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The Anti-Bribery Advisory Service (ABAS) Center set up to provide guidelines to the private sector about giving bribes to government officials

National Anti-Corruption Commission

BANGKOK THAILAND - Media OutReach - 31 March 2023 - Thailand has set up an anti-bribery service centre to provide knowledge and guidelines to the private sector concerning the laws on offering bribes to government officials. The establishment of Anti-Bribery Advisory Service (ABAS) Center, which falls under the supervision of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), is part of Thailand’s attempts to level up its Corruption Perception Index (CPI), Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, NACC’s secretary general said in a recent exclusive interview. Thailand ranks 101 of 180 countries and scored 42 out of 100 on the CPI in 2022. The ABAS Center was established to provide academic advice, knowledge, and guidelines to the private sector about offering bribes to government officials. Using the guidelines, the private sector could put appropriate and effective anti-bribery measures in place, he said. Thailand has ratified and become a member of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), and OECD’s Convention on Combating Foreign Bribery in International Business Transactions. NACC also has rules for prosecuting private sector firms involved in bribing government officials and those working in international agencies. The rules have been issued to make private sector firms aware that they could be prosecuted if they are involved in corruption. Our rules and regulations as well as ABAS are set up in line with and as required by the UNCAC and OECD, he said. Thailand will soon hold a general election and have a new government in the near future and Niwatchai said he hoped they would be serious about suppression corruption. If the new government and policy makers are serious, the country’s CPI will certainly go up. He cited as an example Vietnam, whose CPI was 77 in 2022, saying its CPI is higher than that of Thailand’s as its leaders are serious about prosecuting those involved in corruption. He added educational institutes should play an important role in instilling and teaching people about honesty. The situation concerning corrupt practices by those in the political circle, government agencies, and the private sector are still worrisome, he adds. With corruption rampant in the country, the NACC needs the participation of the public and government officials who witness corruption. We would not know about corruption if they do not inform us by filing complaints with us, he said. In the past, junior government officials who acted as whistleblowers on malfeasance in their units might not feel safe and could be persecuted by their superiors. Today we have an organic law on prevention and suppression on misconduct. The Act, B.E 2561 (2018), stipulates several measures to protect such whistleblowers. In a case where a junior official is involved in the corruption but decides to report the wrongdoings, he or she would not face either criminal or disciplinary charges and would be treated as a witness. A whistleblower can also be rewarded, Niwatchai said. If necessary, NACC’s protection programme is ready to give protection to the official and his/her family. Such protection would include allowances, name change, and relocation. The protection measures are aimed to create confidence and bravery in a whistleblower who reports graft. However, he/she could be prosecuted if he/she fails to meet the conditions or changes his/her testimony. Niwatchai cited the manipulation of the district chief examinations in 2009 as an example of the NACC’s investigation and provision of protection for whistleblowers. In 2009, the investigation and collection of evidence showed that violations were happening in the selection process. At first, no official dared to testify against any senior government official but eventually ten examinees agreed to do so. Their testimonies led to the jailing of the then director general of the Provincial Administration Department and senior officials. However the bureaucratic system had frozen the careers of the ten examinees, their levels were not raised, their salaries were put on hold and they were not allowed to take the district chief exam again. NACC then reported this to the prime minister which resulted in the Office of Civil Service Commission resolving to promote them to the position of district chief, Niwatchai said. Responding to a statement that only small fish are arrested in corruption cases, Niwatchai pointed out that small fish are easily caught but catching the big fish needs time and good bait as well as participation from all sides. He revealed there was a case where the NACC found two politicians committing ethical misconduct as political position holders and the cases went to court, which ruled against them. They were then removed from their positions. He also talked about NACC’s investigation into the alleged massive corruption in the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, saying the arrest of the most senior official was the result of cooperation between many agencies. The laws today are severe and we have caught not only small but also big fish. However, NACC do not hold a press conference to announce the arrests and in the future, NACC is planning to reveal the progress of its investigation to the public. This will allow the complainant, the public, and other parties to jointly examine the NACC’s work. He also mentioned the criticism that the National Parks department that is under the NACC’s probe had obtained a high score of 85 marks and Grade A in NACC’s Integrity and Transparency Assessment (ITA). ITA is just a preliminary framework assessment of three aspects of work conducted by both insiders and outsiders who use the service and disclose information on issues such as procurement. ------------------------ The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) is a constitutional independent organization and supervised by nine commissioners selected from various professions. It is authorised to undertake work on the prevention and suppression of malfeasance, particularly in government agencies, on assets investigations, as well as on the monitoring of ethics and virtues of political position holders. It has the authority to file charges in court as well as support and build up awareness of the penalties for committing corruption. The NACC is supervised by the NACC Board and has the Office of the NACC as its administrative agency. Since 1997, Thai Courts have ruled against and punished politicians, former ministers, high-ranking government officials as well as executives of the private sector in the thousands of cases submitted by the NACC. Website: https://www.nacc.go.th/english Contact Details Media Contact Parith Iamponpaiboon integrityway.nacf@gmail.com

March 31, 2023 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

House Budget Chairman Introduces a Constitutional Path for Voters to Approve a State-drafted and Inflation-fighting Fiscal Responsibility Amendment

Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation

The Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation (FFSF), a coalition of nonpartisan advocates concerned about the impacts of inflation and out-of-control national debt, applaud House Budget Committee Chairman Jody Arrington’s introduction of House Concurrent Resolution 24. This legislation calls for an Article V Convention for proposing a Fiscal Responsibility Amendment to the United States Constitution and stipulates ratification by a vote of We the People.” On Wednesday, March 29 th, former Comptroller General and FFSF Co-Founder David Walker will testify before the House Budget Committee at a Hearing entitled, “ Fiscal State of the Union.” Walker will discuss the “ Fiscal Way Forward ” ( 10:00 AM Eastern in 210 Cannon House Office Building) which includes adopting a federal fiscal responsibility constitutional amendment designed to constrain debt/GDP to a reasonable and sustainable level. HCR 24 calls on Congress to set the time and place for an Article V “Convention for proposing Amendments” and requires amendment ratification by a vote of the people in “ three fourths (38) of the States via State Ratifying Conventions. The resolution also designates the House Clerk as responsible for confirming from congressional records whether, at any time, at least two-thirds (34) of the states “ had unrescinded continuing Applications on any national issues (plenary) plus the single issue of fiscal responsibility. ” Chairman Arrington originally introduced this legislation as HCR 101 in July of 2022 requiring Congress to perform its ministerial duty under Article V of the U.S. Constitution which states: ‘The Congress,...on the Application of the Legislatures of two-thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments…to the United States Constitution… The Concurrent Resolution states in part: “beginning in 1979, when Congress appears to have failed in its constitutional duty to count Applications and call a ‘‘Convention for proposing Amendments,’’ the Nation’s debt has increased to more than $31 trillion from $860 billion, while the value of the dollar has declined by over 75 percent.” Hon. David M. Walker, former Comptroller General of the United States, stated, “I commend Rep. Jodey Arrington for his leadership in introducing a resolution designed to restore federal fiscal sanity and uphold the Article V rights of the states to propose and the people to ratify an Inflation-fighting Fiscal Responsibility Amendment. The time has come to end the dereliction of duty by Congress and defuse our ticking debt bomb.” Ken Cuccinelli, former Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, and former Attorney General of Virginia said, “We must use the Constitution to restore the boundaries of power in Washington. The process this resolution calls for is state driven from beginning to end, requiring a vote of the people to ensure its safety. If Congress fails to approve the resolution as Article V appears to mandate, a mandamus action will likely be pursued in Federal Court.” Admiral William Owens, United States Navy (ret.) and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, “Our country seriously needs a strong reminder of both the states’ equal right with Congress to propose Amendments and the seriousness of acting fiscally in the best interests of our country and our national security.” Dr. Barry Poulson, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado stated, “The United States is out of step as more than 90 countries are using fiscal rules today. The “Swiss Debt Brake,” for example, was approved in 2001 by an 85% vote of the people. It slowed total annual spending growth, excluding social security, resulting in Switzerland being ranked as having the highest GDP per capita and the lowest borrowing cost of any AAA rated Country. It is time for citizens to decide how much government they want and are willing to pay for.” “On behalf of my granddaughters, I want to thank U.S. Representative Jodey Arrington for taking this important step to correct Congress’ constitutional failure in 1979 to call the Convention for proposing Amendments. Most importantly, the Resolution would prohibit any proposed Amendments from being added to our Constitution without a majority vote of the people for yes-pledged delegates in three-quarters of the State Conventions,” stated David Biddulph, Co-Founder of the Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation. The Concurrent Resolution is a significant victory in the fiscal responsibility coalition’s “ StopInflating.US ” campaign for a state-drafted, voter-approved, inflation-fighting Fiscal Responsibility Amendment to the United States Constitution as soon as November 5, 2024. ### Please visit: StopInflating.US To learn more about the calls for an Article V Convention for proposing Amendments or to schedule an interview with a Federal Fiscal Sustainability Foundation spokesperson, contact Mae James at 386-423-4744. Contact Details Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 daniel.rene@kglobal.com Company Website https://letusvoteforfra.org/

March 28, 2023 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NAVEX 2023 Global Incident Management Benchmark Study Reveals Shifts in Workplace Culture and Reporting Trends

NAVEX Global

NAVEX, the leader in integrated risk and compliance management software, has released its 2023 Hotline & Incident Management Benchmark Report. The bellwether annual benchmark report provides valuable insight into the workplace culture of 52 million employees across 3,430 organizations, examining the trends of 1.52 million reports from across the globe. "We use NAVEX's annual benchmark report to help inform our risk management strategy," says FedEx Chief Compliance Officer Justin Ross. "As an industry leader, we do our best to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest incident reporting and risk management trends. The insight this report provides helps us do just that." “NAVEX has long been the gold standard for risk and compliance data analytics in the industry. This annual benchmark study is derived from the world’s largest incident reporting database by far,” says Carrie Penman, NAVEX chief risk and compliance officer. “Our expanded analytics in 2023 allowed for a deeper examination of the issues and behaviors that are most impactful to today’s workplaces. Chief among them is workplace civility, which is likely driven by increased societal tension generally.” This year’s analysis of the data revealed four key themes and several notable findings: Reporting at an all-time high, but reporters proceeded with more caution. This year’s analysis revealed the highest median level of Reports per 100 Employees (1.47) in the history of this report. Further, 21% of organizations received five or more Reports per 100 Employees, a positive finding. However, data also showed a return to higher levels of anonymous reporting (56%), indicating more reporter concern about providing their name. HR-related reports are still the majority, but more granular analysis reveals workplace stresses. The median organization had nearly 54% of its reports in the HR, Diversity & Workplace Respect category, up from 50% in 2021. Reviewing the reporting frequency across deeper issue types offers more insight into organizational stresses and behaviors – particularly an increase in workplace civility concerns involving abusive or disrespectful behavior. The data also shows the frequency of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and substance abuse reports in 2022 all increased. These metrics are important to watch as a measure of cultural health and potentially a measure of mental health risks. People want to talk live, but a written web-based report is more likely to be substantiated. While general communications modes move more to texting and instant messaging, this year's data shows an increase in telephonic helpline reports, from 31% in 2021 to 34% in 2022. Hybrid work models have made it easier for employees to make a telephone report from home and more challenging to report in person. However, more thoughtful written reports, submitted via the web, are more likely to be substantiated than phone reports. In 2022, the median Substantiation Rate for web reports was 39% compared to 33% for phone. Size matters – smaller organizations have higher reporting rates; mid-size companies are experiencing some challenges. The 2022 analysis reveals that smaller organizations with fewer than 2,500 employees registered the highest Reports per 100 Employees at 2.99. In contrast, the largest organizations, with over 100,000 employees, had a much lower rate of only 1.20 Reports per 100 Employees. Mid-sized companies with 2,500-49,999 employees had the lowest rate of all, with fewer than 1.0 Reports per 100 Employees. Organizations with 2,500 to 5,999 employees recorded the highest rate of anonymous reporting at 60%. "Data is at the heart of making smart decisions about risk management and spotting potential problems throughout the organization. This is particularly important for issues affecting workplace culture. NAVEX's integrated data platform provides industry-leading insights and a unique window into the performance of their risk and compliance program, which in turn helps them achieve the business outcomes that matter most," says A.G. Lambert, NAVEX chief product officer. Additional notable findings include: The frequency of bribery and corruption reports increased in 2022, as did product quality and safety reports. Conflicts of interest reporting dropped significantly but is still in the top five. Data privacy and protection also made the top five. While overall Substantiation Rates remained steady at 41%, the five issue types with the highest frequency of substantiation were: global trade (76%), imminent threat to a person or property (75%), environment (71%), Data privacy and protection (68%), misuse or misappropriation of assets (67%) and health and safety (65%). More than half of organizations have a median Case Closure Time under 30 days. The largest organizations had the shortest Case Closure Time. Notable, and perhaps concerning, is a median of 18% of cases were closed on the same day they were received. This finding indicates instances that may have been forwarded to a different department and resolved prior to complete resolution, implying that a case classified as "closed" for compliance does not necessarily denote closure for the organization. For more insights on the 2023 Incident Management Benchmark Report, join Justin Ross, FedEx chief compliance officer, Carrie Penman, NAVEX chief risk & compliance officer, and Anders Olsen, NAVEX senior data scientist, for an informative webinar where they will discuss the results of this year’s analysis in detail. Register here or, read our blog, Don’t Miss Out – World’s Leading Hotline Webinar & Report Released March 28. NAVEX is trusted by thousands of customers worldwide to help them achieve the business outcomes that matter most. As the global leader in integrated risk and compliance management software and services, we deliver solutions through the NAVEX One platform, the industry’s most comprehensive governance, risk and compliance (GRC) information system. For more information, visit NAVEX.com and our blog. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Contact Details NAVEX Scott Levesque +1 617-388-5773 scott.levesque@navex.com Company Website https://www.navex.com

March 28, 2023 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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CleverTap Gaming Unveiled at GDC 2023

CleverTap

CleverTap, the all-in-one customer engagement platform, today at Game Developers Conference 2023 unveiled CleverTap Gaming – soon to go live in the summer of 2023. Through full player management, the latest offering will help boost revenue from LiveOps, Lifecycle Marketing, and Remote Configuration by 3x with personalization across the entire player journey. The platform is powered by TesseractDB™, CleverTap's proprietary data engine, which is built for real time triggering & segmentation with high performance, low latency, and massive economies of scale. CleverTap Gaming brings holistic and sophisticated multi-channel campaigns inside and outside the in-game experience. With a simplified UI, it reduces the dependence on technical teams and increases operational efficiency. By leveraging CleverTap’s proprietary TesseractDB™, it offers rich granularity with unlimited data points and no restrictions on lookback period. Previously, the lack of these features could have been a limiting factor for game studios trying to maximize retention and lifetime value, but CleverTap Gaming unlocks these use cases enabling game studios to scale their personalization efforts to new heights. Also, given its versatility, CleverTap Gaming offers a vast array of benefits within various functions in typical game studios: LiveOps: With over 2000 unique player attributes (10x more than the industry average), LiveOps Managers can improve the relevance of their offers with much more granular insights into user behavior and preferences. Marketing: Consumers have vastly different preferences and a single journey does not fit each and every one of them. As such, conditional logic, advanced branching, and unified composition flow across all channels can help marketers plan campaigns with contingencies in mind. The advanced segmentation feature can also help marketers create better-targeted campaigns from the outset. Development: The ability to integrate with existing backend solutions lowers the barrier to transition for gaming studios with other solutions. Native Unity SDK means the platform can enhance developer productivity and shorten release cycles considerably. “Modern gaming is evolving. They are no longer static endpoints – and with features like LiveOps and Remote Configuration, developers are empowered to make changes in real-time without the constraints of approvals and a relaunch.” said Lawrence Hsieh, Principal Product Manager at MobilityWare. “CleverTap Gaming gives us an all-in-one cost-effective solution that ensures consistency and efficiency while not only developing but also promoting an update.” “With over 2.6 billion mobile game players globally, it is only a matter of time before the growth trajectory flattens out and retention becomes a bigger area of focus. We hope that CleverTap Gaming can accompany those studios looking to stay ahead of the curve by maximizing their pre-existing user base via personalized and relevant messaging,” said Sunil Thomas, Co-founder and Executive Chairman at CleverTap. “When we acquired Leanplum last year, we looked to strengthen our footprint within various verticals and geographies. CleverTap Gaming is another step in this direction, and we are confident that it will further accelerate our growth journey.” About CleverTap Gaming, powered by Leanplum CleverTap Gaming is powered by Leanplum and helps gaming studios achieve engagement and revenue goals by providing the tools and expertise to deliver more personalized player experiences at scale. Learn more about what CleverTap can do for your brand at clevertap.com. For a platform demo, visit clevertap.com/live-product-demo/ About CleverTap CleverTap is the all-in-one customer engagement platform that helps brands personalize and optimize all consumer touch points to improve user engagement, retention, and lifetime value. It's the only solution built to address the needs of retention and growth teams, with audience analytics, deep-segmentation, multi-channel engagement, product recommendations, and automation in one unified product. The platform is powered by TesseractDB™ – the world’s first purpose-built database for customer engagement, offering both speed and economies of scale. CleverTap is trusted by 2000 customers, including Electronic Arts, TiltingPoint, Gamebasics, Big Fish, MobilityWare, TED, English Premier League, TD Bank, Carousell, AirAsia, Papa Johns, and Tesco. Backed by leading investors such as Sequoia India, Tiger Global, Accel, and CDPQ the company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with presence in San Francisco, New York, São Paulo, Bogota, London, Amsterdam, Sofia, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, and Jakarta. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn and Twitter. Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this press release may represent CleverTap's belief in connection with future events and may be forward-looking statements, or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. CleverTap cautions that such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties that could result in the actual outcome being absolutely different from the results anticipated by the statements mentioned in the press release. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions affecting our business, future market conditions, our ability to maintain cost advantages, uncertainty with respect to earnings, corporate actions, client concentration, reduced demand, liability or damages in our service contracts, unusual catastrophic loss events, war, political instability, changes in government policies or laws, legal restrictions impacting our business, impact of pandemic, epidemic, any natural calamity and other factors that are naturally beyond our control, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different, from those anticipated by such statements. CleverTap does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated or revised status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will CleverTap and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction. Contact Details Sony Shetty sony@clevertap.com Company Website https://clevertap.com/

March 23, 2023 04:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

News Release

NuggMD Launches Its Leading Marijuana Telemedicine Service in Louisiana

NuggMD

NuggMD, the nation's leading medical marijuana telemedicine platform, today announced it has launched its service in Louisiana. For $179, Louisiana residents can now use NuggMD’s platform to speak with a medical professional and access cannabis to treat qualifying medical conditions. As in some other states, medical cannabis is legal in Louisiana, but the implementation of the law has been slow, which has created uncertainty and inconsistencies for both businesses and consumers. Louisiana legislators passed H.B.697 last summer, which allows physicians to recommend cannabis via telemedicine for both follow-up and initial evaluations. However, the state’s medical board refused to change regulations to fully enact the new legislation, citing sections of existing law that it claimed conflicted with the legislative intent of the Act. Legislators spent months in tense debate with the medical board, attempting to convince it to allow physicians to use telemedicine for cannabis recommendations, as the law stipulates. Upon reaching an impasse, State Rep. Joseph Marino (I) sent a request to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry objecting to the board's stance and requesting an opinion. Landry's response was that the law is clear and that a physician may see a patient via telemedicine if they deem it medically appropriate and follow all other guidance. In his opinion, Landry responded by pointing out that: The distinction between a recommendation and a prescription is valid and was affirmed by case law. Therefore, the prohibition against prescribing certain controlled substances via telemedicine does not apply to the recommendation of marijuana. The legislature clearly intended to make this distinction when it changed the state's medical marijuana laws to remove the references to "prescribing" cannabis and replace them with "recommending" cannabis. "Stated succinctly," he wrote, "neither Louisiana's statutory law nor the regulations promulgated by LSBME currently require physicians to conduct an in-person visit prior to recommending therapeutic marijuana to a patient through telemedicine." Alex Milligan, co-founder and CMO of NuggMD, commented, "Attorney General Landry's clarification is commendable because it finally allows physicians to deliver care to patients in a safe way that eliminates risk from unnecessary exposure to illness and difficult travel." “It's not uncommon to see regulators push back on bold new legislation, especially in an area as contentious as cannabis. When a regulatory environment is constantly in flux, businesses have to make difficult decisions about how and where to operate in light of these constantly changing directives. This holds true for most any industry, not just cannabis," said Milligan. NuggMD co-founder and CEO Kim Babazade added, "We chose to wait to offer our platform to physicians in Louisiana until we had complete clarity on this issue. Our physicians and patients are the most important consideration for us, so we strongly focus on compliance for everyone's protection." NuggMD's platform is available from 8 am until 10 pm local time, seven days a week. No appointment is needed, and patients who are deemed not to qualify for Louisiana’s medical cannabis program won't be charged for their evaluation. Since its founding in 2015, NuggMD has helped more than 1,000,000 patients access medical marijuana in nearly half of the nation's states. About NuggMD NuggMD is the nation's leading medical marijuana technology platform, serving patients in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. They've connected over 1,000,000 patients face-to-face with their new medical marijuana doctors via their state-of-the-art telemedicine platform. They believe every human being has the right to explore the benefits of medical cannabis and are fully committed to helping each patient explore every option in their journey to wellness. For further information, visit NuggMD.com. Contact Details Andrew Graham andrew.g@getnugg.com Company Website http://www.nuggmd.com

March 20, 2023 12:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Shareholder Activist: Entire Disney Board Presided Over Last Year’s Disaster and Does Not Deserve Re-election

National Legal & Policy Center

National Legal and Policy Center, a shareholder in The Walt Disney Company, is calling upon investors in the company to take the extreme step of voting to oppose the entire slate of nominees for the board of directors, all of whom are carryovers that presided over the entertainment giant’s worst year since the 1970s. That’s right – after Disney emerged from a disastrous 2022 that saw extremists take control of their programming, the degradation of its valuable intellectual and creative properties, and the worst performance of its stock price since 1974, all the existing directors (minus one) have decided that each of them deserves to return to their company oversight roles. The Disney annual meeting is on April 3. NLPC is sponsoring Proposal No. 5, which asks the board to produce a report that identifies and itemizes the company’s risks from its extensive business ties to China. NLPC also issued an extensive memorandum for shareholders, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, that outlines why the directors – including CEO Robert Iger – don’t deserve another term after Disney’s dysfunctional 2022, in which they extended the contract of former CEO Bob Chapek mid-year, only to terminate him within five months. The report also highlights several concerns pertaining to the company’s exposure in communist China. Following are excerpts from the memorandum to shareholders that was filed at the SEC on Wednesday: Disney – with its wealth of creative intellectual properties, automatic revenue generators at theme parks all over the planet, and nearly recession-proof entertainment- and media-delivery mechanisms – has seen an inexplicable decline in shareholder returns compared to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. As of January 10, 2023, the Company’s share price fell short against the Wall Street measuring stick over one year (by 24 percent), three years (by 60 percent), five years (by 66 percent), and ten years (by 116 percent). By March 15, 2023 – the date of the filing of this report with the SEC – the share price had descended even lower. Only two years ago Disney stock traded at its eight-year peak – $197.16 – and over the course of 2022, its value dropped by 44 percent. It was the worst year for the Company’s stock since 1974… The Company has squandered, wasted, devalued and ruined much of its content and beloved brands with the pursuit of a far-left political agenda – known in current-day parlance as “wokeness.” For that and because of those poor business decisions, we call for an overhaul of the current board, and also seek support for our own proposal (“Report on Operations Related to China”)…. Disney’s executive suite and its Board have allowed its signature brands and its once-beloved properties to become infected with divisive political agendas…. This is untenable for a Company that built its reputation on family-friendly programming and offerings, if it hopes to continue to attract a broad swath of viewers and customers…. While Disney was more than willing to go to battle (with Mr. Iger’s blessing) against Florida over the parental rights bill that opponents falsely nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, the Company proactively waved the surrender flag in order to access TV audiences in the Muslim world….The Company only cares to “fight” for LGBTQ+ rights where they are free to do so. Otherwise, Disney is perfectly happy to bend its “principles” at the behest of dictators and oppressors in pursuit of revenues…. Mr. Iger has come under criticism for his succession planning…. Shareholder Abigail Disney (whose politics largely align with Mr. Iger’s), granddaughter of Company co-founder Roy O. Disney and grandniece of Walt, told Time in November, “The bottom line is that this was very poor succession planning and the onus of that has to land squarely on Bob Iger’s shoulders as well as the shoulders of the board of directors.” She also said, “I hope it triggers some reflection at the board level because ultimately, this is the board’s job, to hire and fire CEOs. I hope to see something better happening next time around. I hope Bob [Iger] has one foot out the door. The brand is taking a terrible beating right now for a lot of reasons….” “Disney shareholders may think we’re crazy for asking that they oppose the entire board’s re-election, but all the vote means is that it is a statement of no-confidence,” said Paul Chesser, director of NLPC’s Corporate Integrity Project. “After the company’s catastrophic 2022 and the persistent mundane performance of its share price, the current directors have failed miserably. A signal from shareholders would force them to revisit their board makeup and tell them to refresh their ranks.” You can read NLPC’s shareholder proposal on China risks at its website, and the full memorandum to Disney shareholders at the SEC website. Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with Paul Chesser, contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or drene@nlpc.org. Please visit http://www.nlpc.org. Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

March 16, 2023 10:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

News Release

NuggMD Launches Leading Marijuana Telemedicine Service in Georgia

NuggMD

NuggMD, the nation's leading medical marijuana telemedicine platform, has launched its service in Georgia. For $139, Georgians can now use NuggMD’s platform to connect with a medical professional who can recommend cannabis for treatment of the state’s qualifying conditions. The launch comes amid a tense political, legal, and regulatory climate in Georgia for cannabis businesses and consumers. In 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed into law HB 324, which legalized low-THC medical cannabis oil in the state. However, that law has yet to be successfully implemented, with only two production facilities having been awarded licenses in the subsequent four years. While newly proposed legislation, HB 196, seeks to allow more cannabis licenses, its political fate is uncertain. Additionally, Georgia remains one of the dwindling states that still impose jail time for simple possession of unlicensed cannabis. Despite lacking a single legal cannabis dispensary and the fact that no provision in Georgia law suggests how a patient might lawfully obtain cannabis, an estimated 25,000 medical cannabis patients currently reside in Georgia, and the overall demand for legal cannabis is far greater. Alex Milligan, co-founder and CMO of NuggMD, said, "Georgia still has unfair criminal statutes for the simple possession of cannabis, which runs counter to the 2019 law that legalized some forms of the substance. As one of the only services Georgians can rely on to lawfully access cannabis, the irony of this contradiction is not lost on us. One way or another—and in accordance with state law—the availability of legal cannabis will soon be a reality in Georgia. We’ve expanded our operations there so that Georgians can prepare for this eventuality by receiving cannabis recommendations from credible, licensed medical professionals.” NuggMD's platform is available from 8 am until 10 pm local time, seven days a week. No appointment is needed, and patients who are deemed not to qualify for Georgia's medical cannabis program won't be charged for their evaluation. Since its founding in 2015, NuggMD has helped more than 1,000,000 patients access medical marijuana in nearly half of the nation's states. About NuggMD NuggMD is the nation's leading medical marijuana technology platform, serving patients in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. They've connected over 1,000,000 patients face-to-face with their new medical marijuana doctors via their state-of-the-art telemedicine platform. They believe every human being has the right to explore the benefits of medical cannabis and are fully committed to helping each patient explore every option in their journey to wellness. For further information, visit NuggMD.com. Contact Details Andrew Graham andrew.g@getnugg.com Company Website http://www.nuggmd.com

March 15, 2023 02:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Starbucks Shareholder Seeks Removal of Howard Schultz as Director; Urges Company to Be Transparent About China Risks

National Legal & Policy Center

Ahead of Starbucks Corporation ’s annual meeting on March 23, National Legal and Policy Center is calling upon its fellow shareholders to support its proposal to provide greater transparency about the company’s risks of doing business in China, and to join NLPC in opposition to the reelection of outgoing CEO Howard Schultz to the board of directors. NLPC is sponsoring an “Annual Report on Company Operations in China” resolution at the meeting, which seeks transparency for shareholders that addresses “the nature and extent to which corporate operations depend on, and are vulnerable to, communist China….” The item is Proposal No. 7, found on page 79 of Starbucks’s proxy statement. NLPC’s response to the Starbucks board’s opposition to its proposal was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week. NLPC also is asking shareholders, in a memo filed with the SEC, to oppose the reelection of longtime (and soon former) CEO Howard Schultz to the company’s board of directors. An excerpt from NLPC’s filing on Schultz says: We believe that Mr. Schultz being removed from all leadership and advisory roles within the company would be the most effective transition. Additionally, given Mr. Schultz’s insistence on exponential growth in risk-laden communist China; his dubious and likely illegal anti-union tactics; and his harmful politicization of the Company, we believe that his complete removal would be beneficial for the development of Mr. Narasimhan and growth of Starbucks. “In the past – even when Howard Schultz had no formal title with Starbucks – he always lurked in the shadows, and seemed to intervene when he saw problems that he arrogantly believed only he could solve,” said Paul Chesser, director of NLPC’s Corporate Integrity Project. “Disney had a similar situation last year with Bob Iger, who just couldn’t let the company go and undermined his successor before he returned, which led to the company’s worst year financially and image-wise in decades. Now Schultz may be doing the same with his aggressive union-busting efforts, which a federal judge has ruled are illegal.” On NLPC’s China proposal, Chesser said, “Mr. Schultz has built Starbucks’s presence in the communist nation beyond 6,000 stores, and has plans for thousands more, at a time of increasing geopolitical risk with U.S.-China relations approaching a critical point in hostilities. Shareholders must be thoroughly informed about the unique risks to the company that China’s aggression presents.” Finally, NLPC has also asked, in a memo filed with the SEC, for fellow Starbucks shareholders to support Proposal No. 9 on the proxy statement, which is sponsored by the Free Enterprise Project. The proposal asks the Company to create a special board committee to review the impacts of policies like its “Third Place Policy,” which opened its stores to anyone for the use of its restrooms and seating areas, regardless of whether they purchased anything. The practice has led to increased crime and unsafe environments around some stores, causing the closure of many of them. Founded in 1991, NLPC promotes ethics in public life and government accountability through research, investigation, education, and legal action. ### For more information or to schedule an interview with Paul Chesser, contact Dan Rene at 202-329-8357 or drene@nlpc.org. Please visit http://www.nlpc.org. Contact Details National Legal and Policy Center Dan Rene +1 202-329-8357 drene@nlpc.org Company Website http://www.nlpc.org

March 14, 2023 09:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

EY Report: Surety Bonding Provides Strong Economic Value and Strengthens Performance for Public and Private Construction Projects

SFAA

A comprehensive study, The Economic Value of Surety Bonds, finds public and private construction projects protected by surety have lower rates of contractor default, lower cost of completion in the case of default, and are finished faster than non-bonded projects. For a bonded portfolio of construction projects, the overall value of surety bonds more than covers their cost. The study, by Ernst & Young’s (EY) Quantitative Economics and Statistics Group (QUEST), was recently conducted in collaboration with the Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) and is the first to fully assess the economic value surety bonding delivers. EY’s analysis quantified the benefits surety bonding generates throughout the lifecycle of a portfolio of public and private construction projects – including benefits extending beyond the financial protection surety companies provide when contractors default. As a result, EY’s research found that bonded project portfolios modeled perform better than unbonded portfolios, even when considering conservative default rates. “The report exposes the risks of unbonded construction projects, including project delays and higher costs, especially in the case of default, and shows that state and federal laws requiring surety bonds are sound. It’s just good public policy,” said SFAA president and CEO Lee Covington. “EY is a trusted, data-driven firm, and their analysis makes clear surety bonds deliver exceptional economic value for vital American infrastructure projects. EY’s report highlights the economic value and protections surety bonds deliver for both public and private construction projects,” continued Covington. Based on a survey of public and private developers, interviews with experts on construction project defaults, and an assessment of project portfolios, the analysis identified three areas where surety bonds have a significant impact on public and private construction projects. Lower cost of completion upon default and necessary completion expertise – Unbonded construction projects on which the contractor defaults were found to have a cost of completion 85% higher than projects protected by surety bonds. Experts on construction project defaults also unanimously indicated the surety is generally more able to provide the expertise and resources needed to promote a successful transition or re-procurement process than an owner. Over 90% of these experts reported public and private owners/developers generally do not have the expertise and resources to complete the project. Lower rate or likelihood of default – Unbonded projects are more likely to default than bonded projects, perhaps by as much as ten times. This analysis assessed portfolio performance using a default rate of 2.5 times, 5 times, and 10 times a bonded portfolio’s default rate, and generally found unbonded projects are more likely to default than bonded projects. This is in large part because unbonded projects lack the various types of support bonding provides to projects (e.g., prequalification of a contractor’s expertise and financial strength, greater project oversight). Improved or lower contractor pricing – 75% of owners/developers surveyed reported that surety bonding reduces contractor pricing. Respondents cited increased confidence in the general contractor to complete the project and pay subcontractors and payment protections for subcontractors as some of the factors that impact contractor pricing. The analysis demonstrates that any level of improved contractor pricing will only increase the cost benefits of a portfolio of bonded projects. “This report represents the industry’s most comprehensive examination of the economic benefits and protections of surety,” said Principal & Co-leader, Ernst & Young (EY) Quantitative Economic and Statistics (QUEST) Group, Robert Carroll. “Based on our analysis, the multiple benefits surety delivers help manage risk and provide strong economic and performance value to construction projects,” continued Carroll. The EY report found additional benefits surety bonds bring to both public and private construction projects, including: More appropriate prequalification and review – Prior to construction, prequalification was more likely to occur for bonded projects (96% of respondents reported that pre-qualification was performed for bonded projects as compared to 61% for non-bonded), and during construction, contractors provided more information for bonded projects – general contractors were nearly twice as likely to share more than one financial update for bonded projects as for non-bonded projects. Higher priority placed on bonded projects and greater project oversight – Respondents reported that contractors prioritize bonded projects when experiencing financial challenges. Nearly 5 times as many respondents indicated that contractors place a higher priority on bonded projects as compared to unbonded projects when facing financial difficulty. Greater project oversight with more involvement by construction managers is likely to help prevent losses. Greater timeliness of completion – 5 times as many public and private owners reported, bonded projects are more likely to be completed on time or ahead of schedule than non-bonded projects. And when a project does default, an unbonded project will take nearly 2 times longer to complete than a bonded project. Necessary experience and resources when defaults occur – 100% of construction default experts surveyed/interviewed for this analysis said sureties have the expertise, tools and resources necessary to complete a project in the most cost and time-effective manner as compared to an owner who does not have the same expertise and experience as a surety. To read the EY report and get additional information visit www.surety.org/suretyprotects. The Surety & Fidelity Association of America (SFAA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan trade association representing all segments of the surety and fidelity industry. Based in Washington, D.C., SFAA works to promote the value of surety and fidelity bonding by proactively advocating on behalf of its members and stakeholders. The association’s more than 425 member companies write 98 percent of surety and fidelity bonds in the U.S. For more information visit www.surety.org. EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. Contact Details Peter Roth +1 703-401-0676 proth@surety.org Company Website https://surety.org/

March 13, 2023 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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