3rd Circuit to Mull Privacy of Cell Phone Data, Shannon P. Duffy: "In a case that could prove to be one of the most important privacy rights battles of the modern era, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear argument this week on the proper legal standard to apply when prosecutors demand cell phone location data. The data, which are recorded about once every seven seconds whenever a cell phone is turned on, effectively track the whereabouts and the comings and goings of every cell phone user. Justice Department lawyers argue that, by statute, they need only show "reasonable grounds" to believe that such records are "relevant and material to an ongoing criminal investigation." But a federal magistrate judge in Pittsburgh strongly disagreed in February 2008, issuing a 52-page opinion that said the prosecutors must meet the "probable cause" standard."

The Next Challenge in Healthcare Preparedness - Catastrophic Health Events, Preparedness Report | January 2010. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

Ballistic Missile Defense Review Report, February 2010

• Highway Research: The Second Strategic Highway Research Program Addresses the Four Required Areas, but Some Anticipated Research Was Not Funded, GAO-10-248, February 05, 2010
• Troubled Asset Relief Program: Treasury Needs to Strengthen Its Decision-Making Process on the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, GAO-10-25, February 05, 2010: "Treasury should (1) give increased attention to reviewing risks posed by CMBS, (2) strengthen its TALF decision-making process, and (3) determine which data are needed to track the management and sale of assets TALF borrowers might surrender. To enable more effective review of TARP, Congress also should grant GAO authority to audit Federal Reserve TALF operational and administrative activities. Treasury appreciated GAO’s recommendations but said GAO understated TALF’s success."
• Biomonitoring: EPA Could Make Better Use of Biomonitoring Data, GAO-10-419T, February 04, 2010

News release: "NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco instructed the agency’s head attorney and its top fisheries manager to take immediate and long-term actions to improve the agency’s enforcement and legal operations and enhance its relationship with the fishing community. In a memo issued today, Dr. Lubchenco directed NOAA General Counsel Lois Schiffer, and NOAA Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries Jim Balsiger, to take a two-part approach to responding to the Jan. 21 recommendations by the Commerce Department’s Inspector General that reviewed the policies and practices of NOAA’s fisheries enforcement system. Lubchenco requested the review in June 2009 after listening to concerns of fishermen and Congress."

News release: "The federal financial regulatory agencies and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (the regulators) issued a statement today on prudent lending to creditworthy small business borrowers.1 The regulators recognize that small businesses play an important role in the economy and know that some are experiencing difficulty in obtaining or renewing credit. The statement emphasizes that financial institutions that engage in prudent small business lending after performing a comprehensive review of a borrower's financial condition will not be subject to supervisory criticism for small business loans made on that basis. Financial institutions should understand the long-term viability of the borrower's business and focus on the strength of a borrowers' business plan to manage risk rather than using portfolio management models that rely primarily on general inputs, such as a borrower's geographic location or industry."

News release: "The unemployment rate fell from 10.0 to 9.7 percent in January and nonfarm payroll employment was essentially unchanged (-20,000). Employment fell in construction and in transportation and warehousing, while temporary help services and retail trade added jobs."

"The meta-search engine of National Case Law was created by the Network of the Presidents of the European Supreme Courts. It has been released in April 2007 and allows to simultaneously query several search engines." [Lyonette Louis-Jacques]

Revisions to FHFA’s House Price Index in the Recent National House Price Boom and Bust February 2010

News release: "Microsoft Corp. and the National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced an agreement that will offer individual researchers and research groups selected through NSF's merit review process free access to advanced cloud computing resources. By extending the capabilities of powerful, easy-to-use PC applications via Microsoft cloud services, the program is designed to help broaden research capabilities, foster collaborative research communities, and accelerate scientific discovery. Projects will be awarded and managed by NSF. More details about funding opportunities are available here."

News release: "Corrupt foreign officials and their relatives have used gaps in U.S. law and the assistance of U.S. professionals to funnel millions of dollars in illicit money into the United States, an investigation by the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has found...A 330-page bipartisan report released by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., subcommittee chairman and subcommittee ranking member Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., at today’s hearing shows that politically powerful foreign officials, and those close to them, have found ways to use the U.S. financial system to protect and enhance their ill-gotten gains. The report exposes how those powerful individuals – known internationally as “politically exposed persons” or PEPs – have used the services of U.S. lawyers, lobbyists, real estate and escrow agents, and other professionals who currently have no obligation under U.S. regulations to establish anti-money laundering (“AML”) programs, know their customers, or evaluate the source of funds transferred into the United States. Banks, in contrast, are subject to AML obligations and for the most part have honored them. But glaring gaps have undermined the overall effectiveness of U.S. AML laws."

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission today told the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that the agency has stepped up efforts to protect consumers affected by the economic downtown, and that additional authority would make the agency even more effective. The testimony presented by FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz described the agency’s efforts to prosecute financial fraud and deception, including working with states to bring hundreds of cases against mortgage relief scams in 2009. The testimony also discussed the FTC’s rulemaking and consumer education initiatives, how additional authority will enhance the agency’s effectiveness, and the FTC’s perspective on recent proposals to create a consumer financial protection agency as part of a broader reform of the financial services regulatory system."

News release: "Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, joined by Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program Neil Barofsky, announced a lawsuit against Bank of America, its former CEO Kenneth D. Lewis, and its former CFO Joseph L. Price for duping shareholders and the federal government in order to complete a merger with Merrill Lynch. According to the lawsuit, Bank of America’s management intentionally failed to disclose massive losses at Merrill so that shareholders would vote to approve the merger. Once the deal was approved, Bank of America’s management manipulated the federal government into saving the deal with billions in taxpayer funds by falsely claiming that they would back out of the deal without bailout funds."

Acting Director Edward J. DeMarco sent the following letter to
Chairmen Frank and Dodd and Ranking Members Bachus and Shelby regarding the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, via EPIC: "The Office of Management and Budget has released the federal budget for fiscal year 2011. The budget proposes funding for several new surveillance initiatives, including over $700 million to the Department of Homeland Security for "Passenger Aviation Security". The Department would like to purchase 500 body scanner machines for U.S. airports, bringing the projected total number of machines to 1,000 at a cost of over $200 million by the end of 2011. The new budget also includes several hundred million dollars for the Department of Justice's national security programs, which were recently the subject of a critical Inspector-General's report for improper use of authority."

Growing America’s Fuel An Innovation Approach to Achieving the President’s Biofuels Target.

News release: "As part of President Obama’s commitment to more effective and open government, the public can more quickly access federal regulations at Regulations.gov, thanks to comments received during the Regulations.gov Exchange online forum held last year. Regulations.gov provides one-stop public access to information related to current and forthcoming regulations issued by the federal government. The eRulemaking Program made the following specific-site improvements to Regulations.gov:

• a new rotating panel of images and video clips offering a preview to the latest Web site changes
  
• a dashboard of regulatory documents housed on Regulations.gov
  
• a new A-Z index of rules and proposed rules categorized by topic
  
• instructional video-clips highlighting site functions
  
• improvements to the site's homepage and search wizard."

Better Use of Terrorist Watchlist Information and Improvements in Deployment of Passenger Checkpoint Technologies Could Further Strengthen Security, GAO-10-401T, January 27, 2010

The Department of Homeland Security delivered to Congress the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Report, A Strategic Framework for a Secure Homeland, Februaru 10, 2010 on February 1, 2010. The QHSR outlines the strategic framework to guide the activities of participants in homeland security toward a common end.

Correlation in Credit Risk, Xiaoling Pu, Xinlei Zhao. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Economics Working Paper 2009-5, February 2, 2010.

"The Federal Reserve on February 1, 2010 launched a website to help new bank directors learn how they can work to ensure the safety and soundness of their institutions. The website, BankDirectorsDesktop.org, also provides a refresher course for experienced board members. BankDirectorsDesktop.org is tailored to directors of community banks and features online training and other resources to help directors better understand the issues and challenges associated with serving on a bank's board. The website includes links to the "Training for Bank Directors" interactive course and the latest edition of Basics for Bank Directors, a comprehensive guide to directors' roles and responsibilities."

Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - "nearly 70 offerings that address important events, individuals, or periods in African American history."

UK DirectGov - Crime justice and the law - Reporting hate, extremism and terrorism online: "Some people use the internet to spread hate and violent extremism. They chat with their supporters, share their beliefs and hope to gain new followers online. Find out what is illegal in the UK, and how you can report it."

News release: "After more than a decade of nationwide effort, the Digital Promise Project has achieved an essential goal – the creation of the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies. This year the Department of Education, as provided by their 2010 appropriations legislation, will make available the initial funding required to launch the National Center. In the words of the Center’s authorizing legislation, “The purpose of the Center shall be to support a comprehensive research and development program to harness the increasing capability of advanced information and digital technologies to improve all levels of learning and education, formal and informal, in order to provide Americans with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the global economy.” Congress voted overwhelmingly to establish this Center, the first new national research center in many years, as an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Authorized in 2008 by amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965, the National Center will have a governing board of nine members, which will include outstanding representatives from the public and private sectors and from varied professions and disciplines."

• NASA: Assessments of Selected Large-Scale Projects, GAO-10-227SP, February 01, 2010
• Defense Acquisitions: Observations on the Department of Defense Service Contract Inventories for Fiscal Year 2008, GAO-10-350R, January 29, 2010
• Employment and Training Administration: Increased Authority and Accountability Could Improve Research Program, GAO-10-243, January 29, 2010
• New Markets Tax Credit: The Credit Helps Fund a Variety of Projects in Low-Income Communities, but Could Be Simplified, GAO-10-334, January 29, 2010
• New Markets Tax Credit: DOE Needs to Address Protective Forces' Personnel System Issues, GAO-10-275, January 29, 2010
• Patient Safety Act: HHS Is in the Process of Implementing the Act, So Its Effectiveness Cannot Yet Be Evaluated, GAO-10-281, January 29, 2010
• Nuclear Security: DOE Needs to Address Protective Forces' Personnel System Issues, GAO-10-275, January 29, 2010
• Veterans' Disability Benefits: Further Evaluation of Ongoing Initiatives Could Help Identify Effective Approaches for Improving Claims Processing, GAO-10-213, January 29, 2010

News release: "President Barack Obama sent to Congress a proposed defense budget of $708 billion for fiscal 2011. The budget request for the Department of Defense (DoD) includes $549 billion in discretionary budget authority to fund base defense programs and $159 billion to support overseas contingency operations (OCO), primarily in Afghanistan and Iraq. This proposal continues the reform agenda established in last year's DoD budget request and builds on the initiatives identified by the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR). The QDR examines DoD strategies and priorities. It assesses the threats and challenges that the nation faces and re-balances DoD’s strategies, capabilities, and forces to ensure the U.S. military has the flexibility to address today’s conflicts and tomorrow’s threats. The BMDR evaluates the ballistic missile threat to the U.S. and its allies and articulates policy. It determines the appropriate role of ballistic missile defense in the country’s national security and military strategies."

Gross Domestic Product release, Fourth Quarter 2009 (Advance Estimate). Note - includes highlights, technical note, and associated tables.

HIV in Prisons, 2007-08 (NCJ 228307), by Bureau of Justice Statistics statistician Laura M. Maruschak and intern Randy Beavers.

Privacy Impact Assessment for the Office of Operations Coordination and Planning Haiti Social Media Disaster Monitoring Initiative, January 21, 2010: "The Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS), National Operations Center (NOC), has launched a Haiti Social Media Disaster Monitoring Initiative (Initiative) to assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and its components involved in the response, recovery, and rebuilding effort resulting from the recent earthquake and after-effects in Haiti. The NOC is using this vehicle to fulfill its statutory responsibility to provide situational awareness and establish a common operating picture for the federal Government, and for those state, local, and tribal governments, as appropriate, assisting with the response, recovery, and rebuilding effort in Haiti. OPS may also share information with international partners and the private sector where necessary and appropriate for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The NOC is only monitoring publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites, and message boards to collect information used in providing situational awareness and to establish a common operating picture....[a partial list] of the types of sites that the NOC is reviewing in order to improve its situational awareness and common operating picture related to Haiti earthquake [is available on last page of document].

News release: "A one-stop source for biogeographic information collected from U.S. waters and oceanic regions is now available from the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Program. The OBIS-USA website offers a unique combination of tools, resources, and biodiversity information to aide scientists, resource managers and decision makers in the research and analyses critical to sustaining the nation’s valued marine ecosystems. OBIS-USA is a one-stop source for biogeographic data collected from U.S. waters and oceanic regions--the Arctic, the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Great Lakes. It provides access to highly distributed data sets from a multitude of partners documenting where and when species were observed or collected. The site allows one to examine each data set to assess its applicability for a variety of uses. Current functionality allows the user to view the data and FGDC compliant metadata as well as to view geographic, temporal or spatial extent; the taxonomic depth and richness.

• February 2010 Petroleum Marketing Monthly With Data for November 2009 — Feb 1, 2010:" "Monthly price and volume statistics on crude oil and petroleum products at a national, regional and state level.
• Natural Gas Monthly — Jan 29, 2010: "Monthly natural and supplemental gas production, supply, consumption, disposition, storage, imports, exports, and prices in the United States.
• Monthly Energy Review — Jan 29, 2010: "EIA's primary report of recent energy statistics: total energy production, consumption, and trade; energy prices; overviews of petroleum, natural gas, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, renewable energy, and international petroleum; carbon dioxide emissions; and data unit conversions. MER data show that in the first 10 months of 2009, total energy consumed by the industrial sector fell to 23 quadrillion Btu, down 11% from the first 10 months of 2008. See What's New in the Monthly Energy Review for a record of changes."

Office of the Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset [SIGTARP] Relief Program Advancing Economic Stability Through Transparency, Coordinated Oversight and Robust Enforcement - Quarterly Report to Congress - October 30, 2010.

"Recovery.gov is the U.S. government’s official website providing easy access to data related to Recovery Act spending and allows for the reporting of potential fraud, waste, and abuse. The Recovery Act requires recipients of Recovery awards to report on how they have used the money. For the most recent reporting period – October 1 through December 31, 2009 – recipients began filing reports on January 1, 2010."

News release: "McAfee, Inc. revealed [at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010] the staggering cost and impact of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure such as electrical grids, oil and gas production, telecommunications and transportation networks. A survey of 600 IT security executives from critical infrastructure enterprises worldwide showed that more than half (54%) have already suffered large scale attacks or stealthy infiltrations from organized crime gangs, terrorists or nation-states. The average estimated cost of downtime associated with a major incident is $6.3 million per day. The report, In the Crossfire: Critical Infrastructure in the Age of Cyberwar, commissioned by McAfee and authored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), also found that the risk of cyberattack is rising. Despite a growing body of legislation and regulation, more than a third of IT executives (37%) said the vulnerability of their sector had increased over the past 12 months and two-fifths expect a major security incident in their sector within the next year. Only 20% think their sector is safe from serious cyberattack over the next five years."

Follow up to posting, FDA Pet Food Recall Website Updated and Expanded, see Pet Food Recall Products List - "Information current as of noon January 11, 2010. 973 entries in list - Recalls & Withdrawals for Animal & Veterinary Products."

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), Iraq Reconstruction Funds: Forensic Audits Identifying Fraud, Waste, and Abuse – Interim Report #2, January 28, 2010

OPNAV NOTICE 5400, January 11, 2010: "Action will establish U. S. Fleet Cyber Command as an echelon II command to serve as the Navy Component Commander to United States Cyber Command upon its establishment. Interim reporting will be to United States Strategic Command. Command will provide for operational employment of the Navy's cyber, network operations, information operations, cryptologic and space forces, and serve as the Navy's Service Cryptologic Component Commander to the National Security Agency. U.S. Tenth Fleet. will be re-commissioned to control operations supporting U. S. Fleet Cyber Command.

Washington Post: "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) asked for an immediate review of how hackers were able to overtake 49 Web sites operated by members of the House or House committees following President Obama's State of the Union address. Officials anticipate the sites will be fully operational again in by the end of Friday." [Note: This article includes links to the sites that were hacked.]

Follow up to previous postings on high speed rail, today's announcement via the DOT blog: "The investments we announce today make rail a viable transportation alternative in many regions. With this historic $8 billion investment by President Obama, we are jump-starting American High-Speed rail. The bulk of today's awards go to new, large-scale high-speed rail programs--projects such as Florida, with $1.25 billion to develop a high-speed rail corridor between Tampa and Orlando with trains running up to 168 miles per hour--and California, with $2.25 billion to connect Los Angeles to San Francisco and points in between with trains running up to 220 miles per hour. In total, 31 states and the District of Columbia will receive awards. In addition to 13 corridor investments, we are also awarding several grants for improvement projects and planning. These efforts on existing routes and emerging corridors will lay the groundwork for future high-speed and intercity rail development."

News release: "Employers took 1,726 mass layoff actions in December that resulted in the separation of 153,127 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in December decreased by 87 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims decreased by 10,696. Both figures reached their lowest level since July 2008. In December, 433 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 44,072 initial claims. Both figures decreased over the month to their lowest levels since November and August 2007, respectively. During the 25 months from December 2007 through December 2009, the total number of mass layoff events (seasonally adjusted) was 51,978, and the associated number of initial claims was 5,242,840. (December 2007 was the start of a recession as designated by the National Bureau of Economic Research.)"

News release: "A new report released today by the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) provides a snapshot of the current economic climate in each state, offering policy makers easy access to the major economic indicators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the areas of jobs, unemployment, personal earnings and housing. Understanding the Economy: State-by-State Snapshots offers a gauge of the economic landscape of each state, allowing for quick comparisons with other states and to the overall U.S. economy."

News release: "Calling America’s fiscal path “unsustainable,” the Bipartisan Policy Center today launched its Debt Reduction Task Force to develop a comprehensive, bipartisan plan to reduce projected federal debt. Co-Chaired by former Senator Pete Domenici and Dr. Alice Rivlin, the Domenici-Rivlin Task Force will develop a comprehensive, balanced, and politically-viable package of spending reductions and revenue increases for expedited consideration by Congress and the Administration."

January 26, 2010 Government Satisfaction Scores, Commentary by Claes Fornell and the
Government (Agency/Segment) Scores

Commissioner Copps' Remarks at the State of the Net Preconference of the Congressional Internet Caucus, January 26, 2010:

The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2010 to 2020, January 2010 - Executive Summary / Full Report

"The indicators included in Science and Engineering Indicators
2010 derive from a variety of national, international, public, and private sources and may not be strictly comparable in a statistical sense. As noted in the text, some data are weak, and the metrics and models relating them to each other and to economic and social outcomes invite further development. Thus, the emphasis is on broad trends; individual data points and findings should be interpreted with care. The overview focuses on the trend in the United States and many other parts of the world toward the development of more knowledge-intensive economies, in which research, its commercial exploitation, and other intellectual work play a growing role. Industry and government play key roles in
these changes. The overview examines how these U.S. science and
technology (S&T) patterns and trends affect the position of the United States, using broadly comparable data wherever possible for the United States, the European Union (EU), Japan, China, and selected other Asian economies (the Asia-9: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam)."

• Defense Contracting: Recent Law Has Impacted Contractor Use of Offshore Subsidiaries to Avoid Certain Payroll Taxes, GAO-10-327, January 26, 2010
• National Airspace System: Regional Airport Planning Could Help Address Congestion If Plans Were Integrated with FAA and Airport Decision Making, GAO-10-120, December 23, 2009

Personal Saving Rate (Percent of disposable personal income), 2004-2009.

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission today released the agenda for its second roundtable on consumer privacy issues scheduled for January 28, 2010. The second roundtable, hosted by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, will take place at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law Booth Auditorium. The roundtable is the second of three public events designed to explore the privacy challenges that are posed by technology and business practices that collect and use consumer data. The agenda continues the public dialogue by focusing on how technology affects consumer privacy, including its potential to weaken and/or strengthen privacy protections. The roundtable will also explore privacy implications of several evolving technologies, including social networking and other platform services, cloud computing, and mobile computing."

New York Times: Mr. Neil A. Barofsky [Special Inspector General for the TARP - SIGTARP] is setting off fireworks on Capitol Hill as he quietly and methodically pieces together the most complete historical record yet of the financial bailout. His reports are careful but not cautious, showing a willingness to stand up to some of the most powerful people and institutions in Washington or on Wall Street."

News release: "The Commerce Department’s Economics and Statistics Administration today issued a new report for Vice President Biden’s Middle Class Task Force: Middle Class in America. The report, which identifies what it means to be middle class in America today, uses a host of measures to show that it is more difficult today to both attain and maintain a middle-class lifestyle than it was two decades ago...The report argues that middle-class families are defined by their aspirations more than their incomes. Middle-class families and those who aspire to be middle class want economic stability, and that means the ability to own a home and a car for each adult, the ability to afford needed medical care, the ability to save for college for their children and for retirement, and the ability to take an occasional family vacation. Unfortunately, for many, these middle class goals remain out of reach. As the report documents, while family incomes rose during the 1990s, they were stagnant or falling in the 2000s. At the same time, the prices of some of the key elements of a middle-class lifestyle—housing, college education, and health care rose much faster than the overall rate of inflation. This means that it is harder to achieve a middle-class lifestyle in America today than in the past."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a new national air quality standard for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). This new one-hour standard will protect millions of Americans from peak short-term exposures, which primarily occur near major roads. Short-term exposures to NO2 have been linked to impaired lung function and increased respiratory infections, especially in people with asthma."

The Government Domain - Congressional Documents on FDsys: Advanced Techniques - Following up on a previous column in which she introduced FDsys and explained the site's simple search and navigation, this month Peggy Garvin provides an update and introduces more advanced search techniques for the congressional information available on FDsys.

News release: "Yesterday, Federal agencies answered the President’s call by democratizing hundreds of high-value datasets on every aspect of government operations. While this is meaningful for the technology community and transparency advocates who have been working on this issue for years, the data released will have direct impact on the daily lives of the American people. Here are three examples to consider available on data.gov:

• "the Department of Education posted two data sets that will enable parents to better understand education outcomes and financing. The TIMSS 2007 Public-Use Datafile is a school- based assessment that provides descriptive data on the educational outcomes of U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders in mathematics and science.
  
• Medicare Part B Extract Summary System Data - This dataset from the Department of Health and Human Services provides detailed breakdowns of volume of physician services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries and payments for those services by individual procedure code (e.g., by type of anesthesiology service, cardiology service, etc.).
  
• The Social Security Administration posted two data sets – Hearing Office Average Processing Time Ranking Report and Hearing Office Dispositions Per ALJ Per Day Rate Ranking Report."

BBC News: "Web founder Sir Tim Berners-Lee has unveiled his latest venture for the UK government, which offers the public better access to official data. A new website, data.gov.uk, will offer reams of public sector data, ranging from traffic statistics to crime figures, for private or commercial use. The target is to kickstart a new wave of services that find novel ways to make use of the information."

Via DOJ Office of Special Counsel of the Civil Rights Division: "ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) instructors and immigrant advocates now have new workbooks at their disposal courtesy of the Justice Department’s Office of Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment Practices (OSC) education grant program. Through lessons titled: “Working in the United States” and “Discrimination in the Workplace,” the workbooks educate potential victims of employment discrimination about their rights under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). These ESOL workbooks are available to the public free of charge in instructor and student versions."

News release: "Astronauts aboard the International Space Station received a special software upgrade this week - personal access to the Internet and the World Wide Web via the ultimate wireless connection. Expedition 22 Flight Engineer T.J. Creamer made first use of the new system Friday, when he posted the first unassisted update to his Twitter account, @Astro_TJ, from the space station. Previous tweets from space had to be e-mailed to the ground where support personnel posted them to the astronaut's Twitter account. "Hello Twitterverse! We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station -- the 1st live tweet from Space! :) More soon, send your ?s" This personal Web access, called the Crew Support LAN, takes advantage of existing communication links to and from the station and gives astronauts the ability to browse and use the Web. The system will provide astronauts with direct private communications to enhance their quality of life during long-duration missions by helping to ease the isolation associated with life in a closed environment."

News release: "With an innovative, unique and digitally rich experience, the U.S. Census Bureau today launched its 2010 Census Spanish language Web site. The site's goal is to inform the more than 34 million people who speak Spanish at home about the 2010 Census and to demonstrate to the Hispanic community that participation is easy, important and safe. The new 2010 Spanish Web site is an interactive experience, allowing users to preview the 10 questions on the 2010 Census form via an interactive application. The site reinforces the message that answers provided in the 2010 Census are strictly confidential and protected by law. The 2010 Census form will be one of the shortest in U.S. history and will take only 10 minutes to complete."

"Search the world’s government data here. Governments around the globe are opening up their data vaults – allowing you to check out, visualise and analyse the numbers for yourself. This is the Guardian’s gateway to that information. Search for government data here from the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand - and look out for new countries as we add them. Read more on the Datablog."

Race and Hispanic Origin of the Foreign-Born Population in the United States: 2007: "This report from American Community Survey data describes the race and Hispanic-origin composition of the foreign-born population in 2007 and compares it with that of the total and native-born populations. It shows the foreign-born have a pattern of race and Hispanic-origin reporting that is markedly different from the native population."

Via Rick McKinney: "GPO finally made available the text of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009, H.R. 4173, as passed by the House on December 11, 2009. The 1706 page bill had been 1279 pages when introduced, but after numerous amendments adopted on the House floor (there was no reported version or committee report) it grew and many of us have waited until now to see it put together in one package. The bill has ten titles and many of the titles and sections (after Title V the sections to not correspond to the numeric title) were developed from earlier legislation and from Administration proposed language."

News release: "Median weekly earnings of the nation's 98.7 million full-time wage and salary workers were $748 in the fourth quarter of 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This was 2.7 percent higher than a year earlier, compared with a gain of 1.4 percent in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) over the same period. Data on usual weekly earnings are collected as part of the Current Population Survey, a nationwide sample survey of households in which respondents are asked, among other things, how much each wage and salary worker usually earns. Highlights from the fourth-quarter data are:

Report of the Joint Economic Committee Congress of the United States on the 2009 Economic Report of the President Together With Minority Views, January 11, 2010.

Report: Social Networking in Government: Opportunities & Challenges, Human Capital Institute, January 2010

2010 Earthquake in Haiti - Includes links to:
Briefings and Remarks

CDC Estimates of 2009 H1N1 Influenza Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths in the United States, April – December 12, 2009

• "CDC estimates that between 39 million and 80 million cases of 2009 H1N1 occurred between April and December 12, 2009. The mid-level in this range is about 55 million people infected with 2009 H1N1.
  
• CDC estimates that between about 173,000 and 362,000 2009 H1N1-related hospitalizations occurred between April and December 12, 2009. The mid-level in this range is about 246,000 H1N1-related hospitalizations.
  
• CDC estimates that between about 7,880 and 16,460 2009 H1N1-related deaths occurred between April and December 12, 2009. The mid-level in this range is about 11,160 2009 H1N1-related deaths."
  
• Related postings on H1N1
Permanent Link

Follow up to previous posting, FAA Issues Special New Security Regs for Boeing Model 787, see Federal Aviation Administration, Special Conditions: Boeing Model 747–8/–8F Airplanes, Systems and Data Networks Security—Protection of Airplane Systems and Data Networks From Unauthorized External Access - Federal Register: January 15, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 10)][Rules and Regulations][Page 2433-2434]:

Follow up to previous postings on Follow up to previous postings on missing White House emails during Bush administrations, from the National Security Archive: "Pursuant to a settlement reached between the National Security Archive and the White House Executive Office of the President (EOP), the White House today issued a letter describing critical aspects of the EOP unclassified network e-mail preservation and archiving system now used in the White House. Among other specifics, the letter describes:

• Automated capture and preservation of all e-mail and Blackberry messages sent or received on the EOP’s unclassified network;
  
• Documents segregated into component-specific repositories and broad search capabilities that improve the ability to find e-mail records in response to legal or administrative needs;
  
• Blocking of access to personal and external Web-based e-mail systems from White House unclassified workstations;
  
• Controls against unauthorized deletion of e-mails and an accounting of any deleted e-mails;
  
• Systematic emergency recovery backups of the system; and
  
• Automatically generated audit reports and system health-check dashboard reports to assist in the identification of problems."

DOD Directive 3020.40, DoD Policy and Responsibilities for Critical Infrastructure, January 14, 2010

News release: "IRS e-file, the popular electronic tax return delivery service used by two-thirds of the nation’s taxpayers, opened for business January 15 and marks 20 years of safely and securely transmitting nearly 800 million individual federal tax returns. The Internal Revenue Service debuted e-file nationally in 1990, delivering 4.2 million tax returns. Last year, IRS e-file delivered 95 million tax returns, 66 percent of all returns filed...Last year, more than 49 million taxpayers missed out on the e-file benefits. The IRS urges taxpayers, especially those people already using tax software, to take the next step and e-file their return or ask their preparer to e-file their return. The IRS urges tax preparers who electronically file some of their clients’ tax returns to consider filing all tax returns through e-file."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing water quality standards to protect people’s health, aquatic life and the long term recreational uses of Florida’s waters, which are a critical part of the state’s economy. In 2009, EPA entered into a consent decree with the Florida Wildlife Federation to propose limits to this pollution. The proposed action, released for public comment and developed in collaboration with the state, would set a series of numeric limits on the amount of phosphorus and nitrogen, also known as “nutrients,” that would be allowed in Florida’s lakes, rivers, streams, springs and canals."

News release: "In the wake of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, the Federal Trade Commission warns consumers to choose carefully when considering urgent appeals for aid in the news, online, and at social networking sites. The best way to provide immediate help is to donate money directly to established national relief organizations that have the experience and means to deliver aid."

"GPO is pleased to announce that the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) has been converted into XML (extensible markup language) and is now available via GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys). Currently, the CFR is available from 2007 to present, and volumes dating back to 2000 will be added over the next few months. The CFR in XML is also available from the Government's new site for Government data."

Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Advisors: Economic Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Second Quarterly Report, January 13, 2010

News release: "Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz and key members of Congress, including Representative Chris Van Hollen, Chairman Bobby Rush, and Representative Mary Jo Kilroy, today renewed their call for legislation that would put an end to anticompetitive patent settlements, which drug manufacturers have been using to keep less-expensive medicines off the market and charge consumers billions of dollars a year in higher drug prices. Speaking at a joint press conference, Leibowitz said consumers are forced to pay inflated prices or forgo their medication because of these “pay-for-delay” deals, in which brand-name drug makers pay their generic competitors to keep cheaper alternatives off the market. He urged Congress to adopt a provision as part of the health care reform bill to stop pay-for-delay agreements."

News release: "The U.S. Department of the Treasury, together with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced the completion of all transactions under the recently-introduced state and local Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Initiative, a key element of the Obama Administration's Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. With these transactions, the Obama Administration helps support low mortgage rates and expands resources for low and middle income borrowers to purchase or rent homes that are affordable over the long term. Government Sponsored Enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac played a central role in both Initiative design and transaction execution. The HFA Initiative is expected to come at no cost to taxpayers."

Full Report - Beige Book, February 13, 2010 - Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, and link to reports by Districts.

• Loan Performance and Negative Home Equity in the Nonprime Mortgage Market, GAO-10-146R, December 16, 2009: "This report (1) provides information on the performance of these nonprime loans as of June 30, 2009, and describes forecasts made by others of future loan performance; and (2) examines the extent of negative home equity among nonprime borrowers in selected metropolitan areas and nationwide. In addition, enclosure VI describes the preliminary results of our analysis of the demographic characteristics of nonprime borrowers—including race and ethnicity—whose loans originated in 2005.2 We identified these characteristics by merging loan-level records from two data sources. This report also provides supplemental information on the performance of nonprime mortgages by annual loan cohort, product type, Census division, state, and congressional district. This supplemental information is presented in enclosures I through IV."
• Social Security: Options to Protect Benefits for Vulnerable Groups When Addressing Program Solvency, GAO-10-101R, December 07, 2009: "For over 70 years, Social Security has been the foundation of retirement income for American workers and their families and has been instrumental in reducing poverty among the elderly. The Congressional Research Service estimates that if Social Security benefits did not exist, an estimated 44 percent of all elderly people would be poor today.1 Still, some people who receive Social Security retirement benefits remain vulnerable to poverty in old age. The elderly poverty rate in 2007 was 9.7 percent. In addition, the long-term financing shortfall currently facing the Social Security program is growing and has made reform of the program a priority for policy makers. Thus, the nation faces the challenge of improving long-term program solvency, while also ensuring benefit adequacy for economically vulnerable beneficiaries. Many Social Security reform proposals have suggested modifying the system to restore its financial balance by reducing benefits or increasing payroll or other taxes, and several also include options to address concerns about benefit adequacy for economically vulnerable groups of beneficiaries."
• Related postings on financial system

News release: "The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that total November exports of $138.2 billion and imports of $174.6 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $36.4 billion, up from $33.2 billion in October, revised. November exports were $1.2 billion more than October exports of $137.0 billion. November imports were $4.4 billion more than October imports of $170.2 billion. In November, the goods deficit increased $3.2 billion from October to $48.4 billion, and the services surplus was virtually unchanged at $12.0 billion. Exports of goods increased $1.2 billion to $94.6 billion, and imports of goods increased $4.4 billion to $143.0 billion. Exports of services increased $0.1 billion to $43.6 billion, and imports of services increased $0.1 billion to $31.6 billion. In November, the goods and services deficit decreased $6.8 billion from November 2008. Exports were down $3.3 billion, or 2.3 percent, and imports were down $10.1 billion, or 5.5 percent."

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Final Rule, January 12, 2010: "FRA is issuing regulations implementing a requirement of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 that defines criteria for certain passenger and freight rail lines requiring the implementation of positive train control (PTC) systems. This final rule includes required functionalities of PTC system technology and the means by which PTC systems will be certified. This final rule also describes the contents of the PTC implementation plans required by the statute and contains the process for submission of those plans for review and approval by FRA. These regulations could also be voluntarily complied with by entities not mandated to install PTC systems."

News release: "There were 2.4 million job openings on the last business day of November 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The job openings rate was little changed over the month at 1.8 percent. The openings rate has held relatively steady since March 2009. The hires rate (3.2 percent) and the separations rate (3.3 percent) were essentially unchanged in November. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and geographic region."

News release: "The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today published a revised policy regarding the administration of relationships with primary dealers intended to provide greater transparency about the significant business standards expected of primary dealers and to offer clearer guidance on the process to become a primary dealer. The revised policy takes into consideration the evolution of the marketplace and of open market operations over the past decade, as well as recent changes in the role of primary dealers."

• Brand-Name Prescription Drug Pricing: Lack of Therapeutically Equivalent Drugs and Limited Competition May Contribute to Extraordinary Price Increases, GAO-10-201, December 22, 2009
• Corporate Crime: DOJ Has Taken Steps to Better Track Its Use of Deferred and Non-Prosecution Agreements, but Should Evaluate Effectiveness, GAO-10-110, December 18, 2009
• 2009 Tax Filing Season: IRS Met Many 2009 Goals, but Telephone Access Remained Low, and Taxpayer Service and Enforcement Could Be Improved, GAO-10-225, December 10, 2009
• Maximizing DOD's Potential to Face New Fiscal Challenges and Strengthen Interagency Partnerships, GAO-10-359CG, January 06, 2010
• VA Health Care: Improved Oversight and Compliance Needed for Physician Credentialing and Privileging Processes, GAO-10-26, January 06, 2010

News release: "At an event today in Columbus, Indiana, Secretary Chu announced the selection of nine projects totaling more than $187 million to improve fuel efficiency for heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles. The funding includes more than $100 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and with a private cost share of 50 percent, will support nearly $375 million in total research, development and demonstration projects across the country. The nine winners have stated their projects will create over 500 jobs, primarily researchers, engineers, and managers who will develop these new technologies. By 2015, the projects expect to create over 6,000 jobs – many in manufacturing and assembly."

Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, news that EPIC has posted more than 250 pages of documents it obtained in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit concerning body scanners. The documents, released by the Department of Homeland Security, reveal that Whole Body Imaging machines can record, store, and transmit digital strip search images of Americans. This contradicts assurances made by the TSA. The documents include TSA Procurement Specifications, TSA Operational Requirements, TSA contract with L3, TSA contract with Rapiscan (1), and TSA contract with Rapiscan (2). The DHS has withheld other documents that EPIC is seeking."

[Federal Register: January 8, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 5)] [Notices][Page 1060-1062] - Draft Guidance for Industry on Planning for the Effects of High Absenteeism to Ensure Availability of Medically Necessary Drug Products; Availability - The draft guidance encourages manufacturers of medically necessary drug products (MNPs)
and components to develop contingency production plans in the event of an emergency that results in high absenteeism at one or more production facilities. In particular, the draft guidance provides recommendations regarding considerations for the development and implementation of a contingency production plan, including specific elements to include in such a plan. The draft guidance is intended for manufacturers of finished drug products as well as manufacturers of the raw materials necessary for manufacturing an MNP."

News release: " This report, Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, The Joint Forum, Review of the Differentiated Nature and Scope of Financial Regulation Key Issues and Recommendations, January 2010, analyses key issues arising from the differentiated nature of financial regulation in the international banking, insurance, and securities sectors. It also addresses gaps arising from the scope of financial regulation as it relates to different financial activities, with a particular focus on certain unregulated or lightly regulated entities or activities. The Joint Forum prepared this report at the request of the G-20 to help identify potential areas where systemic risks may not be fully captured in the current regulatory framework and to make recommendations on needed improvements to strengthen regulation of the financial system. The Joint Forum presents its findings and recommendations in five key issue areas:

• Issues arising from regulatory differences across the three sectors, including with respect to similar financial products;
  
• Supervision and regulation of financial groups, focusing on unregulated entities within those groups;
  
• Residential mortgage origination, focusing on minimum underwriting standards consistently implemented by different types of mortgage providers;
  
• Hedge funds, especially those that present systemic risk; and
  
• Credit risk transfer, focusing on credit default swaps and financial guarantee insurance."
  
• Related postings on financial system

"Health reform as set forth in legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in November would cut the number of uninsured Americans to 24 million by 2019 (a 56 percent decrease) and increase personal spending on health care by about 3.3 percent cumulatively between 2013 and 2019, according to an independent assessment released today by the RAND Corporation. In addition, the study finds that under the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) cumulative federal spending to help low-income people buy private insurance would total $445 billion by 2019 and federal spending on Medicaid would increase by $559 billion (a 21 percent hike) over the same period."

Monthly Budget Review, January 2010 - Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for November and the Daily Treasury Statements for December: "The federal budget deficit was about $390 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2010, CBO estimates—$56 billion more than the shortfall in the same period in fiscal year 2009. Outlays were slightly lower than they were last year at this time, but revenues have fallen by about 11 percent. Later this month, CBO will issue new budget projections for 2010 and the following 10 years...The deficit in December was $92 billion, CBO estimates, about $40 billion more than the deficit recorded in December 2008. Adjusted to eliminate variation attributable to shifts in the timing of certain payments, the deficit was about $11 billion greater than it was the same month last year. This is the second consecutive December that the federal government will record a budget deficit. Typically, that month yields a budget surplus because most corporations make quarterly income tax payments and withholding for individuals is relatively high owing to year-end bonuses and seasonal employment."

The New York Review of Books - Who's in Big Brother's Database? By James Bamford - The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the, National Security Agency, by Matthew M. Aid, Bloomsbury.

New York Times: "On Jan. 7, 2010, President Obama addressed the findings of a review into the intelligence and screening failures prior to a Nigerian man’s attempt to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day. The White House released a declassified account of the review, as well as a list of actions the president ordered various government agencies to adopt to better secure the safety of the American people...The White House released the report – detailing what the government knew about the terrorist incident and what should have been done to prevent it – as an attempt to illustrate that the administration is conducting its business with transparency and airing mistakes in an effort to show the American people that they will be corrected."

• Declassified Account of the Terror Plot Review
  
• Actions Ordered to Agencies to Strengthen National Security

"Welcome to Reboot.FCC.gov, the Federal Communication Commission's website for discussion on how to transform the FCC into a model of excellence in government. The FCC is beginning an overhaul of the way it interacts with citizens, including a complete and comprehensive redesign of FCC.gov and its online systems. The reform initiatives at the FCC expand well beyond the website redesign. The focused attention of these reform efforts will be citizen interaction and participation, usability, accessibility, and transparency across the agency. To help jump start innovation and reform, Chairman Julius Genachowski appointed a team of senior leadership within the agency dedicated to identifying the most needed and important areas of reform at the FCC, ranging from systems and data to rules and processes. Through Reboot, you will be able to learn about the progress of the reform agenda and help craft the direction by sharing your thoughts and visions on how to make the FCC a model of excellence in government."

News release: "The United States Environmental Protection Agency today proposed the strictest health standards to date for smog. Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease. Ozone can even harm healthy people who work and play outdoors. The agency is proposing to replace the standards set by the previous administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health."

"The Federal Judicial Center has posted a monograph providing an introduction to, and overview of, immigration law, with a focus on issues that arise in litigation."

News release: "Citing a need to improve certainty and order in oil and gas leasing on U.S. public lands, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced several reforms that the Bureau of Land Management will undertake to improve protections for land, water, and wildlife and reduce potential conflicts that can lead to costly and time-consuming protests and litigation of leases. Interior will also establish a new Energy Reform Team to identify and implement important energy management reforms."

• Download the Secretarial Order
  
• Download a Factsheet
  
• Download a Side-by-Side Comparison of Process Changes Resulting from Leasing Reform Policy

News release: "National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson today released her National Taxpayer Advocate's 2009 Annual Report to Congress, warning that increased demands on the IRS have eroded the agency’s ability to meet taxpayer service needs and expressing concern that IRS collection practices are harming financially struggling taxpayers without producing significant revenue gains. In the preface to the report, Olson noted that she is required by statute to identify taxpayer problems, but she wrote that “the IRS in many respects has had an extremely successful year.” She cited, in particular, the IRS’s success in implementing significant legislative changes designed to stimulate the economy in the midst of the filing season."

News release: "Several changes have been made to THOMAS for the second session of the 111th Congress. These changes include: Bookmarking and Sharing Widget; Top Five Bills; New RSS feed: Bills Presented to the President; Contacting Members of Congress; Tip of the Week; Bill Text PDFs."

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission, as required by The Do-Not-Call Registry Fee Extension Act of 2007, has approved two reports to Congress: a biennial report focusing on the use of the Do Not Call Registry by both consumers and businesses, as well as the impact that new technologies have had on the Registry, and a one-time report on enforcement efforts and consumers’ perceptions of the Registry’s effectiveness. As detailed in the first report, the Do Not Call Registry now has more than 191 million active registrations, and more than 18 million new phone numbers were registered in Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. During that time, approximately 45,000 sellers, telemarketers, and exempt organizations such as charities subscribed to access the Registry, paying fees totaling more than $15.5 million. In addition, during FY 2009, the FTC implemented a new procedure for tracking disconnected and reassigned phone numbers, which addresses problems that may arise as a result of new telecommunications technologies and the ease of transporting numbers from one telephone service provider to another. According to the second report, since 2003 when the Do Not Call Registry was put in place, research has consistently shown widespread public awareness of the program and a steady increase in the number of phone numbers registered. Together, the FTC and the Federal Communications Commission have collected penalties totaling over $22 million from Registry violators, and due to these enforcement actions and the agencies’ consumer education campaigns, consumers who have joined the Registry have reported dramatic reductions in the number of unwanted calls they receive."

Issuance of Guidance and Summary of Actions Taken in Response to the Report of the Department of Justice Criminal Discovery and Case Management Working Group, David W. Ogden, Deputy Attorney General, January 4, 2010

News release: "The Internal Revenue Service kicked off the 2010 tax filing season today by issuing the results of a landmark six-month study that proposes new registration, testing and continuing education of tax return preparers. With more than 80 percent of American households using a tax preparer or tax software to help them prepare and file their taxes, higher standards for the tax preparer community will significantly enhance protections and service for taxpayers, increase confidence in the tax system and result in greater compliance with tax laws over the long term. To bring immediate help to taxpayers this filing season, the IRS also announced a sweeping new effort to reach tax return preparers with enforcement and education. As part of the outreach effort, the IRS is providing tips to taxpayers to ensure they are working with a reputable tax return preparer...Other measures the IRS anticipates taking are highlighted in the 55-page report released today."

"The Department of Treasury's annual Agency Financial Report provides fiscal and high-level performance results that enable the President, Congress, and the American people to assess our accomplishments for each fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). This report provides an overview of our programs, accomplishments, challenges, and management's accountability for the resources entrusted to us. The report is prepared in accordance with the requirements of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements.

• 2009 Agency Financial Report - Department of Treasury
  
• 2009 Agency Financial Report - Office of Financial Stability

News release: "Secretary Chu announced the Department of Energy launched Open Energy Information - a new open-source web platform that will make DOE resources and open energy data widely available to the public. The data and tools housed on the free, editable and evolving wiki-platform will be used by government officials, the private sector, project developers, the international community, and others to help deploy clean energy technologies across the country and around the world. The website was launched as part of a broader effort at DOE, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and across the Obama Administration to promote the openness, transparency, and accessibility of the federal government."

National Vital Statistics Report, Volume 58, Number 9 - Births, Marriages, Divorces, and Deaths: Provisional Data for April 2009: "Marriage and divorce data in this report are counts of all events occurring in the state that were received in the registration offices during the 1-month period. Divorce figures include reported annulments. There is considerable variability among the states in the procedures that are used to submit the counts of marriages and divorces to NCHS and in the extent to which the states update their counts of marriages and divorces as new information is received. Therefore, counts vary in their completeness. Marriage and divorce counts, unlike other provisional data, may be updated after the end of a data year if final counts are provided by the state."

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission has launched its Web site and blog for National Consumer Protection Week 2010, which will be held March 7-13. Consumer.gov/ncpw, encourages people to learn about their rights as consumers, and promotes free resources to help them protect their privacy, manage money and debt, avoid identity theft, understand credit and mortgages, and steer clear of frauds and scams. The twelfth annual consumer protection week is a partnership between the FTC and other government agencies and consumer groups. This year’s theme, Dollars & Sense: Rated “A” for All Ages, highlights the importance of using good consumer sense at every stage of life – from grade school to retirement. The site for the event features a page for kids and parents, and highlights games, videos, and other Web sites that teach kids practical lessons about the role of business and government in their everyday lives."

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission today issued a Fraud Forum staff report that examines more effective ways to protect consumers from fraudulent schemes and focus the collective knowledge and experience of forum participants to fight fraud. The February 2009 Forum was attended by academics, consumer advocates, industry representatives, and state and federal law enforcers. The Fraud Forum Report summarizes information presented at the event during panel and small group discussions on a range of issues including: the psychology of scammers and their victims, fraud statistics, under-reported fraud, and the role of private industry in detecting and preventing fraud."

Energy Information Administration - Solar Photovoltaic Cell/Module Manufacturing Activities 2008 - December 29, 2009: "In 2008, total shipments of PV cells and modules surge more than 90 percent from a year ago to nearly 1 million peak kilowatts."

2009 3rd Quarter Summary of State and Local Government Tax Revenue — "This summary shows quarterly tax revenue data from property, sales, license, income (individual and corporate) and other taxes. Data are shown for individual state governments as well as national-level estimates of total state and local taxes, including 12-month calculations. This quarterly survey has been conducted continuously since 1962."

News release: "On the eve of the 2010 Census, as the Census Bureau prepares to conduct an actual count of the nation’s population, the bureau projects that on Jan. 1, 2010 — three months out from Census Day — the total U.S. population will be 308,400,408. This would represent an increase of 2,606,181, or 0.9 percent, from New Year’s Day 2009. In January 2010, one birth is expected to occur every eight seconds in the United States and one death every 12 seconds. Meanwhile, net international migration is expected to add one person every 37 seconds to the U.S. population in January 2010, resulting in an increase in the total U.S. population of one person every 14 seconds."

News release includes links to PDF and Excel documents: "House and Senate candidates seeking office in 2007-2008 reported over $1.42 billion in receipts, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. The 2,382 candidates who participated in primary and general election campaigns for the U.S. Congress spent a total of $1.38 billion during the two years. Total receipts of 2008 congressional candidates declined by more than 1% compared with 2006, while total disbursements declined by almost 3%. In 2007-2008, Republican and Democratic Senate candidates raised $435.57 million and spent $433.02 million; those figures are both about 19% less than 2006 levels. Republican and Democratic House candidates increased their financial activity during 2007-2008, raising $980.35 million, almost 13% above 2006 totals, while spending $938.29 million, up over 10% from the previous election."

December 2009 Natural Gas Monthly With Data for October 2009 — Dec 29, 2009 - "Natural and supplemental gas production, supply, consumption, disposition, storage, imports, exports, and prices in the United States."

News release: "While the Recovery Act has made unprecedented investments in clean energy, energy efficiency, and other environmental improvements, a new report by The Council of State Governments finds that in most states the wave of green jobs tied to these investments has yet to arrive. CSG has released a state-by-state analysis of green jobs created or retained through the Recovery Act. According to CSG’s analysis, which looked at data collected by states through Oct. 10, 2009, states have created or saved just more than 13,000 green jobs."

Performance Profiles of Major Energy Producers 2008 (Performance Profiles 2008), "a legislatively mandated annual report to the U.S. Congress, was released on December 18, 2009. Performance Profiles 2008 presents a comprehensive financial review and analysis of the domestic and worldwide operations of the major U.S.-based energy-producing companies. The report examines the majors' operations primarily on a consolidated corporate level, by individual lines of business and business segments, and by various geographic regions."

• Medicare Managed Care: Observations about Medicare Cost Plans, GAO-10-185, December 28, 2009
• Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drugs: Second Quarter 2008 Federal Upper Limits for Reimbursement Compared with Average Retail Pharmacy Acquisition Costs, GAO-10-118R, November 30, 2009
• Recovery Act: Planned Efforts and Challenges in Evaluating Compliance with Maintenance of Effort and Similar Provisions, GAO-10-247, November 30, 2009
• Nursing Homes: Addressing the Factors Underlying Understatement of Serious Care Problems Requires Sustained CMS and State Commitment, GAO-10-70, November 24, 2009

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released enforcement results for fiscal year 2009, and has developed a new Web-based tool and interactive map that allows the public to get detailed information by location about the enforcement actions taken at approximately 4,600 facilities. The new mapping tool allows the public to view the locations of facilities that were the subject of enforcement actions on interactive maps of the U.S. and territories. The maps show facilities where civil enforcement actions were taken for environmental laws for air, water, and land pollution, and a separate map shows criminal enforcement actions."

News release: "A combination of man-made global warming and a moderate warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon known as El Niño, means it is very likely that 2010 will be a warmer year globally than 2009. Recently released figures confirm that 2009 is expected to be the fifth-warmest year in the instrumental record that dates back to 1850. The latest forecast from our climate scientists, shows the global temperature is forecast to be almost 0.6 °C above the 1961–90 long-term average. This means that it is more likely than not that 2010 will be the warmest year in the instrumental record, beating the previous record year which was 1998."

News release: "Nearly 60,000 books prized by historians, writers and genealogists, many too old and fragile to be safely handled, have been digitally scanned as part of the first-ever mass book-digitization project [which is called Digitizing American Imprints] of the U.S. Library of Congress (LOC), the world’s largest library. Anyone who wants to learn about the early history of the United States, or track the history of their own families, can read and download these books for free...digitized books can be accessed through the Library’s catalog Web site and the Internet Archive (IA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a free online digital library."

The Foreign-Born Labor Force in the United States: 2007 - "Economic opportunity is a primary attraction for many immigrants to the United States. In 2007, labor force participation among the foreign born was higher than that among natives. Foreign born workers have historically made up a sizeable part of the labor force. Today, there are greater numbers of foreign-born workers in the United States than ever before - 23.9 million in 2007."

"The FDIC Institution Directory (ID) provides the latest comprehensive financial and demographic data for every FDIC-insured institution, including the most recent quarterly financial statements, with performance and condition ratios."

Bureau of Economic Analysis Personal income and Outlays: November 2009 - "Personal income increased $49.7 billion, or 0.4 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $54.1 billion, or 0.5 percent, in November, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $47.9 billion, or 0.5 percent. In October, personal income increased $33.6 billion, or 0.3 percent, DPI increased $50.2 billion, or 0.5 percent, and PCE increased $63.5 billion, or 0.6 percent, based on revised estimates."

News release: "Texas gained more people than any other state between July 1, 2008, and July 1, 2009 (478,000), followed by California (381,000), North Carolina (134,000), Georgia (131,000) and Florida (114,000), according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates. California remained the most populous state, with a July 1, 2009, population of 37 million. Rounding out the top five states were Texas (24.8 million), New York (19.5 million), Florida (18.5 million) and Illinois (12.9 million)."

"GPO is pleased to announce the release of the following collections into the Federal Digital System (FDsys)":

• Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States (1991 to 2005)
  
• Code of Federal Regulations (2007 to 2009)
  
• Precedents of the United States House of Representatives (as part of the GPO Federal Publications collection)

Examining the Work of State Courts: An Analysis of 2007 State Court Caseloads. A joint project of the Conference of State Court Administrators, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, and the National Center for State Courts. 2009
Examining the Work of State Courts is the authoritative analysis of the best available state court case filing and disposition data. Approximately ninety-five percent of all legal cases initiated in the United States are filed in the state courts. Whether the reader’s objective is to assess the current legal landscape, to improve the management of a court or a state court system, to develop public policy, or to gain a better understanding of the work of our third branch of government, this publication provides the independent interpretation of reliable data that will speak to the reader’s need. In fact, without the benefit of this foundational data and its expert analysis, state court leaders and managers, policy makers, and the media are too often left with little more than random anecdote and unsupported opinion as the basis for their work."

News release: "The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Trade Commission today announced final rules that generally require a creditor to provide a consumer with a notice when, based on the consumer’s credit report, the creditor provides credit to the consumer on less favorable terms than it provides to other consumers. Consumers who receive this “risk-based pricing” notice will be able to obtain a free credit report to check the accuracy of the report. Risk-based pricing refers to the practice of setting or adjusting the price and other terms of credit provided to a particular consumer based on the consumer’s creditworthiness. The final rules provide creditors with several methods for determining which consumers must receive risk-based pricing notices."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule setting tough engine and fuel standards for large U.S.-flagged ships, a major milestone in the agency’s coordinated strategy to slash harmful marine diesel emissions. The regulation harmonizes with international standards and will lead to significant air quality improvements throughout the country."

Crime in the United States: Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report (January to June)

Changes in the Aggregate Labor Force Participation Rate, Julie L. Hotchkiss, Economic Review, Vol. 94, No. 4, 2009

News release: "U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a new rule that significantly strengthens protections afforded to consumers by, among other things, establishing a hard time limit after which U.S. airlines must allow passengers to deplane from domestic flights. The new rule prohibits U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours without deplaning passengers, with exceptions allowed only for safety or security or if air traffic control advises the pilot in command that returning to the terminal would disrupt airport operations. U.S. carriers operating international flights departing from or arriving in the United States must specify, in advance, their own time limits for deplaning passengers, with the same exceptions applicable."

News release: "The 2010-11 editions of the Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Career Guide to Industries were released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Handbook and the Career Guide can be accessed online at www.bls.gov/oco and www.bls.gov/oco/cg, respectively. The print version of the Occupational Outlook Handbook is expected to be available in the spring of 2010. Considered the Government's premier source of career information, the Handbook and Career Guide profile hundreds of occupations and dozens of industries, respectively. Both publications provide comprehensive, up-to-date, and reliable labor market information that has helped millions of people plan their future work lives. In addition, this information has proven invaluable to counselors, students, jobseekers, career changers, education and training officials, and researchers."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its most comprehensive study of the nation’s lakes to date. The draft study, which rated the condition of 56 percent of the lakes in the United States as good and the remainder as fair or poor, marked the first time EPA and its partners used a nationally consistent approach to survey the ecological and water quality of lakes. A total of 1,028 lakes were randomly sampled during 2007 by states, tribes and EPA...Nitrogen and phosphorous are found at high levels in 20 percent of lakes. Excess levels of these nutrients contribute to algae blooms, weed growth, reduced water clarity, and other lake problems. EPA is very concerned about the adverse impacts of nutrients on aquatic life, drinking water and recreation. The agency will continue to work with states to address water quality issues through effective nutrient management."

• Biosurveillance: Developing a Collaboration Strategy Is Essential to Fostering Interagency Data and Resource Sharing, GAO-10-171, December 18, 2009
• Department of Veterans Affairs' Implementation of Information Security Education Assistance Program, GAO-10-170R, December 18, 2009
• DOD Civilian Personnel: Intelligence Personnel System Incorporates Safeguards, but Opportunities Exist for Improvement, GAO-10-134, December 17, 2009
• Overseas Contingency Operations: Funding and Cost Reporting for the Department of Defense, GAO-10-288R, December 18, 2009
• Softwood Lumber Act of 2008: Customs and Border Protection Established Required Procedures, but Agencies Report Little Benefit from New Requirements, GAO-10-220, December 18, 2009
• Juvenile Justice: DOJ Is Enhancing Information on Effective Programs, but Could Better Assess the Utility of This Information, GAO-10-125, December 17, 2009
• UN Office for Project Services: Management Reforms Proceeding but Effectiveness Not Assessed, and USAID's Oversight of Grants Has Weaknesses, GAO-10-168, November 19, 2009

The eYouGuide, Europe's first online tool giving consumers practical advice on their "digital rights" under EU law is now available in 10 languages. "The eYouGuide was launched in Strasbourg on 5 May 2009 (see IP/09/702). The guide provides information on a number of issues related to online activities, such as shopping online, networking, uploading and downloading content and making online payments, just to mention a few. It is meant as a tool to improve consumers' awareness and confidence in the digital environment. The website will be updated and extended to more EU languages at the beginning of 2010."

DRAFT The Technical Specification for the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP): SCAP Version 1.1, December 15, 2009: "NIST announces the public comment release of Special Publication (SP) 800-126 Revision 1, The Technical Specification for the Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP): SCAP Version 1.1. The Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) is a suite of specifications that standardize the format and nomenclature by which security software products communicate software flaw and security configuration information. SCAP is a multi-purpose protocol that supports automated vulnerability and patch checking, technical control compliance activities, and security measurement. Goals for the development of SCAP include standardizing system security management, promoting interoperability of security products, and fostering the use of standard expressions of security content."

DRAFT Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules (Revised Draft): "The Revised Draft FIPS 140-3 is the second public draft of NIST’s proposed revision of FIPS 140-2. The Revised Draft was developed using the comments received on the first public draft, which was posted for public review and comment on July 13, 2007, and the FIPS 140-3 Software Security Workshop held on March 18, 2008. While the 2007 Draft proposed 5 levels of security, the Revised Draft FIPS 140-3 reverts to 4 levels of security as currently specified in FIPS 140-2. In contrast to the 2007 Draft, the Revised Draft also reintroduces the notion of firmware cryptographic module and defines the security requirements for it, limits the overall security level for software cryptographic modules to Security Level 2, and removes the formal model requirement at Security Level 4. Differences with the current FIPS 140-2 standard include limiting the overall security level for software cryptographic modules to Security Level 2, requirements for mitigation of non-invasive attacks at higher security levels, elimination of the requirement for formal modeling at Security Level 4, modified conditions for pre-operational/power-on self-tests, and strengthened integrity testing."

News release: "Newspaper publishers experienced a single-year decline in total revenue of 8.3 percent — from $47.9 billion in 2007 to $43.9 billion in 2008. This followed a more modest decline of 2.7 percent in 2007, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. A major contributor to the overall loss in revenues for the industry was the decline in advertising space revenue for general newspapers, which dropped 10.2 percent — from $30.9 billion in 2007 to $27.8 billion in 2008. Revenue from newspaper subscriptions remained largely unchanged over the period, from $8.3 billion in 2007 to $8.2 billion in 2008. These estimates come from the 2008 Service Annual Survey: Information Sector Services. The survey provides national estimates of annual revenue and expenses for industries primarily engaged in producing, processing and distributing data, which range from motion picture production to libraries."

New York City Community Air Survey: Results Winter 2008-2009, Prepublication version, December 15, 200

News release: "China’s population is projected to peak at slightly less than 1.4 billion in 2026, both earlier and at a lower level than previously projected. Meanwhile, India’s population is projected to surpass China’s population in 2025, according to new data being released by the U.S. Census Bureau. These figures come from the population estimates and projections for 227 countries and areas released today through the Census Bureau’s International Data Base. This release includes revisions for 21 countries, including China. The latest projections indicate that by 2026, the population of China will begin to decline. Population growth in China, the world’s most populous country, is slowing and currently stands at 0.5 percent annually. China surpassed the 1.2 billion population mark in 1994 and reached 1.3 billion in 2006."

Texting More Than Doubles in the Last Year: "How r u? The way we communicate is rapidly evolving, as evidenced by the fact that the number of text messages sent on cell phones has more than doubled from 48 billion in December 2007 to 110 billion in December 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2010. The Statistical Abstract, aka “Uncle Sam’s Almanac,” perennially the federal government’s best-selling reference book, has been published since 1878 — before automobiles, airplanes and motion pictures had even been invented. Contained in the 129th edition are more than 1,400 tables of social, political and economic facts which collectively describe the state of our nation and the world. Included are 53 new tables, covering topics such as worldwide space launch events this decade, the use of complementary and alternative medicine, the type of work flexibility provided to employees, employment status of veterans and road fatalities by country."

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission has issued a report to Congress examining how the agency has used the expanded law enforcement authority Congress provided in the U.S. SAFE WEB Act to protect American consumers since the Act was signed into law on December 22, 2006. The SAFE WEB Act authorizes the FTC to share information and work cooperatively with foreign law enforcement agencies to protect consumers from cross-border harm."

Annual Energy Outlook 2010 Early Release Overview — Dec 14, 2009: "The AEO2010 presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2035, which are based on results from EIA's National Energy Modeling System (NEMS). The AEO2010 Early Release only includes the reference case. The full publication, including many additional cases examining energy markets, will be released in March 2010."

Occupational employment projections to 2018: "Professional and related occupations and service occupations are expected to create more new jobs than all other occupational groups from 2008 to 2018; in addition, growth will be faster among occupations for which postsecondary education is the most significant form of education or training, and, across all occupations, replacement needs will create many more job openings than will job growth...Total employment, a measure of all jobs in the U.S. economy, is projected to increase by 15.3 million over the 2008–18 period, representing a growth rate of 10.1 percent. Among occupational groups, strong employment growth is expected in healthcare occupations and in computer-related occupations, whereas employment in production occupations as well as farming, fishing, and forestry occupations is expected to decline."

News release: "Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the National Security Archive (NSA) reached a final settlement of their long-running lawsuits challenging the failure of the Bush White House and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to take any action after confronted with evidence that millions of emails had gone missing from Bush White House servers over a two and one-half year period. The lawsuits followed CREW’s revelation in April 2008 that the White House had discovered the problem in the fall of 2005. Nevertheless, the Bush White House failed to recover or restore the missing emails and knowingly continued to use a broken system for preserving electronic records. Under the terms of the settlement, the Executive Office of the President (EOP) will restore a total of 94 days of missing emails, which will then be sent to NARA for preservation and eventual access under either the Presidential Records Act or the Federal Records Act."

Google.org blog: "...at the International Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen we demonstrated a new technology prototype that enables online, global-scale observation and measurement of changes in the earth's forests. We hope this technology will help stop the destruction of the world's rapidly-disappearing forests. Emissions from tropical deforestation are comparable to the emissions of all of the European Union, and are greater than those of all cars, trucks, planes, ships and trains worldwide. According to the Stern Review, protecting the world's standing forests is a highly cost-effective way to cut carbon emissions and mitigate climate change. The United Nations has proposed a framework known as REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) that would provide financial incentives to rainforest nations to protect their forests, in an effort to make forests worth "more alive than dead." Implementing a global REDD system will require that each nation have the ability to accurately monitor and report the state of their forests over time, in a manner that is independently verifiable. However, many of these tropical nations of the world lack the technological resources to do this, so we're working with scientists, governments and non-profits to change this. Here's what we've done with this prototype to help nations monitor their forests..."

HHS OIG FDA's Food Facility Registry, December 2009, OEI-02-08-00060: "Each year, more than 300,000 Americans are hospitalized and 5,000 die after consuming contaminated foods and beverages. In the event of an outbreak of a foodborne illness, FDA is responsible for finding the source of the contamination and helping to remove the contaminated food products from the food supply chain. Recent outbreaks of foodborne illness involving peanut butter, peppers, and spinach have raised serious questions about FDA’s ability to protect the Nation’s food supply. The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 requires certain food facilities to register with FDA. The purpose of registration is to provide FDA with sufficient and reliable information about food facilities. This information enables FDA to quickly locate facilities during an outbreak of foodborne illness and to locate these facilities for inspection."

Census news release: "State governments took in nearly $1.7 trillion in total revenues in fiscal year 2008, a 15.8 percent decrease from 2007, according to new data on state government finances released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The largest share of those revenues came from taxes ($780.7 billion), which made up 46.5 percent. The decline was primarily because of a decrease in insurance trust revenue, which fell by $377.7 billion (72.7 percent). Insurance trust systems are comprised of public employee retirement systems, the unemployment compensation system, state government workers’ compensation programs and other state social insurance trusts. Total state government expenditures increased 6.2 percent from fiscal year 2007, totaling slightly more than $1.7 trillion in 2008. Education ($546.8 billion), public welfare ($412.1 billion) and highways ($107.2 billion) represented the top three outlays, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all state government total expenditures. The findings come from the 2008 Annual Survey of State Government Finances, which includes data on revenues, expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings for each state, as well as a national level summary."

News release: "As part of a commitment to increase transparency in government and maintain accountability of taxpayer dollars, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced an open government effort that will increase public access to data and information. Under this initiative, Treasury has compiled and will now make available new data on tax returns, more user friendly information on transactions under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), and a new report on bank trading and derivatives. Treasury's open government effort includes making publicly available the following sets of information and reports:

• New Data on Tax Returns. For the first time, Treasury has released Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Statistics of Migration Data. This data set shows migration patterns of tax filers moving across country and state lines. This free information will be of use to local officials, real estate developers, business planners, and researchers.
  
• New Format for TARP Transaction Report. Treasury's Office of Financial Stability releases a TARP Transaction Report for every new TARP transaction including investments made and funds repaid. In an effort to make the reports more user-friendly, they will now be available in XML format for easy sorting of data.
  
• Quarterly Report on Bank Trading and Derivatives. This report, made available by the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, provides information on the federal government's supervision of banks as well as the investment activities of financial institutions."

"The Federal Trade Commission [is hosting] a series of day-long public roundtable discussions to explore the privacy challenges posed by the vast array of 21st century technology and business practices that collect and use consumer data. Such practices include social networking, cloud computing, online behavioral advertising, mobile marketing, and the collection and use of information by retailers, data brokers, third-party applications, and other diverse businesses. The goal of the roundtables is to determine how best to protect consumer privacy while supporting beneficial uses of the information and technological innovation." Via EPIC, The second privacy roundtable will be held on Data Privacy Day - January 28, 2010 - at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

"The Congressional Directory is the official directory of the U.S. Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP). Published since 1888, the Congressional Directory presents short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, and additional data, such as committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, and room and telephone numbers. It also lists officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies, including D.C. government officials, governors of states and territories, foreign diplomats, and members of the press, radio, and television galleries."

• The Open Government Directive
• The Open Government Progress Report to the American People

  "The directive, sent to the head of every federal department and agency today, instructs the agencies to take specific actions to open their operations to the public. The three principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration are at the heart of this directive. Transparency promotes accountability. Participation allows members of the public to contribute ideas and expertise to government initiatives. Collaboration improves the effectiveness of government by encouraging partnerships and cooperation within the federal government, across levels of government, and between the government and private institutions." Peter Orszag is the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

News release: "The Foreign-Born Population of the United States: 2007 and 2008 — National-level tabulations from the Current Population Survey on this population group are shown by a wide range of characteristics including education, marital status, employment status, occupation and industry, earnings and poverty, and household type and tenure. Unique to this data set are tables that show the foreign-born population by these characteristics crossed by generation status (i.e., first, second or third). Internet address:
2007 <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/foreign/cps2007.html;
2008 <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/foreign/cps2008.html."

"The Unified Agenda (also known as the Semiannual Regulatory Agenda), published twice a year (usually in April and October) in the Federal Register (FR), summarizes the rules and proposed rules that each Federal agency expects to issue during the next year. It is published by the Office of the Federal Register National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

• Financial Management Systems: DHS Faces Challenges to Successfully Consolidating Its Existing Disparate Systems, GAO-10-76, December 04, 2009
• U.S. Labor Force Statistics: Illustrative Simulations of the Likely Effects of Underrepresenting Unauthorized Residents, GAO-10-99, November 30, 2009
• State Department: Diplomatic Security's Recent Growth Warrants Strategic Review, GAO-10-156, November 12, 2009
• Medicare: CMS Working to Address Problems from Round 1 of the Durable Medical Equipment Competitive Bidding Program, GAO-10-27, November 06, 2009
• Small Business Administration: Actions Needed to Improve the Usefulness of the Agency's Lender Risk Rating System, GAO-10-53, November 06, 2009
• Private Pensions: Additional Changes Could Improve Employee Benefit Plan Financial Reporting, GAO-10-54, November 05, 2009

Research RoundUp: Business Filings Databases Updated - Kathy Biehl's guide to online corporate and business filings available provides links to and descriptions of services available from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as selected commercial services. It is the most comprehensive, reliable web resource available on the topic.

"On June 3, 2009 Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested the Statement of Disbursements (SOD) be published online, as part of her continued commitment to increase governmental transparency and accountability. Since 1964 Congress has been required by law to publish the SOD, which is a quarterly public report of all receipts and expenditures for Members of Congress, Committees, Leadership, House Officers and Offices of the House of Representatives. The book is delivered in three volumes and is over 3000 pages. The Chief Administrative Officer of the House publishes the SOD within 60 days of the end of the quarter based upon the following schedule: January-March, April-June, July-September and October-December. The SOD also includes the individual budgets or Member Representational Allowances (MRAs) for Members of Congress and information on the Member's Mass Mailings. Prior to this new online publication, these expenses had been widely available to the public in three volume sets, printed quarterly, that are still distributed by the Government Printing Office to all Federal Depository Libraries across the United States. Previous editions are available on microfiche in the Legislative Resource Center under the auspice of the Office of the Clerk."

U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress, April 1, 2009-September 30, 2009

News release: "On December 31, 2008, a reported 20,606 state prisoners and 1,538 federal prisoners were HIV positive or had confirmed AIDS, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, announced [December 1, 2009]. At year end 2008, an estimated 5,672 inmates in state and federal prisons had confirmed AIDS, down from 5,762 in 2007. In 2007, about 43 per 10,000 prison inmates were estimated to have confirmed AIDS, compared to 17 per 10,000 persons in the general population."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched an online discussion forum designed to enhance communication between EPA and the public on contaminated sites, waste management, and recycling issues. The forum, which is a public comment board, is another important component in EPA’s ongoing efforts to increase transparency and public engagement."

DefenseLink.mil - Special Report - Afghanistan Buildup: This social media driven site includes prominent use of photo essays, podcasts, videos and news releases on the troops and from officials at DOD, State Department, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the White House/Commander in Chief. Focused, leveraging solid design format and straight forward identification of specific content, this site is a good model for an online vehicle to deliver a consistent, informative message through aggregation of multiple sources.

Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2008 — Dec 3, 2009. Annual inventory of anthropogenic (human-caused) greenhouse gases in the United States. U.S. Energy Information Administration Office of Integrated Analysis and Forecasting
U.S. Department of Energy.

• DOJ's Civil Rights Division: Opportunities Exist to Improve Its Case Management System and Better Meet Its Reporting Needs GAO-09-938R, September 30, 2009
• Federal Research: NASA Should Better Inform Researchers about How to Appeal Dissemination Decisions, GAO-10-200, December 3, 2009
• Hurricane Katrina: Federal Grants Have Helped Health Care Organizations Provide Primary Care, but Sustaining Services Will Be a Challenge, GAO-10-273T, December 3, 2009
• Status of Funds for the Merida Initiative, GAO-10-253R, December 3, 2009
• U.S. Department of Justice: Information on Employment Litigation, Housing and Civil Enforcement, Voting, and Special Litigation Sections' Enforcement Efforts from Fiscal Years 2001 through 2007. GAO-10-75, October 23, 2009
• U.S. Department of Justice: Opportunities Exist to Strengthen the Civil Rights Division's Ability to Manage and Report on Its Enforcement Efforts, GAO-10-256T, December 3, 2009

News release: "Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., reacted Wednesday to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found that large foreign ports have been unable to scan anywhere near 100 percent of freight passing through those ports, as Congress has required. GAO found that although Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been able to scan a majority of the cargo passing through low-volume ports, it has been able to scan no more than 5 percent of freight coming into large ports, necessitating an extension of the 2012 deadline for 100 percent scanning at major ports."

Promotional Spending for Prescription Drugs, December 2, 2009

News release: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today released the findings of its FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, breaking new ground in gaining understanding of which Americans remain outside the banking system. The survey, conducted on behalf of the FDIC by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, was a supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey during January 2009. The study, which is the most comprehensive survey to date of the unbanked and underbanked, reveals that more than one quarter (25.6 percent) of all households in the United States are unbanked or underbanked and that those households are disproportionately low-income and/or minority."

Full Report - Beige Book, December 2, 2009 - Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, and link to reports by Districts.

"FlyOnTime.us is a free resource for air travelers and anyone else interested in the on-time performance of the commercial air system in the United States. The flight and weather information presented on this website is derived from data provided by the United States federal government, while the security line times are submitted by visitors like you. This website has four goals:

1. Help American air travelers find the most on-time flights.
   
2. Help the American public understand the data from government sources by presenting it in interesting and attractive ways. For example, look at statistics for BWI airport, flights from PHL to ORD, Northwest Airlines, cancellations by airport, or airline percent on-time.
   
3. Tap the wisdom of crowds to collect data on airport security line delays.
   
4. Allow developers to access flight on-time data in a simple, programmatic way. See more at the developers page."

"The Federal Trade Commission will hold two days of workshops on December 1 and 2, 2009, to explore how the Internet has affected journalism. The workshop will assemble representatives from print, online, broadcast and cable news organizations, academics, consumer advocates, bloggers, and other new media representatives."

• Opening Remarks of Chairman Jon Leibowitz "Creative Destruction” or Just “Destruction”, How Will Journalism Survive the Internet Age?
  
• Federal Register Notice
  
• Agenda
  
• Panelist Bios
  
• Public Comments

Energy Information Administration - December 2009 Petroleum Marketing Monthly With Data for September 2009 - Dec 1, 2009: "Monthly price and volume statistics on crude oil and petroleum products at a national, regional and state level."

"The winners of the 2009 European eGovernment Awards were announced at the eGovernment Ministerial Conference in Malmö (Sweden). The awarded projects were selected for their innovative contribution to increasing the efficiency of public services through the use of digital technologies. In their respective categories the winners are: the European Order for Payment Application (Austria and Germany), Genvej (Denmark), the Italian Public Administration eMarketplace (Italy) and Licensing of Hunters via the “Multibanco” ATM Network (Portugal)."

• Elderly Voters: Information on Promising Practices Could Strengthen the Integrity of the Voting Process in Long-term Care Facilities, GAO-10-6, November 30, 2009
• Energy-Water Nexus: Many Uncertainties Remain about National and Regional Effects of Increased Biofuel Production on Water Resources, GAO-10-116, November 30, 2009
• Surface Transportation: Efforts to Address Highway Congestion through Real-Time Traffic Information Systems Are Expanding but Face Implementation Challenges, GAO-10-121R, November 30, 2009
• Household Goods Moving Industry: Progress Has Been Made in Enforcement, but Increased Focus on Consumer Protection Is Needed, GAO-10-38, October 30, 2009
• Information Technology: U.S. Postal Service Needs to Strengthen System Acquisition and Management Capabilities to Improve Its Intelligent Mail Full Service Program, GAO-10-145, October 29, 2009
• Federal Aviation Administration: Human Capital System Incorporates Many Leading Practices, but Improving Employees' Satisfaction with Their Workplace Remains a Challenge, GAO-10-89, October 28, 2009

News release: "The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of an updated version of its popular Employment Law Guide [September 2009], an online publication that describes the major employment laws administered by the department. The Guide helps the public — workers and employers — understand many of the laws affecting the workplace. For instance, it helps small businesses develop wage, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies. It also benefits employees and employee representatives who need information about worker rights and responsibilities under federal employment laws."

News release: "Verizon Wireless has agreed to pay a $468,600 civil penalty to settle self-disclosed violations of federal environmental regulations discovered at 655 facilities in 42 states. Verizon voluntarily entered into a corporate audit agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and conducted environmental compliance audits at more than 25,000 facilities nation-wide. The Environmental Appeals Board at EPA has approved an administrative settlement resolving violations Verizon found through its compliance audits. Verizon audited facilities that include cell towers, mobile switch centers, call centers, and administrative offices. As a result of its audit, the company reported violations of clean water, clean air, and emergency planning and preparedness regulations to EPA. Verizon promptly corrected the violations found during its audit, which included preparing and implementing spill prevention, control, and countermeasure plans, applying for appropriate air permits, and submitting reports to state and local emergency planning and response organizations informing them of the presence of hazardous substances."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released a user-friendly document to help risk assessors understand how children are exposed to pollution. The document, titled Highlights of the Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook, serves as a quick-reference guide to the more comprehensive Child-Specific Exposure Factors Handbook, published by EPA in 2008. It will serve as an additional resource for those who work on children’s health issues, which the agency has been highlighting during Children’s Health Month."

"President Obama is calling on all of us to come together to solve hunger in our communities. In this spirit, the Corporation for National and Community Service is launching the United We Serve: Feed a Neighbor initiative in collaboration with the White House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The purpose of the initiative is to raise public awareness of hunger issues and ask Americans to help ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritional food this winter and throughout the year. By focusing the national spotlight on hunger this holiday season, the Corporation and USDA continue their year-round commitment to support anti-hunger programs in communities across the country."

News release: "Building upon last month’s historic release of nearly 500 White House visitor records, today the White House releases more than 1,600 records of visits to the White House in response to another month’s worth of requests. You can view all the records in a searchable database in our Disclosures section. We announced earlier that in December the White House would -- for the first time in history -- begin posting all White House visitor records under the terms of our new voluntary disclosure policy. As part of that initiative, we also offered to look back at the records created before the announcement of the policy and answer specific requests for visitor records created earlier in the year."

"The Federal Reserve wants consumers to use their credit cards wisely as they shop for the holidays, and is sponsoring 45-second advertisements in movie theaters with tips to help shoppers avoid unnecessary charges and fees. The advertisements will appear before movie previews at 12 highly attended theaters in major metropolitan areas from November 27 through December 3. The ads provide tips for getting the most from credit cards, including paying on time, staying below the card's credit limit, avoiding unnecessary fees, paying more than the minimum payment, and watching for changes in account terms. Additional information and resources can be found here."

"In a specially commissioned study, The Audit here takes a look at online resources tracking the bailout and stimulus money, from government web sites to independently run operations," by Jaimie Dougherty.

"The 2009-2010 edition of the United States Government Manual is now available on GPO Access. As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1)."

"The GSA Office of Citizen Services has also launched Go.USA.gov, a beta URL shortening service for government websites. This product will allow government websites to maintain their brand and authenticity when using shortened URLs for social media purposes. So far, Go.USA.gov has shortened 480 URLs that have been clicked 60569 times. Government employees need to register for an account to get started."

News release: "Citizen satisfaction with federal government websites surged to a new all-time high in the third quarter of 2009, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index released from ForeSee Results and ACSI. The Index reached 75.2 on the ACSI’s 100-point scale, an increase of 2.2% since the second quarter and 1.8% higher than one year ago. The previous high was reached in the fourth quarter of 2008. The study finds there is a strong relationship between the length of time federal websites have measured satisfaction and their ability to make significant improvements. Analysis shows the longer a federal website has been measuring satisfaction, the bigger the improvements, over both the long term and short term."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a final rule to help reduce water pollution from construction sites. The agency believes this rule, which takes effect in February 2010 and will be phased in over four years, will significantly improve the quality of water nationwide. Construction activities like clearing, excavating and grading significantly disturb soil and sediment. If that soil is not managed properly it can easily be washed off of the construction site during storms and pollute nearby water bodies."

News release: "Statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that 7,783 criminal incidents involving 9,168 offenses were reported in 2008 as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or disability. Published by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Hate Crime Statistics, 2008, includes data about hate crime incidents submitted by law enforcement agencies throughout the nation."

News release: "For the fifth consecutive year, EPA is reporting an increase in fuel efficiency with a corresponding decrease in average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for new cars and light duty trucks. This marks the first time that data for CO2 emissions are included in the annual report, Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 through 2009."

News release: "Eight federal regulatory agencies today released a final model privacy notice form that will make it easier for consumers to understand how financial institutions collect and share information about consumers. Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB Act), institutions must notify consumers of their information-sharing practices and inform consumers of their right to opt out of certain sharing practices. The model form issued today can be used by financial institutions to comply with these requirements. The Financial Services Regulatory Relief Act of 2006 amended the GLB Act to require the agencies to propose a succinct and comprehensible model form that allows consumers to easily compare the privacy practices of different financial institutions, and has an easy-to-read font...The final rule provides that a financial institution that chooses to use the model form obtains a "safe harbor" and will satisfy the disclosure requirements for notices. The rule also removes, after a transition period, the sample clauses now included in the appendices of the agencies’ privacy rules. The final model privacy form was developed jointly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Trade Commission, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Thrift Supervision, and Securities and Exchange Commission."

• H.R. 3962, Affordable Health Care for America Act, November 20, 2009. Revised cost estimate for the bill as passed by the House of Representatives
• Information on Medicare's Payments to Physicians and the Budgetary Effects of H.R. 3961, the Medicare Physicians Payment Reform Act of 2009, November 19, 2009. Letter to the Honorable Paul Ryan
• Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, November 18, 2009 Cost estimate for the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 3590, as proposed in the Senate on November 18, 2009
• Long-Term Implications of the Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Submission, November 18, 2009. Testimony before the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives.

News release: "Capgemini released the 8th Benchmark Measurement of European eGovernment services. This Benchmark, prepared since 2001 for the European Commission’s (EC) Directorate General for Information Society and Media on the progress of eGovernment across the EU overall, shows Europe’s steady progress in terms of online availability – the EU27+ measure has risen to 71 percent in 2009, up from 59 percent in the last 2007 Benchmark. In addition, sophistication of services has also increased to 83 percent from 76 percent in 2007. The Benchmark, which covers more than 14,000 Government websites of 31 European countries, shows the leading six nations in terms of full online availability are: Austria, Malta, Portugal, the UK, Sweden and Slovenia. However, despite continued improvement in the availability and sophistication of eGovernment services, the report illustrates a significant gap between the availability and take-up of services, particularly for citizen services."

Critical Infrastructure Protection - The nation's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) include systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating impact on national security, national economic vitality, or public health and safety. Ensuring CIKR resiliency and protection is essential to our security and way of life. The Department's Office of Infrastructure Protection leads the coordinated national effort to build resiliency and reduce and mitigate risk across the 18 CIKR Sectors, which include such key areas as food and water, energy, communications and transportation systems, and emergency services. Since the vast majority of the nation's critical infrastructure is privately owned and operated, strong partnerships between government and private industry are essential to achieve these shared goals."

The Financial Crisis and U.S. Cross-Border Financial Flows, Carol C. Bertaut and Laurie Pounder, Federal Reserve Board Division of International Finance

News release: "The U.S. Census Bureau today released 2008 income and poverty estimates for every school district and county in the nation. These data, part of the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) program, currently represent the only source of Census Bureau income and poverty data for each of the nation’s 3,142 counties and almost 14,000 Title I-eligible school districts. SAIPE is the only source of single-year income and poverty data for approximately 1,300 counties and 76 percent of school districts. Data for these areas with population size of less than 20,000 are not expected to be available from the American Community Survey (ACS) until late 2010."

• SAIPE release highlights
  
• Data tables
  
• Fact sheet

"The American Civil Liberties Union today released a new report, Enforcing Privacy: Building American Institutions to Protect Privacy in the Face of New Technology and Government Powers, November 2009, written by Jay Stanley, recommending steps Congress should take to create the vigorous privacy oversight institutions that are desperately needed in the United States to counterbalance the rush of new technologies and expanding government powers, and called for the Obama administration to move quickly to fill the seats on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB)."

100 Milestone Documents - "The following is a list of 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965."

2009 New York State Homeland Security Strategy: "This Strategy provides a comprehensive framework to guide, organize and unify homeland security efforts in New York State, including strategic planning and the investment of federal homeland security grants and other applicable local, State or federal funding sources. This Strategy is intended to serve as a roadmap for the future and a focal point for implementing not only State homeland security policy and priorities, but also National homeland security policy at the State and local level."

31 CFR Part 103. RIN 1506-AB04 Notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comments, November 13, 2009

Directory of DoD Social Media Links: "The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the United States Department of Defense of the linked web sites, or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities as military exchanges and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) sites, the United States Department of Defense does not exersise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. All links are provided consistent with the mission of Defense.gov." [via Wired Danger Room]

• 2010 Census: Census Bureau Has Made Progress on Schedule and Operational Control Tools, but Needs to Prioritize Remaining System Requirements, GAO-10-59, November 13, 2009
• Defense Infrastructure: Guam Needs Timely Information from DOD to Meet Challenges in Planning and Financing Off-Base Projects and Programs to Support a Larger Military Presence, GAO-10-90R, November 13, 2009
• Military and Veterans' Benefits: Analysis of VA Compensation Levels for Survivors of Veterans and Servicemembers, GAO-10-62, November 13, 2009
• Military Base Realignments and Closures: Estimated Costs Have Increased While Savings Estimates Have Decreased Since Fiscal Year 2009, GAO-10-98R, November 13, 2009
• U.S. Government Accountability Office: Performance and Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2009, GAO-10-234SP, November 13, 2009
• U.S. Marshals: Qualifications and Comparison of Demographic Characteristics to Their Counterparts in Selected Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, GAO-10-15R, November 13, 2009
• Information Security: Actions Needed to Manage, Protect, and Sustain Improvements to Los Alamos National Laboratory's Classified Computer Network, GAO-10-28, October 14, 2009

News release: "Despite progress in some areas, smoking rates among U.S. adults remained stalled in 2008, halting the nation’s progress in ending the tobacco epidemic, according to a CDC study. The study, released in advance of the annual Great American Smokeout, found that 46 million Americans (20.6 percent) were current cigarette smokers in 2008, which is virtually unchanged since 2004 when 20.9 percent of adults reported being smokers. The study’s findings indicate an alarming trend, because smoking is the leading preventable cause of death, killing more than 443,000 people every year and costing the nation $96 billion in health care costs annually. This new data, based on the 2008 National Health Interview Survey, shows little to no change over the past five years and hints that smoking rates may be moving in the wrong direction."

• Defense Acquisitions: Strategic Airlift Gap Has Been Addressed, but Tactical Airlift Plans Are Evolving as Key Issues Have Not Been Resolved, GAO-10-67, November 12, 2009
• International Monetary Fund: Lending Programs Allow for Negotiations and Are Consistent with Economic Literature, GAO-10-44, November 12, 2009

"This year, it's especially important to have clear information on what you can do to prepare for the flu season. With this in mind, we are happy to share a new feature for the U.S. which allows you to more easily find locations near you for getting both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine. After expanding Google Flu Trends to a total of 20 countries and 38 languages, allowing more people to see near real-time estimates of flu activity, we began brainstorming with the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS), their flu.gov collaborators and the American Lung Association on the flu shot finder and other ways Google can be helpful to people this flu season. You can check out the flu shot finder at www.google.com/flushot. The same tool will also be available shortly on www.flu.gov and the American Lung Association websites. It's important to note that this project is just beginning and we have not yet received information about flu shot clinics for many locations. In addition, many locations that are shown are currently out of stock. We launched this service now in order to help disseminate information about locations where vaccines are available, and also to make more vaccine providers aware of the project so that they can contribute."

Preventing and Treating Diabetes: Health Insurance Reform and Diabetes in America

USDA news release: "Preparing Thanksgiving dinner can be a wonderful experience, yet daunting for those planning it. The goal is to have a safe and delicious turkey dinner [or meat-free meal], and if planned one day at a time, it can be a fun and memorable experience. A good way to start is one week before the big day – on Thursday, November 19 at 3 p.m. ET – join the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in a live Facebook chat featuring a holiday food safety expert from its Food Safety and Inspection Service. Members of the public can submit questions about safe preparation of the holiday meal—turkey, stuffing and other holiday favorites--and get live answers right on the USDA Facebook page. For more information about the chat or to submit questions in advance, visit the USDA Live page at http://www.usda.gov/live and become a fan of USDA on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/usda."

"The Food and Drug Administration announced the publication of the 2009 FDA Food Code, a model code and reference document that provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the food industry. The 2009 FDA Food Code is a key component of the President’s overall public-health-focused food safety framework for maintaining a safe food supply. State, city, county, tribal, and territorial agencies regulate more than 1 million restaurants, retail food stores, and vending and food service operations in institutions such as schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and child care centers. The model FDA Food Code provides the basis for most of those agencies’ licensing, inspection, and enforcement activities, as well as serves as a model for their food statutes, regulations, and ordinances. Release of the FDA Food Code provides all levels of government with practical, science-based guidance and manageable, enforceable provisions for mitigating known risks of foodborne illness. The FDA Food Code also serves as a reference document for the retail food industry."

Aging and Health: The Challenges of Entitlement Growth, November 2009 - CBO Director Doug Elmendorf's presentation to the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

Follow up to previous postings on airport whole body imaging technology, "EPIC filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security's failure to make public details about the agency's Whole Body Imaging program. The devices capture detailed naked images of air travelers in the United States. After the agency announced that the body scanners would become the primary screening device in US airports, EPIC demanded that the agency disclose records that describe the scanners' capacity to save and transmit images. In June, EPIC sent a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano urging her to suspend the digital strip searches."

"In accordance with the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-140) (“EISA”), the Commission has considered the effectiveness of current requirements and alternative approaches for labeling lamps, commonly referred to as light bulbs. After reviewing public comments and conducting consumer research, the Commission now proposes amendments to the Appliance Labeling Rule (16 CFR Part 305) that would require light bulb packages to display brightness and energy cost information on the front panel and a detailed “Lighting Facts” label on the side or rear. The proposed amendments also would require certain disclosures on the bulbs. These new labeling requirements should help consumers choose energy efficient bulbs that meet their lighting needs. The Commission seeks comments on these proposed changes."

"CDT released a whitepaper highlighting policy issues related to responsible user-centric identification systems. The paper comes as the U.S. Government begins launching a series of pilot programs that will use third party user credentials to authenticate users to federal Web sites and discusses possible challenges to be considered as these activities are expanded in order to provide a better user experience."

News release: "In October, the unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent, the highest since April 1983, and nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline (-190,000). The largest job losses over the month were in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade."

"The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) hosted an event exploring challenges to privacy in a growing digital age. The event featured a keynote address by Christopher N. Olsen, the Assistant Director in the Division of Privacy and Identity Protection at the Federal Trade Commission, which was followed by a diverse panel of experts who discussed the myriad issues surrounding the availability of information in cyberspace, including privacy concerns such as potential government dissemination of financial and health
records."

• Afghanistan's Security Environment, GAO-10-178R, November 5, 2009
• Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Fiscal Year 2009 Airport and Airway Trust Fund Excise Taxes, GAO-10-92R, November 5, 2009
• Applying Agreed-Upon Procedures: Fiscal Year 2009 Highway Trust Fund Excise Taxes, GAO-10-93R, November 5, 2009
• Defense Infrastructure: The Army Needs to Establish Priorities, Goals, and Performance Measures for Its Arsenal Support Program Initiative, GAO-10-167R, November 5, 2009
• Defense Logistics: Department of Defense's Annual Report on the Status of Prepositioned Materiel and Equipment Can Be Further Enhanced to Better Inform Congress, GAO-10-172R, November 4, 2009
• National Archives: Progress and Risks in Implementing its Electronic Records Archive Initiative, GAO-10-222T, November 5, 2009
• U.S. Postal Service: Financial Challenges Continue, with Relatively Limited Results from Recent Revenue-Generation Efforts GAO-10-191T, November 5, 2009

CBO - The National Flood Insurance Program: Factors Affecting Actuarial Soundness, November 2009

Follow up to previous postings on e-voting, via Wired: "On Tuesday voters in Takoma Park, Maryland, got to try out a new, transparent voting system that lets voters go online to verify that their ballots got counted in the final tally. The system also lets anyone independently audit election results to verify the votes went to the correct candidates. The open source, optical-scan system, called Scantegrity, was developed by cryptographer David Chaum, with researchers from MIT, the University of Maryland in Baltimore, George Washington University, the University of Ottawa and the University of Waterloo...Although the system is highly technical, the experience for voters is the same as with any other optical-scan system. Voters make their selections on a paper ballot using special pens with ink designed by Chaum. When a voter fills in an oval on the ballot, the ink in the pen, which is similar to the yellow ink in highlighter pens, reacts with invisible ink in the oval and turns most of the oval black. At the same time, a unique three-letter code pre-printed on the ballot inside each oval is revealed to the voter."

The Government Domain: A Handful of Classics - Peggy Garvin has updated her directory of useful government information resources online, the e-Government and Web Directory: U.S. Federal Government Online. Her research has found that federal web sites do not change as rapidly as users believe. The content on these sites is dynamic, constantly being refreshed and redesigned. However, the sites themselves, the ones that represent so much of the work of the federal government and are selected for inclusion in the book, are fairly stable.

News release: "We previously announced that the White House in December of this year would -- for the first time in history -- begin posting all White House visitor records under the terms of our new voluntary disclosure policy. As part of that initiative, we also offered to look back at the records created before the announcement of the policy and answer specific requests for visitor records created earlier in the year. So far we’ve processed 110 disclosure requests from September that yielded nearly 500 visitor records. All of these are now available on the White House website in accessible, searchable format for anyone to browse or download. Consistent with our earlier announcement that we will only release records 90 days or older, this first batch covers the period of time between January 20, 2009 to July 31, 2009. Future batches will be posted on an ongoing basis."

Today, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released a new report, Lower Premiums, Stronger Businesses: How Health Insurance Reform Will Bring Down Costs for Small Businesses. "The report looks at the current status quo and outlines how reform will help solve this problem and bring costs down for small businesses."

Estimates of the Prevalence of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, United States, April–July 2009: "Through July 2009, a total of 43,677 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 were reported in the United States, which is likely a substantial underestimate of the true number. Correcting for under-ascertainment using a multiplier model, we estimate that 1.8 million–5.7 million cases occurred, including 9,000–21,000 hospitalizations."

"States and local governments should increase citizens' access to raw, machine-readable data through sites similar to the federal government's Data.gov. Data democratization will lead to greater citizen engagement and government accountability, according to the National Association of State CIOs' latest brief on transparency. In A Call to Action for State Government: Guidance for Opening the Doors to State Data, state and local CIOs are advised to populate these portals with data that is already currently available, and develop agreements with the data owners and custodians to supply ongoing data to the portal." [Dotgov Buzz]

Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies, v1.0 Issued By: ISIMC [Information Security and Identity Management Committee] - Effective Date: 09.17.2009

News release: "Today U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, held a hearing on strengthening the 401(k) system, with a particular focus on the proliferation, composition, and regulation of target date funds. Target date funds, sometimes called lifecycle funds, are a type of mutual fund that automatically rebalances to a more conservative asset allocation as the participant approaches their target retirement date. Witnesses at today’s hearing explored issues considered detrimental to the effectiveness of target date funds, including lack of disclosure to plan participants and sponsors, excessive hidden fees, conflicts of interest and lack of fiduciary responsibility on behalf of plan managers, and the need for additional enforcement and oversight efforts by the related agencies. The Committee released a report, Target Date Retirement Funds: Lack of Clarity Among Structures and Fees Raises Concerns, highlighting these concerns, many of which were unearthed during its ongoing investigation into the funds."

• 401(K) Plans: Several Factors Can Diminish Retirement Savings, but Automatic Enrollment Shows Promise for Increasing Participation and Savings, GAO-10-153T, October 28, 2009
• Higher Education and Disability: Education Needs a Coordinated Approach to Improve Its Assistance to Schools in Supporting Students, GAO-10-33, October 28, 2009
• Human Capital: Monitoring of Safeguards and Addressing Employee Perceptions Are Key to Implementing a Civilian Performance Management System in DOD, GAO-10-102, October 28, 2009
• Next Generation Air Transportation System: FAA Faces Challenges in Responding to Task Force Recommendations, GAO-10-188T, October 28, 2009
• Critical Infrastructure Protection: Current Cyber Sector-Specific Planning Approach Needs Reassessment, GAO-09-969, September 24, 2009

News release: "The FTC has proposed new labeling requirements for “lamps,” commonly known as light bulbs, in response to a congressional mandate. The marketplace has been changing quickly with the emergence of newer, more energy-efficient technologies – such as compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and light-emitting diode (LED) products – as traditional incandescent bulbs are phased out. The proposed labels provide consumers with clear, easily understandable information to help them choose among different bulb types. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking announced today seeks comment on new labels that emphasize lumens, not watts, as the measure of bulb brightness. This information, along with estimated energy cost information, would appear on the front of the light bulb package. The back of the package would display a “Lighting Facts” label modeled after the “Nutrition Facts” label for food packages. The Lighting Facts label would provide information about brightness, energy cost, the bulb’s expected life, color temperature (for example, whether the bulb provides “warm” or “cool” light), as well as wattage. The label also would require disclosures for bulbs containing mercury. The bulb’s output in lumens – and a mercury disclosure for bulbs that contain mercury – would also have to be placed on the bulb itself."

• Federal Electronics Management: Federal Agencies Could Improve Participation in EPA's Initiatives for Environmentally Preferable Electronic Products, GAO-10-196T, October 27, 2009
• Legal Services Corporation: Some Progress Made in Addressing Governance and Accountability Weaknesses, But Challenges Remain, GAO-10-194T, October 27, 2009
• Military Training: DOD's Report on the Sustainability of Training Ranges Addresses Most of the Congressional Reporting Requirements and Continues to Improve with Each Annual Update, GAO-10-103R, October 27, 2009
• Recovery Act: Preliminary Observations on the Implementation of Broadband Programs, GAO-10-192T, October 27, 2009
• Voters with Disabilities: Additional Monitoring of Polling Places Could Further Improve Accessibility, GAO-09-941, September 30, 2009

How Many Energy Vampires are in your House? — Oct 26, 2009: "Energy vampires are things in your house that consume electricity all of the time, even when they are turned off or not being used. TVs, VCRs, DVD players, computers/printers, stereos, microwaves, coffee machines, washers/dryers, rechargeable power tools, and many others are the everyday secret users of vampire energy. You think you have turned them off, but they are still running."

Pharmaceutical R&D and the Evolving Market for Drugs - October 26, 2009

"Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and its academic research partners have released a report entitled Online Town Hall Meetings: Exploring Democracy in the 21st Century. The report summarizes findings and recommendations from conducting online town hall meetings between Members of Congress and their constituents."

• Combating Illicit Financing: Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Could Manage More Effectively to Achieve Its Mission, GAO-09-794, September 24, 2009
• Higher Education: Issues Related to Law School Cost and Access, GAO-10-20, October 26, 2009
• Influenza Pandemic: Key Securities Market Participants Are Making Progress, but Agencies Could Do More to Address Potential Internet Congestion and Encourage Readiness, GAO-10-8, October 26, 2009
• Medicare: Per Capita Method Can Be Used to Profile Physicians and Provide Feedback on Resource Use, GAO-09-802, September 25, 2009
• New Drug Approval: FDA Needs to Enhance Its Oversight of Drugs Approved on the Basis of Surrogate Endpoints, GAO-09-866, September 23, 2009
• Retirement Savings: Automatic Enrollment Shows Promise for Some Workers, but Proposals to Broaden Retirement Savings for Other Workers Could Face Challenges, GAO-10-31, October 23, 2009

News release: "Today, Congressman John F. Tierney (D-MA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, issued the following statement about a newly-released Government Accountability Office (GAO) report he requested as part of his sustained oversight of U.S. defense procurement waste: The GAO report identifies an area of weapon systems procurement that still goes unchecked—analysis of alternatives (AOA). The AOA process is designed to ensure that the Department of Defense and military services consider the range of options before committing to a specific defense weapons system. The GAO identifies numerous cases in which the Department of Defense made little or no effort to conduct such analyses at the start of these procurements. As such, the Department of Defense initiated procurement of these systems without confidence that the right solution was being pursued given all options available. In each case, the programs launched without a credible AOA process were delayed, over-budget, or both."

Subsidizing Infrastructure Investment with Tax-Preferred Bonds, October 2009

100th Bank Failure Fact Sheet

• "The FDIC insures approximately 8,200 financial institutions.
  
• Since the beginning of 2008, the FDIC has protected more than $322.9 billion in deposits at 124 failed banks. Assets of those banks totaled more than $478.9 billion. As of September 30, the FDIC had $38.3 billion of assets in inventory from failed banks.
  
• Since the FDIC was created in 1933, the most failures occurred in 1989 when 534 banks and savings and loans were closed (out of 16,574 FDIC or FSLIC insured institutions at the beginning of the year), or on average more than 10 per week.
  
• The last time more than 100 FDIC-insured institutions were closed was in 1992, when 181 failed. The first time more than 100 FDIC-insured institutions failed in a year was 1982, when 119 were closed...."
  
• Related postings on financial system
Permanent Link

"The agency's new 2010census.gov website went up this week and, when it is officially launched Monday will give people a chance to do the questioning. The heavily interactive site, part of the government's $326 million marketing push to promote the 2010 Census, is more whimsical than most government online portals. It's colorful. It has sound, videos, blogs and even a trivia quiz."

"EPIC joined the Privacy Coalition letter sent to the House Committee on Homeland Security urging them to investigate the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Chief Privacy Office. DHS is unrivaled in its authority to develop and deploy new systems of surveillance. The letter cited DHS use of Fusion Center, Whole Body Imaging, funding of CCTV Surveillance, and Suspicionless Electronic Border Searches as examples of where the agency is eroding privacy protections."

• Defense Critical Infrastructure: Actions Needed to Improve the Identification and Management of Electrical Power Risks and Vulnerabilities to DOD Critical Assets, GAO-10-147, October 23, 2009
• Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help Officials Make More Informed Decisions, GAO-10-175T, October 22, 2009
• First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit: Taxpayers' Use of the Credit and Implementation and Compliance Challenges, GAO-10-166T, October 22, 2009
• Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help Government Officials Make More Informed Decisions, GAO-10-113, October 07, 2009
• Oversight of Clinical Investigators: Action Needed to Improve Timeliness and Enhance Scope of FDA's Debarment and Disqualification Processes for Medical Product Investigators, GAO-09-807, September 25, 2009

News release: "The Advanced Communications Law & Policy Institute (ACLP) at New York Law School has released a report identifying major barriers to broadband adoption among senior citizens and people with disabilities, and across the telemedicine, energy, education, and government sectors. This report was prepared in coordination with staff of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative (OBI) for use in the development of the FCC's National Broadband Plan."

News release: "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today released a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) asking how children can be served and protected and parents can be further empowered in the new digital media landscape. The NOI comes almost 20 years after enactment of the Children’s Television Act and follows the Commission’s recently issued Child Safe Viewing Act Report, which examined parental control technologies for video and audio programming. Children live in a dramatically different media environment from the one their parents and grandparents grew up in decades ago. From television to mobile devices to the Internet, electronic media today offer an array of opportunities to, among other things, access educational content, communicate with family and peers, and acquire the skills and technological literacy necessary to compete in a global economy. However, digital media can also pose risks of harm to children, including exposing them exploitative advertising, inappropriate content, and cyberbullying, as well as potentially contributing to childhood obesity and other negative health impacts. The NOI asks to what extent children are using electronic media today, the benefits and risks this presents, and the ways in which parents, teachers, and children can help reap the benefits while minimizing the risks of using these technologies."

News release: "In the next chapter of a longstanding effort to preserve the free and open Internet, the Federal Communications Commission is seeking public input on draft rules that would codify and supplement existing Internet openness principles. In addition to providing greater predictability for all stakeholders, the Notice is aimed at securing the many economic and social benefits that an open Internet has historically provided. It seeks to do so in a manner that will promote and protect the legitimate needs of consumers, broadband Internet access service providers, entrepreneurs, investors, and businesses of all sizes that make use of the Internet."

"The new Flu Myths and Facts section on flu.gov debunks some of the myths about the H1N1 virus and vaccine, and provides accurate information on vaccinations, the flu, and public health. Flu.gov also has a flu shot locator for finding H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine providers near you."

Audit Report, The Department's Management of the ENERGY STAR Program, DOE/IG-0827, October 2009 [Dan Mitchel]

Evaluation Report, The Department's Unclassified, Cyber Security Program - 2009. DOE/IG-0828 October 2009

2010 Fuel Economy Guide: "This Guide provides annual fuel cost estimates for each vehicle. The estimates are based on the assumptions that you travel 15,000 miles per year (55% under city driving conditions and 45% under highway conditions) and that fuel costs $2.60/gallon for regular unleaded gasoline and $2.80/gallon for premium. Cost-per-gallon assumptions for vehicles that use other fuel types are discussed at the beginning of those vehicle sections. The fuel costs were determined in advance to allow time for printing fuel economy labels and the Guide and may not reflect current fuel prices."

• 2010 Census: Efforts to Build an Accurate Address List Are Making Progress, but Face Software and Other Challenges, GAO-10-140T, October 21, 2009
• U.S. Department of Agriculture: Internal Control Would Improve Accountability for Certain Centrally Provided (Greenbook) Programs, GAO-10-82, October 20, 2009
• Credit Cards: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Could Better Reflect the Evolving Debt Collection Marketplace and Use of Technology, GAO-09-748, September 21, 2009

Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, October 21, 2009 - Full Report and Districts

News release: "Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today took steps to help the country develop technologies that could potentially unlock the nation’s oil shale reserves while protecting taxpayers, water resources, the environment, and local communities. Pledging to reform the nation’s oil shale program, Salazar announced that the Department of the Interior is offering additional opportunities for energy companies to conduct oil shale research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects on public lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. In addition, Salazar has asked the Department’s Inspector General to investigate a set of lease addenda that the previous administration entered into with the holders of six existing RD&D leases on January 15, 2009."

News release: "U.S. scheduled passenger airlines employed 5.5 percent fewer workers in August 2009 than in August 2008, the 14th consecutive decrease in full-time equivalent employee (FTE) levels for the scheduled passenger carriers from the same month of the previous year, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported today. FTE calculations count two part-time employees as one full-time employee."

Medicare Part D Plan Sponsor Electronic Prescribing Initiatives (OEI-05-08-00322), Otober 16, 2009

Juvenile Justice: Technical Assistance and Better Defined Evaluation Plans Will Help Girls' Delinquency Programs. GAO-10-133T, October 20, 2009: "...from 1995 through 2005, delinquency caseloads for girls in juvenile justice courts nationwide increased 15 percent while boys’ caseloads decreased by 12 percent.1 More recently, in 2007, 29 percent of juvenile arrests—about 641,000 arrests—involved girls, who accounted for 17 percent of juvenile violent crime arrests and 35 percent of juvenile property crime arrests.2 Further, research on girls has highlighted that delinquent girls have higher rates of mental health problems than delinquent boys, receive fewer special services, and are more likely to abandon treatment programs."

Energy Information Administration: Arctic Oil and Natural Gas Potential (10/19/2009): "This paper examines the discovered and undiscovered Arctic oil and natural gas resource base with respect to their location and concentration. The paper also discusses the cost and impediments to developing Arctic oil and natural gas resources, including those issues associated with environmental habitats and political boundaries."

News release: "National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, October 18-24, is set aside to educate parents and children about the dangers of lead exposure, especially lead-based paint hazards in housing. Lead poisoning is the number one environmental hazard threatening children in the United States -- affecting more than 300,000 children who are less than six years old. Lead exposure can harm young children and babies even before they are born, and children who appear healthy can also have high levels of lead in their bodies. The behaviors and rapid growth of children less than six years old make them more likely to be harmed by lead."

"NIEM, the National Information Exchange Model, is a partnership of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. It is designed to develop, disseminate and support enterprise-wide information exchange standards and processes that can enable jurisdictions to effectively share critical information in emergency situations, as well as support the day-to-day operations of agencies throughout the nation. NIEM enables information sharing, focusing on information exchanged among organizations as part of their current or intended business practices. The NIEM exchange development methodology results in a common semantic understanding among participating organizations and data formatted in a semantically consistent manner. NIEM will standardize content (actual data exchange standards), provide tools, and managed processes."

News release: "Attorney General Eric Holder today announced formal guidelines for federal prosecutors in states that have enacted laws authorizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. The guidelines make clear that the focus of federal resources should not be on individuals whose actions are in compliance with existing state laws, while underscoring that the Department will continue to prosecute people whose claims of compliance with state and local law conceal operations inconsistent with the terms, conditions, or purposes of those laws."

Sudan Strategy: "In the past, the United States' approach to Sudan has been reactive rather than proactive and narrowly focused on emerging crises. The new strategy focuses on reinvigorating the international support that is critical to building peace and security in Sudan. The strategy is the first comprehensive U.S. policy on Sudan that recognizes the links between the Darfur and implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Full Text | Statement by President Obama | Sudan: A Critical Moment, A Comprehensive Approach | Senior Administration Officials on Sudan."

"Vice President Biden today unveiled Recovery Through Retrofit, a report that builds on the foundation laid in the Recovery Act to expand green job opportunities and boost energy savings by making homes more energy efficient...At a Middle Class Task Force meeting earlier this year, the Vice President asked the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to develop a proposal for Federal action to lay the groundwork for a self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry. In response, CEQ facilitated a broad interagency process with the Office of the Vice President, eleven Departments and Agencies and six White House Offices to develop recommendations for how to use existing authority and funding to accomplish this goal. These recommendations are described in detail in the Recovery Through Retrofit Report."

Alternative Income and Poverty Estimates: 2008 — "The Census Bureau released alternative income and poverty estimates covering calendar year 2008. The data were collected from the 2009 Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC). The first set of alternative measures include poverty estimates only and are based on recommendations from a 1995 National Academy of Sciences panel on measuring poverty. These estimates use a broadened definition of income and a set of poverty thresholds that are conceptually consistent with this income measure. The second set of alternative measures includes both income and poverty estimates and shows the impact of cash and noncash benefits and taxes on the distribution of income and prevalence of poverty. The poverty estimates in this series are based on the official poverty thresholds. Both of these alternative measures are similar to estimates released in January 2009 covering calendar year 2007 from the 2008 CPS ASEC."

News release: "As part of its comprehensive plan to stabilize the U.S. housing market, the Obama Administration today announced a new initiative for state and local housing finance agencies (HFAs) that will help support low mortgage rates and expand resources for low and middle income borrowers to purchase or rent homes that are affordable over the long term. Following up on the intent to support HFAs first outlined in February under the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan, the Administration's initiative has two parts: a new bond purchase program to support new lending by HFAs and a temporary credit and liquidity program to improve the access of HFAs to liquidity for outstanding HFA bonds."

"As the official handbook of the Federal Government, the United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations in which the United States participates, and boards, commissions, and committees. The Manual begins with reprints of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution."

HUD Inspector General report - Controls over FHA single-family lender approval process need improvement, issued September 30, 2009

Electric Power Monthly (10/15/2009): "Net generation in the United States dropped by 7.6 percent from July 2008 to July 2009. This was the 12th consecutive month that net generation was down compared to the same calendar month in the prior year. The Commerce Department reported that real gross domestic product decreased 0.7 percent from the first quarter of 2009 to the second quarter of 2009. Continuing to reflect this decline, industrial production in July 2009, as reported by the Federal Reserve, was 13.1 percent lower than it had been in July 2008, the 13th consecutive month that same-month industrial production was lower than it had been in the previous year. The decline in net generation is also consistent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) population-weighted Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index (REDTI) for July 2009, which was “approximately 13.3 percent below average consumption.” NOAA attributes the low value to temperatures that were cooler-than-average in the northeast."

News release, October 16, 2009: "U.S. personal income grew 0.2 percent in the second quarter of 2009, the first growth in a year for the U.S. and for 15 states, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the first quarter, U.S. personal income fell 2.3 percent. U.S. personal income growth was offset by inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, which rose 0.3 percent in the second quarter after falling 0.4 percent in the first quarter. Personal income increased in the second quarter in 36 states after falling in all states except Maryland in the first quarter. The percent change in second quarter personal income ranged from 1.5 percent in North Dakota (where the farm sector accounted for a large portion of growth) to -1.0 percent in Wyoming (with large losses in mining)."

• OIG-09-108 - Review of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Expenditure Plan (PDF, 16 pages)
• OIG-09-107 - The United States Coast Guard's Program for Identifying High Interest Vessels (PDF, 20 pages)
• OIG-09-109 - Evaluation of DHS’ Information Security Program for Fiscal Year (Redacted) (PDF, 45 pages)
• OIG-09-106 - Review of Department of Homeland Security’s Expenditure Plan: Department Headquarters Consolidation (PDF, 11 pages)
• OIG-09-103 - Effectiveness of the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (Redacted) (PDF, 165 pages)

Who's in Big Brother's Database? By James Bamford - A review of The Secret Sentry: The Untold History of the National Security Agency by Matthew M. Aid.

• Energy-Water Nexus: Improvements to Federal Water Use Data Would Increase Understanding of Trends in Power Plant Water Use, GAO-10-23, October 16, 2009
• Warfighter Support: Independent Expert Assessment of Army Body Armor Test Results and Procedures Needed Before Fielding, GAO-10-119, October 16, 2009
• NASA: Briefing on National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Programs and Associated Activities, GAO-10-87R, October 15, 2009
• Tax Administration: Opportunities Exist for IRS to Enhance Taxpayer Service and Enforcement for the 2010 Filing Season, GAO-09-1026, September 23, 2009
• Information Technology: Social Security Administration's Data Exchanges Support Current Programs, but Better Planning Is Needed to Meet Future Demands, GAO-09-966, September 16, 2009
• International Taxation: Study Countries That Exempt Foreign-Source Income Face Compliance Risks and Burdens Similar to Those in the United States, GAO-09-934, September 15, 2009

Law.Gov: America's Operating System, Open Source - by Carl Malamud

News release: Real average hourly earnings fell 0.1 percent from August to September, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This decline stemmed from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), up by 0.2 percent, outpacing 0.1 percent growth in average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory workers. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.4 percent over the month, as a result of the decrease in real average hourly earnings and a 0.3 percent decrease in the average work week. Since reaching a recent high point in December 2008, real average weekly earnings have fallen by 1.9 percent."

• Clean Water Act: Longstanding Issues Impact EPA's and States' Enforcement Efforts, GAO-10-165T, October 15, 2009
• Defense Management: Widespread DCAA Audit Problems Leave Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Vulnerable to Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Mismanagement, GAO-10-163T, October 15, 2009
• Information Security: NASA Needs to Remedy Vulnerabilities in Key Networks, GAO-10-4, October 15, 2009
• The Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook: Fall 2009 Update, GAO-10-137SP, October 15, 2009
• VA Health Care: Ineffective Medical Center Controls Resulted in Inappropriate Billing and Collection Practices, GAO-10-152T, October 15, 2009
• Social Security Disability: Additional Outreach and Collaboration on Sharing Medical Records Would Improve Wounded Warrior's Access to Benefits, GAO-09-762, September 16, 2009

CBO: Long-Term Implications of the Department of Defense's Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Submission, October 14, 2009. Testimony before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives

• Defense Infrastructure: DOD Needs to Provide Updated Labor Requirements to Help Guam Adequately Develop Its Labor Force for the Military Buildup, GAO-10-72, October 14, 2009
• Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce, GAO-10-160T, October 14, 2009
• High Speed Passenger Rail: Developing Viable High Speed Rail Projects under the Recovery Act and Beyond, GAO-10-162T, October 14, 2009
• Proprietary Schools: Improved Department of Education Oversight Needed to Help Ensure Only Eligible Students Receive Federal Student Aid, GAO-10-127T, October 14, 2009
• Food Safety: Agencies Need to Address Gaps in Enforcement and Collaboration to Enhance Safety of Imported Food, GAO-09-873, September 15, 2009
• Tax Gap: Limiting Sole Proprietor Loss Deductions Could Improve Compliance but Would Also Limit Some Legitimate Losses, GAO-09-815, September 10, 2009

News release: "The U.S. EPA today released a report to Congress detailing the health, environmental and economic benefits of the agency’s Diesel Emission Reduction Program. The program, funded at $50 million last year, allowed EPA to fund the purchase or retrofitting of 14,000 diesel-powered vehicles and pieces of equipment, preventing respiratory illnesses and saving money in communities nationwide."

• More information on clean diesel grants and funding: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/grantfund.htm
  More information on the SmartWay program: http://www.epa.gov/smartway
  
• View report at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/documents/420r09006.pdf

Senior Research Specialist Amanda Lenhart's slideshow presentation, The Democratization of Online Social Networks: A look at the change in demographics of social network users over time, given at AoIR 10.0 in Milwaukee, WI on October 8, 2009.

Office of the Special Inspector General for the the Troubled Asset Relief Program - October 14, 2009 - Extent of Federal Agencies' Oversight of AIG Compensation Varied, and Important Challenges Remain

Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for the Federal Workforce - "The purpose of Preparing for the Flu: A Communication Toolkit for the Federal Workforce is to provide information and communication resources to help federal agencies and employees implement recommendations from CDC in planning and responding to the 2009–2010 Influenza Season."

Draft SEC Strategic Plan for 2010-2015: "This document represents the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s fourth strategic plan
prepared in accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993. The plan sets out the Commission’s mission, vision, values, and strategic goals for fiscal years 2010 through 2015. After the plan surveys the forces shaping the SEC’s environment, it then details the outcomes the agency is seeking to achieve, the strategies and initiatives that will be undertaken to accomplish those outcomes, and the performance measures that will be used to gauge the agency’s progress."

OIG-09-101 - Vulnerabilities Highlight the Need for More Effective Web Security Management (Redacted), September 2009 (PDF, 21 pages)

Crime Against People with Disabilities, 2007: "Presents the first findings about nonfatal violent and property crime experienced by persons with disabilities, based on the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). The report includes data on nonfatal violent victimization (rape/sexual assault, robbery, aggravated and simple assault) and property crime (burglary, motor vehicle theft, theft) against persons with disabilities in 2007. It compares the victimization experience of persons with and without disabilities, using population estimates based on the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Data are presented on victim and crime characteristics of persons with and without disabilities, including age, race and gender distribution; offender weapon use; victim injuries; and reporting to the police."

"FoodSafety.gov is the gateway to food safety information provided by government agencies. According to the Key Findings of the Food Safety Working Group -- “The federal government will enhance www.foodsafety.gov to better communicate information to the public and include an improved individual alert system allowing consumers to receive food safety information, such as notification of recalls. Agencies will also use social media to expand public communications.”

Follow up to previous posting on atrazine - Weed Killer in Local Drinking Water, this EPA announcement: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is launching this year a comprehensive new evaluation of the pesticide atrazine to determine its effects on humans. At the end of this process, the agency will decide whether to revise its current risk assessment of the pesticide and whether new restrictions are necessary to better protect public health. One of the most widely used agricultural pesticides in the U.S., atrazine can be applied before and after planting to control broadleaf and grassy weeds. EPA will evaluate the pesticide’s potential cancer and non-cancer effects on humans. Included in this new evaluation will be the most recent studies on atrazine and its potential association with birth defects, low birth weight, and premature births."

Remarks of President Barack Obama - As Prepared For Delivery Consumer Financial Protection Event, October 9, 2009: "The new Consumer Financial Protection Agency that I've asked Congress to create will have just one mission: to look out for the financial interests of ordinary Americans. It will be charged with setting clear rules of the road for consumers and banks, and it will be able to enforce those rules across the board. This agency will have the power to make certain that consumers get information that is clear and concise -- in plain language -- so they can compare products and know exactly what they're getting themselves into. It will ensure that banks and other firms can't hide behind these ridiculously confusing contracts -- pages and pages of fine print that nobody can figure out. It will have the ability to enforce and build on the credit card reforms we passed earlier this year, so that consumers aren't hit with unfair rate hikes and penalties, or hidden charges. It will require brokers to look out for the interests of families if they give advice about mortgages. And it will ensure transparency and fair dealing for other financial products, like bank overdraft services and payday loans."

FedThread "gives you:

• collaborative annotation: Attach a note to any paragraph of the Federal Register; start a conversation.
  
• advanced search: Search the Federal Register (back to 2000) on full text, by date, agency, and other fields.
  
• customized feeds: Turn any search into an RSS or email feed, which will send you any new items that match the search query.

News release: "The Congressional Oversight Panel today released its October oversight report, An Assessment of Foreclosure Mitigation Efforts after Six Months. The Panel expresses concern about the limited scope and scale of the Making Home Affordable program and questions whether Treasury's strategy will lead to permanent mortgage modifications for many homeowners. Rising unemployment, weak home prices, and impending mortgage rate resets still threaten to cast millions of Americans out of their homes, with devastating effects on families, local communities, and the broader economy. One in eight mortgages is currently in foreclosure or default, and this crisis is estimated to produce 10 to 12 million foreclosures. While Treasury is still in the early stages of implementing its centerpiece foreclosure mitigation program, called the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), the Panel has three concerns with the current approach."

Interim Review of ATF’s Project Gunrunner, Evaluation and Inspections Report I-2009-006, September 2009: "Mexican drug trafficking organizations (cartels) are a pervasive organized crime threat to the United States, according to the Department of Justice’s 2009 National Drug Threat Assessment. The cartels use firearms trafficked from the United States – primarily from the Southwest border states of Texas, California, Arizona, and to a lesser extent, New Mexico – in their lucrative drug trafficking operations. Project Gunrunner is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) national initiative to reduce firearms trafficking to Mexico and associated violence along the Southwest border."

Withdrawal of U.S. Forces from Iraq: Possible Timelines and Estimated Costs, October 7, 2009 - Letter to the Honorable John F. Tierney

"Energy Explained, a new web portal launched today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), celebrates Energy Awareness Month with the most comprehensive energy education resource available from the U.S. Government. The site explains where gasoline comes from, what determines the price of electricity, how much renewable energy the United States uses, and hundreds of other energy topics."

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on proposed amendments to the Free Annual File Disclosures Rule, also known as the "Free Credit Report Rule." The proposed amendments would implement a new law designed to prevent consumer confusion in advertisements for “free credit reports.” The amendments also would address certain practices that may interfere with a consumers’ ability to obtain the credit report that credit reporting agencies must provide for free under federal law."

Monthly Budget Review, October 2009 - Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for August and the Daily Treasury Statements for September

CBO: Preliminary Analysis of the Chairman's Mark for the America's Healthy Future Act, as Amended - October 7, 2009 Letter to the Honorable Max Baucus

• 2010 Census: Census Bureau Continues to Make Progress in Mitigating Risks to a Successful Enumeration, but Still Faces Various Challenges, GAO-10-132T, October 07, 2009
• Homeland Defense: Planning, Resourcing, and Training Issues Challenge DOD's Response to Domestic Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive Incidents, GAO-10-123, October 07, 2009
• Medicaid: State and Federal Actions Have Been Taken to Improve Children's Access to Dental Services, but More Can Be Done, GAO-10-112T, October 07, 2009
• Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Employment Discrimination: Overview of State Statutes and Complaint Data, GAO-10-135R, October 01, 2009
• Medicaid: State and Federal Actions Have Been Taken to Improve Children's Access to Dental Services, but Gaps Remain, GAO-09-723, September 30, 2009

Prepared Remarks of Chairman Julius Genachowski, Federal Communications Commission: "At the FCC, we also recognize that mobile is central to our mission. No sector of the communications industry holds greater potential to enhance America’s economic competitiveness, spur job creation, and improve the quality of our lives. My goals with regard to mobile are the same that define and drive all our work: fostering innovation and investment, promoting competition, empowering and protecting consumers, all in an effort to help ensure the U.S. has a world-leading communications infrastructure for the 21st century. My specific objectives involve unleashing spectrum for broadband; removing obstacles to 4G deployment, like delays in tower siting; developing fair rules of the road to preserve the openness of the Internet, while recognizing the differences between wired and wireless technologies; and empowering consumers by supporting a vibrant, transparent and competitive mobile marketplace."

Geothermal Heat Pump Manufacturing Activities 2008 (10/07/2009): "In 2008, total geothermal heat pump shipments surged more than 40 percent from a year ago to 121,243 units, while capacity shipped rose almost 43 percent to 416,105 tons."

News release: "The Department of Justice is releasing a new study today that measures the effects of youth violence in America, and the results are staggering. More than 60 percent of the children surveyed were exposed to violence in the past year, either directly or indirectly. Nearly half of children and adolescents were assaulted at least once, and more than one in ten were injured as a result. Nearly one-quarter were the victim of a robbery, vandalism or theft, and one in sixteen were victimized sexually. Those numbers are astonishing, and they are unacceptable. We simply cannot stand for an epidemic of violence that robs our youth of their childhood and perpetuates a cycle in which today’s victims become tomorrow’s criminals."

New Guide Available from U.S. Government for Community and Faith-Based Organizations Working to Help Americans Stay Healthy from H1N1 and Seasonal Flu: "Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House Office for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships began distributing a new flu-response guide for community and faith-based organizations this week in an effort to reach out and educate Americans about the dangers of the new H1N1 and seasonal flu, and to reach populations who may not have access to this public health information in other ways. The document, entitled H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Community and Faith-Based Organizations, provides information about 2009 H1N1 flu and current response activities that are relevant to communities."

Viviane Reding, Member of the European Commission in charge of Information Society and Media, The Future of the Internet and Europe's Digital Agenda - Brussels, 6 October 2009

• Short-Term Energy Outlook Supplement: Understanding the Decline in Carbon Dioxide (10/06/2009): This report explains the convergence of factors that contributes to the projected decline in CO2 emissions in 2009."
• International Petroleum Monthly - September 2009 (10/06/2009): "This report contains world petroleum production data through July 2009; and OECD country petroleum demand, imports, and stocks data through June 2009. Also included are international oil balance data for 2005-2009 and annual petroleum data series for 1970-2008."
• Short-Term Energy Outlook Supplement: Energy Price Volatility and Forecast Uncertainty (10/06/2009): "This report describes how markets price risk, and how the market-clearing process for risk transfer can be used to generate price bands around observed futures prices for crude oil, natural gas, and other commodities."
• Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook October 2009 (10/06/2009): "Short-term energy projections for supply, demand, and price for the major fuels through 2010 for the U.S. This report provides an emphasis on heating fuels. International oil forecasts are included."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a final rule to ensure that safe and reliable drinking water is provided to aircraft passengers and crew. The rule provides multiple-barrier protection through requirements for coliform sampling, best management practices, corrective action, public notification, monitoring and operator training. It will better protect the public from illnesses caused by microbiological contamination."

• Final Aircraft Drinking Water Rule
  
• Basic Information
  
• Questions and Answers
  
• Enforcement

The Riskiest Foods Regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI - a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC.

News release: ""The Financial Services Authority (FSA)..published its final rules on the liquidity requirements expected of firms. The far-reaching overhaul, designed to enhance firms’ liquidity risk management practices, is based on the lessons learned since the start of the credit crisis in 2007. The new rules will require changes to firms’ business models and will bring about substantial long-term benefits to the competitiveness of the UK financial services sector. London’s competitive position depends on counterparties’ perception of the financial soundness of the firms that operate in the UK. Low-levels of financial soundness cannot provide sustainable long-term competitive advantage. The FSA’s new requirements are designed to protect customers, counterparties and other participants in financial services markets from the potentially serious consequences of imprudent liquidity risk management practices."

FDLP Listserv: "The White House, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the National Archives' Office of the Federal Register (OFR) achieved a breakthrough in making Government information available and usable by the public. GPO converted the text of the Federal Register (2000-2009) into XML (extensible markup language) and placed it online in numerous Federal Government portals, which include: GPO's Federal Digital System, The Federal Register Web site and the Government's new portal for Government data. This project began when President Barack Obama challenged Federal agencies to create a more open and transparent Government. GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys), a world-class information management system for Federal publications, is instrumental in enabling this enhanced capability for the Federal Register...access to the Federal Register Bulk Data Repository"

News release: "The Federal Reserve Board on Monday announced two changes to the procedures for evaluating asset-backed securities (ABS) pledged to the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF). The TALF, which was authorized by the Board on November 24, 2008, helps market participants meet the credit needs of households and businesses by lending to investors in highly rated ABS and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)."

• Federal Register notice
  
• Frequently asked questions
  
• Terms and conditions
  
• Risk assessment principles
  
• Related postings on financial system

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has approved final revisions to the guidance it gives to advertisers on how to keep their endorsement and testimonial ads in line with the FTC Act. The notice incorporates several changes to the FTC’s Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising, which address endorsements by consumers, experts, organizations, and celebrities, as well as the disclosure of important connections between advertisers and endorsers. The Guides were last updated in 1980. Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. In contrast to the 1980 version of the Guides – which allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as “results not typical” – the revised Guides no longer contain this safe harbor."

• Briefing on Air Force's Response on Fee-For-Service Aerial Refueling, GAO-10-124R, October 05, 2009
• Retirement Savings: Better Information and Sponsor Guidance Could Improve Oversight and Reduce Fees for Participants, GAO-09-641, September 04, 2009
• Biofuels: Potential Effects and Challenges of Required Increases in Production and Use, GAO-09-446, August 25, 2009

Crime Against People with Disabilities, 2007, 10/1/09: "First national study on crime against persons with disabilities — Young and middle-age persons with disabilities experienced higher rates of violence than persons of similar ages without disabilities."

News release: "NLM® is pleased to announce a redesign of the PubMed interface. While retaining the robust functionality, the interface was simplified to make it easier to use while promoting scientific discovery. The changes to PubMed are outlined here. Please note that search processing, including Automatic Term Mapping, has not changed. The PubMed homepage has been streamlined, requiring less effort to find resources. The new homepage includes an National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Header, Search Bar, and Footer that are common to all PubMed pages."

CBO: Changes in the Distribution of Workers' Annual Earnings Between 1979 and 2007, October 2009

News release: "Nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline in September (-263,000), and the unemployment rate (9.8 percent) continued to trend up, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The largest job losses were in construction, manufacturing, retail trade, and government."

• Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Continue to Face Challenges in Tracking Contractor Personnel and Contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan, GAO-10-1, October 01, 2009
• Emergency Management: Preliminary Observations on FEMA's Community Preparedness Programs Related to the National Preparedness System, GAO-10-105T, October 01, 2009
• Personnel Security Clearances: An Outcome-Focused Strategy and Comprehensive Reporting of Timeliness and Quality Would Provide Greater Visibility over the Clearance Process, GAO-10-117T, October 01, 2009
• Aviation Security: A National Strategy and Other Actions Would Strengthen TSA's Efforts to Secure Commercial Airport Perimeters and Access Controls, GAO-09-399, September 30, 2009
• Federal Judgeships: The General Accuracy of District and Appellate Judgeship Case-Related Workload Measures, GAO-09-1050T, September 30, 2009
• Federal Student Loans: Audits and Reviews of the Federal Family Education Loan and Federal Direct Loan Programs, GAO-09-992R, September 30, 2009
• Continuing Resolutions: Uncertainty Limited Management Options and Increased Workload in Selected Agencies, GAO-09-879, September 24, 2009
• U.S. Embargo on Cuba: Recent Regulatory Changes and Potential Presidential or Congressional Actions, GAO-09-951R, September 17, 2009
• Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Has Opportunities to Better Identify and Address Barriers to EEO in Its Workforce, GAO-09-639, August 31, 2009

"The Department of Justice launches Justice.gov today in an effort to increase openness and transparency in government. Utilizing a variety of online tools, we will be able to share news and information, not just on our own web site, but through popular social networks Twitter, YouTube and MySpace and Facebook. The Justice presence on these social networks will allow Americans to interact with the Department in entirely new ways. The new Justice.gov has incorporated more multimedia than ever before. You’ll find a photo gallery and video library that will be regularly updated with new content from across the Department of Justice. And of course, The Justice Blog will be a hub of information for the Department."

Follow up to postings on banning texting while driving, this announcement today by the Secretary of Transportation: "Last night, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles; when using electronic equipment supplied by the government while driving; or while driving privately owned vehicles when they’re on official government business. The order also encourages federal contractors and others doing business with the government to adopt and enforce their own policies banning texting while driving on the job."

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month: "October marks the sixth annual National Cybersecurity Awareness Month sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. The theme for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2009 is “Our Shared Responsibility” to reinforce the message that all computer users, not just industry and government, have a responsibility to practice good “cyber hygiene” and to protect themselves and their families at home, at work and at school. Americans can follow a few simple steps to keep themselves safe online. By doing so, you will not only keep your personal assets and information secure but you will also help to improve the overall security of cyberspace."

• How You Can Contribute to Cybersecurity Awareness
  
• Cybersecurity Awareness Events 2009
  
• Cybersecurity Resources

Female Victims of Violence: "Provides the current findings on nonfatal and fatal violent crimes committed against females. Data are from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting Program's (UCR) Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR). The report focuses on intimate partner violence and stalking. It includes estimates of the extent of crimes against females and the characteristics of crimes and victims. Crime trends are also presented, along with comparative estimates of crimes against males."

Great dot-gov Web Sites 2009: "The days of a Web presence being an optional component for agencies are long gone. For most citizens, the primary way of interacting with their government is through Web sites. By and large, agencies have responded to that demand by creating richer, more interactive sites."

• Emergency Preparedness: Improved Planning and Coordination Necessary for Development of Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, GAO-09-1044T, September 30, 2009
• Intellectual Property: Enhanced Planning by U.S. Personnel Overseas Could Strengthen Efforts, GAO-09-863, September 30, 2009
• International Food Assistance: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight, GAO-09-977SP, September 30, 2009
• International Trade: U.S. Agencies Have Taken Some Steps, but Serious Impediments Remain to Restricting Trade in Burmese Rubies and Jadeite, GAO-09-987, September 30, 2009
• Medicaid: Fraud and Abuse Related to Controlled Substances Identified in Selected States, GAO-09-1004T, September 30, 2009
• Military Airlift: DOD Should Take Steps to Strengthen Management of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet Program, GAO-09-625, September 30, 2009
• Nuclear Waste: Uncertainties and Questions about Costs and Risks Persist with DOE's Tank Waste Cleanup Strategy at Hanford, GAO-09-913, September 30, 2009
• Vocational Rehabilitation Funding Formula: Options for Improving Equity in State Grants and Considerations for Performance Incentives, GAO-09-798, September 30, 2009
• Ryan White CARE Act: Health Resources and Services Administration's Implementation of Certain Provisions Hampered by Lack of Timely and Accurate Information, GAO-09-1020, September 29, 2009
• Emergency Preparedness: Improved Planning and Coordination Necessary for Modernization and Integration of Public Alert and Warning System, GAO-09-834, September 09, 2009
• Medicaid: Fraud and Abuse Related to Controlled Substances Identified in Selected States, GAO-09-957, September 09, 2009
• Disaster Housing: FEMA Needs More Detailed Guidance and Performance Measures to Help Ensure Effective Assistance after Major Disasters, GAO-09-796, August 28, 2009

OCC and OTS Mortgage Metrics Report - Disclosure of National Bank and Federal Thrift Mortgage Loan Data, Second Quarter 2009

Brazil Country Analysis Brief (09/30/2009): "Brazil is the 10th largest energy consumer in the world and the 3rd largest in the Western Hemisphere, behind the United States and Canada. Total primary energy consumption in Brazil has increased significantly in recent years, due to sustained economic growth. In addition, Brazil has made great strides in increasing its total energy production, particularly oil, over the past decade. Increasing domestic oil production has been a long-term goal of the Brazilian government, and recent discoveries of large offshore, pre-salt oil deposits could transform Brazil into one of the largest oil producers in the world."

Expansion of the U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline Network: Additions in 2008 and Projects through 2011: "This report examines new natural gas pipeline capacity added to the U.S. natural gas pipeline system during 2008. In addition, it discusses and analyzes proposed natural gas pipeline projects that may be developed between 2009 and 2011, and the market factors supporting these initiatives."

Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment Summary, August 2009: "Unemployment rates were higher in August than a year earlier in all 372 metropolitan areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Sixteen areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 9 areas registered rates below 5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate in August was 9.6 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 6.1 percent a year earlier. Among the 369 metropolitan areas for which nonfarm payroll employment data were available, 356 areas reported over-the-year decreases in payroll employment, 11 reported increases, and 2 had no change."

Federal Computer Week: "The upgraded version of the Recovery.gov Web site for tracking spending under the economic stimulus law gets mostly positive reviews, but has disappointed some visitors. The retooled site, sponsored by the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, went online on Sept. 28 with new mapping features, a new layout and more prominent displays of key spending data. One addition is a large, interactive map; users can click on geographic areas, or enter locations or zip codes, to display information on contracts, grants and loans awarded. The map has data gathered from federal agencies and on Oct. 30, it will publish state and local data on contract awards."

News release: "On January 1, 2010, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will, for the first time, require large emitters of heat-trapping emissions to begin collecting greenhouse gas (GHG) data under a new reporting system. This new program will cover approximately 85 percent of the nation’s GHG emissions and apply to roughly 10,000 facilities...EPA’s new reporting system will provide a better understanding of where GHGs are coming from and will guide development of the best possible policies and programs to reduce emissions. The data will also allow businesses to track their own emissions, compare them to similar facilities, and provide assistance in identifying cost effective ways to reduce emissions in the future. This comprehensive, nationwide emissions data will help in the fight against climate change."

News release: "The National Archives and Records Administration and Footnote.com announced the release of the internet’s largest Interactive Holocaust Collection. For the first time ever, over one million Holocaust-related records – including millions of names and 26,000 photos from the National Archives – will be available online. The collection can be viewed at: http://www.footnote.com/holocaust...The collection also includes nearly 600 interactive personal accounts of those who survived or perished in the Holocaust provided by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. The project incorporates social networking tools that enable visitors to search for names and add photos, comments and stories, share their insights, and create pages to highlight their discoveries. There will be no charge to access and contribute to these personal pages."

News release: "Risks to the global financial system have subsided as a result of unprecedented policy actions and, more recently, a nascent global economic recovery, according to the IMF’s latest Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR). But the semiannual report, released on September 30, cautions that the road to financial rehabilitation is unlikely to be straight and that there will be significant policy issues ahead...The report points to the need to further repair bank balance sheets to enable the institutions to make loans needed to support the economic recovery. Without this step, downside financial and economic risks could reemerge, the report said."

News release: "No U.S. state is meeting national objectives for consumption of fruits and vegetables, according to the first report to provide state–by–state data about fruit and vegetable consumption and policies that may help Americans eat more fruits and vegetables. State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009 was released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

• Crime Victims' Rights Act: Increasing Victim Awareness and Clarifying Applicability to the District of Columbia Will Improve Implementation of the Act, GAO-09-1024T, September 29, 2009
• Debt Management: Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Should Play a Heightened Role in Addressing Debt Management Challenges, GAO-09-932, September 29, 2009
• Federal Contracting: Observations on the Government's Contracting Data Systems, GAO-09-1032T, September 29, 2009
• Financial Regulation: Recent Crisis Reaffirms the Need to Overhaul the U.S. Regulatory System, GAO-09-1049T, September 29, 2009 - "The current U.S. financial regulatory system is fragmented due to complex arrangements of federal and state regulation put into place over the past 150 years. It has not kept pace with major developments in financial markets and products in recent decades. Today, almost a dozen federal regulatory agencies, numerous self-regulatory organizations, and hundreds of state financial regulatory agencies share responsibility for overseeing the financial services industry."
• Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: Fiscal Year 2010 Proposed Licensing and Registration Fees Program, GAO-09-1023R, September 28, 2009
• Combating Terrorism: U.S. Agencies Report Progress Countering Terrorism and Its Financing in Saudi Arabia, but Continued Focus on Counter Terrorism Financing Efforts Needed, GAO-09-883, September 24, 2009

News release and report: "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac refinanced more than 3.2 million mortgage loans in 2009 through August of this year. In the month of August alone, nearly 360,000 mortgages were refinanced. The numbers were announced today by Edward J. DeMarco, Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), in its monthly report on Enterprises’ refinance volumes and the Administration’s Making Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP)."

Contract Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005: "Presents findings on contract cases disposed of by a bench or jury trial in a nationally representative sample of jurisdictions in 2005. Topics in the report include the types of cases that proceed to trial, differences between the types of cases decided by judges or juries, types of plaintiffs and defendants represented in civil trials, plaintiff win rates, damage awards, and post-trial activity. Information is also presented on contract trial litigation in the nation’s 75 most populous counties from 1996 to 2005. See also Civil Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005."

Pew Financial Reform Project Briefing Paper# 7 - Quantifying the cost on lending of increased capital requirements, Douglas J. Elliott.

Review of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Formula Allocations, September 24, 2009, Audit Report No.: 2009-FO-0006

"The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is pleased to announce that the List of CFR Sections Affected, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, and Daily Compilation of Presidential Documents collections have been authenticated with digital signatures and are currently available on the Federal Digital System (FDsys). GPO is also in the process of digitally signing the Federal Register collection on FDsys, which will occur on a year-by-year basis. The signing of the Federal Register collection is expected to be complete by October 30, 2009."

DOJ OIG - The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordinator Program, Audit Report 09-36, September 2009

• Defense Acquisitions: Army Aviation Modernization Has Benefited from Increased Funding but Several Challenges Need to Be Addressed, GAO-09-978R, September 28, 2009
• Defense Acquisitions: Department of Defense Needs a Unified Strategy for Balancing Investments in Tactical Wheeled Vehicles, GAO-09-968R, September 28, 2009
• Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S.-funded Activities, GAO-09-993, September 28, 2009
• Emergency Communications: National Communications System Provides Programs for Priority Calling, but Planning for New Initiatives and Performance Measurement Could be Strengthened, GAO-09-822, August 28, 2009
• Homeland Security: Actions Needed to Improve Security Practices at National Icons and Parks, GAO-09-983, August 28, 2009
• International Food Assistance: USAID Is Taking Actions to Improve Monitoring and Evaluation of Nonemergency Food Aid, but Weaknesses in Planning Could Impede Efforts, GAO-09-980, September 28, 2009
• Medicare Physician Services: Utilization Trends Indicate Sustained Beneficiary Access with High and Growing Levels of Service in Some Areas of the Nation, GAO-09-559, August 28, 2009
• Nursing Homes: CMS's Special Focus Facility Methodology Should Better Target the Most Poorly Performing Homes, Which Tended to Be Chain Affiliated and For-Profit, GAO-09-689, August 28, 2009

OCC’s Quarterly Report on Bank Trading and Derivatives Activities: Second Quarter 2009

News release: "Credit quality declined sharply for loan commitments of $20 million or more held by multiple federally supervised institutions, according to the 32nd annual review of Shared National Credits (SNC). The credit risk of these large loan commitments was shared among U.S. bank organizations, foreign bank organizations (FBO), and nonbanks such as securitization pools, hedge funds, insurance companies, and pension funds. Credit quality deteriorated across all entities, but nonbanks held 47 percent of classified assets in the SNC portfolio, despite making up only 21.2 percent of the SNC portfolio. U.S. bank organizations held 30.2 percent of the classified assets and made up 40.8 percent of the SNC portfolio."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced a series of steps that building owners and school administrators should take to reduce exposure to PCBs that may be found in caulk in many buildings constructed or renovated between 1950 and 1978. The agency is also conducting new research to better understand the risks posed by caulk containing PCBs. This research will guide EPA in making further recommendations on long-term measures to minimize exposure as well as steps to prioritize and carry out actions to remove the caulk to better protect public health. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are man-made chemicals that persist in the environment and were widely used in construction materials and electrical products prior to 1978. PCBs can affect the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system and are potentially cancer-causing if they build up in the body over long periods of time.

Statement of Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General, U.S. Department of Justice before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary concerning Reauthorizing the USA Patriot Act, September 23, 2009

"Each week CDC analyzes information about influenza disease activity in the United States and publishes findings of key flu indicators in a report called FluView. During the week of September 13-19, 2009, a review of the key indictors found that influenza activity continued to increase in the United States compared to the prior weeks."

The Commission on the measurement of economic performance and social progress has been created at the beginning of 2008 on French government's initiative. Increasing concerns have been raised since a long time about the adequacy of current measures of economic performance, in particular those based on GDP figures. Moreover, there are broader concerns about the relevance of these figures as measures of societal well-being, as well as measures of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Reflecting these concerns, President Sarkozy has decided to create this Commission, to look at the entire range of issues. Its aim is to identify the limits of GDP as an indicator of economic performance and social progress, to consider additional information required for the production of a more relevant picture, to discuss how to present this information in the most appropriate way, and to check the feasibility of measurement tools proposed by the Commission. Commission's work is not focused on France, nor on developed countries. The output of the Commission will be made public, providing a template for every interested country or group of countries."

EPIC: "...the Department of Justice announced a new policy that limits the government’s use of the state secrets privilege. The state secrets privilege is a rule of evidence intended to prevent genuine matters of national security from being disclosed in open court. However, recently it has been misused by both the Bush and Obama administrations in order to derail litigation completely. For instance, in 2007 EPIC filed a “friend-of-the-court” brief in a warrantless wiretapping case, Hepting v. United States, in which the government argued that the case should be dismissed because it would reveal “state secrets.” Under the new policy, the privilege will be invoked only "to the extent necessary to protect against the risk of significant harm to national security." The Attorney General will also have to approve each determination. The State Secret Protection Act of 2009, legislation with a similar purpose, is now pending in Congress. For more information, see EPIC Open Government."

Review of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Compliance with the Freedom of Information Act, Securities and Exchange Commission Office of Inspector General, September 25, 2009.

News release: "In Pittsburgh, the world’s major economies agreed to continue our effort to spur global demand to put our people back to work. We committed ourselves to economic growth that is balanced and sustained— so that we avoid the booms and busts of the past. We reached an historic agreement to reform the global financial system—to promote responsibility and prevent abuse so that we never face a crisis like this again. And we reformed our international economic architecture, so that we can better coordinate our effort to meet the challenges of the 21st century. We also established American leadership in the global pursuit of the clean energy of the 21st century. I am proud that the G-20 nations agreed to phase out $300 billion worth of fossil fuel subsidies. This will increase our energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat the threat of climate change, and help create the new jobs and industries of the future."

• Military Readiness: DOD Needs to Strengthen Management and Oversight of the Defense Readiness Reporting System, GAO-09-518, September 25, 2009
• Overseas Contingency Operations: Reported Obligations for the Department of Defense, GAO-09-1022R, September 25, 2009
• 401(k) Plans: Policy Changes Could Reduce the Long-term Effects of Leakage on Workers' Retirement Savings, GAO-09-715, August 28, 2009
• NASA: Constellation Program Cost and Schedule Will Remain Uncertain Until a Sound Business Case Is Established, GAO-09-844, August 26, 2009

Social Security Analyses

• Overview
  
• Social Security Outlook
  
• Policy Analyses
  
• Individual Accounts and Investments in Private Assets
  
• Retirement Saving
  
• AP: Job losses, early retirements hurt Social Security
  
• Related postings on financial system

News release: "As part of the Obama Administration's aggressive efforts to enforce U.S. tax laws and reduce offshore tax evasion, the U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Swiss Ambassador to the United States Urs Ziswiler signed a protocol updating the current income tax treaty between the United States and Switzerland to allow for greater tax information exchange."

CRS Report - Social Networking and Constituent Communication: Member Use of Twitter During a Two-Week Period in the 111th Congress

"Federal Computer Week has compiled lists of the top 10 federal agencies using Facebook and Twitter."

• DCAA Audits: Widespread Problems with Audit Quality Require Significant Reform, GAO-09-468, September 23, 2009
• DCAA Audits: Widespread Problems with Audit Quality Require Significant Reform, GAO-09-1009T, September 23, 2009

  See also Government Executive article: "The Defense Contract Audit Agency needs a complete overhaul, including new leadership and more independence from the Pentagon, according to testimony from a government watchdog agency and several senators on Wednesday. For the second time in two years, DCAA leaders found themselves in front of a furious Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, answering to allegations about shoddy reviews and inappropriate changes made to multimillion-dollar audit reports under the influence of contractors.

• HIV/AIDS: Federal and State Efforts to Identify Infected Individuals and Connect Them to Care, GAO-09-985, September 23, 2009
• Homeland Security: Federal Protective Service Has Taken Some Initial Steps to Address Its Challenges, but Vulnerabilities Still Exist, GAO-09-1047T, September 23, 2009
• Recovery Act: Funds Continue to Provide Fiscal Relief to States and Localities, While Accountability and Reporting Challenges Need to Be Fully Addressed, GAO-09-1016, September 23, 2009

CBO: Additional Information on Insurance Coverage for Unauthorized Immigrants Under Proposed Health Care Legislation, September 22, 2009 - Letter to the Honorable Chuck Grassley

"A fast-growing FBI data-mining system billed as a tool for hunting terrorists is being used in hacker and domestic criminal investigations, and now contains tens of thousands of records from private corporate databases, including car-rental companies, large hotel chains and at least one national department store, declassified documents obtained by Wired.com show. Headquartered in Crystal City, Virginia, just outside Washington, the FBI’s National Security Branch Analysis Center (NSAC) maintains a hodgepodge of data sets packed with more than 1.5 billion government and private-sector records about citizens and foreigners, the documents show, bringing the government closer than ever to implementing the “Total Information Awareness” system first dreamed up by the Pentagon in the days following the Sept. 11 attacks."

News release: "Employers took 2,690 mass layoff actions in August that resulted in the separation of 259,307 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Each action involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in August increased by 533 from the prior month, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 52,516. Over the year, the number of mass layoff events increased by 803, and associated initial claims increased by 70,356. Year-to-date mass layoff events (21,184) and initial claims (2,162,202) both recorded program highs through August. In August, 900 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 93,892 initial claims. Over the month, the number of manufacturing events increased by 279, and associated initial claims increased by 21,626."

Fighting Back Against Cancer: Health Insurance Reform & Cancer in America, September 2009

Housing Costs for Homeowners With Mortgages: 2007 and 2008 American Community Surveys, American Community Survey Reports Issued September 2009: "This report presents data on median selected monthly housing costs for homeowners with mortgages at the national and state levels based on the 2007 ACS and 2008 ACS. It also ranks the states by their 2008 median selected monthly housing costs for homeowners with mortgages."

Men’s and Women’s Earnings by State: 2008 American Community Survey, American Community Survey Reports, issued September 2009: "This report is one of a series produced to highlight results from the 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). The report series is designed to cover a variety of economic topics, such as poverty, occupation, home values, and labor force participation. This series provides information about the changing economic characteristics of the nation and states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The ACS also provides detailed estimates of demographic, social, economic, and housing characteristics for congressional districts, counties, places, and other localities every year...This report presents data on men’s and women’s earnings at the national and state levels based on the 2008 ACS. “Earnings” are the sum of wage and salary income and self-employment income. Earnings are often the largest part of overall income."

HHS OIG Audit Report: State and Local Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Medical Surge, September 2009: "An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak of a highly infectious influenza virus that can cause serious illness in humans. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that even a mild influenza pandemic could cause between 2 and 7.4 million deaths worldwide. In February 2008, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within HHS asked the Office of Inspector General to evaluate State and local preparedness for influenza pandemic, particularly with regard to medical surge and vaccine and antiviral drug distribution and dispensing."

Executive Office of the President - National Economic Council - Office of the President National Economic Council, Office of Science and Technology Policy: A Strategy for American Innovation: Driving Toward Sustainable Growth and Quality Jobs, September 2009

Brookings: "Recognizing the need to expand the U.S. broadband network to ensure America’s infrastructure and economic development, Congress tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with developing a national broadband plan by February 17, 2010. On September 21, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski delivered remarks [link to transcript - 22 pages, PDF] on the national broadband plan and other communications issues."

News release: "The U.S. Census Bureau today released the latest American Community Survey (ACS) data, providing a statistical portrait of the characteristics of the nation’s population in 2008. / Detailed tables / ACS Media Toolkit / 2008 ACS Questionnaire. According to the new snapshot, one-in-four people in Texas (24.1 percent) lacked health insurance in 2008, the highest rate in the nation. At the other end of the spectrum, fewer than one-in-20 Massachusetts residents (4.1 percent) lacked coverage."

• "Five states — Arizona, California, Florida, Indiana and Michigan — saw real median household income fall between 2007 and 2008. Just one state had a decline between 2006 and 2007.
  
• The total foreign-born population represented 12.5 percent of the population in 2008; it was 12.6 percent in 2007.
  
• The percentage of women 15 and over who have never married was 28.1 percent in 2008, up from 27.6 percent in 2007 and 27.3 percent in 2006.
  
• California homeowners with mortgages ($2,384) had the median housing costs in the nation. New Jersey had the second highest median housing cost ($2,360). Hawaii ($2,265) and the District of Columbia ($2,218) followed, but were not significantly different from each other. Rounding out the top six were Connecticut ($2,108) and Massachusetts ($2,105), which also were not significantly different from each other."
  
• AP: Census: Americans hit hard by downturn - ‘The recession has affected everybody in one way or another’
  
• Related postings on financial system

• High-Containment Laboratories: National Strategy for Oversight Is Needed, GAO-09-574, September 21, 2009
• Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of Government Assistance Provided to AIG, GAO-09-975, September 21, 2009
• Flood Insurance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Oversight of the WYO Program, GAO-09-455, August 21, 2009
• Low-Income and Minority Serving Institutions: Management Attention to Long-standing Concerns Needed to Improve Education's Oversight of Grant Programs, GAO-09-309, August 17, 2009
• Proprietary Schools: Stronger Department of Education Oversight Needed to Help Ensure Only Eligible Students Receive Federal Student Aid, GAO-09-600, August 17, 2009

News release: "With national unemployment topping 9 percent and many Americans seeking online information and new technology skills that can help keep them and their families afloat in hard times, U.S. public libraries are first responders in a time of economic uncertainty. Libraries Connect Communities 3: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2008-2009, a new report released by the American Library Association (ALA), says libraries are serving as crucial technology hubs for people in need of free Web access, computer training, and assistance finding and using E-Government and job resources. The study finds that more than 71 percent of all libraries (and 79 percent of rural libraries) report they are the only source of free access to computers and the Internet in their communities. Sixty-six percent of public libraries rank job-seeking services, including resume writing and Internet job searches, among the most crucial online services they offer – up from 44 percent two years ago. In a separate survey, 80 percent of New York libraries indicated they helped someone search for a job in late 2008."

EU Project INDECT - "The main objectives of the INDECT project are: to develop a platform for: the registration and exchange of operational data, acquisition of multimedia content, intelligent processing of all information and automatic detection of threats and recognition of abnormal behaviour or violence, to develop the prototype of an integrated, network-centric system supporting the operational activities of police officers, providing techniques and tools for observation of various mobile objects, to develop a new type of search engine combining direct search of images and video based on watermarked contents, and the storage of metadata in the form of digital watermarks, to develop a set of techniques supporting surveillance of internet resources, analysis of the acquired information, and detection of criminal activities and threats."

OIG-09-97 - Transportation Security Administration Privacy Stewardship (PDF, 36 pages), August 28, 2009

In following this January 9, 2009 memo, Legal Issues Relating to the Testing, Use and Deployment of an Intrusion-Detection System (EINSTEIN 2.0) to Protect Unclassified Computer Networks in the Executive Branch, this DOJ memo released September 18, 2009: Legality of Intrusion-Detection System To Protect Unclassified Computers Networks In Executive Branch - "Operation of the EINSTEIN 2.0 intrusion-detection system complies with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the Stored Communications Act, and the pen register and trap and trace provisions of chapter 206 of title 18, United States Code, provided that certain log-on banners or computer-user agreements are consistently adopted, implemented, and enforced by executive departments and agencies using the system. Operation of the EINSTEIN 2.0 system also does not run afoul of state wiretapping or communications privacy laws."

News release: "Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in August. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia reported over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 16 states registered rate decreases, and 7 states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the year, jobless rates increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate rose to 9.7 percent in August, up 0.3 percentage point from July and 3.5 points from August 2008."

• Homeland Defense: Greater Focus on Analysis of Alternatives and Threats Needed to Improve DOD's Strategic Nuclear Weapons Security, GAO-09-828, September 18, 2009
• Ryan White CARE Act: Effects of Certain Funding Provisions on Grant Awards, GAO-09-894, September 18, 2009

News release: "Obama Administration officials today released the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force Interim Report for a 30-day public review and comment period. The Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, led by White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, consists of 24 senior-level officials from Administration agencies, departments, and offices. The report provides proposals for a comprehensive national approach to uphold our stewardship responsibilities and ensure accountability for our actions."

Fact Sheet on U.S. Missile Defense Policy - A "Phased, Adaptive Approach" for Missile Defense in Europe: "President Obama has approved the recommendation of Secretary of Defense Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff for a phased, adaptive approach for missile defense in Europe. This approach is based on an assessment of the Iranian missile threat, and a commitment to deploy technology that is proven, cost-effective, and adaptable to an evolving security environment. Starting around 2011, this missile defense architecture will feature deployments of increasingly-capable sea- and land-based missile interceptors, primarily upgraded versions of the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3), and a range of sensors in Europe to defend against the growing ballistic missile threat from Iran. This phased approach develops the capability to augment our current protection of the U.S. homeland against long-range ballistic missile threats, and to offer more effective defenses against more near-term ballistic missile threats."

"CDT told a congressional panel today that providing the public with direct, online access to complex government programs, such as TARP, would strengthen oversight. Media, watchdog groups, researchers and citizens could then better analyze the data for a wide variety of purposes. CDT asked the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee to ensure that legislation explicitly require that TARP resources be made available to the public on the Web. CDT also noted that more sophisticated data--such as location and mapping data--are being collected today by government agencies; however, aging federal privacy law needs to be updated to ensure these new types of information are protected as well."

• Depot Maintenance: Improved Strategic Planning Needed to Ensure That Army and Marine Corps Depots Can Meet Future Maintenance Requirements, GAO-09-865, September 17, 2009
• Nuclear Nonproliferation: National Nuclear Security Administration Has Improved the Security of Reactors in its Global Research Reactor Program, but Action Is Needed to Address Remaining Concerns, GAO-09-949, September 17, 2009
• Reserve Forces: Army Needs to Finalize an Implementation Plan and Funding Strategy for Sustaining an Operational Reserve Force, GAO-09-898, September 17, 2009
• Secure Border Initiative: Technology Deployment Delays Persist and the Impact of Border Fencing Has Not Been Assessed, GAO-09-1013T, September 17, 2009
• Secure Border Initiative: Technology Deployment Delays Persist and the Impact of Border Fencing Has Not Been Assessed, GAO-09-896, September 09, 2009

News release: "On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The index has decreased 1.5 percent over the last 12 months on a not seasonally adjusted basis. The 0.4 percent seasonally adjusted increase in the CPI-U was driven by a 9.1 percent rise in the gasoline index. This increase accounted for almost the entire advance in the energy index and over 80 percent of the overall increase. Despite the August increase, the gasoline index has fallen 30.0 percent over the last 12 months."

How Regulatory Standards Can Affect a Cap-and-Trade Program for Greenhouse Gases, September 16, 2009

News release: "Real average hourly earnings fell 0.2 percent from July to August, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. This decline stemmed from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), up by 0.6 percent, outpacing 0.3 percent growth in average hourly earnings for production and nonsupervisory workers. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.2 percent over the month, as a result of the decrease in real average hourly earnings and no change in the average work week. Since reaching a recent high point in December 2008, real average weekly earnings have fallen by 1.5 percent."

News release: "Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary L. Schapiro today announced that University of Texas School of Law Professor Henry T. C. Hu has been named Director of the newly-established Division of Risk, Strategy, and Financial Innovation. The new division combines the Office of Economic Analysis, the Office of Risk Assessment, and other functions to provide the Commission with sophisticated analysis that integrates economic, financial, and legal disciplines. The division's responsibilities cover three broad areas: risk and economic analysis; strategic research; and financial innovation."

Official Google Blog: "Google for the Public Sector, a one-stop shop of tools and tips that local, state and federal government officials can use to help promote transparency and increase citizen participation. The site helps government agencies:

• Make your website, and the information it offers, easier to find. For example, in less than 50 technical staff hours, Arizona's Government Information Technology Agency made hundreds of thousands of public records and other webpages "crawlable" to search engines and visible in Google search results.
  
• Visualize your information and tell your story in Google Earth & Maps to the hundreds of millions of people who use them. The State Department runs an interactive Google Map of Secretary Clinton's travels, which shows where she has been and includes photos and videos.
  
• Use the power of online video to engage millions of potential viewers and give constituents a voice. In the U.S. alone, the Senate, House of Representatives, White House, and federal government, among others, all have YouTube channels."

News release: "Apps.gov is an online storefront for federal agencies to quickly browse and purchase cloud-based IT services, for productivity, collaboration, and efficiency. Cloud computing is the next generation of IT in which data and applications will be housed centrally and accessible anywhere and anytime by a various devices (this is opposed to the current model where applications and most data is housed on individual devices). By consolidating available services, Apps.gov is a one-stop source for cloud services – an innovation that not only can change how IT operates, but also save taxpayer dollars in the process."

News release: "On September 15, 2009, the Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair unveiled the 2009 National Intelligence Strategy - the blueprint that will drive the priorities for the nation's 16 intelligence agencies over the next 4 years. The National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) is one of the most important documents for the Intelligence Community (IC) as it lays out the strategic environment, sets priorities and objectives, and guides current and future decisions on budgets, acquisitions, and operations."

• Media Briefing by DNI Blair on the 2009 National Intelligence Strategy
  
• 2009 National Intelligence Strategy
  
• 2009 National Intelligence Strategy Fact Sheet
  
• 2009 National Intelligence Strategy Frequently Asked Questions

• DOD Business Systems Modernization: Navy Implementing a Number of Key Management Controls on Enterprise Resource Planning System, but Improvements Still Needed, GAO-09-841, September 15, 2009
• Homeland Security: Despite Progress, DHS Continues to Be Challenged in Managing Its Multi-Billion Dollar Annual Investment in Large-Scale Information Technology Systems, GAO-09-1002T, September 15, 2009
• Management Report: Opportunities for Improvements in FDIC's Internal Controls and Accounting Procedures, GAO-09-943R, September 15, 2009
• Personnel Security Clearances: Progress Has Been Made to Reduce Delays but Further Actions Are Needed to Enhance Quality and Sustain Reform Efforts, GAO-09-684T, September 15, 2009
• Mineral Revenues: MMS Could Do More to Improve the Accuracy of Key Data Used to Collect and Verify Oil and Gas Royalties, GAO-09-549, July 15, 2009

News release: "U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today jointly proposed a rule establishing an historic national program that would improve vehicle fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gases. Their proposal builds upon core principles President Obama announced with automakers, the United Auto Workers, leaders in the environmental community, governors and state officials in May, and would provide coordinated national vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions standards. The proposed program would also conserve billions of barrels of oil, save consumers money at the pump, increase fuel economy, and reduce millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions."

News release: "The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday issued a report describing the next phase of the government's financial stabilization and rehabilitation policies to provide the public with a status update on these programs and an explanation of the Administration's strategy going forward."

At the time of this posting there were 5941 Bookmarks - in the gov2.0 category - these are links to sites focused on U.S. as well as foreign government documents and related materials - posted by agencies, individuals, public interest groups, etc. [thanks to Dan Mitchel]