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Daily Archives: March 9, 2017

Chaffetz, Cummings Urge Compliance with Federal Recordkeeping Laws

Letter to White House and agencies requests information on procedures for proper preservation – “House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) and Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) sent a letter to the White House and 55 federal agencies requesting information on how each entity is complying with the Presidential Records Act (PRA) and the Federal Records Act (FRA). Recent news reports raise questions as to whether some White House officials and federal employees are using various messaging applications to conduct official business, in possible violation of the PRA and FRA.

Excerpts from the letter:

“Federal recordkeeping and government transparency laws such as the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act ensure the official business of the federal government is properly preserved and accessible to the American public.”  

“Official business must be conducted in such a way as to preserve the official record of actions taken by the federal government and its employees.”

“Many of the messages sent from [President Trump’s twitter] accounts are likely to be presidential records and therefore must be preserved.  It has been reported, however, that President Trump has deleted tweets, and if those tweets were not archived it could pose a violation of the Presidential Records Act.”

Full text of the letters can be viewed here and here.”

Mapping the Global Legal Landscape of Blockchain Technologies

Maupin, Julie A., Mapping the Global Legal Landscape of Blockchain Technologies (February 14, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2930077 “Blockchain technologies are beginning to push a broad array of global economic activities away from centralized and toward decentralized market structures. Governments should tackle the new regulatory conundrums of an increasingly disintermediated global economy by focusing on… Continue Reading

CRS Report – News and Transcript Resources

News and Transcript Resources: Fact Sheet, Laura L. Monagle, Technical Information Specialist March 2, 2017 [via FAS] “Searching for news items can sometimes be challenging. Despite the apparent ease of free online resources like Google News, there is a significant amount of news coverage (especially older or fee-based content) that is not freely available online,… Continue Reading

CIA Asserts State Secrets Privilege in Torture Case

Via Secrecy News, Steven Aftergood – please read the entire posting here: “The Central Intelligence Agency formally asserted the state secrets privilege this week in order to prevent disclosure of seven categories of information concerning its post-9/11 interrogation program, and to prevent the deposition of three CIA officers concerning the program. The move was first… Continue Reading

The Other Animal-Welfare Documents APHIS Deleted

Follow up to previous postings, Animal welfare information wiped from USDA website and Some animal welfare data removed from USDA site is restored – via AltGov2 (kudos and thanks to Russ Kick and note that AltGov 2 is another new website project by Russ) “They did it again. At the beginning of February, the USDA’s… Continue Reading

ALA Sends Out Press Release About National Library Week

There’s a lot going on….“Libraries Transform:” Join us in celebrating National Library Week 2017 (April 9-15) Get ready for 2017’s National Library Week (April 9-15)! During this week and throughout April, U.S. libraries of all types host special events to highlight the unique role libraries play in people’s lives and to promote library use and… Continue Reading

Judge Neil M. Gorsuch Nominee to be Associate Justice for Supreme Court of the United States

Senate Judiciary Committee – Judge Neil M. Gorsuch Nominee to be Associate Justice for the Supreme Court of the United States Tuesday, January 31, 2017 Questionnaire & other Nomination Materials – This link will be updated as material is received. Instructions for Media Covering the Hearing “On January 31, 2017, President Donald J. Trump announced… Continue Reading

DOJ 2016 Litigation and Compliance Report

“Yesterday OIP posted the Department’s 2016 Litigation and Compliance Report. In accordance with the FOIA, the Department submitted this Report to Congress and the President detailing our efforts to encourage agency compliance with the FOIA, as well as a listing of all FOIA litigation cases received and decided in the prior calendar year. The report… Continue Reading

The 100 Best Companies to Work For: Why They Matter

Fortune – The 100 Best Companies to Work For: Why They Matter:”Since 1998, Fortune has been publishing a list of employees’ 100 favorite companies in the country. The result has been a two-decade tour de force showcasing industry-leading benefits, like Adobe’s six-month paid maternity leave, and mind-bending perks, like Publix’s holiday bonus of up to… Continue Reading