News release: "Real gross domestic product - the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States - increased at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 (that is, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 1.8 percent. The Bureau emphasized that the fourth-quarter advance estimate released today is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency. The "second" estimate for the fourth quarter, based on more complete data, will be released on February 29, 2012. The increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter reflected positive contributions from private inventory investment, personal consumption expenditures (PCE), exports, residential fixed investment, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by negative contributions from federal government spending and state and local government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased."

2011 Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories

TRAC: "The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during October 2011 the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to enforce immigration and customs laws accounted for 59% of all federal criminal prosecutions. The government reported 8,038 new prosecutions for these DHS matters as compared with a total of 13,628 from all sources. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is up 9.3 percent over the previous month. These comparisons of the number of defendants charged are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys."

• GAO Mission and Operations - Summary of GAO's Performance and Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2011, GAO-12-5SP, January 26, 2012
• Medicare Advantage - CMS Should Improve the Accuracy of Risk Score Adjustments for Diagnostic Coding Practices, GAO-12-51, January 12, 2012
• Financial Audit - Federal Housing Finance Agency's Fiscal Years 2011 and 2010 Financial Statements [Reissued on January 26, 2012] GAO-12-161, Nov 15, 2011

Health and Access to Care Among Employed and Unemployed Adults: United States, 2009–2010, Key data:

"In 2009–2010, 48.1% of unemployed adults aged 18–64 years had health insurance compared with 81.4% of employed adults; among the insured, a higher proportion of the unemployed had public insurance.

• Unemployed adults had poorer mental and physical health than employed adults; this pattern is found for insured and uninsured adults.
  
• Unemployed adults were less likely to receive needed medical care due to cost than the employed in each insurance category.
  
• The unemployed were less likely to receive needed prescriptions due to cost than the employed in all insurance categories.
  
• Uninsured adults were less likely to receive needed medical care and prescription drugs due to cost than those with public or private insurance, regardless of employment status.

CRS - Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry, Marc R. Rosenblum, Specialist in Immigration Policy. January 6, 2012

Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline: Legal Issues, January 23, 2012

Tax Revenue Keeps Rising, But Growth Again Ticks Downward - Thirty-Six States Were Still Below Peak Collection Levels in FY 2011

American Bankers Association And State Bankers Associations Regulatory Feedback Initiative, Banker Reports on Recent Bank Examination Experiences For the Calendar Year 2011, Summary Report. January 25, 2012

News release: "The world faces the “urgent challenge” of creating 600 million productive jobs over the next decade in order to generate sustainable growth and maintain social cohesion, according to the annual report on global employment by the International Labour Organization (ILO). “After three years of continuous crisis conditions in global labour markets and against the prospect of a further deterioration of economic activity, there is a backlog of global unemployment of 200 million,” says the ILO in its annual report titled Global Employment Trends 2012: Preventing a deeper jobs crisis. Moreover, the report says more than 400 million new jobs will be needed over the next decade to absorb the estimated 40 million growth of the labour force each year. The Global Employment Trends Report also said the world faces the additional challenge of creating decent jobs for the estimated 900 million workers living with their families below the US$ 2 a day poverty line, mostly in developing countries."

• Arlington National Cemetery - Actions Taken and Steps Remaining to Address Contracting and Management Challenges, GAO-12-374T, January 25, 2012
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Risk Assessments - DHS Should Establish More Specific Guidance for Their Use, GAO-12-272, January 25, 2012
• Defense Health - Coordinating Authority Needed for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Activities, GAO-12-154, January 25, 2012
• Federal Employees' Compensation Act - Preliminary Observations on Fraud-Prevention Controls, GAO-12-402, January 25, 2012
• Capitol Police - Retirement Benefits, Pay, Duties, and Attrition Compared to Other Federal Police Forces, GAO-12-58, January 24, 2012

News release: "The majority of law firms in the United States and Canada expect to increase their reliance on electronic forms of lawyer development in the next 24 months, although associates in those firms say they prefer mentoring and on-the-job training to hone their skills. Details regarding this important disconnect, along with other key findings about the landscape of professional development inside law firms, are available in a first-of-its-kind research report published by the NALP Foundation in partnership with West LegalEdcenter, a Thomson Reuters business. The report, “Leading Law Firm Professional Development: A Comprehensive Study of Professional Development Staffing, Resources and Program Delivery Modes,” examines the perspectives of more than 200 law firm administrators responsible for professional development functions and nearly 1,500 associates from firms ranging in size from less than 10 lawyers to more than 1,000 lawyers. The data for this study was collected in late 2010 and early 2011 from online questionnaires."

News release: The European Commission has today [January 24, 2012] a comprehensive reform of the EU's 1995 data protection rules to strengthen online privacy rights and boost Europe's digital economy. Technological progress and globalisation have profoundly changed the way our data is collected, accessed and used. In addition, the 27 EU Member States have implemented the 1995 rules differently, resulting in divergences in enforcement. A single law will do away with the current fragmentation and costly administrative burdens, leading to savings for businesses of around €2.3 billion a year. The initiative will help reinforce consumer confidence in online services, providing a much needed boost to growth, jobs and innovation in Europe."

"The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones. For the first time, the map is available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and as static images for those with slower Internet access. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area."

Blueprint for an America Built to Last, January 25, 2012, President Obama. Key points:

• A Nation Where Everyone Gets a Fair Shot, Does Their Fair Share, and Plays by the Same Set of Rules
  
• A Blueprint to Create New Jobs Here in America, Discourage Outsourcing, and Encourage Insourcing
  
• A Blueprint To Give Hard-Working, Responsible Americans A Fair Shot
  
• A Blueprint to Make the Most of America’s Energy Resources
  
• A Blueprint to Return to America’s Values - Ensuring Everyone Plays by the Same Set of Rules and Pays Their Fair Share