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Monthly Archives: November 2013

UN General Assembly Third Committee Approves Text Titled ‘Right to Privacy in the Digital Age’

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved 18 draft resolutions today, including one on “The right to privacy in the digital age”. “Through this resolution, the General Assembly establishes, for the first time, that human rights should prevail irrespective of the medium and therefore need to be protected both offline and online,” Brazil’s representative… Continue Reading

Report on the findings by EU Co-chairs of ad hoc EU-US Working Group on Data Protection

Report on the findings by the EU Co-chairs of the ad hoc EU-US Working Group on Data Protection. Council of the European Union, Brussels, 27 November 2013. “Under US law, a number of legal bases allow large-scale collection and processing, for foreign intelligence purposes, including counter-terrorism, of personal data that has been transferred to the US… Continue Reading

CRS – Expiring Unemployment Insurance Provisions

Expiring Unemployment Insurance Provisions – Katelin P. Isaacs, Analyst in Income Security, November 22, 2013 “Several key provisions related to extended federal unemployment benefits are temporary and, therefore, scheduled to expire: • Authorization for the temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) program is scheduled to expire the week ending on or before January 1, 2014 (i.e., December 28, 2013, in all states except… Continue Reading

Pensions at a Glance 2013: Retirement-Income Systems in OECD and G20 Countries

“This fifth edition of Pensions at a Glance provides a range of indicators for comparing pension policies and their outcomes between OECD countries. The indicators are also, where possible, provided for the other major economies that are members of the G20. Two special chapters (Chapters 1 and 2) provide deeper analysis of recent pension reforms… Continue Reading

Young adult readers ‘prefer printed to ebooks

Liz Bury – The Guardian: “Survey finds that 62% of 16 to 24-year-olds prefer traditional books over their digital equivalents – Sixteen to 24-year-olds are known as the super-connected generation, obsessed with snapping selfies or downloading the latest mobile apps, so it comes as a surprise to learn that 62% prefer print books to ebooks. Asked about preferences for physical… Continue Reading

House Report on the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2014

Intelligence Authorization Act for 2014. H.R. 113-227. November 25, 2013.–Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. Rogers of Michigan, from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, submitted the following. HR 113-227 REPORT together with MINORITY VIEWS [To accompany H.R. 3381] [Including cost… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – U.S. Currency, Hurricane Sandy Relief, National Preparedness, Small Business

U.S. CURRENCY – Coin Inventory Management Needs Better Performance Information, GAO-14-110, Oct 28, 2013 HURRICANE SANDY RELIEF – Improved Guidance on Designing Internal Control Plans Could Enhance Oversight of Disaster Funding, GAO-14-58, Nov 26, 2013 NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS – Actions Taken by FEMA to Implement Select Provisions of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, GAO-14-99R, Nov 26, 2013 SMALL BUSINESS… Continue Reading

CRS – Pay Equity: Legislative and Legal Developments

Pay Equity: Legislative and Legal Developments – Benjamin Collins, Analyst in Labor Policy; Jody Feder, Legislative Attorney. November 22, 2013 “The term “pay gap” refers to the difference in earnings between male and female workers. While the pay gap has narrowed since the 1960s, female workers with a strong attachment to the labor force earn about 77 to 81 cents… Continue Reading

CRS – Unemployment Insurance: Programs and Benefits

Unemployment Insurance: Programs and Benefits – Julie M. Whittaker, Specialist in Income Security; Katelin P. Isaacs, Analyst in Income Security. November 20, 2013 “Various benefits may be available to unemployed workers to provide income support. When eligible workers lose their jobs, the Unemployment Compensation (UC) program may provide up to 26 weeks of income support through the payment of regular… Continue Reading

Estimating the Incidence of Rape and Sexual Assault 2013

“The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) measures the rates at which Americans are victims of crimes, including rape and sexual assault, but there is concern that rape and sexual assault are undercounted on this survey. BJS asked the National Research Council to investigate this issue and recommend best practices for… Continue Reading

Critical Aspects of EPA’s IRIS Assessment of Inorganic Arsenic

“The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program develops toxicologic assessments of environmental contaminants. IRIS assessments provide hazard identification and dose-response assessment information. The information is then used in conjunction with exposure information to characterize risks to public health and may be used in risk-based decision making, in regulatory actions, and… Continue Reading

New GAO Report – U.S. Currency

U.S. CURRENCY – Coin Inventory Management Needs Better Performance Information, GAO-14-110, Oct 28, 2013 “Efficiently managing the circulating coin inventory helps ensure that enough coins are available to meet public demand while avoiding unnecessary production and storage costs. The Federal Reserve fulfills the coin demand of the nation’s depository institutions (e.g., commercial banks and credit unions) by… Continue Reading