News release: "The Committee launched an investigation immediately after the disaster, finding it likely that the tragedy was the result of a flawed plan for conducting retreat mining in the area of the mine where the deaths occurred."

• Memorandum from the Chairman to the Members of the Committee on Education and Labor Regarding the August 2007 Disaster at the Crandall Canyon Mine, May 8, 2008, Congressman George Miller, Chairman. (164 pages, PDF)
  
• Committee Memo on Crandall Canyon Mine Investigation, 10 pages, PDF
  
• Documents Cited In Memo

"As Congress considers President Bush's request for another $178 billion in total war funding for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2008 and the first part of Fiscal Year 2009, the National Priorities Project (NPP) released today a state-level table and breakdowns of Iraq war spending costs by state, congressional district, county and town, showing the local cost of the additional request and what that amount of money could buy in domestic services for each locality instead."

Of the $178 billion war spending request, $135 billion is dedicated to the Iraq War, with close to $84 billion allocated for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2008 and almost $52 billion allocated for the start of Fiscal Year 2009.

NPP's state-level table shows the cost of the Iraq War thus far to each state, the cost to each state of the pending funding request and what that amount could buy each state in health care, school teachers and affordable housing. NPP's "trade-offs" page offers similar breakdowns by congressional district, county, town and state as well.

News release: "Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), today announced the release of the 2008 edition of Background Material and Data on the Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means, informally known as the Green Book. The Green Book provides updated data and information on programs within the Committee’s jurisdiction, such as Medicare, Social Security, Unemployment Compensation, Foster Care and welfare. Additionally, it includes a discussion of related issues, such as the well-being of the elderly and of children and families. Since its first publication in 1981, the Green Book has become a valued reference guide for legislators, administrators, researchers and interested citizens. Upon completion, individual chapters of this volume will be accessible on the Committee’s website."

Fact Sheet: Emergency Supplemental: Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans, and Workers, House Appropriations Committee - Majority, May 7, 2008.

Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works - hearing entitled Perchlorate and TCE in Water, May 6, 2008.

From Opening Statement by Chairman Barbara Boxer: "...today we will hear about EPA's particularly disturbing failures to address significant risks to our families from two widespread drinking water contaminants: perchlorate and trichloroethylene, usually just called "TCE."

Perchlorate is used to make rocket fuel, but when it gets into drinking water, this toxic chemical can interfere with the thyroid and affect hormone systems, which control the way the body develops. Infants and pregnant women are especially vulnerable to perchlorate.

Researchers have found that over 20 million Americans' drinking water supplies contain perchlorate. GAO found in 2005 that there were nearly 400 sites in 35 states contaminated with perchlorate. My state of California had 106 sites.

The evidence of significant exposure to perchlorate and assorted health risks has strengthened in recent years. In 2006, scientists at the CDC found "widespread human exposure to perchlorate" in the US, including in young children. They also found that many women who were exposed to perchlorate in their drinking water had significant changes in thyroid hormone levels."

News release: "Today, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) released a Congressional Research Service (CRS) study on the implications for U.S. economic and security interests of China’s rising global influence. The study, which CRS produced at Senator Biden’s request in consultation with a distinguished group of China specialists and other regional and functional analysts, examines the strengths and weaknesses of China’s foreign policy and growing use “soft power” in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearings to examine the current lack of hospital emergency surge capacity. The hearings will focus on the widening mismatch between the growing demand for emergency care and available supply, impact of the Administration’s Medicaid regulations on hospital emergency surge capacity, and the ability of hospitals to respond to a mass casualty event, such as a terrorist attack using conventional explosives or natural disaster.

• Chairman Waxman's Opening Statement
  
• Report: Hospital Emergency Surge Capacity
  
• Snapshot of Emergency Surge Capacity in Chicago
  
• Snapshot of Emergency Surge Capacity in Washington, DC
  
• Snapshot of Emergency Surge Capacity in Denver
  
• Snapshot of Emergency Surge Capacity in Houston
  
• Snapshot of Emergency Surge Capacity in Los Angeles
  
• Snapshot of Emergency Surge Capacity in Minneapolis
  
• Snapshot of Emergency Surge Capacity in New York City

Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT): "The long-range or "vicinity" Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology chosen by the Departments of Homeland Security and State for government-issued ID documents poses serious risks to personal privacy and security, CDT testified today before a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee. CDT recommended that DHS and State abandon the technology, which was originally developed to track things, not people, and that encryption be used to protect a citizen's unique ID number. CDT also urged Congress to support legislation or regulations banning unauthorized "skimming" of RFID chips and prohibiting use of the passport card and Enhanced Driver's License beyond border security."

• Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs , Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia, Hearing on The Impact of Implementation: A Review of the REAL ID Act and the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, 4/29/08
  
• CDT Prepared Statement, April 29, 2008
  
• CDT Written Testimony, April 29, 2008

"Throughout 2007, OMB Watch diligently exposed assaults on public protections and fought for greater government accountability and performance. Our 2007 Annual Report offers you some highlights from the past year."

News release: "...Besides meeting Congressional requirements, the 2007 edition of the Country Reports on Terrorism aims to inform, to stimulate constructive debate, and to enhance our collective understanding of the international terrorist threat. The Country Reports should serve as a reference tool to inform policymakers, the American public, and our international partners about our efforts, progress and challenges in the war on terror. The 2007 Report begins with a strategic overview to illustrate trends. We note some positives. First, working with allies and partners across the world, we created a less permissive operating environment for terrorists, kept leaders on the move or in hiding, and degraded their ability to plan and mount attacks. Dozens of countries have passed new legislation or strengthened preexisting laws that provide law enforcement and judicial authorities with new tools to bring terrorists to justice."

Committee Report: Deploying Federal Civilians to the Battlefield: Incentives, Benefits and Medical Care, April 2008. Report Prepared by the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

• May 2008 Petroleum Marketing Monthly With Data for February 2008 (04/30/2008): "Monthly price and volume statistics on crude oil and petroleum products at a national, regional and state level."
• April 2008 Natural Gas Monthly With Data for February 2008 (04/30/2008): "Natural and supplemental gas production, supply, consumption, disposition, storage, imports, exports, and prices in the United States.
• State-Level Energy Production Annual Time Series Through 2005 (04/30/2008): "State-level energy production annual time series are now available in the State Energy Data System (SEDS). Included are: coal, crude oil, and natural gas production estimates in physical units and British thermal units (Btu); total energy production estimates in Btu comprising fossil fuel production, renewable energy production, and nuclear electric power generation; rankings of production by State; and comparisons of State-level production and consumption. Time series cover 1960-2005 except for natural gas and total production, which span 1970-2005. Data are provided in tables of PDF and Excel format, as well as in a comma-separated data file. Detailed documentation of data sources and estimation methodologies is also provided."
• Energy Market and Economic Impacts of S.2191, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007 (04/30/2008): "This report responds to a request from Senators Lieberman and Warner for an analysis of S.2191, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007. S.2191 is a complex bill regulating emissions of greenhouse gases through market-based mechanisms, energy efficiency programs, and economic incentives. This analysis focuses on the impacts of the greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program established under Title I of S. 2191.

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Interstate Commerce, Trade, and Tourism [Improving Consumer Protections in Subprime Lending], about the Commission’s continuing efforts to protect subprime mortgage borrowers. The testimony described the agency’s priorities, including deceptive mortgage advertising, deceptive or unfair servicing practices, discrimination in lending, and foreclosure rescue scams..."

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Holds Hearing on Defense Department Acquisitions: "The hearing will examine the recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) titled, Defense Acquisitions: Assessments of Selected Weapon Programs. This report found that the Defense Department’s 95 major weapons acquisition programs currently exceed their original budgets by nearly $300 billion dollars and are, on average, 21 months late in delivering these weapons systems to warfighters. These rates of cost overruns and delivery delays are significantly higher than in previous GAO surveys. The hearing will represent the first opportunity for Department of Defense officials to testify to Congress about the report."

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006, Volumes I and II (Note: 1125 pages, PDF). Senate Print 110-40, April 2008.

"The Center for Democracy and Technology applauds the Senate's passage of HR 493, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (GINA) by unanimous consent. The House is expected to quickly pass the measure. The bill represents a significant step forward in protecting health privacy because it prohibits the use of genetic information by employers when making hiring decisions or by health insurers when making coverage decisions or adjusting premiums. Under GINA, employers and insurers also would not be allowed to impose genetic testing requirements. CDT is urging the President to quickly sign the bill into law."

• Senate Report 110-048 - Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act og 2007
  
• House Reports: 110-28 Part 1, 110-28 Part 2, 110-28 Part 3, 110-28 Part 4
  
• EPIC Genetic Privacy Resource page

• A Review of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation's New Investment Strategy, April 24, 2008. Letter to the George Miller, Chairman, House Committee on Education and Labor.
• Implications of a Cap-and-Trade Program for Carbon Dioxide Emissions, April 24, 2008 html pdf webcast. CBO Statement of Peter R. Orszag, Director, before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate

The Orphan Works Act of 2008 (HR 5889 and S 2913) "attempts to create a system where new creators can use old works without fear of massive lawsuits, provided that a good faith effort has been made to find out if the work in question is copyrighted." [Link]

• Public Knowledge resource guide to Orphan Works and related posting.
  
• beSpacific postings on orphan works

News release: "An investigation of the Environmental Protection Agency released today found that 889 of nearly 1,600 staff scientists reported that they experienced political interference in their work over the last five years. The study, by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), follows previous UCS investigations of the Food and Drug Administration, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and climate scientists at seven federal agencies, which also found significant administration manipulation of federal science."

The Report

• Report Summary
  
• Full Report (108 pages, PDF)
  
• Executive Summary


EPA Survey

• Survey Summary
  
• Survey Brochure
  
• Methodology and Demographics

Chairman Waxman Requests Testimony on Political Interference at EPA
"In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman requested that he be prepared to testify regarding the recently released Union of Concerned Scientists Report documenting extensive and widespread political interference with the work of scientists at EPA."

H.R. 5613, Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008, April 22, 2008: "Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on April 16, 2008."

Written Statement of Kevin J. Martin, Chairman Federal Communications Commission Before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing, Future of the Internet, April 22, 2008.

News release: "In a letter to Under Secretary of Defense Chu, Chairman Waxman requested documents related to the recent sharp increase in the number of personnel conduct waivers, which allow the enlistment of U.S. service members who would otherwise be precluded by recruitment standards, and released the number of waivers granted for specific criminal felonies in FY 2006 and FY 2007."

News release: "In response to the nationwide economic downturn caused by the housing and credit crisis, members of the House Financial Services Committee today introduced legislation to combat the unprecedented rise in foreclosures, and the associated impact on cities and states. The legislation first announced by Chairman Barney Frank in March, will be divided into two measures: H.R. 5830, the FHA Housing and Homeowner Retention Act, to expand the FHA program to help refinance at-risk borrowers into viable mortgages and also requires the Federal Reserve Board to conduct a study on the need for an auction or bulk refinancing mechanism. The second measure, H.R. 5818, the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008, introduced by Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity Chairwoman Maxine Waters, will provide loans and grants to states and cities to deal with problems associated with large numbers of foreclosures in neighborhoods across the country." [graphic from AP on proposed plan to help homeowners]

News release: "Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and Committee Members Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Artur Davis (D-AL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced three critical actions in the Committee's investigation into allegations of selective or poltiically-motivated prosecution in the Justice Department. The Members today invited Karl Rove to testify before the committee; urged the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate those allegations; and demanded that Attorney General Michael Mukasey provide additional documents on this subject."

Selective Prosecution: Majority Staff Report and Additional Letters

• Majority Staff Report on Allegations of Selective Prosecution and Additional Documents
  
• Letter to Justice Department OIG/OPR
  
• Letter to Karl Rove
  
• Letter to AG Mukasey

  Permanent Link

House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations: Agency Stovepipes vs Strategic Agility: Lessons We Need to Learn from Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan, April 2008, 84 pages, PDF.

Chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson: "I began this newsletter to alleviate the gap that exists between the need for information about opportunities available at the Department and the ability to locate and disseminate that information in a timely and user-friendly manner. Similarly, my experience has taught me that the gap between need and ability also affects businesses in their quest to interact with the Department. A small business owner may have a concept for a product that will address an important homeland security need, but lack the resources necessary to bring the product on-line. A large company may not have developed the original concept, but may possess the resources necessary to transform a prototype into an available product. The gap between concept and production can be bridged by providing each party with the type of information they need to create a product that fills a critical need. This newsletter is intended to bridge the gaps that keep information unavailable, sidelines worthwhile businesses, discourages full participation, and permits vulnerabilities to continue."

CRS Report: International Violence Against Women: U.S. Response and Policy Issues, March 31, 2008

Statement of Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice before the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties concerning “The FBI’s Use of National Security Letters and Section 215 Orders for Business Records”, April 15, 2008.

• Cost Estimate for S. 2191, America's Climate Security Act of 2007, April 10, 2008: Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on December 5, 2007.
• Cost Estimate for S. 2191, America's Climate Security Act of 2007, with an amendment, April 10, 2008: Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on December 5, 2007, with a proposed amendment transmitted to CBO on April 9, 2008

CBO - Policy Options for the Housing and Financial Markets, April 2008: "The housing and financial markets are in the midst of severe adjustments. House prices are falling rapidly, and they are expected to continue to fall. Mortgage foreclosures, particularly among subprime borrowers, have risen to record levels and are still rising. The financial markets are having severe difficulties adjusting to losses on mortgage-backed assets. In response to a request from the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has examined the potential role of federal institutions and federal support in resolving the difficulties in the financial and housing markets. This paper updates and expands on issues raised in a January 2008 CBO paper, Options for Responding to Short-Term Economic Weakness."

Report: Overview of the Federal Tax System and Its Effect in 2008, Scheduled for a Public Hearing Before the Senate Committee on Finance on April 15, 2008. Prepared by the Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, April 14, 2008, JCX-32-08.

News release: "The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) [April 10, 2008] issued China: Description of Selected Government Practices and Policies Affecting Decision Making in the Economy [270 pages, PDF]. The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, prepared the report at the request of the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Ways and Means. As requested, the ITC described and, where possible, quantified numerous practices and policies that central, provincial, and local government bodies in China use to support and attempt to influence decision making in China's manufacturing, agricultural, and services sectors. The report provides a description of government practices and policies in China with respect to industrial development, the rationalization and closure of uneconomic enterprises, privatization of state-owned enterprises and private ownership, price coordination, utility rates, taxation, the banking and finance sectors, infrastructure development, research and development, worker training and retraining, and restraints on imports and exports. The report also provides an analysis of the likely impact of the December 2006 policy directive from China's State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, a directive that outlines the industries the Chinese government considers to be strategically important."

News release: "Corporations, industries, labor unions, governments and other interests spent a record $2.79 billion in 2007 to lobby for favorable policies in Washington, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has calculated. This represents an increase of 7.7 percent, or $200 million, over spending in 2006. And for every day Congress was in session, industries and interests spent an average of $17 million to lobby lawmakers and the federal government at large...CRP, which tracks lobbying spending on its award-winning Web site, OpenSecrets.org, found that, for the second straight year, health interests spent more on federal lobbying than any other economic sector — $444.7 million. The finance, insurance and real estate sector was second, spending about $418.7 million."

"Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people using the web, your phone, or IM. Join today to start receiving SenateFloor's updates" and/or HouseFloor's updates."

News release: "Times change and so should the tax code, but with tax day less than a week away millions of entrepreneurs are facing outdated IRS provisions that stifle their ability to boost the economy. Today, the House Committee on Small Business heard from a panel of business owners and tax experts at a hearing focused on modernizing sections of the code while making it more small business friendly. As part of the forum, the Committee also issued a report titled Seven Ways to Stimulate the Economy by Updating the Internal Revenue Code, which provides specific recommendations on fixing provisions that impact small firms."

"Chairman Henry A. Waxman today issued a subpoena to compel EPA to provide unredacted copies of documents involving the White House that have been improperly withheld from the Committee regarding EPA’s decision to reject California’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. The subpoena compels production of approximately 100 EPA documents involving the White House. Chairman Waxman released the following statement:

“The Committee has found evidence that EPA officials met with the White House regarding California’s motor vehicle regulations. Subsequently, EPA blocked California from moving forward with its landmark program to address climate change. Unfortunately, EPA has refused to disclose the substance and extent of its communications with the White House. The Committee must have these documents in order to understand how the agency’s decision was made.”

"In a letter to EPA Administrator Johnson, Chairman Waxman expressed his concerns that an EPA proposal could expose significant populations in the United States to contamination levels in drinking water up to three times what the law now allows."

A Good Job Is Hard to Find: Evidence for Extending Unemployment Insurance Benefits Already Exists, a Report by the Joint Economic Committee Majority Staff, April 2008.

Report released by Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Joseph Biden: "An estimated two million Iraqi refugees have been displaced from their homes and are living in Syria and Jordan, with another two million displaced within Iraq. The report makes several recommendations for responding to the humanitarian crisis, namely that the White House appoint a senior coordinator to manage the U.S. response to the crisis and significantly increase U.S. funding commitments to reflect a fifty percent contribution of all appeals by the United Nations and other international organizations to support Iraqi refugees and displaced persons. The report states that the United States must develop a comprehensive, coordinated assistance strategy and lead international efforts in soliciting international contributions. Encouraging countries which host Iraqi refugees to provide legal protections to Iraqi refugees is also recommended in the report."

General David H. Petraeus, USA Commanding General Multi-National Force-Iraq

110th CONGRESS, 2d Session, S. RES. 501: Honoring the sacrifice of the members of the United States Armed Forces who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• The Personal Information Trainer, by Stuart Basefsky
• Criminal Law Resources: Fingerprint Evidence Challenges, by Ken Strutin
• The Social Networking Titans: Facebook and MySpace, by Deborah Ginsberg and Meg Kribble
• Update to Choosing Law Librarianship: Thoughts for People Contemplating a Career Move, by Mary Whisner
• Living With the Asus Eee PC, by Conrad J. Jacoby
• Competitive Intelligence - A Selective Resource Guide, by Sabrina I. Pacifici, completely revised and updated.
• Doing Legal Research in Canada - revised and updated, by Ted Tjaden
• The Tao of Law Librarianship: If the Books Go, Will They Still Want Us? by Connie Crosby
• E-Discovery Update: Minimizing E-Mail Archive Data Conversion Issues, by Conrad J. Jacoby
• Reference from Coast to Coast: Making A Federal Case Out of It, by Jan Bissett and Margi Heinen
• FOIA Facts: Increasing the Quality of FOIA Releases, by Scott A. Hodes
• The Government Domain: Rich Resources from the Librarians of the Fed, by Peggy Garvin
• LLRX Book Review by Heather A. Phillips - Jerome Neu’s Sticks and Stones: The Philosophy of Insults
• Commentary: Waterboarding, Congress and the President, by Beth Wellington

Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Semiannual Report to the Congress: April 1, 2007 – September 30, 2007

Amtrak’s Future Outlook and Budgetary Needs, April 03, 2008

Congressnow.com: "The House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia today approved a bill to improve the oversight and implementation of the Government Accountability Office's personnel system."

News release: "Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the 2008 Congressional Pig Book, the latest installment in an 18-year exposé of pork-barrel spending...In fiscal year 2008, Congress stuffed 11,610 projects (the second highest total ever) worth $17.2 billion into the 12 appropriations bills. That is a 337 percent increase over the 2,658 projects in fiscal year 2007, and a 30 percent increase over the $13.2 billion total in fiscal year 2007. Alaska led the nation with $556 in pork per capita ($380 million total), followed by Hawaii with $221 ($283 million) and North Dakota with $208 ($133 million). CAGW has identified $271 billion in total pork since 1991."

Online Virtual Worlds: Applications and Avatars in a User-Generated Medium, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
Tuesday, April 1, 2008. Witness List & Prepared Testimony.

News release: "Finance Committee staff today released a bipartisan discussion draft of the President’s proposal to require information reporting by banks and other entities on reimbursements to merchants that accept electronic forms of payment, including credit and debit cards. The Finance Committee intends to use public comment to understand more about how payment reporting may affect the tax gap – the $345 billion in Federal taxes legally owed but uncollected each year – as well as to determine whether increased reporting requirements would unfairly burden merchant businesses or banks."

EPA Office of Inspector General: Improvements Needed to Ensure Grant Funds for U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program Are Spent More Timely. At a Glance PDF | Report PDF

A Review of CBO's Activities in 2007 Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, March 2008.

Federal Compensation Programs: Perspectives on Four Programs for Individuals Injured by Exposure to Harmful Substances, by Anne-Marie F. Lasowski, acting director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, House Committee on the Judiciary. GAO-08-628T, April 1, 2008.

The Sunshine in Litigation Act: Does Court Secrecy Undermine Public Health and Safety? Senate Judiciary Committee, S. HRG. 110–263 [248 pages, PDF]. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 110th Congress, 1st Session, December 11, 2007. [via FAS]

WSJ - Sweeping Changes in Paulson Plan: "U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson plans Monday to call for sweeping structural changes in the way the government monitors financial markets, capping a broad review aimed at revamping a system of regulatory oversight built piecemeal since the Civil War. If even only some of the changes get made, they would represent a major reworking of the U.S. regulatory system for finance. Such an outcome would likely take years and would also require major compromises from an increasingly partisan Congress."

• AP: Financial Overhaul Glance
  
• WSJ: Fed's 'Supercop' Role May Give It Headaches, March 31, 2008: "The Federal Reserve, criticized for regulatory lapses that allegedly aggravated the credit crisis, emerges at first glance as the big winner in Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's proposed overhaul of financial regulation. But Mr. Paulson's plan to make the Fed a supercop in charge of keeping the financial system stable is also problematic for the Fed and its chairman, Ben Bernanke. The Fed is being asked to do a job that may be beyond anyone's ability: Identify and avoid a crisis in advance."
  
• AP: "In proposing the broadest overhaul of financial oversight since the Great Depression, the Bush administration has kicked off a fierce debate. It pits those eager to revamp an antiquated system against an industry opposed to excessive regulation. The administration is aware of the hardening lines. The 200-page plan set for release Monday comes with the financial system in the midst of the most severe credit crisis in two decades."
  
• Real Time Economics: Q&A With Paulson (WSJ - free access)
  
• Text of Paulson's Executive Summary (WSJ - free access)
  
• WSJ - Treasury Plan Garners Mixed Response From Policy Makers
  
• Office of Thrift Supervision Internal Memo
  
• WSJ - Treasury Stakes Out Position on Federal Insurance Regulation

GPO is pleased to announce the release of Authenticated Public and Private Laws for the 110th Congress on GPO Access: "Public and private laws are prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). GPO Access contains the text of public and private laws enacted from the 104th Congress to the present. The database for the current session of Congress is updated when the publication of a slip law is authorized by OFR. Documents are available as ASCII text and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files."

Follow up to State Department Acknowledges Unauthorized Access to Passport Records of Presidential Candidates, today's news release: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) today urged the Attorney General to take immediate action to investigate reported breaches of the passport files of the three presidential candidates at the State Department. Attorney General Michael Mukasey stated last week that the Justice Department would await the outcome of an internal investigation at the State Department before taking action.

“We both strongly believe that our government has a duty to protect the private information of its citizens,” wrote Leahy and Specter. “The Justice Department should not wait to be handed ‘a box full of evidence,’ as you said at your recent briefing, before determining whether Federal laws were broken.”

See also Personal Data Privacy and Security Act and Summary of the Leahy-Specter data privacy legislation.

"NOAA released the first report to Congress on the Implementation of the Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program, called for in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006 (MSRA). Prepared under the auspices of NOAA's Coral Reef Conservation Program and in consultation with the Nation's eight Regional Fishery Management Councils, the report provides information on steps taken by NOAA and its partners to identify, monitor, and protect deep sea coral areas. Sections provide a brief discussion of current knowledge and knowledge gaps about deep sea corals (also known as deep water or cold-water corals), NOAA's expertise and authorities to conserve deep sea coral communities, and summaries of management actions taken by NOAA, the Fishery Management Councils, other federal agencies, and international organizations in 2007. The final section highlights research priorities for 2009 and recommendations for addressing knowledge gaps. The report includes an initial list of areas known to contain deep sea corals that NOAA recommends the Regional Fishery Management Councils evaluate in considering zones to protect deep sea corals as allowed in discretionary provisions of the MSRA."

"Change Congress is a movement to build support for basic reform in how our government functions. Using our tools, both candidates and citizens can pledge their support for basic changes to reduce the distorting influence of money in Washington. Our community will link candidates committed to a reform with volunteers and contributors who support it."

Congressional Budget Office: The Long-Term Implications of Current Defense Plans:Detailed Update for Fiscal Year 2008 - All Funding in Billions of 2008 Dollars

Department of the Treasury - Report to Congress on Financial Implications of U.S. Participation in the International Monetary Fund, March 21, 2008.

Congressional Research Service, Disability Retirement for Federal Employees, March 18, 2008. Patrick Purcell, Specialist in Income Security, Domestic Social Policy Division: "Federal civilian employees earn 13 days of paid sick leave per year. Sick leave can be used because of the worker's own illness or injury or to care for an ill or injured family member. A worker's employing agency can advance up to 30 additional days of sick leave to an employee who has exhausted his or her accrued sick leave. A federal worker with a long-term disability can separate from service through a disability retirement. A federal employee who sustains a disabling injury on the job can receive benefits under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA). FECA benefits consist of cash compensation, payment of medical costs related to the injury, vocational rehabilitation assistance, the cost of attendant care services, and burial benefits. A disabled federal employee may not receive a disability retirement annuity and FECA benefits simultaneously." [IWS News Bureau]

• An Analysis of the President's Budgetary Proposals for Fiscal Year 2009 (74 pages, PDF)
• The Long-Term Budgetary Effects of Three Specified Policy Scenarios, March 14, 2008
• CBO Testimony: Statement of Eric J. Labs, Senior Analyst, Current and Projected Navy Shipbuilding Programs before the Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, March 14, 2008
• Presentation for Princeton University - Health Care: Capturing the Opportunity in the Nation's Core Fiscal Challenge, March 12, 2008

News release: "The Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing March 13, 2008 to examine the endemic waste, fraud and abuse that has resulted in the squandering of billions of American tax dollars in Iraq. With the cost of the war in Iraq projected to surpass $605 billion this year, the members of the committee heard a wide range of testimony from four witnesses who discussed how American funds are being spent and to what benefit. Testifying before the Committee were: The Honorable David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States; The Honorable Claude M. Kicklighter, Inspector General, Department of Defense; Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; and The Honorable Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, Former Commissioner, Commission on Public Integrity, Republic of Iraq." Major highlights of the hearing were as follows:

• "Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in U.S. contracts in Iraq and within the Iraqi government were characterized by all witnesses as “significant,” “widespread,” “rampant,” and costing the United States taxpayers billions of dollars.
  
• The Iraqi government’s ability to spend their budgeted funds has not improved and, in fact, most of it has not been spent. Iraq has a budget surplus while the United States this year will have one of the largest budget deficits in history due in part to the large amount of money we are spending on the war and failed reconstruction efforts in Iraq
  
• U.S. government oversight has been lacking. Administration efforts to prosecute individuals responsible for the waste or theft of billions of taxpayer dollars have been grossly insufficient. Efforts need strengthening.
  
• Corruption in Iraqi oil production is rampant and is feeding the insurgency which in turn is attacking U.S. troops.
  
• Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in Iraq have resulted in a situation in which reconstruction is stymied - oil production still has not exceeded pre-war levels, and water and power are still not available to most Iraqis. At the same time, Americans are paying record prices at the gas pump.
  
• Poor accountability has resulted in thousands of weapons provided by the United States to the Iraqi security forces being stolen, looted, or otherwise provided to insurgents and militias to use against U.S. troops. In one case alone, 190,000 pistols and rifles turned over to Iraq cannot be accounted for.
  
• The U.S. Department of State has balked at implementing GAO recommendations to develop strategic and integrated accountability measures.
  
• Several witnesses’ recommendations regarding war profiteering and contract accountability legislation were made that need to be carefully considered.
  
• The former head of the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity reported that $11 million in U.S. funds (cash) given to him with no benchmarks or restrictions to establish an Iraqi Academy of Integrity were seized by Iraqi officials; the money has not been accounted for.
  
• The most effective way to fight al-Qaeda and other insurgents in Iraq is to cut off their funding by implementing strict accountability measures over all monies - U.S. and Iraqi.
  
• Testimonies (PDFs) and archived webcast

Department of State - Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism: Report Provided to the United States Congress, March 2008.

Follow up to March 11, 2008 posting, House Democrats Reject Telecom Immunity, "Today, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and 19 members of the House Judiciary Committee issued a statement regarding telecommunications immunity, as the House prepares to consider the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. Following a review of classified information relating to the warrantless surveillance program and immunity for telecommunications companies, the members reported their conclusion that the administration has not established a valid and credible case to justify granting blanket retroactive immunity at this time."

"The House Government Oversight and Reform Committee released a report that found significant lapses in the FDA’s current inspection regime for packaged fresh spinach, which is the agency’s primary means of ensuring the safety of such products."

Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, March 2008 Report to Congress, In accordance with the Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2008 (Section 9010, Public Law 109-289)...submitted pursuant to the section entitled “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq” of House Conference Report 109-72 accompanying H.R. 1268, Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005, Public Law 109-13.

News release: "The federal courts are well-positioned to address an anticipated increase in immigration-related workload and other challenges facing the Judiciary, thanks to Congressional funding, representatives of the Judicial Conference today told House and Senate appropriations subcommittees. If the Judiciary is to maintain staffing levels in the courts and initiate several program enhancements, however, a 7.6 percent increase over fiscal year 2008 enacted appropriations is needed in fiscal year 2009. The Judiciary seeks $6.72 billion for fiscal year 2009, $4.97 billion of which would fund the courts' Salaries and Expenses account."

News release: "To increase the public trust in Congress, the House has just passed H.Res. 895, to strengthen congressional ethics enforcement with a new Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE)...The office would be led by a panel of six board members appointed jointly by the House Speaker and the Minority Leader...The commission would screen ethics allegations made against House members and pass matters along to the House Ethics Committee for their review. The OCE has the responsibility to make findings of fact regarding a potential ethics matter and to recommend to the House Ethics Committee whether the matter should be the subject of a further inquiry by the Ethics Committee. The OCE shall not offer conclusions regarding the validity of the allegations or the guilt or innocence of the person subject to the review – such matters are solely under the purview of the Ethics Committee."

"The Privacy Act of 1974 is in need of improvements to ensure its relevance into the future, CDT Deputy Director Ari Schwartz said in testimony before a congressional panel today. The Act’s limitations are particularly apparent with regard to government use of commercially compiled personal information, Schwartz told the Information Policy, Census, and National Archives Subcommittee. Commercial information plays a key role in important government functions, like law enforcement and national security. However, agencies relying on that data should have clear guidelines on its use. The role Privacy Impact Assessments play in protecting privacy is essential. Two bills help bolster PIAs: S.2341 lays out "best practices" guidelines and HR 4791 requires PIAs for government use of commercial databases. CDT believes Congress should create a Commission to review the Act and suggest possible reforms. March 11, 2008."

House Democratic Majority Leader/AP: "Locked in a standoff with the White House, House Democrats on Tuesday maintained their refusal to shield from civil lawsuits telecommunications companies that helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without a secret court's permission. But they offered the companies an olive branch: the chance to use classified government documents to defend themselves in court. House Democratic leaders unveiled a bill that they hoped would bridge the gap between the electronic surveillance bill passed by the Senate last month and a rival version the House approved last fall. Both bills are attempts to update the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the law that dictates when the government needs court permission to conduct electronic eavesdropping inside the United States. The law has taken on particular importance in the global effort to thwart terrorists since the 2001 attacks on the United States.

• Director of National Intelligence, March 11, 2008: "We understand that the leadership of the House of Representatives intends to introduce a new bill related to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). Based on initial summaries of what the proposal contains, we are concerned that the proposal would not provide the Intelligence Community the critical tools needed to protect the country. The Senate already has passed a bipartisan bill that would give our intelligence professionals the tools they need to keep America safe. The bipartisan bill was carefully crafted to ensure important intelligence operations were not harmed by new legislation."


• ACLU - New FISA Compromise Is an Improvement, Still Raises Concerns: "While we still have concerns about aspects of the new House FISA bill, the American Civil Liberties Union is encouraged by the new draft – particularly the language on state secrets, which would allow the cases to go forward while allowing the telecommunications companies to assert any defenses. We commend House leadership for keeping the courthouse door open. And in particular, we applaud the House for refusing to adopt the overreaching FISA Amendments Act, which would give the executive branch carte blanche to wiretap on US soil and grant complete retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that facilitated years of illegal surveillance. We are also heartened by the role retained by the FISA court in overseeing the program as well as the two-year sunset on the legislation."

News release: "Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, released a report entitled The Department of Homeland Security: Minority and Gender Diversity in the Workforce and Career Senior Executive Service, which examines the Department’s workforce and in particular, identifies inadequate diversity amongst the Department’s senior leadership ranks. This report marks the second in a series of reports examining the Department’s human capital program and workforce diversity."

Follow up to previous postings on the U.S. Attorney firings, this news release today - "the U.S. House of Representatives General Counsel filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of the House Judiciary Committee to enforce subpoenas issued by the committee seeking information on the U.S. Attorney firings. The defendants in the case are former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten who were cited by the House for contempt of Congress last month. Last week, the Justice Department refused to present the House-passed contempt citations to a grand jury, contrary to federal law. Based on the House resolution that also found Bolten and Miers in comtempt, the committee is now filing the civil lawsuit to enforce the subpoenas."

"House Government Oversight Chairman Waxman sent letters to the Internal Revenue Service, the Small Business Administration, and the Department of Labor to request investigations into whether Blackwater has violated federal tax, small business, and labor laws."

News release, March 6, 2008: "U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill...expressed her concern with a loophole included in a Bush Administration proposal that would exempt overseas federal contractors from being required to report criminal activity, including contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a letter to Jim Nussle, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, McCaskill conveyed concerns that this loophole, if not closed, would be a setback for efforts to improve contracting oversight and accountability...Well-documented reports of fraud, waste, and abuse by contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan highlight the need for more oversight...Nearly every Inspector General dealing with U.S. contracting overseas, including the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), has spoken out against efforts to implement this loophole. SIGIR has said it is “important for the loophole to be closed in order to ensure good government oversight.”

CRS Report: Payable Rates and Effective Dates, 1789-2008, Updated January 8, 2008. Ida A. Brudnick, Analyst in American National Government, Government and Finance Division.

News release, March 7, 2008: "Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and senior Committee Member John Warner, R-Va., today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review Iraqi oil revenues and determine how much money the Iraqi government has contributed to security and reconstruction efforts in the country. The senators voice concern that the Iraqi government has tremendous resources sitting in banks around the world while not doing nearly enough to improve the quality of life of Iraqi citizens..." The full text of Levin and Warner’s letter to the GAO is included in this news release.]

"The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled, Executive Compensation II: CEO Pay and the Mortgage Crisis on Friday, March 7, 2008. The hearing examined the compensation and retirement packages granted to the CEOs of three corporations deeply involved in the current mortgage crisis. This was the Committee’s second hearing on executive compensation practices. On December 5, 2007, the Committee examined the role of compensation consultants in determining CEO pay."

News release: March 6, 2008 "Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the United States Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released an investigative report entitled “Report on the August 6, 2007 Disaster At Crandall Canyon Mine.” The report discusses the findings of Chairman Kennedy's investigation into the events leading up to the mine collapse. Chairman Kennedy said, “The Committee’s investigation has revealed that the owner of Crandall Canyon mine, Murray Energy, disregarded dangerous conditions at the mine, failed to tell federal regulators about these dangers, conducted unauthorized mining and -- as a result -- exposed its miners to serious risks. MSHA also unconscionably failed to protect miners by hastily rubber-stamping the plan. This is a clear case of callous disregard for the law and for safety standards, and hardworking miners lost their lives. This deserves a full criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. The report’s findings greatly underscore the urgent need for mine safety reform. I am committed to working on a bill that would prevent other such disasters from happening."

• "In the early morning hours of August 6, 2007, a large mountain “bounce” occurred in the Main West section of Crandall Canyon mine. “Bounce” is the technical term used to describe a collapse of this type in a mine, but it does not capture the force and explosive power of the event – “blast” would be much more apt. In such a powerful release of seismic energy, the coal in the pillars and walls of the mine, under extreme pressure, literally explode into mined out areas...This report does not examine the extensive and complex rescue effort which began on the morning of the collapse and effectively ended on August 31. Nor does it seek to determine the cause of the August 6 and August 16 fatal collapses. The Secretary of Labor has tasked an Accident Investigation Team with determining the proximate cause of these events – its work is ongoing. Instead, this report examines (1) how mine operating company Murray Energy Corporation (“Murray Energy”) conceived, designed, and tested its plans to mine the barrier pillars in the Main West section and (2) MSHA’s review of those plans and its monitoring of safety conditions during mining of the barrier pillars. These events stretch back a year prior to the accident to when Murray Energy purchased the mine in August 2006."

Electronic Frontier Foundation: "Three powerful House Commerce Committee Chairmen strongly urged their colleagues Thursday to defer acting on requests for retroactive immunity and to demand more information from the White House and the telecommunications companies in the wake of disclosures by another whistleblower that the government apparently has been granted an open gateway to customer information and calls by a major telecommunications company."

• March 6, 2008 Dear Colleague letter, written by John Dingell, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce; Ed Markey, Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet; and Bart Stupak, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: "..Yesterday another whistleblower stepped forward with troubling charges that at least one major wireless telecommunications giant may have given a Congressional entity access to every communications coming through that company's infrastructure, including every e-mail, Internet use, document transmission, video and text message, as well as the ability to listen in on any phone call."


• Related postings on domestic surveillance program

News release: "The Bush Administration Monday delivered to Congress the 2008 Trade Policy Agenda and the 2007 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program. The report highlights the Administration’s 2007 accomplishments of opening new markets, developing and implementing new policies, and enforcing U.S. trade agreements to ensure trade is free and fair."

American Forces Press Service: "China not only is a rising international economic power, but also is a rising military power with new and developing capabilities that have global implications, according to the 2008 China Military Power Report released today. The annual report mandated by Congress analyzes China’s military development and strategy and says that the country spent as much as $139 billion, more than three times its announced defense budget, modernizing its military forces last year. That amount dwarfs the military budgets of Russia, Japan and South Korea, and has been the driving force behind the country’s military transformation, fueled by the acquisition of advanced foreign weapons and far-reaching organizational and doctrinal reforms. Combined with what Defense Department officials call a lack of transparency, the military development poses risks to stability by increasing the potential for misunderstanding and miscalculation, the report concludes."

Committee on Government Oversight and Reform press release: "Today Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a new report: The Administration’s Medicaid Regulations: State-by-State Impacts. The report details the state-by-state impacts of seven regulations issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) that would make major, wide-ranging changes in Medicaid, the nation’s largest low-income health care program."

• Feature: The Administration's M