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Daily Archives: April 27, 2015

2014 Report on Security Clearance Determinations April 2015

FAS – “The number of persons holding security clearances for access to classified information decreased by more than 635,000 (or 12.3 percent) last year, according to a new report to Congress from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.  It was the first reported drop in the total security-cleared population since the government began systematically collecting statistics on security clearances in 2010.

From the report: “The Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 requires the President to submit an annual Report on Security Clearance Determinations to Congress. The IAA directs this report to include the number of United States Government (USG) employees who held a security clearance at each level as of October 1 of the preceding year and the number of USG employees who were approved for a security clearance at each level during the preceding fiscal year. Similar data pertaining to USG contractors is also required. Also, for each element of the Intelligence Community (IC), in-depth security clearance timeliness determination metrics are required. In response to these IAA requirements, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has prepared this 2014 Report on Security Clearance Determinations consistent with the security clearance data requirements as outlined by the categories listed below…”

NIST Releases Draft Community Resilience Planning Guide for Public Review

“The U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) today issued a draft guide to help communities plan for and act to keep windstorms, floods, earthquakes, sea-level rise, industrial mishaps and other hazards from inflicting disastrous consequences. NIST is requesting public feedback on the draft Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure,… Continue Reading

Science Europe

“Science Europe is an association of European Research Funding Organisations (RFO) and Research Performing Organisations (RPO), based in Brussels. Its Founding General Assembly took place in Berlin in October 2011. Science Europe promotes the collective interests of the Research Funding and Research Performing Organisations of Europe. It supports its Member Organisations in their efforts to foster European… Continue Reading

Reviving the Oceans Economy: The Case for Action 2015

“Reviving the Oceans Economy: The Case for Action—2015 brings into focus the economic value our oceans represent for this planet, as the future of humanity depends on their healthy living conditions. While figures in the report are a vast underestimation, the economic assets at risk accurately portray the losses we will incur should we continue… Continue Reading

The Market for Lawyers Revisited

Spurr, Stephen J., The Market for Lawyers Revisited (January 10, 2015). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2599026 “This paper examines the changes in the market for lawyers in the United States over several decades. Reviewing data from 1981 through 2012, we find that the quality of entrants to this market, as measured by the rate… Continue Reading

Supreme Court to Hear Privacy Case Against Spokeo

EPIC – “The Supreme Court will hear an important privacy case concerning the disclosure of personal information in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Spokeo claimed that the plaintiff’s lacked lacked “standing” to sue after the company disclosed data protected by the FCRA. The Ninth Circuit disagreed and ruled for the plaintiffs. In the… Continue Reading

March 2015 Bankruptcy Filings Down 12 Percent

United States Courts -“Bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2015, fell 12 percent when compared to bankruptcy filings for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2014, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. March 2015 bankruptcy filings totaled 911,086, compared to the 1,038,280 bankruptcy cases filed… Continue Reading

Eighth progress report on adoption of Basel regulatory framework

“This updated Progress report on adoption of the Basel regulatory framework provides a high-level view of Basel Committee members’ progress in adopting Basel II, Basel 2.5 and Basel III standards as of end-March 2015. The report focuses on the status of domestic rule-making processes to ensure that the Basel standards are transformed into national law… Continue Reading