employees.” Employers are not required to pay them minimum wage;
instead, they must pay a base of $2.13. If tips earned do not add up to be at
least $7.25/hour, the employer is required to make up the difference. Please
see the Indiana Department of Labor
FAQ page for more information. For information about the minimum wage
increase on a national level, visit the Federal
Department of Labor.
Recognize
ADA's 19th Birthday by Understanding Disability Laws
 The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law on July 26, 1990. Last
week, the White House issued a
presidential proclamation recognizing the 19th anniversary of this
legislation designed to guarantee equal opportunity for individuals with
disabilities. The U.S. Census Bureau has compiled a list of
facts you can use to help remind patrons that individuals with disabilities
make up a significant portion of our population. According to the 2007 American
Community Survey, 15% of females and 14% of males in the U.S. have a disability.
The U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) maintains an
ADA homepage which
provides access to disability rights laws, ADA standards for
accessible design, and many more ADA checklists and guides. The
DOJ also offers assistance through a toll-free hotline:
800-514-0301 (TTY: 800-514-0383). Specialists are available to
answer questions about general or specific ADA requirements
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30 a.m. until
4:30 p.m. ET, and Thursday from 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
Indiana Protection
and Advocacy Services (IPAS) has a
list of resources
helpful to disabled individuals and their families, and those
who provide services.
Saturday is
National Minority Donor Awareness Day
 August
1, 2009 is
National
Minority Donor Awareness Day. The purpose of the day is
threefold: to encourage minorities to have frank discussions
with their families regarding organ donation, to promote healthy
living and disease prevention, and to increase awareness of the
behavior that can lead to the need for organ transplants.
Approximately 2.3 million African-Americans and 1.2 million
Mexican-Americans have diabetes. Nearly 12.2% of Native
Americans over the age of 19 have Type 2 diabetes.
Complications of diabetes include amputation, heart attack and
kidney failure. By practicing healthy eating and proper
exercise, many people can work to prevent diabetes – and the
complications and possible organ transplants that may accompany
the disease. The
National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program
is a good site to visit to find statistics and information about
how you can help. For those who are interested by may have
concerns about organ donation,
OrganDonor.gov is a
good source to visit. The site also maintains a list of
organ donation events going on around the country.
Make Your
Community a CLEAN Community?
 Is
your Community a
CLEAN
Community? The Indiana Comprehensive Local Environmental
Action Network (CLEAN) Community Challenge is a voluntary
program that recognizes local Indiana government. CLEAN helps
communities take steps to plan, develop, and implement a better
quality of life for citizens of Indiana. The Challenge is open
to all local governments in the State of Indiana, including any
city or town within the State. To get recognized as an Indiana
CLEAN Community, municipalities must have a positive
environmental, health, and safety record. There are guidelines
and compliance standards to be followed when participating in
the program. An applicant can be denied or revoked for criminal
activities or civil activities. What’s in it for you?
Participants of this program may see a variety of benefits, such
as: Increased efficiency, reduced costs, and greater
operational consistency; better communication about
environmental issues throughout the community; better
relationships with regulators; and some monetary
rewards and
credits. Activity
Suggestions are available to help you
get started on
becoming a CLEAN Community. You’re not in this alone - there
is technical
and financial
assistance available. For more information, visit the
Indiana Department of
Environmental Management’s website.
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