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Daily Archives: February 27, 2017

Why is federal government data disappearing?

The Hill: “The White House recently deleted all of the data on its open data portal, which served as a public clearinghouse for data on everything from federal budgets to climate change initiatives. This is a red flag, since for eight years, the Obama White House championed the practice of making government data freely available to the public in order to promote transparency and accountability, to serve as a resource for researchers, and to allow innovators to create new tools and services that spur economic activity and solve social problems. While the Trump administration has not yet signaled that it will oppose open data across the federal government, its silence on the issue suggests that open data may not receive the same level of priority it has in the past. In sharp contrast, President Obama declared a “new era of openness” on his first full day in office and directed federal agencies to be more transparent. Rather than wait for the Trump administration to change course, Congress should move quickly to adopt the bipartisan OPEN Data Act and permanently codify an open data policy for the U.S. government…”

A New Authorization for Use of Military Force Against the Islamic State: Issues and Current Proposals

CRS report via FAS – A New Authorization for Use of Military Force Against the Islamic State: Issues and Current Proposals, updated February 21, 2017 – Matthew C. Weed, Specialist in Foreign Policy Legislation, February 21, 2017. “This report focuses on the several proposals for a new authority for the use of military force [AUMF]… Continue Reading

CRS – The Law and Leaks to the Press

CRS Reports & Analysis Legal Sidebar – The Law and Leaks to the Press, 02/22/2017: “President Trump has expressed concern over leaks to the press from within the Executive Branch. Earlier administrations, particularly the Obama Administration, acted upon similar concerns to prosecute officials, employees, and contractors who leaked classified information or certain military information to… Continue Reading

Open Data Privacy Playbook

Berkman Klein Center – A data privacy playbook by Ben Green, Gabe Cunningham, Ariel Ekblaw, Paul Kominers, Andrew Linzer, and Susan Crawford. “Cities today collect and store a wide range of data that may contain sensitive or identifiable information about residents. As cities embrace open data initiatives, more of this information is available to the… Continue Reading

Research the Federal Budget. Pick a presidential administration, or select Compare All to view all years

Via InsideGov:  U.S. Federal Budget Collection – includes estimates for Donald Trump Barack Obama Bill Clinton Calvin Coolidge Donald Trump Dwight Eisenhower Franklin D. Roosevelt George H. W. Bush George W. Bush Harry S. Truman Herbert Hoover Jimmy Carter John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson Richard Nixon Ronald Reagan Theodore Roosevelt Warren G. Harding William H.… Continue Reading

Presidential Executive Order on Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda

Presidential Executive Order on Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda, February 24, 2017: “… Each Regulatory Reform Task Force shall evaluate existing regulations (as defined in section 4 of Executive Order 13771) and make recommendations to the agency head regarding their repeal, replacement, or modification, consistent with applicable law.  At a minimum, each Regulatory Reform Task… Continue Reading

Best Apps To Track Trump’s Legal Changes

Above the Law – “Whatever your opinion of Donald Trump, there is no denying that he has promised an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days as president. While people all across the country have personal and political interests in keeping up with Trump’s pronouncements and policies, lawyers also have a professional interest in tracking… Continue Reading

The Returns to Online Postsecondary Education

Hoxby, Caroline M., The Returns to Online Postsecondary Education (February 2017). NBER Working Paper No. w23193. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2924283 “This study analyzes longitudinal data on nearly every person who engaged in postsecondary education that was wholly or substantially online between 1999 and 2014. It shows how much they and taxpayers paid for the education… Continue Reading