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Daily Archives: April 28, 2016

GAO Report – Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation

Government Efficiency and Effectiveness: Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication and Achieve Other Financial Benefits, GAO-16-580T: Published: Apr 27, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 27, 2016.

“GAO’s 2016 annual report identifies 92 new actions that Congress and executive branch agencies could take to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government in 37 areas. GAO identifies 12 areas in which there is evidence of fragmentation, overlap, or duplication. For example, GAO found that the Internal Revenue Service could potentially collect billions of dollars in taxes owed and save resources by better managing fragmentation and overlap, improving communication, and streamlining processes within its nine public referral programs. GAO also identifies 25 areas where opportunities exist to reduce the cost of government operations or enhance revenue collections. For example, GAO found that Medicare could save billions of dollars if Congress were to equalize the rates Medicare pays for certain health care services, which often vary depending on where the service is performed. Congress and executive branch agencies have made progress in addressing the 544 actions government-wide that GAO identified in its past annual reports. As of March 2, 2016, 41 percent of these actions were addressed, 34 percent were partially addressed, and 20 percent were not addressed. Congressional and executive branch efforts to address these actions over the past 5 years have resulted in roughly $56 billion in financial benefits, with at least an additional $69 billion in estimated benefits projected to be accrued through 2025. These estimates are based on a variety of sources that considered different time periods, assumptions, and methodologies…”

OECD, International Organisation of Pension Supervisors (IOPS), and World Bank join forces to improve private pension statistics

“The OECD, IOPS, and World Bank announced today that they are collaborating to help expand global data on private pensions. The OECD and IOPS currently collect a market-leading suite of statistics on private pensions as part of the OECD’s Global Pension Statistics database and annual Pensions Markets in Focus report. Initially the data included OECD… Continue Reading

Will droughts turn the Amazon into a giant source of carbon pollution?

NOAA: “Will droughts turn the Amazon into a giant source of carbon pollution? As climate change increases temperatures and alters rainfall patterns across South America, scientists are concerned that the Amazon rainforest will shift from a carbon sponge to a carbon source. New research published today in the journal Global Change Biology highlights this disturbing… Continue Reading

THOMAS.gov to Retire July 5

News from the Library of Congress: “THOMAS.gov, the online legislative information system, will officially retire July 5, completing the multi-year transition to Congress.gov. “The Library is well-positioned for the future with Congress.gov,” said Acting Librarian of Congress David S. Mao. “Free access to legislative information that anyone can search for and read is central to… Continue Reading

Iraq Country Analysis Brief

EIA: “Iraq is the second-largest crude oil producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after Saudi Arabia, and it holds the world’s fifth-largest proved crude oil reserves after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and Iran. Most of Iraq’s major known fields are producing or in development, although much of its known hydrocarbon resources… Continue Reading

In October 2015, 69.2% of 2015 high school graduates enrolled in college

BLS: “In October 2015, 69.2 percent of 2015 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in October 2015 were about twice as likely as enrolled graduates to be working or looking for work (72.7 percent compared with… Continue Reading

2012 Economic Census Subject Series: Accommodation and Food Services – ZIP Code Statistics

“This release contains a data file on the accommodation and food services sector for the entire United States. These statistics are limited to a count of the establishments in each industry by sales-size range of establishments. These ZIP codes are reported by businesses or coded from addresses. They are not the ZIP Code Tabulation Areas… Continue Reading

GAO Reports – Defense Health Care, Indian Health Service, SEC InfoSec, Missile Defense, Public Transit, Veterans Justice, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

Defense Health Care: DOD Is Meeting Most Mental Health Care Access Standards, but It Needs a Standard for Follow-up Appointments, GAO-16-416: Published: Apr 28, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 28, 2016. Indian Health Service: Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Patient Wait Times, GAO-16-333: Published: Mar 29, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 28, 2016. Information Security: Opportunities… Continue Reading

Facebook Government Requests Report

Report, July 2015-December 2015: “United States Law Enforcement Requests for Data – We respond to valid requests relating to criminal cases. Each and every request we receive is checked for legal sufficiency and we reject or require greater specificity on requests that are overly broad or vague. Total Requests – 19,235 Users / Accounts Requested… Continue Reading

2016 Data Breach Investigations Report

Via Verizon: “For the ninth time, the 2016 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR) lifts the lid on what’s really happening in cybersecurity. The 2016 dataset is bigger than ever, examining over 100,000 incidents, including 2,260 confirmed data breaches across 82 countries. With data provided by 67 contributors including security service providers, law enforcement and government… Continue Reading

Reduced Disparities in Birth Rates Among Teens Aged 15–19 Years — United States, 2006–2007 and 2013–2014

CDC – “Births among Hispanic and black teens have dropped by almost half since 2006, according to a new analysis published by CDC. This mirrors a substantial national decline: births to all American teenagers have dropped more than 40 percent within the past decade. Despite this progress, key challenges persist for many communities, according to… Continue Reading