E-Government
May 19, 2013
* Internet Census 2012 -Port scanning /0 using insecure embedded devices

Internet Census 2012 - Port scanning /0 using insecure embedded devices, Carna Botnet

  • "Abstract While playing around with the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) we discovered an amazing number of open embedded devices on the Internet. Many of them are based on Linux and allow login to standard BusyBox with empty or default credentials. We used these devices to build a distributed port scanner to scan all IPv4 addresses. These scans include service probes for the most common ports, ICMP ping, reverse DNS and SYN scans. We analyzed some of the data to get an estimation of the IP address usage...We hope other researchers will find the data we have collected useful and that this publication will help raise some awareness that, while everybody is talking about high class exploits and cyberwar, four simple stupid default telnet passwords can give you access to hundreds of thousands of consumer as well as tens of thousands of industrial devices all over the world."
  • May 15, 2013
    * NTSB - Safety Report on Eliminating Impaired Driving

    "On May 14, 2013, the 25th anniversary of our nation's deadliest drunk-driving crash, which killed 24 children and three adults in Carrollton, Ky., the NTSB's five-member board voted unanimously to issue bold recommendations to help the United States reach zero and eliminate alcohol-impaired driving. Bold steps are needed: On average, every hour, one person dies in a crash involving a drunk driver and 20 more people are injured, including three with debilitating injuries. That adds up quickly to yearly totals of nearly 10,000 deaths, 27,000 lives forever altered and another 146,000 injured. The safety report, Reaching Zero: Actions to Eliminate Alcohol-Impaired Driving, and recommendations culminate a year-long effort by the NTSB to thoroughly examine this problem and develop a set of targeted interventions."

    * CDC - Sleep and Sleep Disorders

    CDC- Sleep and Sleeping Disorders: "Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression—which threaten our nation’s health. Notably, insufficient sleep is associated with the onset of these diseases and also poses important implications for their management and outcome. Moreover, insufficient sleep is responsible for motor vehicle and machinery-related crashes, causing substantial injury and disability each year. In short, drowsy driving can be as dangerous—and preventable—as driving while intoxicated."

  • "Fact sheets on insufficient sleep are available for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands). Each fact sheet includes a table with the prevalence of insufficient rest or sleep (≥ 14 days in past 30 days) among adults in the state or territory by sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, employment status, marital status, presence of children in the home, and body mass index (a measure of excess weight). The fact sheet also includes a map that presents the prevalence of insufficient sleep among adults of the state or territory by region. Select a state or territory from the drop-down menu or from the map to open that state's or territory's fact sheet (in PDF format)."
  • May 14, 2013
    * NOAA and Partners Deliver New Climate and Health Data Tool to Public

    "This week, in conjunction with the release of the Obama Administration Open Data Policy, the interagency U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) launched a new online tool that promises to accelerate research relating to climate change and human health—the Metadata Access Tool for Climate and Health or “MATCH.” MATCH is a publicly accessible, online tool for researchers that offers centralized access to metadata—standardized contextual information—about thousands of government-held datasets related to health, the environment, and climate-science."

    May 10, 2013
    * Is Your U.S. Passport Up to Date?

    "If you plan to travel outside the United States, be sure to check your passport long before your trip. Routine processing times for passport services are 4-6 weeks (expedited services take approximately 2-3 weeks).

    • Renew Your Passport - Check your passport's expiration date. If your passport expires before you plan to return to the United States, then you'll need to get a new passport before you leave the U.S.
    • Apply for a Passport - If you are eligible for a U.S. passport and plan to travel abroad, get application instructions.
    • Change or Correct Your Passport - If you need to makes changes or corrections (due to a name change, for example) or add visa pages to your passport, see which forms you need to submit.
    • Report Your Lost or Stolen Passport - If your passport has been lost or stolen, report it as soon as you can. Call 1-877-487-2778 (TTY 1-888-874-7793) in the U.S., or contact the nearest U.S. embassy if you're overseas.
    • Get Additional U.S. Passport Services - Look up passport fees, get the status of your passport application, find information about photo requirements, and more."

    May 09, 2013
    * Executive Order -- Making Open and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information

    "To promote continued job growth, Government efficiency, and the social good that can be gained from opening Government data to the public, the default state of new and modernized Government information resources shall be open and machine readable. Government information shall be managed as an asset throughout its life cycle to promote interoperability and openness, and, wherever possible and legally permissible, to ensure that data are released to the public in ways that make the data easy to find, accessible, and usable. In making this the new default state, executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall ensure that they safeguard individual privacy, confidentiality, and national security."

    May 08, 2013
    * Administration offers consumers unprecedented look at hospital charges - Medicare Provider Charge Data

    "As part of the Obama administration’s work to make our health care system more affordable and accountable, data are being released that show significant variation across the country and within communities in what hospitals charge for common inpatient services. The data provided here include hospital-specific charges for the more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals that receive Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) payments for the top 100 most frequently billed discharges, paid under Medicare based on a rate per discharge using the Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011. These DRGs represent almost 7 million discharges or 60 percent of total Medicare IPPS discharges. Hospitals determine what they will charge for items and services provided to patients and these charges are the amount the hospital bills for an item or service. The Total Payment amount includes the MS-DRG amount, bill total per diem, beneficiary primary payer claim payment amount, beneficiary Part A coinsurance amount, beneficiary deductible amount, beneficiary blood deducible amount and DRG outlier amount. For these DRGs, average charges and average Medicare payments are calculated at the individual hospital level. Users will be able to make comparisons between the amount charged by individual hospitals within local markets, and nationwide, for services that might be furnished in connection with a particular inpatient stay. Data are being made available in Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) format and comma separated values (.csv) format."

    May 07, 2013
    * FTC Testifies on Credit Reporting Accuracy Study, FCRA Enforcement, Credit Education

    "The Federal Trade Commission testified before a U.S. Senate Commerce subcommittee on a recent FTC study examining the accuracy of consumer credit reports, as well as the agency’s efforts to improve credit report accuracy through enforcement and education. On behalf of the agency, Maneesha Mithal, Associate Director, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, told the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance that errors in credit reports can cause consumers to be denied credit or other benefits or pay a higher price for them. It may also lead credit issuers to make inaccurate decisions that cause them to deny credit to a potentially valuable customer or issue credit to a riskier customer than intended."

    May 05, 2013
    * Secret surveillance of American citizens - "no digital communication is secure"

    Are all telephone calls recorded and accessible to the US government? A former FBI counterterrorism agent claims on CNN that this is the case, by Glenn Greenwald

  • "The real capabilities and behavior of the US surveillance state are almost entirely unknown to the American public because, like most things of significance done by the US government, it operates behind an impenetrable wall of secrecy. But a seemingly spontaneous admission this week by a former FBI counterterrorism agent provides a rather startling acknowledgment of just how vast and invasive these surveillance activities are."
  • * Sunlight Foundation: Municipal Lobbying Data Guidebook

    Sunlight Foundation - Municipal Lobbying Data Guidebook

  • "Why do we need access to lobbying data? Information that is critical to understanding access to power and how that access is being used should be made available to the public with as few restrictions as possible. That means making information available in searchable, sortable and machine-readable format, but also taking into consideration the kinds of information that should be disclosed (the difference between lobbying registration, say, and lobbying activity). For lobbying disclosure to live up to its full potential, the transparency it creates needs to be proportional to the influence that it seeks to influence, with real-time reporting and substantive disclosure empowering public scrutiny of political power at work. The goal of disclosing this data isn't to make life more difficult for the lobbyists, but to ensure that citizens have the ability to track influence -- to glean the context critical to understanding political decision-making and legislation. Meaningful, complete, open lobbying data is vital to creating accountable government. As the state of municipal lobbying data collection and disclosure varies enormously from one city or county to the next, the Sunlight Foundation has created this guide to help local policymakers and advocates create stronger lobbying disclosure."
  • May 04, 2013
    * FTC Issues Updated FAQs on Amended Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule

    "The Federal Trade Commission has issued an updated set of frequently asked questions designed to help website operators, mobile application developers, plug-ins and advertising networks operating on child-directed websites and online services prepare for upcoming changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule. The document, titled Complying With COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions contains information directed to websites and online services whose work online may involve the collection of personal information from children under age 13. The document provides guidance from the FTC staff that supplements the rule and other COPPA–related material previously published by the FTC."

    * The Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD)

    "The Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) is a joint project of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) and National Library of Medicine (NLM). The DSLD contains the full label contents from a sample of dietary supplement products marketed in the U.S. Within the DSLD you may select one or more of the following to conduct searches of the database:

    • DSLD On Market = Label information from dietary supplement products that are currently on the U.S. market
    • DSLD Off Market = Label information from dietary supplement products that have been discontinued or are no longer on the U.S. market
    • For the DSLD, all information is obtained from the manufacturers' labels. The DSLD is being developed initially for researchers and scientists."

    May 03, 2013
    * Dining Out with Food Allergies

    "Enjoying restaurant meals with friends and family doesn’t have to be off limits just because you have a food allergy. With the right planning and preparation, eating out can still be an enjoyable part of your life. Here are some tips for dining out safely, whether at a local restaurant or while traveling.

    • Before You Go - Search the Web for allergy-friendly restaurants in your area or where you will be traveling. Ask your allergist and other individuals and families who manage food allergies for recommendations. To see if a particular restaurant may be a good choice, check out the website and review the menu in advance.
    • Call ahead and ask to speak to a manager. Ask about the dishes you might want to order. Explain your needs and ask if the restaurant can accommodate you. Call before or after the busy mealtime hours so the manager and chef will have more time to work with you.
    • Ask if the person you speak with will be at the restaurant while you’re there. If not, ask for the name of the manager or staff member who is aware of the circumstances.
    • If you plan to attend a catered event where the food will be prepared in advance, ask if it’s possible to provide an allergy-friendly option.
    • Bring a chef card. This wallet-sized card lists your food allergies and states that your food must be cooked in a clean and safe area to avoid cross-contamination. You can find online sources for cards in multiple languages, or make your own."

    May 01, 2013
    * GPO’S Federal Digital System Reaches 500 Million Retrievals

    Gary Somerset: "The U.S. Government Printing Office’s (GPO) Federal Digital System (FDsys) has achieved the milestone of 500 million document retrievals. FDsys is a one-stop site for authentic, published information on the three branches of the Federal Government. Retrievals are measured by the number of times content is viewed or downloaded from FDsys. GPO launched FDsys in January 2009 and since that time it has expanded to include 800 thousand searchable titles. Examples of content found on FDsys include: the post-President Kennedy’s assassination tape recordings, President Nixon’s Watergate grand jury testimony, the Budget of the U.S. Government, the Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, and congressional bills, hearings, and reports. GPO is continually adding content and working with agencies on new collection opportunities."

    April 30, 2013
    * Best Places to Work in the Federal Government: Analysis - Government Innovation Slipping

    Partnership for Public Service - Most Innovative Agencies - Snapshot 2012. May 2013: "From 2011 to 2012, the government-wide innovation score dropped by 1.7 points to 61.5 out of 100. While the vast majority of employees (91 percent) said they are always looking for ways to do their jobs better, a smaller majority (57.2 percent) said they feel encouraged to do so. However, only roughly four out of 10 employees—36.3 percent—said creativity and innovation are rewarded in their agency. The latter two questions slipped by 2.0 and 2.5 points, respectively, since last year’s survey, suggesting that while federal workers remain motivated to improve the ways they do their work, they do not feel supported by their organizations in doing so."

  • See also FCW.com: "NASA is one agency that seems to have it figured out. Not only is it ranked at the top, but four of the top five agency subcomponents rated for innovation belong to the space agency. It's tempting to think that there is something in particular about the space mission that breeds innovation. But according to Dan Helfrich [a principal at Deloitte Consulting, who contributed to the report], it's more about a culture of leaders and supervisors encouraging employees to provide new ideas and then giving employees a chance to try them out."
  • April 28, 2013
    * White House Launches a Tumblr

    "We see some great things here at the White House every day, and sharing that stuff with you is one of the best parts of our jobs. That’s why we’re launching a Tumblr. We’ll post things like the best quotes from President Obama, or video of young scientists visiting the White House for the science fair, or photos of adorable moments with Bo. We’ve got some wonky charts, too. Because to us, those are actually kind of exciting. But this is also about you. President Obama is committed to making this the most open and accessible administration in history, and our Tumblr is no exception. We want to see what you have to share: Questions you have for the White House, stories of what a policy like immigration reform means to you, or ways we can improve our Tumbling. We’re new here, and we’re all ears."

    * Total NICS Background Checks: 1998-2013

    "The National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, is all about saving lives and protecting people from harm—by not letting guns and explosives fall into the wrong hands. It also ensures the timely transfer of firearms to eligible gun buyers. Mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 and launched by the FBI on November 30, 1998, NICS is used by Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to instantly determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to buy firearms or explosives. Before ringing up the sale, cashiers call in a check to the FBI or to other designated agencies to ensure that each customer does not have a criminal record or isn’t otherwise ineligible to make a purchase. More than 100 million such checks have been made in the last decade, leading to more than 700,000 denials.

  • Total NICS Background Checks - November 30, 1998 - March 31, 2013: "These statistics represent the number of firearm background checks initiated through the NICS. They do not represent the number of firearms sold. Based on varying state laws and purchase scenarios, a one-to-one correlation cannot be made between a firearm background check and a firearm sale."
  • April 25, 2013
    * Federal Websites For and About American Indians

    Steve Beleu, Oklahoma Dept. of Libraries: "I've tried to link to every federal agency website and webpage that contains significant information for and about our American Indian Nations. Of course I've missed a few, so if you know about them please send me information about them and I'll add them. Note: in the topic of "Health - Data" the "FEHBP Disparity Index" isn't working. But that is because IHS takes down websites when they work on them. The Index will reappear here after IHS finishes revising it. The link is not bad."

    * Publicly Available Social Media Monitoring and Situational Awareness Initiative Update

    Privacy Impact Assessment for the Office of Operations Coordination and Planning - Publicly Available Social Media Monitoring and Situational Awareness Initiative, DHS, Update April 1, 2013

  • "To monitor social media, National Operations Center Media Monitoring analysts only use publicly available search engines, content aggregators, and site-specific search tools to find items of potential interest to DHS. Once the analysts determine an item or event is of sufficient value to DHS to be reported, they extract only the pertinent, authorized information, and put it into a specific web application (Media Monitoring Capability (MMC) application) to build and format their reports. The unused information for each item of interest is not stored or filed for reference and is lost when the webpage is closed or deleted. The MMC application also facilitates tracking previous reports to help avoid duplicative reporting and ensures further development of reporting on ongoing issues. It allows analysts to electronically document details using a customized user interface, and disseminate relevant information in a standardized format. Using the MMC application, NOC MMC analysts can efficiently and effectively catalog the information by adding meta - tags such as location, category, critical information requirement, image files, and source information. The application empowers NOC MMC analysts to have a better grasp of the common operating picture by providing the means to quickly search for an item of interest using any of the above - mentioned meta-tags as well as enabling them to respond to requests for information from other collaborating entities in a timely fashion."
  • April 23, 2013
    * April 27 is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day

    "Saturday, April 27 is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The event runs from 10:00am until 2:00pm. If you have unwanted prescription drugs or over-the-counter medicines, this is a great opportunity to safely discard them. Enter your ZIP code to find a collection site near you. Properly disposing of medicines is important to human health and environmental protection.

    • Don't flush medicines down the toilet or drain. Doing so could affect drinking water sources.
    • Don't throw medicines directly in the trash. Doing so could lead to the poisoning of a child or pet, or drug abuse by a teen or adult.
    • Do find out how to properly dispose of medicines

    April 22, 2013
    * USGS - Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation

    "Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON) is a product of the U.S. Geological Survey's Core Science Analytics and Synthesis Program. BISON is an information system that allows users to access, explore, and download U.S. species occurrence data from participating data providers... Researchers collect species occurrence data, records of an organism at a particular time in a particular place, as a primary or ancillary function of many biological field investigations. Presently, these data reside in numerous distributed systems and formats (including publications) and are consequently not being used to their full potential. As a step toward addressing this challenge, the Core Science Analytics and Synthesis (CSAS) program of the US Geological Survey (USGS) is developing Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON), an integrated and permanent resource for biological occurrence data from the United States. BISON will leverage the accumulated human and infrastructural resources of the long-term USGS investment in research and information management and delivery." [Darlene Fichter]

    April 21, 2013
    * PortfolioStat 2.0: Driving Better Management and Efficiency in Federal IT

    "In March 2012, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) initiated PortfolioStat. Agencies across the Federal government undertook a data-driven effort to examine their IT portfolios to identify common areas of spending with the goal of decreasing duplication and driving down costs. Through this process, agencies identified more than $2.5 billion in spending reductions that could be achieved from FY 2013 through FY 2015. Acting Director Jeff Zients and Steven VanRoekel is the U.S. Chief Information Officer signed a memo commencing this year’s PortfolioStat process and outlining improvements from last year. PortfolioStat will be an ongoing effort, growing each year to incorporate lessons learned and changes in technology. The upgraded process streamlines agency data collection and improves analytics, consolidates the agency’s strategic IT direction and management improvements into one central plan, and holds agencies accountable for the goals set through last year’s process. A key lesson learned is that agencies should evolve their IT portfolios to deliver IT “as a service.” Unlike traditional capital models where assets are purchased for individual projects, the service delivery model entails agencies deploying their IT like a business, optimizing it for consumption agency-wide. For example, with cloud computing solutions, agencies have a scalable and transparent way to provision IT services, giving agencies a viable enterprise alternative to often stove-piped, capital IT investments."

    April 20, 2013
    * EPIC: White House Releases Unclassified Summary of Presidential Cybersecurity Directive

    EPIC:

  • "The White House has released an unclassified summary of Presidential Policy Directive 20. The Policy Directive sets out the cybersecurity authority of the National Security Agency in the United States and has raised concerns about government surveillance of the Internet. The existence of the Directive was detailed in a story in the Washington Post in 2012, and EPIC immediately pursued the public release of the document. According to the White House, PPD-20 "established principles and processes for the use of cyber operations so that cyber tools are integrated with the full array of national security tools." EPIC is still pursuing the release of the full document. For more information see EPIC: Cybersecurity Privacy Practical Implications and EPIC: EPIC v. NSA (NSPD 54)."

  • April 19, 2013
    April 17, 2013
    * U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN)

    "U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) consists of 114 stations developed, deployed, managed, and maintained by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the continental United States for the express purpose of detecting the national signal of climate change. The vision of the USCRN program is to maintain a sustainable high-quality climate observation network that 50 years from now can with the highest degree of confidence answer the question: How has the climate of the nation changed over the past 50 years? These stations were designed with climate science in mind...A recently completed article on the USCRN network's first decade is available in early online release of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. Our full list of publications includes information on how to best cite USCRN data use."

    * E-Gov Site is Winner of Design of the Year 2013

    "The Designs of the Year awards, ‘The Oscars of the design world' showcase the most innovative and imaginative designs from around the world, over the past year, spanning seven categories: Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Transport and Product. Category winners and the overall winner will be decided by a jury and announced on 16 April 2013.

  • Winner of Design of the Year 2013: GOV.UK WEBSITE, Designed by Government Digital Service
  • April 11, 2013
    * EU - General Secretariat of the Council Central Library: Think Tank Review

    "Welcome to issue 1 of the Review of Think Tank publications on EU affairs, compiled by the Central Library of the General Secretariat of the Council. The review provides abstracts and links to papers published in the previous month by think tanks in Brussels and elsewhere. It will be issued monthly and will be available on paper at the Central Library and online on our Intranet and Internet. It can be disseminated freely - the usual disclaimers apply. Think tank publications in the first section deal with EU institutions and politics, with a focus on the crisis and its impact on European societies, and with perspectives from Brussels, Barcelona, Kiel, London, Davos, Prague and Rome. The UK relationship with the EU also attracted a lot of attention from the think tank community in January. Some see a connection between the UK-EU relationship and the role of Ireland, which recently took over the 6-month Presidency of the EU Council." [Via Helene LeBlanc and kudos to the Central Library!]

    April 10, 2013
    * DOE Launches New Database: SciTech Connect

    Via Tim Byrne/DOE: "The Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) has launched a new database product called SciTech Connect. SciTech Connect consolidates the contents of OSTI's Information Bridge and Energy Citations Database, and will gradually replace these products. SciTech Connect employs an innovative semantic search tool enabling users to retrieve more relevant information. Other features include faceting, in-document search, word clouds, and personalization. SciTech Connect's semantic search technique is known as keyword-to-concept mapping. It accepts keyword-based queries and returns concept-mapped queries as in a taxonomy; a search term is mapped to other associated terms, including narrower and related concepts."

    April 09, 2013
    * "Federal Agencies Feeling the Immediate Demand for Alternative Funding"

    News release: "Sixty-two percent of Federal managers report personal experience with tighter budgets and 51 percent have seen the impact in programs that they depend on to complete their agency missions. These budget cuts increasingly put agency missions at risk and as a result agencies are exploring more innovative approaches to funding, according to a new MeriTalk report, the government IT network, study sponsored by NIC. The new report, “Innovators Anonymous,” reveals just how deep the budget cuts go and how innovators within agencies are looking for alternative funding solutions."

    April 08, 2013
    * New - Central Library of the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union and of the European Council

    Carlo Marzocchi - Head of Sector, Library & Information Service: "The Council of the European Union is the European Union institution where the Member States' ministers responsible for specific areas (e.g. finance, health, education) meet to discuss issues of common concern within their countries. The European Council consists of the Heads of State, or Government, of the Member States, together with the President of the Council and the President of the Commission. The European Council provides the Union with the necessary impetus for its development and defines its general political directions and priorities. It does not exercise legislative functions. The administrative support to both institutions is ensured by the General Secretariat of the Council or GSC. The Central Library identifies and makes available to GSC staff a variety of information resources relevant to GSC core activities, in all 23 working languages of the European Union. Besides paper-based collections available in the reading room or through loans, the Central Library, together with the GSC's Legal Library and Language Library, selects and delivers a variety of online resources that can be accessed by all GSC staff, generally from within GSC premises. The Central Library holds over 100,000 monographs and EU publications. Newspapers and periodicals from EU Member States are available in the reading room. The Official Journal of the European Communities is available on paper, on microfiche (until 1997), on CD-ROM (from 1998 on) and via internet." [via Helene LeBlanc]

    April 03, 2013
    * Review of the Department of Labor's Site Exposure Matrix Database

    "In response to the concerns expressed by workers and their representatives, DOL asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to review the SEM database and its use of a particular database, Haz-Map, as the source of its toxic substance-occupational disease links. Accordingly, this IOM consensus report reflects careful consideration of its charge by the committee, and describes the strengths and shortcomings of both. To complete its task, IOM formed an ad hoc committee of experts in occupational medicine, toxicology, epidemiology, industrial hygiene, public health, and biostatistics to conduct an 18-month study to review the scientific rigor of the SEM database. The committee held two public meetings at which it heard from DOL Division of Energy Employee Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC) representatives, the DOL contractor that developed the SEM database, the developer of the Haz-Map database, DOE worker advocacy groups, and several individual workers. The committee also submitted written questions to DOL to seek clarification of specific issues and received written responses from DEEOIC. The committee's report considers both the strengths and weaknesses of the SEM and the Haz-Map databases, recognizing that the latter was developed first and for a different purpose. The committee then discusses its findings and recommends improvements that could be made in both databases with a focus on enhancing the usability of SEM for both DOL claims examiners and for former DOE workers and their representatives. Review of the Department of Labor's Site Exposure Matrix Database summarizes the committee's findings."

    April 02, 2013
    * Petition - Require free online permanent public access to ALL federal government information and publications

    James R. Jacobs - Government Information Librarian - Stanford University: "...[we have created] a petition on the White House's "We the People" petition site. If you believe in free permanent public access to authentic government information, we hope you'll sign the petition. And if every one of the @2500 govdoc-l subscribers signs, posts to their Facebook accounts and sends to 10 friends who sign, we'll reach our goal of 100,000 signatures by April 11, 2013! If we get enough signatures, the White House will respond and the FDLP community will move forward by leaps and bounds." See the Petition and the Context.
    WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO:
    Require free online permanent public access to ALL federal government information and publications.
    1. Assure that GPO has the funds to continue to maintain and develop the Federal Digital System (FDsys).
    2. Raise ALL Congressional, Executive & Judicial branch information, publications & data to the level of federally funded scientific information & publish ALL government information as "Open Access."
    3. Mandate the free permanent public access to other Federal information currently maintained in fee-based databases - including the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), the National Technical Reports Library (NTRL), & USA Trade Online.
    4. Establish an interagency, govt-wide strategy to manage the entire lifecycle of digital government information w/ FDLP Libraries - publication, access, usability, bulk download, long-term preservation, standards & metadata.

    * SEC Says Social Media OK for Company Announcements if Investors Are Alerted

    "The Securities and Exchange Commission today issued a report that makes clear that companies can use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to announce key information in compliance with Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD) so long as investors have been alerted about which social media will be used to disseminate such information. The SEC’s report of investigation confirms that Regulation FD applies to social media and other emerging means of communication used by public companies the same way it applies to company websites. The SEC issued guidance in 2008 clarifying that websites can serve as an effective means for disseminating information to investors if they’ve been made aware that’s where to look for it. Today’s report clarifies that company communications made through social media channels could constitute selective disclosures and, therefore, require careful Regulation FD analysis."

    April 01, 2013
    * New FTC Graphic Highlights Key Information About Mobile Apps for Kids

    "For parents, the growing universe of mobile applications targeted at kids can be overwhelming. Knowing which app is the right fit for your family poses a major challenge to parents on the go. A new informational graphic produced by the staff of the Federal Trade Commission helps with a useful visual tool for parents and other consumers making decisions about what kids’ apps to download to their mobile devices. The infographic highlights the importance of taking time to check out an app and also to change the settings on your phone to make sure kids using an app can’t inadvertently access any unwanted features. In addition, the infographic notes that one of the best ways to know an app is to use the app alongside the child to see the full scope of what it can do. The graphic points out that many times free apps may allow users to make purchases with real money, and apps may share personal information or contain advertising but not disclose this upfront."

    March 28, 2013
    * CFBP Consumer Complaint Database now includes federal and private student loans

    CFPB - Consumer Complaint Database - "These are complaints we’ve received about financial products and services. Learn about the complaint process. We don’t verify all the facts alleged in these complaints but we do take steps to confirm a commercial relationship between the consumer and company. Complaints are listed here after the company responds or after they have had the complaint for 15 calendar days, whichever comes first. We remove complaints if they don’t meet all of the publication criteria. Data is refreshed nightly."

    March 27, 2013
    * HealthCare.gov - Find Insurance Options

    "This tool will help you find the health insurance best suited to your needs, whether it's private insurance for individuals, families, and small businesses, or public programs that may work for you. It was created to help consumers under the health insurance reform law, the Affordable Care Act." Includes pricing information.

    March 26, 2013
    * Report - How the 50 States Rate in Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data

    "Every year, state governments spend tens of billions of dollars through contracts with private entities for goods and services, subsidies to encourage economic development, grants, and other forms of spending. Accountability and public scrutiny are necessary to ensure that state funds are well spent. In recent years, state governments across the country have created transparency websites that provide checkbook-level information on government spending – meaning that users can view the payments made to individual companies and details about the goods or services purchased. These websites allow residents and watchdog groups to ensure that taxpayers get their money’s worth from deals the state makes with companies. In 2013, for the first time, all 50 states provide some checkbook-level information on state spending via the Internet. In 48 states – all except California and Vermont – this information is now searchable. Just four years ago, only 32 states provided checkbook-level information on state spending online, and only 29 states provided that information in searchable form. This report, U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s fourth annual evaluation of state transparency websites, finds that states are closer than ever before to meeting the standards of “Transparency 2.0” – encompassing, one-stop, one-click checkbook transparency and accountability. Over the past year, new states have opened the books on public spending and several states have pioneered new tools to further expand citizens’ access to critical spending information. Many states, however, still have a long way to go to provide taxpayers with the information they need to ensure that government is spending their money effectively."

    March 25, 2013
    * USPS - Supercomputing and Revenue Protection

    FCW.com - by Frank Konkel: "The United States Postal Service is at the cutting edge of supercomputing technologies and the big data revolution, operating one of the most powerful non-classified supercomputing databases on the planet to process and detect fraud on over 528 million mail pieces every day. While some agencies struggle to implement big data strategies, USPS has been experimenting with it since 2006 as a means of fraud detection, and its implemented IT architecture has expanded to address what is arguably "one of the world’s most voluminous real-time transactional data problems," according to USPS program manager Scot Atkins."

    March 24, 2013
    * UK - House of Lords revised open access policy and guidance

    News release: "The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has written to Research Councils UK welcoming the publication of its revised open access policy but calling for three further changes to the policy to ensure that there is absolute clarity.

  • Letter from the Chairman Lord Krebs to RCUK, 20 March 2013
  • The Committee’s letter reasserts recommendations they made in their report The implementation of open access, published in February 2013.
  • March 20, 2013
    * Federal Computer Week: Amazon and CIA ink cloud deal

    "In a move sure to send ripples through the federal IT community, FCW has learned that the CIA has agreed to a cloud computing contract with electronic commerce giant Amazon, worth up to $600 million over 10 years. Amazon Web Services will help the intelligence agency build a private cloud infrastructure that helps the agency keep up with emerging technologies like big data in a cost-effective manner not possible under the CIA's previous cloud efforts, sources told FCW."

    * Annual Report of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO)

    GPO 2012 Annual Report: "The Government Printing Office (GPO) is transforming itself from a traditional ink- on-paper operation to a digital information platform. While producing the official printed products of the Government remains an important part of our business, we are using technology to move away from a print-centric business model and toward a content-centric focus, which today serves as the foundation for an increasing variety of digital and secure products and services...GPO’s federal Digital System (), our one-stop, no-fee Web site providing public access to the official information products of all three branches of the Government, continues to grow. Today we have more than 800,000 individual titles accessible via FDsys, and we are seeing more than 37 million documents retrieved each month. By the end of the year FDsys surpassed its 400 millionth document retrieval.

    March 19, 2013
    * New Migration Tables from the Census Bureau Show County-to-County Moves Across U.S.

    "Across the country, 47.3 million people lived in a different house a year earlier and 17.3 million of them lived in a different county within the U.S., according to information the U.S. Census Bureau released today on migration. This translates to an average of about 130,000 people moving every day. Seven of the top 10 flows of movers were among counties in the Los Angeles and Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., metropolitan areas. An estimated 44,020 people -- or an average of about 121 per day -- moved from Los Angeles County to San Bernardino County, Calif., which is the largest number of people moving from one county to another in the nation. The rest of the top 10 flows of movers were people moving among counties in the Miami, Phoenix, Detroit and Chicago metro areas. These findings were released in a series of County-to-County Migration Flow Tables, which come from data collected by the American Community Survey between 2006 and 2010. In the survey, household members were asked where they lived a year ago and responses were combined into a weighted average for the period...To help users understand and interact with these statistics, the Census Bureau has developed an online mapping tool called Census Flows Mapper."

    March 18, 2013
    * EOP - Improving the Collection and Use of Information about Contractor Performance and Integrity

    Office of Federal Procurement Policy, March 6, 2013

  • "Over the past several years, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) has worked with agency Chief Acquisition Officers (CAOs) and Senior Procurement Executives (SPEs) to improve the value of contractor performance assessments and increase the transparency of data about contractor integrity. Through these efforts, our past performance systems and regulations now support a single repository of this important information, contractor integrity information is now publicly available, and new data management tools have been developed to help agencies improve their reporting. These and other efforts have set a strong foundation for providing contracting officers (COs) important information about contractors when making source selection and award decisions. However, agencies must increase their use of these tools, as under reporting performance information leaves the government vulnerable to poor acquisition outcomes in the future."
  • March 17, 2013
    * Grading Government Transparency Scientists’ Freedom to Speak (and Tweet) at Federal Agencies

    Union of Concerned Scientists - "A strong democracy depends on transparency, accountability, and trust in the government to make evidence-based decisions that protect public health and the environment. Federal scientists play an important role in fulfilling this mandate by providing critical expertise to decision makers and the American people. But sometimes, political or commercial forces interfere with this process, preventing scientific information from reaching those who need it. Strong policies governing external communications serve as the first line of defense against such abuses. Our 2013 report, Grading Government Transparency, looks at the policies governing scientists' communications through both traditional and social media at 17 federal agencies, evaluating the policies in a variety of categories and summarizing each evaluation with a letter grade."

    March 16, 2013
    * Google Spectrum Database

    "The rapid growth of connected devices around the world has dramatically increased demand for wireless spectrum. Google is working with industry and regulators to make more spectrum available by enabling dynamic spectrum sharing through a database. This TV white spaces database is part of Google.org’s efforts to make more spectrum available for broadband access. To become certified as a TV White Spaces Database Administrator, we are entering into a 45-day trial with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) between March 4 and April 17, 2013. Learn more about spectrum, and how Google.org is helping to open up more spectrum for wireless broadband access."

    March 13, 2013
    * Using Metadata as the Foundation for a Government-Wide FOIA Library

    News release: "The Justice Department’s Open Government Plan version 2.0 (PDF) announced a variety of new Department initiatives concerning the administration of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). A key initiative of this plan was the development of metadata standards that would “facilitate the ability of interested persons to search and retrieve documents across websites and disparate record keeping systems.” The plan called for the Office of Information Policy (OIP) to issue guidance for developing metadata standards in the posting of FOIA documents. Today, OIP posted the first in a series of guidance pieces designed to implement these standards across all agencies of the federal government. As the volume of material posted to agency websites continues to increase and “given that information on a given topic often is separately maintained by multiple agencies, it is essential that the public can quickly retrieve records of interest that are posted across government websites.” Looking to make government information not only available, but also accessible and usable, this initial guidance piece introduces the concept of a standard metadata “FOIA” tag to be used by agencies in the posting of FOIA material on agency websites."

    March 12, 2013
    March 11, 2013
    * March Is Women's History Month

    "One hundred years ago, suffragists marched on Washington to promote women's rights. In recognition of the anniversary, the National Archives created a Pinterest board where you can view photos, letters, a cartoon, and other documents from that period. Visit WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn about generations of women who've contributed to American society."

    * EU - Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed - RASFF Portal – online searchable database

    "RASFF notifications shown in the RASFF portal are so-called "original notifications", representing a new case reported on a health risk detected in one or more consignments of a food or feed. On these cases, control authorities transmit follow-up notifications on measures taken and outcome of investigations. These follow-up notifications do not appear in the RASFF portal database."

  • RASFF legal basis
  • March 08, 2013
    * CRS Reports remain out of public domain - new legislation seeks wider access

    Sunlight Foundation Blog, by Matthew Rumsey: March 7, 2013, "Representatives Leonard Lance (R-NJ) and Mike Quigley (D-IL) reintroduced legislation that will make it easier for the public, the media, and government employees to better understand the important policy matters facing Congress. The bipartisan "Public Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Resolution of 2013" would ensure that these reports, which are often cited by courts and the media and sold by third parties for $20 per copy, are freely available to the public on a website maintained by the House Clerk. When Representatives Lance and Quigley introduced this resolution in the 112th Congress we praised the bill, noting that "reliable access to CRS Reports would ensure that everyone has timely and comprehensive access to the collective wisdom of hundreds of analysts and experts on political issues when they're at their most salient." This is perhaps even more important today with controversial issues like the sequester and gun control tying our legislature in knots. A few non-profit organizations manage to make some of these reports freely available, but only the CRS can do this in a truly comprehensive manner."

    March 06, 2013
    * Social media is transforming how government engages with citizens

    "Social media is transforming how government engages with citizens, allowing agencies to share information and deliver services more quickly and effectively than ever before. As social content, data, and platforms become more diverse, agencies have a responsibility to ensure these digital services are accessible to all citizens, including people with disabilities. To address this need, the Federal Social Media Community of Practice launched a Social Media Accessibility Working Group to collaborate with and deliver programs for accessibility communities and social media leaders across government. The Working Group, spearheaded by the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, will curate and share best practices so agencies can ensure their social media content is accessible to people with disabilities. It also will work with social media platform and tool developers, citizens and partners to encourage greater accessibility."

    March 05, 2013
    * Census - Megacommuters: 600,000 in U.S. Travel 90 Minutes and 50 Miles to Work

    "About 8.1 percent of U.S. workers have commutes of 60 minutes or longer, 4.3 percent work from home, and nearly 600,000 full-time workers had "megacommutes" of at least 90 minutes and 50 miles. [See the report - Mega Commuting in the U.S.] The average one-way daily commute for workers across the country is 25.5 minutes, and one in four commuters leave their county to work. These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey, which provides local statistics on a variety of topics for even the smallest communities. According to Out-of-State and Long Commutes: 2011, 23.0 percent of workers with long commutes (60 minutes or more) use public transit, compared with 5.3 percent for all workers. Only 61.1 percent of workers with long commutes drove to work alone, compared with 79.9 percent for all workers who worked outside the home."

    February 27, 2013
    * New GAO Reports - Combating Autism Act, E-Health Records, Federal Real Property, Indian Affairs, Strategic Sourcing
    • Combating Autism Act - HHS Agencies Responded with New and Continuing Activities, Including Oversight, GAO-13-232, Feb 27, 2013
    • Electronic Health Records - Long History of Management Challenges Raises Concerns about VA's and DOD's New Approach to Sharing Health Information, GAO-13-413T, Feb 27, 2013
    • Federal Real Property - High-Risk Designation Remains due to Persistent Management Challenges, GAO-13-422T, Feb 27, 2013
    • GAO's 2013 High-Risk Update - Medicare and Medicaid, GAO-13-433T, Feb 27, 2013
    • Indian Affairs - Management Challenges Continue to Hinder Efforts to Improve Indian Education, GAO-13-342T, Feb 27, 2013
    • KC-46 Tanker Aircraft - Program Generally Stable but Improvements in Managing Schedule Are Needed, GAO-13-258, Feb 27, 2013
    • Managing for Results - Data-Driven Performance Reviews Show Promise But Agencies Should Explore How to Involve Other Relevant Agencies, GAO-13-228, Feb 27, 2013
    • Strategic Sourcing - Improved and Expanded Use Could Provide Procurement Savings for Federal Information Technology, GAO-13-408T, Feb 27, 2013
    * Public.Resource.Org's FedFlix - view government videotapes on the web

    "FedFlix is a joint venture with the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) in cooperation with other government agencies including the National Archives. They send us government videotapes, we upload them to the Internet Archive, YouTube, and our own public domain stock footage video library — then we send the government back their videotapes and a disk drive with their digitized video. To The Movies!

    February 21, 2013
    * Gov on the Go - Boosting Public Sector Productivity by Going Mobile

    Deloitte University Press - Gov on the Go, Boosting Public Sector Productivity by Going Mobile

  • "Mobile technology, a very powerful productivity booster, offers the public sector a chance to hit the reset button. It can not only improve internal communications and access to information within public agencies, but also enable the government to fully redesign service delivery by leveraging the power of citizens as co-creators. Mobile presents the government with a unique opportunity to drive efficiency and productivity and—at the same time—create vast improvements in the services it provides citizens. Our analysis shows that if mobile adoption rates in government were to double to 70 percent, additional value generated (in terms of government output) could exceed $50 billion annually."
  • February 20, 2013
    * New Study - Big Data and the Public Sector

    News release: "Big Data" and other analytical tools have great potential to make governments more efficient and improve citizens’ lives, particularly in health and public safety sectors. A new study [and the related Infographic] released by the TechAmerica Foundation and commissioned by SAP AG, revealed that 87 percent of federal IT officials and 75 percent of state IT officials say Big Data can have real and immediate impacts on how governments operate. The survey of nearly 200 public IT officials, conducted by renowned pollsters, Penn Schoen and Berland, found that 83 percent of federal IT officials say Big Data solutions can help government cut the federal budget by at least 10 percent, or $380 billion. Those surveyed also believe that Big Data can save lives, for example by improving medical treatments."

  • See also The Big Data Commission report, Demystifying Big Data: A Practical Guide to Transforming the Business of Government - "provides the government’s senior policy and decision makers with a comprehensive roadmap to using Big Data to better serve the American people."
  • * USA.gov - Social Media Registry API Documentation

    "This documentation describes methods to use the Social Media Registry API to access the contents of the Social Media Registry. The Social Media Registry is an official source of information about social media accounts that represent official U.S. federal government agencies, elected officials, or members of the President’s Cabinet. If you work for the federal government and have a .gov or .mil e-mail address, you can register official U.S. federal accounts at HowTo.gov."

    February 17, 2013
    * Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program

    "Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program is the Nation's primary source of Federally funded revolutionary breakthroughs in advanced information technologies such as computing, networking, and software...The NITRD Program provides a framework in which many Federal agencies come together to coordinate their networking and information technology (IT) research and development (R&D) efforts. The Program operates under the aegis of the NITRD Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) Committee on Technology. The Subcommittee, made up of representatives from each of NITRD's member agencies, provides overall coordination for NITRD activities."

    February 12, 2013
    * A new training video on Advanced Searching of GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) is now available

    "The video focuses on utilizing the FDsys Advanced Search function, using metadata to return precise results, and ways to further improve search results. The video is available on the beta Web site for FDLP.gov and on gpo.gov. Please note options for closed captioning, enlarging the video, and volume control from the menu in the bottom right-hand corner of the video screen."

    * Browse Topics - Your Pathway to Government Information

    "Browse Topics is a resource designed to be the pathway to any publicly-accessible, Government information. Maintained by volunteer librarians, Browse Topics helps the public locate data, conduct research, and learn about various government Web sites."

    February 09, 2013
    * Census Bureau - Infographic on America's Foreign-Born Population

    "During the last 50 years, the foreign-born population of the United States has undergone dramatic changes in size, origins and geographic distribution. How do we know about America's foreign-born? This new infographic provides a statistical snapshot of our foreign-born population from the American Community Survey and the decennial censuses."

    February 07, 2013
    * Rebooting the Government Printing Office: Keeping America Informed in the Digital Age

    The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) independent study of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Rebooting the Government Printing Office: Keeping America Informed in the Digital Age, January 2013

  • "Over the past two decades, the shift from an industrial age to an information age has affected the way both public and private sector organizations operate. For GPO, the demand for federal print products has declined by half over the past twenty years, but the demand for information that government creates has only increased. While conducting this review, the Panel determined that GPO faces challenges in dealing with the movement to the digital age that are shared across the federal government. Critical issues for the federal government include publishing formats, metadata, authentication, cataloging, dissemination, preservation, public access, and disposition. The Panel believes that the federal government needs to establish a broad government-wide strategy to manage digital information through all stages of its lifecycle. The absence of such a strategy has resulted in a chaotic environment with significant implications for public access to government information—and, therefore, the democratic process—with some observers describing federal digital publishing as the “wild west.” Now that approximately 97 percent of all federal documents are “born digital,” many important documents are not being authenticated or preserved for the future, and the public cannot easily access them. GPO has a critical role to play along with other agencies in developing a government-wide strategy that streamlines processes, clearly defines agency responsibilities, avoids duplication and waste, and effectively provides information to current and future generations."
  • February 04, 2013
    * CKAN: the Horizon for Data.gov 2.0

    "Recently, we marked another milestone in Data.gov’s evolution. Members of the Open Knowledge Foundation met in Washington, D.C., with the Data.gov team and Federal Agencies to discuss the next iteration of Data.gov. Within months, Data.gov will see major enhancements around its data catalog, how the data is managed and the ease with which the data can be used. The most obvious change visitors will find is a single catalog that combines Data.gov and Geo.Data.gov. For the first time, nongeospatial datasets and geospatial datasets will be in one place. You’ll also find improved search capabilities, with a broader reach across the Executive Branch. Thanks to “Data.gov 2.0” code’s incorporation into the Open Government Platform (OGPL), Data.gov will be even more open and compatible with sites around the world as well. These new features are due to the software that will support Data.gov’s data management: CKAN. CKAN is an open-source data management system used around the world, including by the United Kingdom (U.K.) and by Europe’s brand new open-data site. Its developer, the U.K.-based Open Knowledge Foundation, is a nonprofit that works with people worldwide to promote increased transparency and engagement, in part through making CKAN available for open data sites."

    * United States Courts - Access to Court Opinions Expands

    "A pilot project giving the public free, text-searchable, online-access to court opinions now is available to all federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts. The Judicial Conference, the policy-making body of the Federal court system, approved national implementation of the project with the Government Printing Office, Federal Digital System (FDsys), which provides free access to publications from all three branches of federal government via the Internet. The pilot project pulls opinions nightly from courts’ Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) systems and sends them to the GPO, where they are processed and posted on the FDsys website. The functionality to transfer opinions to FDsys is included in the latest release of CM/ECF which is now available to all courts. Twenty-nine courts participated in the original pilot, and now, all courts may opt to participate in the program. Access to judicial opinions through FDsys allows the Judiciary to make its work more easily available to the public. Collections are divided into appellate, district or bankruptcy court opinions and are text-searchable across opinions and across courts. FDsys also permits embedded animation and audio. Presently, more than 600,000 opinions dating back to 2004 are available. Opinions from the pilot are already one of the most heavily used collections on FDsys, with millions of retrievals each month."

    February 03, 2013
    * EPO and USPTO launch Cooperative Patent Classification

    On January 2, 2013 "the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched the Cooperative Patent Classification scheme (CPC), a global classification system for patent documents. The system is the result of partnership between the EPO and the USPTO in their joint effort to develop a common, internationally compatible classification system for technical documents, in particular patent publications, which will be used by both offices in the patent granting process. The CPC is an ambitious harmonisation product that incorporates the best classification practices of both offices."

    January 30, 2013
    * EPA Releases New Report on Children's Health and the Environment in America

    "EPA released America’s Children and the Environment, Third Edition, a comprehensive compilation of information from a variety of sources on children’s health and the environment. The report shows trends for contaminants in air, water, food, and soil that may affect children; concentrations of contaminants in the bodies of children and women of child-bearing age; and childhood illnesses and health conditions. The report incorporates revisions to address peer review and public comments on draft materials released in 2011."

    * CDC - STATE System Interactive Maps

    Tobacco Control State highlights 2012: "The STATE System is an interactive application that houses and displays current and historical state-level data on tobacco use prevention and control. New Interactive Maps have been added to the STATE System. View data on cigarette excise tax rates, preemption and smokefree indoor air legislation for all U.S. states across multiple years using interactive maps, trend lines, bar charts, and data tables."

    * HHS Office of Global Affairs - Resources on Global Health Issues

    "The Office of Global Affairs (OGA) is the lead HHS office in global health and international matters. OGA provides advice and direction to the HHS leadership regarding international health, family, and social affairs, including health diplomacy in support of U.S. foreign policy."

    January 29, 2013
    * Census Bureau Releases New Features in American FactFinder

    "The U.S. Census Bureau today released new features for American FactFinder, an online data tool that allows users to access a variety of Census Bureau statistics, including decennial, American Community Survey and economic census statistics. The new features include a simplified main page design, the option for a guided search and an enhanced community facts tool, providing options for both novice and advanced data users. Guided Search walks users through each step of the inquiry, from selecting a topic, such as "people" or "business and industry," to selecting a geography. It also provides step-by-step options to search for information on specific race or ethnic groups, or industry codes. New enhancements to the Community Facts feature give users easy access to popular statistics about a state, city, town or ZIP code, such as total population, median income and educational attainment.
    Visit here to use these new features. An online virtual tour is also available."

    January 28, 2013
    * GPO FDsys Pilot Partnership with Treasury

    Pilot Partnership, U.S. Department of Treasury

  • Reporting Rates of Exchange
  • Official Register of the United States
  • January 24, 2013
    * EFF - Google Releases Transparency Report Showing US Surveillance Requests Up 33% in the Last Year

    News release: "This morning, Google released their semi-annual transparency report, and once again, it revealed a troubling trend: Internet surveillance around the world continues to rise, with the United States leading the way in demands for user data. Google received over 21,000 requests for data on over 33,000 users in the last six months from governments around the world, a 70% increase since Google started releasing numbers in 2010. The United States accounted for almost 40% the total requests (8,438) and the number of users (14,791). The total numbers in the US for 2012 amounted to a 33% increase from 2011. And while Google only complied with two-thirds of the total requests globally, they complied with 88% of the requests in the United States."

    January 23, 2013
    * For Your Health: Test Your Home for Radon

    EPA - "Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and is estimated to be responsible for more than 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year. You can't see, smell, or taste radon--it's a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water and gets into the air you breathe. Radon can be present outdoors and in any type of building, but you're likely to get the most exposure to radon in your own home. To help protect your health, you can test your home for radon and take measures to lower radon levels if needed."

    January 20, 2013
    * 2013 Inauguration Event Resources

  • Via National Endowment for the Humanities: 2013 Inauguration Event Resources
  • The 57th Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies. Monday, January 21, 2013. Guide for Producers and Correspondents To The Inaugural Ceremonies And Capitol Hill Events. Produced by The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, January 2013.
  • * U.S. CIO - Increased focus on providing citizens with access to government data sets

    Via DataInformed, Tam Harbert: "The White House has undertaken two major cloud and data initiatives to open up its data troves, Steven L. VanRoekel, U.S. federal CIO said:

  • Through its “cloud-first policy,” the Administration is encouraging agencies to move more aggressively to using the cloud. Through the Federal Risk Authorization and Management Program (Fed RAMP) the government offers guidelines on cloud providers, so agencies have a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. One cloud vendor, Autonomic Resources, has already been approved under those guidelines.
  • The Digital Government Strategy was launched in May with the goal of delivering better digital services to citizens. Under the strategy, agencies are to start to catalog and publish data, and “to think about machine readable as the new default inside government,” according to VanRoekel. Launched in May, the effort is a bit behind its schedule to publish a government-wide open data policy, but VanRoekel said last fall that the aim was to publish that in early 2013."
  • * EPA’s 2011 Toxics Release Inventory Shows Air Pollutants Continue to Decline

    News release: "Total toxic air releases in 2011 declined 8 percent from 2010, mostly because of decreases in hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions, even while total releases of toxic chemicals increased for the second year in a row, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report published January 16, 2013."

    January 16, 2013
    * Enhancements to U.S. Statutes at Large on FDsys

    "The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) recently enhanced the U.S. Statutes at Large collection on FDsys by adding descriptive metadata for public laws, private laws, concurrent resolutions, and presidential proclamations. For approximately 32,000 individual documents, the enhancements allow researchers improved searchability and retrieval by searching such metadata fields as title, SuDocs classification number, date, category, etc. The U.S. Statutes at Large collection includes volumes 65-115, covering the 82nd -107th Congresses, from 1951-2002. The additional descriptive data was added by both manual and automatic processes. A team of GPO staff members from Library Services and Content Management (LSCM), including catalogers and automation librarians, added descriptive metadata for titles, public law numbers, and dates."

    January 13, 2013
    * White House - National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding

    "This National Strategy for Information Sharing and Safeguarding (Strategy) aims to strike the proper balance between sharing information with those who need it to keep our country safe and safeguarding it from those who would do us harm. While these two priorities—sharing and safeguarding—are often seen as mutually exclusive, in reality they are mutually reinforcing. This Strategy, therefore, emphasizes how strengthening the protection of classified and sensitive information can help to build confidence and trust so that such information can be shared with authorized users."

    * EU - Digital Agenda: Turning government data into gold

    News release: "The Commission has launched an Open Data Strategy for Europe, which is expected to deliver a €40 billion boost to the EU's economy each year. Europe’s public administrations are sitting on a goldmine of unrealised economic potential: the large volumes of information collected by numerous public authorities and services. Member States such as the United Kingdom and France are already demonstrating this value. The strategy to lift performance EU-wide is three-fold: firstly the Commission will lead by example, opening its vaults of information to the public for free through a new data portal. Secondly, a level playing field for open data across the EU will be established. Finally, these new measures are backed by the €100 million which will be granted in 2011-2013 to fund research into improved data-handling technologies. These actions position the EU as the global leader in the re-use of public sector information. They will boost the thriving industry that turns raw data into the material that hundreds of millions of ICT users depend on, for example smart phone apps, such as maps, real-time traffic and weather information, price comparison tools and more. Other leading beneficiaries will include journalists and academics."

  • See also: The Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) aims to reboot Europe's economy and help Europe's citizens and businesses to get the most out of digital technologies. It is the first of seven flagships initiatives under Europe 2020, the EU's strategy to deliver smart sustainable and inclusive growth."
  • January 12, 2013
    * New York State Equine Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database

    Equine Breakdown, Death, Injury and Incident Database. Search fields include: Horse Name; Year or Date; Trainer Last Name; Track; Jockey/Driver Last Name; Racing Type; Equine Deaths Only.

    January 10, 2013
    * Check Your Credit Report Regularly -- It's Free!

    "You are entitled to a FREE credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) once every 12 months. You can request all three reports at once, or space them out throughout the year. It's important to review your credit report to ensure that your personal information and financial accounts are being accurately reported and that no fraudulent accounts have been initiated in your name. If you do find an error on your credit report, you can dispute the error."

    January 09, 2013
    * GPO Makes House Bills Available for Bulk Download in XML Format

    "At the direction of the House Appropriations Committee, and in support of the task force on bulk data established by House report 112-511, the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is making House bills in XML format available through GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) Bulk Data repository, beginning with the 113th Congress. The FDsys Bulk Data repository is available here. The new offering joins other GPO XML bulk data files made available to the public, including the Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, and related documents of the executive branch. Making Government information available in XML permits data to be reused and repurposed not only for print output but for conversion into ebooks, mobile web applications, and other forms of content delivery, including data mashups and other analytical tools by third party providers, which contributes to openness and transparency in Government. In addition to the files made available through the FDsys Bulk Data Repository, GPO ensures the authenticity of all information provided on FDsys by making available digitally signed copies in PDF format, which is the official, authentic version that matches the printed document."

    January 08, 2013
    * GAO Launches Key Issues Website

    "The Key Issues pages provide information about GAO's work on a range of issues facing the nation and highlight our most relevant reports. Use the tabs above to explore our Key Issues by TOPICS or by related AGENCIES. Select one or several topics or agencies and the related Key Issues will appear below."

    * Foreign Relations of the United States Released in E-Book Format

    "The Office of the Historian at the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce the release of its Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series in a new e-book format that is readable on popular electronic devices such as the Amazon Kindle and Apple iPad. The e-book edition combines many of the benefits of print and web publications in a new form that is portable and extremely convenient. During the pilot phase of the FRUS e-book initiative, select FRUS volumes are available here. The public is invited to download the new e-books and provide feedback to help improve the FRUS e-book edition. At the conclusion of the pilot phase, the Office will work to offer e-book versions of many more FRUS volumes both through the Office website and on a wide array of e-bookstores. The Office will continue to expand and enhance its e-book offerings, as part of the ongoing FRUS digitization effort."

    January 07, 2013
    * GSA - 2012 Year in Review - E- Gov Usability Testing Program

    Jonathan Rubin, DigitalGov: "Looking back, it’s clear that 2012 was a big year for the First Fridays Usability Testing Program. Improving the user experience is our game, and that’s what we spent the bulk of the year doing. Besides celebrating our second birthday (huzzah!), we conducted 26 tests on federal websites, mobile sites, intranets and much more. A special shout-out to the superstars – USA.gov’s search engine, FedRAMP, NASA (mobile), Regulations.gov, OMB Max and SAM.gov – for making usability improvements in 30 days or less!"

    December 30, 2012
    * NIST's online Atomic Spectra Database

    The NIST Physical Measurement Laboratory - online Atomic Spectra Database "provides the most authoritative information about atomic spectra available anywhere, and it is used by researchers worldwide. But how wide, exactly, is that world? What elements and wavelengths are in highest demand by different groups? And how can the ASD better serve its user community? Those questions are now being answered in detail by a new software tracking system, installed in November 2011, which records user request parameters such as element and wavelenght, as well as IP address information. A just-completed first analysis of those requests has revealed numerous unexpected insights into user preferences and needs, including a surprisingly large interest in far-infrared (FIR) wavelengths, and unanticipated similarities between searches initiated by academia and industry."

    December 29, 2012
    * 2012 Sets All-Time Record for Fewest Murders and Shootings In New York City History

    "Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly announced that new all-time lows will be set this year for the fewest number of homicides and fewest numbers of shootings in recorded New York City history. As of this morning, Dec 28th, there have been 414 homicides in 2012 – the previous record low was 471 homicides in 2009." This news release includes a table of Homicide Data Since 1963. Detailed crime statistics for each precinct are available here.

    December 27, 2012
    * Job-Related Education and Training Resources

    "Visit JobCenter.USA.gov for information about professional certifications, registered apprenticeships, occupational licenses, and other opportunities that may help you get ahead. In addition to education and training resources, you can use the job center to search for a job and learn about various career paths."

    December 26, 2012
    * Canadian Firearms Program

    Royal Canadian Mounted Police: "There are almost 1.9 million firearms licence holders in Canada. While the vast majority of firearm owners are responsible and comply with the law, over 22,000 firearms licences have been refused or revoked by the CFP for public safety reasons. Most revocations are due to court orders following a conviction.

  • The CFP is the source of firearms information for front-line police. If a police officer gets a call that may involve firearms, the CFP is there to help. The Canadian Firearms Registry Online (CFRO) contains information on all firearms licence holders as well as registered firearms. CFRO is a check that officers can use prior to attending a call, and is currently being accessed more than 14,000 times a day."
  • December 23, 2012
    * UK - Interim guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media

    Interim guidelines on prosecuting cases involving communications sent via social media, Issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions on December 19, 2012

  • "These guidelines set out the approach that prosecutors should take when making decisions in relation to cases where it is alleged that criminal offences have been committed by the sending of a communication via social media. The guidelines are designed to give clear advice to prosecutors who have been asked either for a charging decision or for early advice to the police, as well as in reviewing those cases which have been charged by the police. Adherence to these guidelines will ensure that there is a consistency of approach across the CPS."
  • * Government-wide Acquisition Contract Dashboards

    "Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) enable federal agencies to buy cost-effective, innovative solutions for information technology (IT) requirements. GWACs provide access to IT solutions such as systems design, software engineering, information assurance, and enterprise architecture solutions. Small business set-aside GWACs also provide socioeconomic credit. GWAC Dashboards display task order data by federal agency, industry partner, and GWAC."

    December 11, 2012
    * Campaign Finance Disclosure Portal

    "The Federal Election Commission's Campaign Finance Disclosure Portal provides a single point of entry to campaign finance data. You'll find easy-to-navigate maps and charts that display the campaign finance data you're most interested in. You'll also find many search tools that will help you through our data sources. You can download many of these data sets to perform your own analyses."

    December 10, 2012
    * Open Access Biomedical Image Search Engine (beta)

    "The Open-i project aims to provide next generation information retrieval services for biomedical articles from the full text collections such as PubMed Central. It is unique in its ability to index both the text and images in the articles. The article retrieval is powered by Essie (the search engine that supports ClinicalTrials.gov). Open-i lets users retrieve not only the MEDLINE citation information, but also the outcome statements in the article and the most relevant figure from it. Further, it is possible to use the figure as a query component to find other relevant images or other visually similar images. Future stages aim to provide image region-of-interest (ROI) based querying. The initial number of images is projected to be around 600,000 and will scale to millions. The extensive image analysis and indexing and deep text analysis and indexing require distributed computing. At the request of the Board of Scientific Counselors, we intend to make the image computation services available as a NLM service."

    December 09, 2012
    * HHS has created a new interactive resource to help you be tobacco free

    "The new website, www.BeTobaccoFree.gov, brings together the best information HHS has on the health effects of tobacco, quitting smoking, and more." The site includes resources in the following topic areas About Tobacco: Tobacco Facts and Figures;; Tobacco and Nicotine; Smoked Tobacco Products; Smokeless Tobacco Products; Electronic Cigarettes; News; Law/Policies; Research; Campaigns; Videos.

    * ClinicalTrials.gov - U.S. National Institutes of Health

    "ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry and results database of publicly and privately supported clinical studies of human participants conducted around the world. Learn more About Clinical Studies and About This Site, including relevant History, Policies, and Laws."

    December 05, 2012
    * State of North Carolina - Social Media Archive

    "This free and open archive provides access to more than 55,000 social media records from selected North Carolina state agencies. It is currently in beta. Social media activity from these agencies is continually being captured and indexed, and additional agencies will be included in the future. The content in this archive has been captured because it was made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by an agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions (G.S. § 132-1). Enter a keyword to search across the entire archive of social media sites, or use the Advanced Search for more options."

    December 01, 2012
    * HowTo.gov - helps government workers deliver better customer experience to citizens

    "HowTo.gov is a website to help government workers deliver a better customer experience to citizens. It’s about sharing new ideas, common challenges, lessons learned, and successes across government. HowTo.gov can help you work smarter, whether you’re on the “front lines” of government customer service; you manage a customer service channel; or you support customers through new media, open government, cloud computing, communications, innovation, or in some other way. HowTo.gov provides the tools and ideas you need to effectively serve, engage, and support your customers, no matter how they choose to interact with you. We offer best practices, training, and guidance on:

    • Strategic planning and coordinating customer service channels;
    • Federal web requirements and policies;
    • Cloud computing, apps, data and web infrastructure tools;
    • Online citizen engagement through social media and open government;
    • Web content management, usability, and design; and Contact center services."

    November 30, 2012
    * Beta FDLP.gov Launches

    "The next generation of the official Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) Web site is released in beta. The site is designed to transform our Web services into a modern, clean, and responsive resource serving the Federal depository library community and the public. Highlighted Features:

    • Streamlined, intuitive navigation system
    • Scannable articles, with easy-to-read text written for the Web
    • Introduction of a library dashboard. Upon logging in, the dashboard provides one-stop access to library-specific information (expanded resources will be added)
    • Enhanced search capabilities, including the ability to search the Federal Digital System (FDsys) and the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP)
    • Bridged content with the FDLP Community site (displaying community discussion threads on the FDLP.gov homepage)
    • Responsive design for mobile devices

    November 27, 2012
    * Estimate Your Retirement Benefits from Social Security

    USA.gov: "Whether you're getting close to retirement or planning for the future, check out Social Security's retirement estimator. The estimator gives you an idea of what your monthly Social Security benefits would be, based on your current record of Social Security earnings. Your actual benefit amount cannot be determined until you apply for benefits. As you plan for your retirement, keep in mind that you'll need about 70 percent of your pre-retirement earnings to maintain your standard of living. Social Security benefits will only make up a part of this percentage and should be supplemented by a pension, savings, and/or investments. Check out 10 Ways to Prepare for Retirement."

    November 26, 2012
    * E-Government Satisfaction Remains Strong, According to ACSI and ForeSee

    News release: "Despite a slight dip in the third quarter, citizen satisfaction with federal government websites remains near record highs, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index, released [October 23, 2012] in partnership with customer experience analytics firm ForeSee. After setting an all-time high in the second quarter, the ACSI e-government index slips 0.4 percent to 75.3 on a 100-point scale. Federal government websites have long lagged their private sector counterparts in customer satisfaction, but a recent slide for the e-business sector breaks the trend, and satisfaction with e-government (75.3) now exceeds satisfaction with private-sector e-business (74.2 in the ACSI annual report on the sector released in July 2012). However, satisfaction with e-government is still far behind private sector e-commerce, which scored 80.1 in the E-Commerce annual report published in February 2012."

    November 24, 2012
    * Pacer federal court record fees exceed system costs

    Shane Shifflett and Jennifer Gollan: "The federal government has collected millions from the online Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, or PACER – nearly five times what it cost to run the system. Between fiscal years 2006 and 2010, the government collected an average of $77 million a year from PACER fees, according to the most recent federal figures available."

    November 18, 2012
    * Secrecy News Posts New CRS Reports on Privacy
    November 15, 2012
    * Privacy: An Overview of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act

    Privacy: An Overview of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, Charles Doyle - Senior Specialist in American Public Law - October 9, 2012

  • "This report provides an overview of federal law governing wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA). It also appends citations to state law in the area and the text of ECPA. It is a federal crime to wiretap or to use a machine to capture the communications of others without court approval, unless one of the parties has given his prior consent. It is likewise a federal crime to use or disclose any information acquired by illegal wiretapping or electronic eavesdropping. Violations can result in imprisonment for not more than five years; fines up to $250,000 (up to $500,000 for organizations); civil liability for damages, attorneys’ fees and possibly punitive damages; disciplinary action against any attorneys involved; and suppression of any derivative evidence. Congress has created separate, but comparable, protective schemes for electronic communications (e.g., email) and against the surreptitious use of telephone call monitoring practices such as pen registers and trap and trace devices. Each of these protective schemes comes with a procedural mechanism to afford limited law enforcement access to private communications and communications records under conditions consistent with the dictates of the Fourth Amendment. The government has been given narrowly confined authority to engage in electronic surveillance, conduct physical searches, and install and use pen registers and trap and trace devices for law enforcement purposes under ECPA and for purposes of foreign intelligence gathering under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act."
  • November 09, 2012
    * State of New Jersey Hurricane Sandy Information Center

    This official government site provides many links to services, support, news, and government documents related to the impact and services now available as a result of the storm. It includes links for volunteer efforts, support for parents and families, pet rescue, information on mass transit, gasoline sources and supplies.

    November 08, 2012
    * GOV.uk goes live

    News release: [Effective October 17, 2012], every visitor to the www.direct.gov.uk and www.businesslink.gov.uk has been directed to www.gov.uk. Under the promise to be 'simpler, clearer, faster' the site is billed as the new online home of government services and information. The Cabinet Office's Government Digital Services says GOV.uk is the first phase in the creation of a single domain for government. GOV.uk is the fourth attempt in 20 years to create a one-stop point on the web for central government. Its predecessors were creatures of their time, ranging from a simple directory of websites open.gov.uk (1995), to the dotcom era UKOnline (2000) and the mega-project Directgov (2004). GOV.uk is a creation of the "back to basics" e-government strategy promulgated by Martha Lane Fox's "Revolution, not Evolution" report for the coalition and endorsed by Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude...For an insight into the creation of GOV.uk and plans for the future, see UKauthorITy's interview with Mike Bracken, head of the Government Digital Service."

    November 06, 2012
    * Identifying Peer Firms: Evidence from Edgar Search Traffic

    Lee, Charles M.C., Ma, Paul and Wang, Charles C. Y., Identifying Peer Firms: Evidence from Edgar Search Traffic (November 5, 2012). Available at SSRN

  • "Using internet traffic patterns at the SEC EDGAR website, we show that firms appearing in chronologically adjacent searches by the same individual are fundamentally similar on multiple dimensions. In fact, traffic-based peer firms identified by our algorithm significantly outperform peer firms based on six-digit GICS industry grouping in explaining cross-sectional variations in base firms’ stock returns, valuation multiples, forecasted and realized growth rates, research and development expenditures, and various other key financial ratios. Our results highlight the usefulness of EDGAR data, as well as the latent intelligence in search traffic patterns."
  • November 05, 2012
    * The United States Government Manual - Searchable Database

    "The United States Government Manual is the official handbook of the Federal Government. This special edition of the Federal Register is currently updated to provide comprehensive and authoritative descriptions of the programs and activities of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Government Manual also includes information about quasi-official agencies, international organizations with U.S. membership, and Federal boards, commissions, and committees."

    October 31, 2012
    * FEMA - Donate to Sandy Survivors

    "The best way to support survivors of Hurricane Sandy is to make a financial contribution to the voluntary organization of your choice. National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) is the forum where organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle — preparation, response and recovery — to help disaster survivors and their communities. To donate goods, visit the National Donations Management Network. Visit National VOAD to donate cash to one of their 50+ member organizations or donate through the State VOAD of one of the affected areas..."

    October 30, 2012
    * FEMA - Disaster Declarations

    FEMA - Disaster Declarations - Total number of declared disasters: searchable database - choose State or Year. Includes full text news releases with disaster relief contacts - social media, land line, mobile devices and websites. State and regional fact sheets also provided. This site is updated frequently, and provides residents impacted by disasters with immediate contact assistance.

    * Fuel Economy Study for 2013 Model Year Vehicles

    "This section contains the fuel economy values for 2013 model year vehicles. Additional information for alternative fuel vehicles can be found on pages 19–28. Alternative fuel vehicles are highlighted with a medium orange background, and those that can use two kinds of fuel, such as flexible fuel vehicles, have an entry for each fuel type."

    October 28, 2012
    October 25, 2012
    * Library of Congress Launches New Home Page

    "The Law Library of Congress is pleased to announce a new homepage at http://loc.gov/law/. It is less text heavy, easier to scan, and includes a highlights carousel. Two of the most used products, Congress.gov and the Guide to Law Online, are prominently displayed. The @LawLibCongress Twitter stream is now on the homepage in the right column. The homepage updates compliments the enhancements made in June that widened the page layout and improved search by adding metadata and related facets." [via Emily Carr]

    October 16, 2012
    * GPO - Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange 1956-2005

    Pilot Project in Partnership with the U.S. Department of Treasury -
    Treasury Reporting Rates of Exchange 1956-2005

    October 12, 2012
    * Government's free information resource about Alzheimer's disease

    "Welcome to alzheimers.gov, the government's free information resource about Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Here you can find links to authoritative, up-to-date information from agencies and organizations with expertise in these areas."

    October 10, 2012
    * EPA Announces New Electronic Filing System for Environmental Reviews

    "Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced e-NEPA, a new online system that allows federal agencies to submit environmental impact statements (EISs) electronically. Traditionally, EISs have been submitted to EPA in hard copy. e-NEPA eliminates the need to mail or deliver copies of EISs to EPA headquarters, reducing printing, shipping, and delivery costs. It also saves time through electronic filing and e-confirmation and improves transparency, allowing EPA to post EIS documents to EPA’s website."

    October 09, 2012
    * eCFR Relaunched With New URL

    "The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), have released an upgraded Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) Web site. As of today, the old e-CFR site has been shutdown and will redirect users to the new site, eCFR.gov. The new site operates on an upgraded hardware and software platform, and provides an interface that emulates other Federal Register publications on FDsys. Automatic redirects from the old e-CFR website to eCFR.gov will be in place through the end of 2012. Please reset any bookmarks to the new eCFR.gov URL."

    October 06, 2012
    * National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information website

    "Welcome to the National Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information website. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services developed this website to provide information and resources to help you and your family plan for future long-term care (LTC) needs. We want to help you understand what long-term care is, how and where you can get information and services you need - now or in the future, and how to pay for services. Long-term care (LTC) is a range of services and supports you may need to meet your health or personal needs over a long period of time."

    * What Medicare covers

    Medicare.gov - the Official U.S. Government Site for Medicare

    October 05, 2012
    * National Archives Joins Federal Agencies to Launch New Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Online System

    News release: "The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with the Department of Commerce (DOC), have partnered to develop an online system aimed at expanding public access to information requested under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). FOIAonline, formerly known as the FOIA Module, is available as of today (October 1). It offers the public one place to submit FOIA requests, track their progress, communicate with the processing agency, search other requests, access previously released responsive documents and file appeals with participating agencies. For agencies, FOIAonline provides a secure website to receive and store requests, assign and process requests, post responses, generate metrics, manage records electronically, create management reports and electronically generate the annual report required from each agency by FOIA. EPA began looking at the feasibility of a FOIA portal in 2010 with the idea of leveraging Regulations.gov, the Federal rulemaking portal that allows people to comment on Federal regulations and other agency regulatory actions. EPA administers Regulations.gov, which launched in 2002 and now has 38 partner agencies that govern and financially support the program. By leveraging the infrastructure of Regulations.gov, FOIAonline avoided many start-up costs, resulting in a total of $1.3 million to launch and an estimated cost avoidance of $200 million over the next five years if broadly adopted."

    October 03, 2012
    * Demystifying Big Data: A Practical Guide to Transforming the Business of Government

    TechAmerica Foundation's Big Data Commission report, Demystifying Big Data: A Practical Guide to Transforming the Business of Government

  • "Big Data has the potential to transform government and society itself. Hidden in the immense volume, variety and velocity of data that is produced today is new information, facts, relationships, indicators and pointers, that either could not be practically discovered in the past, or simply did not exist before. This new information, effectively captured, managed, and analyzed, has the power to enhance profoundly the effectiveness of government. Imagine a world with an expanding population but a reduced strain on services and infrastructure; dramatically improved healthcare outcomes with greater efficiency and less investment; intensified threats to public safety and national borders, but greater levels of security; more frequent and intense weather events, but greater accuracy in prediction and management...Success in capturing the transformation lies in leveraging the skills and experiences of our business and mission leaders, rather than creating a universal Big Data architecture. It lies in understanding a specific agency’s critical business imperatives and requirements, developing the right questions to ask, understanding the art of the possible, and taking initial steps focused on serving a set of clearly defined use cases. The experiences and value gained in these initial steps lead to more questions, more value, and an evolutionary expansion of Big Data capability that continually leverages prior investments."
  • October 02, 2012
    * BLS Launches Data Sets Finder Search Tool Launched in Beta

    "Data Finder is a new search and navigation tool for BLS time series data available on the BLS website. Rather than searching individual data sets, Data Finder allows users to conveniently search multiple data sets all at once. Users can extract specific data by searching by keyword or by filtering through multiple topics, measures, and attributes. This tool is designed to eventually replace many of the existing query tools on data.bls.gov. It is being developed iteratively, and we plan to update the application on a regular basis. We therefore encourage feedback, which we will use to plan and prioritize enhancements. We want to make this product useful to you."

    * Government Agency Consortium Launches FOIAonline

    "FOIAonline is a tool that allows both the public and agency staff to make, monitor, and manage FOIA requests from a single website. Requesters may choose to submit requests and file appeals by registering for an account. This will also allow requesters to track progress and communicate directly with agency staff. Prior to making a request, a searchable repository of records previously released may be reviewed to eliminate the need to make a new request. Agency staff can move requests between organizations, review documents for potential withholding, generate invoices and make referrals and consultations quickly to other partner agencies. Agency management will be pleased with the time saved to prepare the Annual Report to the Department of Justice, a standard report in FOIAonline. FOIAonline was developed by a small group of government agencies looking for ways to use technology to process FOIA requests in a cost-effective way. FOIAonline operates as a module of the eRulemaking system and, like eRulemaking, is managed by a Change Control Board of partner agencies. The current partner agencies are: Departments of Commerce and Treasury, Environmental Protection Agency, National Archives and Records Administration, Merit System Protection Board and Federal Labor Relations Authority."

    September 30, 2012
    * DHS Privacy Policy for Operational Use of Social Media

    Public Intelligence: "The following is an instruction accompanying DHS Policy Directive 110-01 “Privacy Policy for Operational Use of Social Media” that was enacted in June 2012. The policy directive itself is only three pages and provides little information, whereas this instruction for the policy is ten pages and includes rules for compliance with the directive. The policy was enacted following congressional hearings earlier this year that criticized DHS’ monitoring of social media. However, this privacy policy specifically exempts the use of social media for “situational awareness by the National Operations Center” which was the focus of the hearings."

    September 24, 2012
    * FCW - The 50 most-followed agencies on Twitter

    Federal Computer Week: "Twitter has quickly evolved from social media novelty to critical communications channel. This list shows which federal agencies have built the biggest audiences, and where the growth has been fastest over the past year. The data [in this article] was compiled by OhMyGov, a media and technology firm that specializes in providing advanced media intelligence for government agencies, congressional offices, lobbyists, and businesses working with government. Please note that for many agencies, follower totals for multiple Twitter accounts were combined to provide a better sense of total reach. All counts are as of Aug. 31, 2012."

    September 22, 2012
    * Employee Benefits Security Administration announces launch of 401(k) fee disclosure resource website

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration has announced a new 401(k) fee disclosure website as a resource for consumers. The new site offers information on disclosures that, for the first time, will help workers with 401(k)-type retirement plans see what they are paying to invest their savings. It also includes new tips and tools on making smart retirement investment decisions...As a result of a rule published by EBSA, workers investing in 401(k)-type plans began receiving fee disclosures from their employers this summer, marking the first time that employers have been required to provide this information. Research has shown that paying just 1 percent more in fees can lead to a 28 percent decrease in a 401(k) account balance over the course of a career...If you have questions about your 401(k) plan account and the new fee disclosures, contact a benefits advisor or 1-866-444-3272."

    September 19, 2012
    * Congress.gov: The New Home for Legislative Information

    "Congress.gov makes federal United States legislative information freely available to the public. Launched Sept. 19, 2012, this version of the site is an initial beta release of Congress.gov, created as a successor to THOMAS.gov, the current public site for legislative information. The Congress.gov beta site contains legislation from the 107th Congress (2001) to the present, member of Congress profiles from the 93rd Congress (1973) to the present, and selected member profiles from the 80th through the 92nd Congresses (1947 to 1972). Over the next two years, Congress.gov will be adding information and features, eventually incorporating all of the information currently available on THOMAS.gov. (To compare the scope of legislative information available on THOMAS.gov and the scope of legislative information on the beta site, see Coverage Dates for Legislative Information.)"

    * New Database on Federal Criminal Case Processing

    "The Bureau of Justice Statistics, through its Federal Justice Statistics Resource Center (FJSRC), compiles comprehensive information describing suspects and defendants processed in the federal criminal justice system. The Federal Criminal Case Processing Statistics (FCCPS) tool is an interface that can be used to analyze federal case processing data. Users can generate various statistics in the areas of federal law enforcement, prosecution/courts and incarcerations, and based on title and section of the U.S. Criminal Code. Data are available for the years 1998-2010. Please select an analytical area of interest from the provided menu. defendants; and mean prison or probation sentence or fine. Users can select multiple years and multiple offenses."

    September 18, 2012
    * New GAO Reports - Unmanned Aircraft Systems, TARP Oversight, DHS Info Sharing, Census Info Technology, Security for Mobile Devices
    • Unmanned Aircraft Systems - Measuring Progress and Addressing Potential Privacy Concerns Would Facilitate Integration into the National Airspace System [Reissued on September 18, 2012] GAO-12-981, Sep 14, 2012
    • Financial Markets and Institutions - Treasury Continues to Implement Its Oversight System for Addressing TARP Conflicts of Interest, GAO-12-984R, Sep 18, 2012
    • Information Sharing - DHS Has Demonstrated Leadership and Progress, but Additional Actions Could Help Sustain and Strengthen Efforts, GAO-12-809, Sep 18, 2012
    • Veterans' Health Care Budget - Better Labeling of Services and More Detailed Information Could Improve the Congressional Budget Justification, GAO-12-908, Sep 18, 2012
    • Information Technology - Census Bureau Needs to Implement Key Management Practices, GAO-12-915, Sep 18, 2012
    • Information Security - Better Implementation of Controls for Mobile Devices Should Be Encouraged, GAO-12-757, Sep 18, 2012
    September 10, 2012
    * Census Bureau Launches Business.census.gov Website to Promote 2012 Economic Census

    News release: "The economic census is the U.S. Government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy. To encourage response to the 2012 Economic Census, the Census Bureau has launched business.census.gov. The site includes videos, fact sheets, story ideas and talking points that business associations, chambers of commerce, media and public agencies can use to get the word out about the economic census. Information on how communities and businesses owners can use the statistics in economic development, business decisions and strategic planning is also provided."

    * Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and

    CRS - Drones in Domestic Surveillance Operations: Fourth Amendment Implications and Legislative Responses. Richard M. Thompson II, Legislative Attorney, September 6, 2012

  • "The prospect of drone use inside the United States raises far-reaching issues concerning the extent of government surveillance authority, the value of privacy in the digital age, and the role of Congress in reconciling these issues. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are aircraft that can fly without an on-board human operator. An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is the entire system, including the aircraft, digital network, and personnel on the ground. Drones can fly either by remote control or on a predetermined flight path; can be as small as an insect and as large as a traditional jet; can be produced more cheaply than traditional aircraft; and can keep operators out of harm’s way. These unmanned aircraft are most commonly known for their operations overseas in tracking down and killing suspected members of Al Qaeda and related organizations. In addition to these missions abroad, drones are being considered for use in domestic surveillance operations, which might include in furtherance of homeland security, crime fighting, disaster relief, immigration control, and environmental monitoring."
  • September 03, 2012
    * CRS - Researching Current Federal Legislation and Regulations

    Researching Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Resources for Congressional Staff. Jerry W. Mansfield, Information Research Specialist, August 31, 2012

  • "This report is designed to introduce congressional staff to selected governmental and nongovernmental sources that are useful in tracking and obtaining information federal legislation and regulations. It includes governmental sources such as the Legislative Information System (LIS), THOMAS, the Government Printing Office’s Federal Digital System (FDsys), and U.S. Senate and House websites. Nongovernmental or commercial sources include resources such as HeinOnline and the Congressional Quarterly (CQ) websites. It also highlights classes offered by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Library of Congress Law Library."
  • August 27, 2012
    * Federal Reserve Board begins practice of publishing Reserve Bank financial reports on a quarterly basis

    News release: "The Federal Reserve Board on [August 27, 2012] began the practice of publishing unaudited combined Federal Reserve Bank financial reports on a quarterly basis. This enhancement to the Board's previous financial reporting procedures will provide greater transparency by communicating financial information on a more frequent basis and in greater detail. To access financial reports for the first and second quarters of 2012, visit here. Reserve Bank financial information for the third quarter will be released within 60 days of the quarter's end. The Board for many years has published annual financial statements for the Board of Governors and the Reserve Banks, audited by an independent audit firm. To access the most recent annual financial statements, visit here. And, for additional information on the auditing of the Federal Reserve, visit here."

    * FLU.gov - Where can I get the vaccine?

    "Where can I get the vaccine? Use the Flu Vaccine Finder to find a flu vaccine location near you this flu season. The 2012-2013 vaccine will be available starting in September and October 2012."

  • See also Vaccines.gov -
    "the federal gateway to information on vaccines and immunization for infants, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors. Vaccines.gov provides resources from federal agencies for the general public and their communities about vaccines across the lifespan."
  • August 26, 2012
    * 2012 Best of the Web Award Winners Announced

    "The 2012 Best of the Web awards, a joint endeavor of Government Technology and the Center for Digital Government, were announced Thursday, Aug. 23. First place winners are the state of Alabama, Orange County, Fla., and Louisville, Ky. A complete list of winners is here."

    August 22, 2012
    * St. Louis Fed's economic database announces 50,000 economic time series in its database

    FRED, the St. Louis Fed's economic database, has just surpassed a new milestone, with 50,000 economic time series in its database. More than 6,000 series from Eurostat's harmonized indices of consumer prices were added this month. The Eurostat data offers users the ability to compare inflation rates for different European countries. In addition, FRED recently added gold prices, more consumer credit data, and vehicle miles traveled data. FRED data can be accessed many ways--through search, by category, by source, by tags, via a data release calendar, and more." [Katrina Stierholz, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]

    August 21, 2012
    * New on LLRX - State Small Business Development Centers

    Via LLRX - State Small Business Development Centers

  • "George Bergstrom's guide helps to identify resources to research how to start a small business in each of the 50 states. He suggests the first place to start may be the Small Business Administration's district offices. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development Disadvantaged Business Utilization Program has state level resources. Another resource for many states are LinkedIn groups and Facebook groups of entrepreneurs and small business persons. In addition, George recommends checking with the local Chamber of Commerce for the area in which you plan to operate your business."
  • * Drought striken Mississippi River documented by NASA imaging

    Yale e360 digest: "A pair of NASA satellite images comparing water flow along the Mississippi River this month with August 2011 illustrates the effects of a severe summer drought along the critical waterway. A recent photo, taken just south of Memphis, Tennessee on Aug. 8, reveals extensive sandbars that are newly exposed or far larger than they were a year ago. Numerous stretches of the river have become significantly narrowed by decreased water flow. The drought, the worst in 56 years, has left the Mississippi River at its lowest levels since 1988, with some areas more than 12 feet lower than normal conditions at this time of year. Ninety-seven vessels were stranded by low waters near Greenville, Mississippi, where an 11-mile stretch of the river was closed for dredging. Farther north, near St. Louis, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been forced to stop river traffic for up to 12 hours at a time in order to keep the shipping lane wide enough, according to Reuters."

  • Related postings on climate change
  • * Cities.Data.gov

    "Showcasing the applications and opportunities for harnessing the power of open data across the nation. City officials and developers working together to help improve the information available to city residents. Data in Cities.Data.Gov is not federal data and not subject to the Data.gov data policy...This page features datasets from participating cities as well as the federal government. Datasets from participating cities are not federal government data and not subject to the Data.gov Data Policy. Each city maintains its own data policy. It is important that users understand the data policies of participating cities in order to best utilize these datasets. Federal datasets are noted with the Data.gov "world" icon and a white background. City data is noted with an icon for each city (see "Federated Domains" below) and a green background."

    August 19, 2012
    * Performance.gov provides a window on the Obama Administration's approach to improving performance and accountability

    "Performance.gov is a window to the Administration’s efforts to deliver a more effective, smarter, and leaner government. The site gives the public, government agencies, Members of Congress, the media, and others a view of the progress underway in cutting waste, streamlining government, and improving performance. Specifically, Performance.gov provides information on the following areas of focus: Acquisition; Financial Management; Human Resources; Technology; Performance Improvement; Open Government; Sustainability; Customer Service."

    August 18, 2012
    * NHTSA Event Data Recorder Research Web site

    "Since the term "EDR" can be used to cover many different types of devices, we believe it is important to define the term for purposes of this research site. When we use the term EDR in this site, we are referring to a device installed in a motor vehicle to record technical vehicle and occupant information for a brief period of time (seconds, not minutes) before, during and after a crash. For instance, EDRs may record (1) pre-crash vehicle dynamics and system status, (2) driver inputs, (3) vehicle crash signature, (4) restraint usage/deployment status, and (5) post-crash data such as the activation of an automatic collision notification (ACN) system. We are not using the term to include any type of device that either makes an audio or video record, or logs data such as hours of service for truck operators. EDRs are devices which record information related to an "event." In the context of this site the event is defined as a highway vehicle crash. EDRs can be simple or complex in design, scope, and reach. They can make a major impact on highway safety, assisting in real-world data collection to better define the auto safety problem, aiding in law enforcement, and understanding the specific aspects of a crash." [via EPIC, installation on vehicles effective on September 1, 2012]

    August 16, 2012
    * Verify U.S. Federal Government Social Media Accounts

    "The government uses social media tools like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to connect with people and communicate official information, so it’s important to know if a social media account is really managed by the federal government. This tool lets you verify if a social media account is managed by the U.S. federal government. You can look up accounts managed by federal agencies, elected officials, heads of agencies or members of the President’s Cabinet."

    August 13, 2012
    * 2012 Six-State Virtual Government Information Conference Presentations

    "The 2012 Six-State Virtual Government Information Conference was held August 8-10, 2012. This free conference, while focusing on the states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico,Utah, and Wyoming, was open to all. An recorded archive of all presentations is linked here including Abstracts, Powerpoints, Handouts. See also the Conference Planners and Contributors." [via Peggy Jobe and Janet Fisher]

    * CDC - 2011 State Obesity Map Now Available

    "2011 CDC map detailing adult obesity prevalence for all U.S. states based on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. In 2011, rates of adult obesity remain high, with state estimates ranging from 20.7 percent in Colorado to 34.9 percent in Mississippi. No state had a prevalence of adult obesity less than 20 percent, and 12 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30 percent or more. The South had the highest prevalence of adult obesity (29.5 percent), followed by the Midwest (29 percent), the Northeast (25.3 percent) and the West (24.3 percent)."

    August 11, 2012
    * USDA Disaster and Drought Assistance

    Disaster and Drought Assistance - Drought is a weather phenomenon plaguing agriculture since civilizations began farming and ranching as organized ways to feed themselves. Drought that affects growing or grazing quality affects about a third of the nation's counties each year." This site includes topical content and links to: 2012 Drought Disaster Updates; US Drought and Your Food Costs; Resilience of American Agriculture - Innovation, Diversity and Growing Markets; USDA Drought Quick Tips; Credit, Crop Insurance, Livestock Assistance.

    August 10, 2012
    * Tips for Using the U.S. Drought Monitor Website

    "The U.S. Drought Monitor map is released each Thursday morning, along with statistics reflecting the percent area in each category of drought for the entire country and Puerto Rico, for the 48 contiguous states, for each climate region, and for individual states. There are many ways to get to the statistical information:

    • To see the percent area statistics for a region or a state, drill down by double-clicking on the main U.S. Drought Monitor map.
    • For a quick statistical summary for the whole country (and for the 48 contiguous states) click on Tabular Statistics below the main map.
    • The Archive tab in the main navigation bar takes you to the Drought Monitor Archive, where you can choose two maps for a visual comparison of differences in the expanse of drought. Percent area statistics also appear below the two maps. These statistics are for the contiguous United States. You can select a region or a state from the gray dropdown box near the top of the archive page.
    • The Drought Monitor Archive Tables page lists all U.S. Drought Monitor statistics.

    * FTC Approves Final Settlement With Facebook

    News release: "Following a public comment period, the FTC has accepted as final a settlement with Facebook resolving charges that Facebook deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be shared and made public. The settlement requires Facebook to take several steps to make sure it lives up to its promises in the future, including by giving consumers clear and prominent notice and obtaining their express consent before sharing their information beyond their privacy settings, by maintaining a comprehensive privacy program to protect consumers' information, and by obtaining biennial privacy audits from an independent third party. The settlement requires Facebook to take several steps to make sure it lives up to its promises in the future, including by giving consumers clear and prominent notice and obtaining their express consent before sharing their information beyond their privacy settings, by maintaining a comprehensive privacy program to protect consumers' information, and by obtaining biennial privacy audits from an independent third party."

    August 06, 2012
    * Office of Director of National Intelligence Launches New Website

    "The Office of the Director of National Intelligence debuted the redesign of DNI.gov — enhancing the U.S. Intelligence Community’s web presence, increasing transparency and providing accurate, up-to-date information to the public. Through a complete overhaul of its front-end design, the new DNI.gov site provides a look and feel that better enables the ODNI to deliver well-organized information in a timely manner to the public. With content reorganized to better reflect ODNI’s mission to lead intelligence integration and role as the leader of the Intelligence Community, the revamped DNI.gov site includes a number of new features including links to all IC members, intelligence-related news stories, video, photographs, podcasts and subscription content from throughout the IC. The website also reflects the ODNI’s increased emphasis on web 2.0 tools such as Facebook, which allow greater reach and transparency as well as broader opportunities to highlight the efforts of our federal, state, local, territorial, tribal, private sector, and international partners."

    August 05, 2012
    * UK - Public Accounts Committee - Tenth Report Implementing the transparency agenda

    Public Accounts Committee - Tenth Report Implementing the transparency agenda: "Here you can browse the report together with the Proceedings of the Committee. The published report was ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 16 July 2012."

  • "The Government has not yet developed a full understanding of costs and benefits of making information transparent, and so decisions on what data to make available and in what form are not yet guided by value for money considerations. The Cabinet Office told us that the Open Data Institute will establish a fuller evidence base on the economic and public service benefits of open data. It is important that Government evaluates progress against the full range of objectives it has set for transparency, looking for unintended as well as planned effects."
  • * Food safety guides for groups most vulnerable to foodborne illness now available

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have partnered to create six booklets with food safety advice for populations that are most susceptible to foodborne illness. The booklets in this “at-risk series” are tailored to help older adults, transplant recipients, pregnant women, and people with cancer, diabetes or HIV/AIDS reduce their risk for foodborne illness. Each of the booklets contains 24 pages of practical guidance on how to prevent foodborne illness. The information is presented in easy-to-read charts, illustrated how-tos, and straightforward descriptions of why each group is at higher risk for foodborne illness and symptoms that may mean trouble. The booklets contain three tear-out cards with quick-reference tips for grocery shopping, cooking to the right temperature, and eating at restaurants for times when taking along the entire booklet would be impractical. While booklets on five of these topics were previously produced in 2006, the two agencies this year created a sixth booklet for pregnant women, who are at particular risk for the illness listeriosis. The six new booklets list food safety resources, such as www.foodsafety.gov, that have been made available since the earlier copies were printed. They also include revised safe cooking temperatures for meat and poultry: 145 °F for whole cuts of meat, followed by a three-minute rest time; 160 °F for ground meats; and 165 °F for all poultry and leftovers. FSIS and FDA have mailed copies of the booklets to physicians around the country who treat patients in any of these six categories, and the booklets are available to the public free of charge. Additionally, the booklets are downloadable in PDF format at www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/risk/index.html."

    August 01, 2012
    * FRASER Digital Library Adds Marriner S. Eccles Document Collection

    Katrina Stierholz - Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: FRASER, "a digital library dedicated to preserving the nation’s economic history, recently added the Marriner S. Eccles Document Collection. The new collection provides access to nearly 10,000 documents from the archival collection housed by the University of Utah. Eccles served as Chairman (1934-48) and member (1948-51) of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The collection provides research material about the Federal Reserve System, particularly during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as Eccles’s role in the monetary and fiscal systems of the United States during those years. The documents can be browsed and searched by box, date, author, or keyword (the keyword field searches title, author, and description). Full-text searching is also available through a site-level advanced search, which can be narrowed to only items in the Eccles collection. Other archival collections that have been made digitally available on FRASER include Papers from the Committee on the History of the Federal Reserve System (held by the Brookings Institution) and the William McChesney Martin Jr. Document Collection (held by the Missouri Historical Society). FRASER has more than 640 publication titles, including many periodical titles, dated from 1789 to the present, that can be browsed by title, author, date, or topic. Full-text searching is also available."

    July 30, 2012
    * Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network

    "The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) conducts active population-based surveillance in ten areas (Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, and selected counties in California, Colorado, and New York) for laboratory-confirmed cases of infection caused by Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Cyclospora, Listeria, Salmonella, Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC, including STEC O157 and STEC non-O157), Shigella, Vibrio, and Yersinia. FoodNet also conducts surveillance for postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication of STEC infection characterized by renal failure and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, through a network of pediatric nephrologists and infection-control practitioners. Hospital discharge data are reviewed to validate HUS diagnoses and verify the presence of diarrhea in the 21 days before HUS onset. This report, 2011 Preliminary FoodNet Data - contains preliminary postdiarrheal HUS data for 2010, rather than for 2011, because additional time is needed to review hospital records."

    July 27, 2012
    * Disability.gov Provides Easy Access to Information on the ADA and Other Protections for People with Disabilities

    Via USA.gov: "Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) – landmark legislation that advanced the civil rights of people with disabilities throughout the nation. However, the ADA is only one of many laws that ensure equal access for everyone. Other examples include the Assistive Technology Act, Fair Housing Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). More than 54 million people in the United States live with a disability of some kind, be it sensory, physical, intellectual, developmental, emotional or mental. Our friends at Disability.gov, the federal government website for comprehensive information on disability programs and services in communities nationwide, offer hundreds of resources on protecting your civil rights. Learn about your rights on the job, different types of discrimination, how to file a complaint and what the federal government is doing to enforce the ADA and other laws. The site also covers topics such as applying for benefits, getting health care, finding a job, and paying for housing."

  • Employment of People with Disabilities in the Federal Executive Branch Report (FY 2011). "The report is prepared in compliance with Executive Order 13548, Increasing Federal Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, and contains information on the representation of people with disabilities within the Federal Government and best practices of Federal agencies."
  • July 25, 2012
    * CSI E-Government Satisfaction Index - Q2 2012

    "Citizens are happier than ever with government websites according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index, released July 24, 2012 in partnership with customer analytics firm ForeSee. Customer satisfaction with federal government websites climbs 0.7 percent to a new all-time high of 75.6 on ACSI’s 100-point scale. Citizen satisfaction with e-government is significantly higher than with the overall federal government, which scored 66.9 in ACSI’s 2011 report on the federal government. The record high for e-gov satisfaction set this quarter is just 0.3 points below the National ACSI score, which is the average of all private companies measured by the ACSI. Despite the high score, e-government still has room for gains. E-government satisfaction has not varied more than a half point in 11 of the last 12 quarters. Two important keys to improvement are outlined in President Obama’s recent memo Digital Government: Building a 21st Century Platform to Better Serve the American People: mobile and measurement."

    July 23, 2012
    * USDA Summer Food Service Program for Children

    "During the school year, many children receive free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch through the School Breakfast and National School Lunch Programs. What happens when school lets out? Hunger is one of the most severe roadblocks to the learning process. Lack of nutrition during the summer months may set up a cycle for poor performance once school begins again. Hunger also may make children more prone to illness and other health issues. The Summer Food Service Program is designed to fill that nutrition gap and make sure children can get the nutritious meals they need. Want to help end hunger this summer? Here are a few ways you can help..."

    July 21, 2012
    * Top 14 Government Social Media Initiatives

    Information Week: "Law enforcement agencies across the nation are using social media to aid their investigations, according to a survey by LexisNexis Risk Solutions. The survey, of more than 1,200 law enforcement professionals with federal, state, and local agencies, found that 83% of the respondents are using social media, particularly Facebook and YouTube, to further their investigations. And of those not doing so, 74% intend to start using social media as a tool within the next year, which would raise the usage rate to about 95%. More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents believe that social media helps solve crimes more quickly. The most common uses of social media among those who do it include identifying persons of interest (85%) and their associates (75%), identifying criminal activity (76%) and its location (66%), and gathering photos or statements as corroborating evidence (61%)."

  • Top 14 Government Social Media Initiatives
  • July 19, 2012
    * NOAA - Extended Drought Conditions in the United States

    "By early July 2012, more than 60% of the contiguous United States was experiencing drought conditions, nearly double the area from early January. This animation shows monthly composites of D1 to D4 categories of drought in the contiguous U.S. over the time frame January 2012 to July 2012 using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Drought Monitor summary map identifies general drought areas, labeling droughts by intensity, with D1 (lightest color) being the least intense and D4 (darkest color) being the most intense."

  • New York Times - Drought’s Footprint (graphics) - "More than half of the country was under moderate to extreme drought in June, the largest area of the contiguous United States affected by such dryness in nearly 60 years. Nearly 1,300 counties across 29 states have been declared federal disaster areas. Areas under moderate to extreme drought in June of each year are shown in orange below." Related article - Widespread Drought Is Likely to Worsen.
  • Related postings on climate change
  • July 16, 2012
    * Census Bureau Launches Infographic on U.S. Veteran Population

    "This month as we celebrate our nation's Independence, we reflect on the original veterans who helped found this country. How do we know about today's heroes? This new infographic provides a statistical snapshot of our veterans from the American Community Survey (conducted annually) and the Survey of Business Owners (from the five-year economic census). This summer, the Census Bureau will provide more infographics and interactive features that will answer the question, “How Do We Know?” Visit to learn more about “How Do We Know?” and follow @uscensusbureau on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest (#HowDoWeKnow) for updates."

    July 14, 2012
    * CFPB Consumer complaint database [beta]

    Consumer complaint database [beta]: "See what’s being complained about and why. Download, search, and visualize individual-level field data, including the type of complaint, the date of submission, the consumer’s ZIP code, and the company that the complaint concerns and whether the company’s response was timely, how the company responded, and whether the consumer disputed the company’s response."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • July 13, 2012
    * FTC Offers Consumers Tips on How to Respond to Unwanted Robocalls

    News release: "Illegal pre-recorded "robocalls" are a growing annoyance for millions of American consumers and the target of an enforcement crackdown by the Federal Trade Commission. What should you do when you get one of these calls? [July 10, 2012] the FTC issued tips for consumers, as well as two new consumer education videos explaining robocalls and describing what consumers should do when they receive one. The agency also is hosting a robocall summit later this year to develop new strategies to stop illegal robocalls...The agency's two new consumer videos, "Robocalls Gone Wrong," and "What To Do if You Get a Robocall," are located on a new FTC robocalls web page, which has more information about robocalls and what the FTC is doing to protect consumers."

    * Locate federally-funded health centers online

    "Federally-funded health centers care for you, even if you have no health insurance. You pay what you can afford, based on your income. Health centers provide. Health centers are in most cities and many rural areas. Type in your address and click the 'Find Health Centers' button to find health centers near you.

    • checkups when you're well
    • treatment when you're sick
    • complete care when you're pregnant
    • immunizations and checkups for your children dental care and prescription drugs for your family mental health and substance abuse care if you need it."

    July 11, 2012
    * Prepare for Coastal Flooding with New NOAA Website

    "NOAA recently released a new website to help protect communities, people, and property from the devastation of coastal flooding. The NOAA storm surge website provides important information to help communities prepare for storm surge. Coastal flooding is often the greatest threat to life and property during storms. Floods damage roads and bridges, destroy homes and businesses, and cause injuries and death to those in harm's way. Storm surge can flood large coastal areas, reaching cities and communities miles inland. Experts from across NOAA work to reduce the damage caused by these devastating events. NOAA meteorologists and oceanographers use coastal observations and computer models to predict when storm surge may occur and assess the damage it causes. Other experts assess vulnerability and help communicate critical information. This knowledge helps people not only prepare for, but also respond to, coastal flooding from a storm. The storm surge website is one of several that NOAA maintains to promote public safety in the face of severe weather such as coastal storms and hurricanes. Other resources include NOAA Storm QuickLook, which provides current water levels along the coast during severe storms including hurricanes, the National Hurricane Center, which forecasts hazardous tropical weather, and NOAA's all-hazards website, NOAA Watch."

    July 09, 2012
    * Treasury Department Prepares to Launch Internet Payment Platform

    Federal Register Volume 77, Number 131 (Monday, July 9, 2012), "On July 5, 2011, the Treasury Department announced that it will implement the Internet Payment Platform (IPP) no later than the end of fiscal year 2012; with all new payment requests in FY2013 processed using the IPP. The Internet Payment Platform (IPP) is a secure Web-based electronic invoicing and payment system that processes vendor payment data electronically, either through a Web-based portal or electronic submission, and automates the routing and approval workflow within an agency. The IPP is provided by the Department of the Treasury's Financial Management Service through its fiscal agent, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston at no cost to vendors or government departments and agencies adopting the platform. The IPP benefits agencies by eliminating the need to file and store paper payment documentation; reducing the time of agency personnel researching and answering payment status questions by providing vendor and department-wide visibility into contract payments."

    July 02, 2012
    * New NOAA website offers tips to prepare for coastal flooding

    News release: "NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has announced a new website — www.stormsurge.noaa.gov — designed to provide vital information to help protect communities, people and property from the devastation of coastal flooding. Coastal flooding is often the greatest threat to life and property during and after storms. Floods damage roads and bridges, destroy homes and businesses, and cause injuries and death to those in harm's way. These floods are caused by storm surge — the rise in water level caused a severe storm's wind, waves, and pressure. Storm surge can flood large coastal areas, reaching cities and communities miles inland."

    * George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum Launches New Website

    News release: "The National Archives’ George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum has launched its newly designed website. The website is hosted by Southern Methodist University (SMU), the site of the Library’s future facility and an important partner for the institution. While the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is still under construction on the campus of SMU, visitors will be able to visit virtually through the new interactive website, which features highlighted documents and artifacts from the Library and Museum’s vast collections. Through a variety of online media and exhibit galleries, researchers and visitors will be able to explore the lives and careers of President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, and the American Presidency in general. Educators and students will also be able to find resources and tools to use regarding the events of the Bush Administration."

    June 28, 2012
    * The Health Care Law - Government Resources, Commentary and Analysis

    "The Affordable Care Act puts in place strong consumer protections, provides new coverage options and gives you the tools you need to make informed choices about your health. In this section, learn about how the law affects you.

    • Read the Full Law: Read the full text of the Affordable Care Act or browse and download the law by section.
    • Key Features of the Law: Read this section to learn more about your rights and protections, insurance choices, and insurance costs. Get information on important benefits and programs available to seniors and small businesses.
    • Timeline: What’s Changing and When: The health care law puts in place reforms that will roll out through 2014 and beyond. Use the timeline or a printable list of key features in chronological order to learn what’s changing and when.
    • Information for You: Use this section to learn how the law helps different groups of people from young adults to seniors and pregnant women to families with children. Find audience-specific resources, videos, and top things to know.
    • Implementation Resources: Find out how the health care law is being carried out across the country. Find links to regulations, authorities, grants, letters, reports, and other information related to the Affordable Care Act."
    • Official text of Supreme Court decision; text with annotations via Bloomberg Law - Natl. Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, Nos. 11-393, 11-398 and, 11-400, 2012 BL 160004 (U.S. June 28, 2012); and extensive analysis and links to a wide range of commentary and analysis, via SCOTUSBlog, and the persistent URL (PURL) via GPO.
    • The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) published a chart identifying the four issues the Court addressed in its decision on the Affordable Care Act, the legal arguments for and against each issue, and a very brief statement of the Court's respective ruling on each.

    * UK Open Data White Paper: Unleashing the Potential

    "Today we publish our Open Data command paper, which sets out how we’re putting data and transparency at the heart of government and public services. We’re making it easier to access public data; easier for data publishers to release data in standardised, open formats; and engraining a ‘presumption to publish’ unless specific reasons (such as privacy or national security) can be clearly articulated. From the Prime Minister down, central Government is committed to making Open Data an effective engine of economic growth, social wellbeing, political accountability and public service improvement."

    * UK Info Commissioner: Cookies - advice for members of the public

    "What are cookies? - A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that is downloaded on to your computer when you visit a website. Cookies are used by many websites and can do a number of things eg remembering your preferences, recording what you have put in your shopping basket, and counting the number of people looking at a website. The rules on cookies are covered by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. The Regulations also cover similar technologies for storing information, eg Flash cookies. The Regulations were revised in 2011, and the ICO is responsible for enforcing these new rules...Where to find information about controlling cookies:

    June 24, 2012
    * Data.gov Releases Open Source Software

    News release: "The General Services Administration (GSA) announced on May 21 that Data.Gov partnering with the Government of India National Informatics Centre has produced an open source version of Data.gov that is being made available today, the third anniversary of Data.gov. The open source product, called the Open Government Platform (OGPL), can be downloaded and evaluated by any national Government or state or local entity as a path toward making their data open and transparent. Based on Drupal, the core software includes a data management system, web site, and social networking community support. This full package, in early release, is now available for public download, comments, and open source development. The combined U.S. and India team is helping expand the global open government movement by making open data software and services available to developing nations, cities, and governments around the world. Prior to this announcement, 30 other national governments have launched their own versions of open government websites. In addition, U.S. states and local governments continue to deploy open data portals."

    June 18, 2012
    * Everything you always wanted to know about approved medicines (but didn't know where to look)

    "Ever wanted to know the ins and outs of almost every drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 1939? By using the Drugs@FDA database, you can search for information about FDA-approved brand name and generic drugs and therapeutic biological products. The database includes most of the drug products approved since 1939 and has drug labels, patient information, approval letters, and other information for most drug products approved since 1998. You can use Drugs@FDA to find:

    • Labels for drug products
    • If there are generic drug products for an innovator (“brand name”) drug product
    • Therapeutically equivalent drug products. Drug products that are therapeutically equivalent control a symptom or condition in the exact same way as another drug product.
    • Consumer information for drugs
    • All drugs with a specific active ingredient
    • The approval history of a drugs, including approval letters and review documents"

    June 04, 2012
    * Welcome to NYOpenGovernment.com

    New York State Office of the Attorney General - "A Public Integrity Initiative - NYOpenGovernment.com is an effort by the Attorney General’s office to promote your right to know and to monitor governmental decision-making. NYOpenGovernment.com is the only statewide resource that allows you to easily access statewide government information, which until now has been scattered or difficult to retrieve."

    May 28, 2012
    * Information Security Oversight Office's Report for Fiscal Year 2011

    Via FAS - this report by the Director, Information Security Oversight Office, National Archives, John P. Fitzpatrick "Dear Mr. President: I am pleased to submit the Information Security Oversight Office’s (ISOO) Report for Fiscal Year 2011, as required by Executive Order 13526, “Classified National Security Information” (the Order). This report provides statistics and analysis concerning key components of the system of classification and declassification, as well as coverage of ISOO’s reviews of Departments’ and Agencies’ programs. It also contains information with respect to industrial security in the private sector as required by Executive Order 12829, as amended, “National Industrial Security Program."

    * U.S. Dept. of State: 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

    Fact Sheet: "On May 24, 2012, the Secretary submitted the 2011 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (Human Rights Reports) to the United States Congress. The Human Rights Reports provide the facts underlying U.S. efforts to promote respect for human rights worldwide. They inform U.S. government policy making and serve as a reference for other governments, international institutions, non-governmental organizations, scholars, interested citizens, and journalists. The Human Rights Reports assess each country’s situation against universal human rights standards, during each calendar year, and each report stands on its own. Countries are not compared to each other or placed in any order other than alphabetically by region. This year, the Department modernized both the format of the reports and the online user interface."

    * DHS National Operations Center Media Monitoring Capability Desktop Reference Binder 2011

    Via EPIC FOIA release, Analyst’s Desktop Binder 2011 Redacted, Department of Homeland Security National Operations Center Media Monitoring Capability, Desktop Reference Binder.

  • "MMC [media monitoring capability] coverage focuses primarily on providing information on incidents of national significance, which are usually defined as catastrophic events that result in wide-scale damage or disruption to the nation’s critical infrastructure, key assets, or the Nation’s health; and require a coordinated and effective response by Federal, State, and Local entities. For the most part, coverage of international incidents is limited to that of terrorist activities and infectious diseases that impact a wide population of humans or animal stock, such as mad cow disease or H5N1, and catastrophic weather events around the globe (Category 5 Hurricanes, Tsunami, and Large Magnitude Earthquakes). An Item of Interest (IOI) is generated whenever an MMC search or alert produces information about an emergent incident that should be brought to the attention of the NOC [National Operations Center]."
  • Related - UK Mail Online - "The Department of Homeland Security has been forced to release a list of keywords and phrases it uses to monitor social networking sites and online media for signs of terrorist or other threats against the U.S."
  • May 27, 2012
    * Governmental Access to Data in the Cloud - A comparative analysis of ten international jurisdictions

    A Global Reality: Governmental Access to Data in the Cloud - A comparative analysis of ten international jurisdictions Governmental access to data stored in the Cloud – including cross-border access – exists in every jurisdiction, by Winston Maxwell, Paris, France Christopher Wolf, Washington, DC; May 23, 2012. A Hogan Lovells White Paper.

  • "This White Paper examines the extent to which access to data in the Cloud by governments in various jurisdictions is possible, regardless of where a Cloud provider is located. “Governmental access,” as that term is used here, includes access by all types of law enforcement authorities and other governmental agencies, recognizing that the rules may be different for law enforcement and national security access. Governments need some degree of access to data for criminal (including cybercrime) investigations and for
    purposes of national security. But privacy and confidentiality also are important issues. This paper does not enter into the ongoing debate about the potential for excessive government access to data and insufficient procedural protections. Rather, this White Paper undertakes to compare the nature and extent of governmental access to data in the Cloud in many jurisdictions around the world."
  • See also Study: Patriot Act Gives US Government No Special Access to Cloud Data
  • * Open Forum Academy Report - The Cloud Computing Workshop

    OFA Report - The Cloud Computing Workshop - "The cloud will happen; the question is whether it will happen to us, with us, or by us": "This report is prepared by the rapporteur, Dr. E. Altsitsiadis, for Open Forum Academy (OFA) in support of the Cloud Computing Workshop. The summaries of the speaker presentations and panel discussions in this report are based on the rapporteur’s notes. The workshop brought together high-level experts to discuss three broad aspects of cloud computing; the economic impact, the legal aspects and the way to move forward. The economic opportunity is irrefutable - If you live in a multi-device world, you simply need the cloud. The cloud will have a significant impact on our entire economy; from the micro level and the numerous benefits it brings to supply and demand alike, to the positive macro-effects in new job creation and GDP contribution. There are serious obstacles though in claiming these benefits, from practical operational limitations to misconceptions, distrust and a legal framework that is largely fragmented and complicated. The speakers broadened our understanding of these weak points, downplaying some issues that are overly considered important, while pointing out others that are crucial, yet evade our attention. The workshop illustrated that there are a lot of misconceptions but also a lot of common ground and it is becoming apparent that the way forward passes through better communication and collaboration, whether at the level of EU-US governments, Industry-Policymakers or Providers-Users."

    * Total cost of ownership of open source software: a report for the UK Cabinet Office

    "The Cabinet Office and London School of Economics (LSE) have published research into the Total Cost of Ownership of Open Source Software, by Maha Shaikh and Tony Cornford, Version 8.5 Final, November 2011, Unclassified. The report has beejointly financed by the Cabinet Office and OpenForum Academy, together with some of its supporters, including Alfresco, Deloitte, IBM and Red Hat."

    May 24, 2012
    * Disappearing Phone Booths - Privacy in the Digital Age

    Disappearing Phone Booths - Privacy in the Digital Age, by Erica Newland, May 2012

  • "I will...explain why the confluence of at least four circumstances – (1) digital ubiquity, (2) the increasing number of parties that take part in our daily transactions, (3) the commodification and monetization of data, (4) and woefully out-of-date privacy laws – creates something of a perfect storm, leaving us as a nation poorly equipped, in our present state, to preserve any measure of a right to privacy. That is to say, I will be arguing that technology and policy both play powerful roles in framing what is possible and how we live our lives, and that changes in technology must be accompanied by changes to policy."
  • May 23, 2012
    * From Fingerprints to DNA: Biometric Data Collection in U.S. Immigrant Communities

    "Today the Immigration Policy Center (IPC) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) release From Fingerprints to DNA: Biometric Data Collection in U.S. Immigrant Communities and Beyond. The paper outlines the current state of U.S. government collection of biometric information and the problems that could arise from these growing databases of records. It also points out how immigrant communities are immediately affected by the way this data is collected, stored, and shared."

    * Digital Government: Building a 21st Century Platform to Better Serve the American People Strategy

    "The Digital Government Strategy complements several initiatives aimed at building a 21st century government that works better for the American people. These include Executive Order 13571 (Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service), Executive Order 13576 (Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government), the President’s Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, OMB Memorandum M-10-06 (Open Government Directive), the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), and the 25-Point Implementation Plan to Reform Federal Information Technology Management (IT Reform). Through IT Reform, the Federal Government has made progress in foundational execution areas such as adopting “light technologies” (e.g. cloud computing), shared services (e.g. commodity IT), modular approaches for IT development and acquisition, and improved IT program management. The strategy leverages this progress while focusing on the next key priority area that requires government-wide action: innovating with less to deliver better digital services. It specifically draws upon the overall approach to increase return on IT investments, reduce waste and duplication, and improve the effectiveness of IT solutions defined in the Federal Shared Services Strategy."

    May 16, 2012
    May 14, 2012
    * Working the Network: A Manager’s Guide for Using Twitter in Government

    Working the Network: A Manager’s Guide for Using Twitter in Government, Ines Mergel - Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. May 14, 2012.

  • "As of this writing, the federal government operates over 1,000 Twitter feeds. Federal civilian agencies maintain over 360 Twitter feeds, while the Department of Defense hosts more than 650. In addition to its official English feed, the State Department produces Twitter feeds in Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Spanish, and French. It is fair to say that the federal government is embracing Twitter as a tool for citizen engagement. But is government realizing the panoply of benefits that a comprehensive understanding of this tool promises? Beyond acting as a broadcasting channel—supplementing the website by promoting press releases or announcing new initiatives—Twitter can help agencies follow public conversations on issues relevant to their organizations."
  • May 12, 2012
    * ForSee Poll: Mobile is the Next Frontier for e-Government Satisfaction

    "A poll of ForeSee federal government clients shows that one-third of e-government websites currently has a functional mobile site or mobile app and more than half (53%) are planning or developing a mobile site, app, or both, providing evidence that federal government agencies are beginning to recognize the benefits and opportunity of the mobile channel for serving citizens. The new findings come as part of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index, a quarterly report on the state of customer satisfaction with e-government, which customer experience analytics firm ForeSee produces in partnership with the ACSI."

  • "The world of mobile is clearly developing at lightning speed, with the growing popularity of smartphones, tablets, and mobile apps. In a January 2012 report from Forrester, analyst Kerry Bodine pronounces, “mobile and tablet devices will be key touch points for differentiation.” Comscore said in November 2011 that 91.4 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones. IBM reported that 18.3% of all traffic to online retail sites came from a mobile device on Christmas Day, more than doubling the previous year’s figure of 8.4%. Although the private sector is leading the way in mobile innovation, federal agencies, departments, and programs are starting to accept mobile as a critical channel to serve the general public, as well. The use of mobile devices provides a convenient way for citizens to access government information and complete transactions."
  • May 08, 2012
    * Sunlight Foundation Reports on U.S. Embassies and Social Media

    Sunlight Labs: "The U.S. State Department encourages the use of social media and actively tweets as part of a new “21st Century Statecraft” initiative, with diplomats required to undergo Twitter training. But why do 121 U.S. embassies have Twitter accounts, and 54 do not? What do they say through these accounts? And who listens?"

  • Twitter and US Embassies - A look in March 2012 of how many US embassies have official twitter accounts.
  • April 29, 2012
    * New E-Gov Site - Check & Register: Federal Social Media Accounts

    Via Howto.gov: "Do you have an official government social media account? Have you ever wondered if one you’re following is legit? GSA has built a federal social media registry — a government-wide solution that gives the public a way to verify whether a social media account is official. It also provides a place for agencies to register their accounts centrally so they don’t have to build a solution within each agency. This tool is now available for agencies to use on HowTo.gov, so they can start entering and editing their data."

    April 24, 2012
    * Joint governement and academic portal assists HR hiring of employees with disabilities

    FCW: "An interactive online portal has spawned new hope for people with disabilities exploring a career in the federal government -- and for managers looking to recruit them. Launched in September 2011 in response to a directive that requires agencies to boost their efforts to hire employees with disabilities, eFedLink.org connects more than 400 federal human resource professionals, disability program managers and selective placement program coordinators to share policies and best practices around hiring, retention and advancement of people with disabilities in federal government. Now that it's been in operation for more than six months, its creators -- Cornell University and the Labor Department --- are taking stock of its performance and planning the next phase."

    April 18, 2012
    * Human Rights and Technology Sales: How Corporations Can Avoid Assisting Repressive Regimes

    Human Rights and Technology Sales: How Corporations Can Avoid Assisting Repressive Regimes, By Cindy Cohn, Trevor Timm, & Jillian C. York - April 2012

  • "The Electronic Frontier Foundation believes that it's time for
    technology companies, especially those selling surveillance and filtering equipment, to step up and ensure that they aren’t assisting foreign governments in committing human rights violations against their own people...EFF proposes companies navigate these difficult issues by adopting a robust Know Your Customer program, similar to the one outlined in the current U.S. export controls or a program similar to that required by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for other purposes. Putting the focus on user and potential (or actual) use of the technology for human rights abuses by government—rather than on the capabilities of the technology itself—presents a more direct path to stopping human rights abuses, and one with fewer collateral risks."
  • April 17, 2012
    * With Earth Day Approaching, FTC Offers Energy-Saving Tips

    News release: "Earth Day is almost here, so if you still need an idea for a good way to take part, why not start by learning more about saving energy? It can benefit the environment and save you some money on your energy bills. Whether you're looking to buy new windows, a new appliance, or light bulbs, or to get your gas dollars to go further, the FTC has tips to help you make smart decisions about your energy use. Visit ftc.gov/earthday for more on:

    • Shopping for new windows — Learn more about what to consider before you replace your home's windows, and what factors could affect your energy savings.
    • Shopping for light bulbs — Find out how understanding lumens and the Lighting Facts label can help you choose the most energy-efficient bulb to meet your lighting needs. You also can check out the FTC's Shopping for Light Bulbs video.
    • Appliance shopping — See how anyone shopping for an appliance can use EnergyGuide labels to compare the energy use of different models.
    • Saving money at the pump — Read bumper-to-bumper tips to help you get more mileage out of your gas purchases."

    April 14, 2012
    * EFF: Miami-Dade PD Releases Information about Its Drone Program

    News release: "EFF recently received records from the Miami-Dade Police Department in response to a Public Records request for information on its drone program. These records provide additional insight into domestic drone use in the United States, and they reinforce the importance of public access to information on who is authorized to fly drones inside US borders. The records the Miami-Dade PD released include the Federal Aviation Administration-issued Certificate of Authorization (COA) to fly the MDPD drones. This appears to be the first time a law enforcement agency has made its COA available to the public without redactions. The COA and the other records EFF received show that Miami-Dade’s drone program is quite limited in scope. The two small drones the MDPD is flying—Honeywell T-Hawks—are able to fly up to 10,000 feet high, can record video or still images in daylight or infrared, and can “Hover and stare; [and] follow and zoom,” (pdf) according to the manufacturer. However, the COA limits their use to flights below 300 feet. The drones also must remain within visual line of sight of both a pilot and an observer and can only be flown during the day."

    April 13, 2012
    * NASA's new websites leverage open source, cloud computing and social media

    Information Week Government: "NASA is building an entirely new Web architecture that leans heavily on cloud computing, open source tools, and social media. It will be used both for public-facing websites and internal Web services, the space agency announced Tuesday. The new Web architecture is part of version 2.0 of NASA's Open Government Plan. All the major federal agencies released updates on their open government efforts this week as part of the Obama administration's larger Open Government Initiative, which was jump started by a memo from President Obama in January 2009, soon after he took office. The NASA plan's focus on the Web is not only natural for any open government effort, but also for NASA in particular, as the agency has been on the Web since the early 1990s. NASA websites are quite popular as government sites go, drawing 600,000 daily visitors and 140 million annual visits. NASA also has more than 250 social media accounts across at least eight social media platforms."

    April 10, 2012
    * The New Ambiguity of 'Open Government'

    The New Ambiguity of 'Open Government' - Harlan Yu, David G. Robinson, Forthcoming in UCLA Law Review Discourse - Princeton CITP / Yale ISP Working Paper

  • “Open government” used to carry a hard political edge: it referred to politically sensitive disclosures of government information. The phrase was first used in the 1950s, in the debates leading up to passage of the Freedom of Information Act. But over the last few years, that traditional meaning has blurred, and has shifted toward technology. Open technologies involve sharing data over the Internet, and all kinds of governments can use them, for all kinds of reasons. Recent public policies have stretched the label “open government” to reach any public sector use of these technologies. Thus, “open government data” might refer to data that makes the government as a whole more open (that is, more accountable to the public), but might equally well refer to politically neutral public sector disclosures that are easy to reuse, but that may have nothing to do with public accountability. Today a regime can call itself “open” if it builds the right kind of web site — even if it does not become more accountable. This shift in vocabulary makes it harder for policymakers and activists to articulate clear priorities and make cogent demands. This essay proposes a more useful way for participants on all sides to frame the debate: We separate the politics of open government from the technologies of open data. Technology can make public information more adaptable, empowering third parties to contribute in exciting new ways across many aspects of civic life. But technological enhancements will not resolve debates about the best priorities for civic life, and enhancements to government services are no substitute for public accountability."
  • April 07, 2012
    * Census Estimates Show New Patterns of Growth Nationwide

    First Metro/Micro Area and County Population Estimates Since 2010 Census

  • "Among the 50 fastest-growing metro areas over the last decade, only 24 of them were also among the 50 fastest growing since the 2010 Census. This is according to the first set of U.S. Census Bureau metropolitan statistical area, micropolitan statistical area and county population estimates to be published since the official 2010 Census population counts were released a year ago. According to the new July 1, 2011, population estimates released today, the relative growth of many of the nation's 366 metro areas in the 15-month period from April 2010 to July 2011 differed markedly from that observed between 2000 and 2010. One such example was Palm Coast, Fla., which was the fastest-growing metro area between 2000 and 2010, but fell to 55th place between 2010 and 2011. Similarly, Las Vegas, the third fastest-growing metro area between 2000 and 2010, fell to 151st place. Some metro areas showed less change: St. George, Utah, the second fastest-growing metro area between 2000 and 2010, dropped only to 11th place."

  • April 06, 2012
    * Official legal portal provides multiple language access to offical French legal documents

    Via Stephane Cottin, Membre du conseil d'administration at ADIJ Association pour le developpement de l'informatique juridique - France - news on the availability of new databases that provide multiple language access to the French official legal portal Legifrance.gouv.fr - Translations of French legal texts

    April 05, 2012
    * New online portal, app provide information on tsunami zones in Northwest

    News release: "A new suite of online portal and smartphone apps is providing information on tsunami zones in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest Tsunami Evacuation Zones online portal and free apps provide an at-a-glance view of tsunami hazard zones along the coasts of Oregon and Washington. The Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing System (NANOOS), a regional IOOS member, developed the tool and launched it in partnership with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries and Washington State Department of Natural Resources, agencies responsible for the original development of the evacuation zones."

    April 04, 2012
    * One year Anniversary of CPSC Consumer Safety Information Database’s First Postings

    "Consumer Federation of America (CFA), Kids In Danger (KID) and Consumers Union (CU) mark the one year anniversary of the posting of consumer reports on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) consumer database, SaferProducts.gov, that allows people to share and access safety information about the products they own and consider buying. To mark the first year anniversary, CFA and KID conducted an analysis of the reports published in the database thru January 2012. These groups championed the creation of the database and have hailed it as an important tool to educate consumers about product safety hazards and improve the CPSC’s ability to identify and act on problems in the marketplace. The database is online at www.SaferProducts.gov"

    April 03, 2012
    * Smokefree.gov is intended to help you or someone you care about quit smoking

    "Different people need different resources as they try to quit. The information and professional assistance available on this Web site can help to support both your immediate and long-term needs as you become, and remain, a nonsmoker. Smokefree.gov allows you to choose the help that best fits your needs. You can get immediate assistance in the form of:

    • A step-by-step quit smoking guide
    • Information about a wide range of topics related to smoking and quitting
    • An interactive U.S. map highlighting smoking information in your state
    • LiveHelp, National Cancer Institute's instant messaging service
    • National Cancer Institute's telephone quitline, 1-877-44U-QUIT
    • Local and state telephone quitlines, 1-800-QUIT-NOW
    • Publications to download, print, or order
    • The Web site was created by the Tobacco Control Research Branch of the National Cancer Institute.

    April 02, 2012
    * Revolution @State: The Spread of Ediplomacy

    Revolution @State: The Spread of Ediplomacy, Fergus Hanson, March 2012

  • "The US State Department has become the world’s leading user of ediplomacy. Ediplomacy now employs over 150 full-time personnel working in 25 different ediplomacy nodes at Headquarters. More than 900 people use it at US missions abroad. Ediplomacy is now used across eight different program areas at State: Knowledge Management, Public Diplomacy and Internet Freedom dominate in terms of staffing and resources. However, it is also being used for Information Management, Consular, Disaster Response, harnessing External Resources and Policy Planning. In some areas ediplomacy is changing the way State does business. In Public Diplomacy, State now operates what is effectively a global media empire, reaching a larger direct audience than the paid circulation of the ten largest US dailies and employing an army of diplomat-journalists to feed its 600-plus platforms. In other areas, like Knowledge Management, ediplomacy is finding solutions to problems that have plagued foreign ministries for centuries. The slow pace of adaptation to ediplomacy by many foreign ministries suggests there is a degree of uncertainty over what ediplomacy is all about, what it can do and how pervasive its influence is going to be. This report – the result of a four-month research project in Washington DC – should help provide those answers."
  • * OMB Memo Implementing PortfolioStat

    Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies - Implementing PortfolioStat, March 30, 2012 - Steven VanRoekel, Federal Chief Information Officer

  • "PortfolioStat will be a new tool that agencies use to assess the current maturity of their IT portfolio management process, make decisions on eliminating duplication, augment current CIOled capital planning and investment control processes, and move to shared solutions in order to maximize the return on IT investments across the portfolio. While TechStat examines IT performance at the specific project or investment-level, PortfolioStat examines the portfolio as a whole and draws on the agency's enterprise architecture to help identify and eliminate areas of duplication and waste. POlifolioStat will help implement the Shared First initiative and the requirements set forth in the Executive Order 13589 (Promoting Efficient Spending),6 which targets employee IT devices as a primary area for eliminating waste and duplication. This effort should also assist agencies in meeting the targets and requirements under other initiatives, such as Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI), the Cloud Computing Initiative, and the draft IT Shared Services Strategy. CIOs, CFOs, and CAOs must support the PortfolioStat process by providing the necessary data and analysis, attending the PortfolioStat meeting, and support all decisions made through the process. This is necessary so that the portfolio-wide review results in concrete actions to maximize the investment in mission and support IT, consolidate the acquisition and management of commodity IT, reduce duplication, and eliminate waste."
  • March 28, 2012
    * National Digital Forecast Database - Wind Map

    "An invisible, ancient source of energy surrounds us—energy that powered the first explorations of the world, and that may be a key to the future. This map shows you the delicate tracery of wind flowing over the US right now. Read more about wind and about wind power."

    March 16, 2012
    * Federal Websites - Native Americans

    "We [Steve Beleu and Melissa Askew, Oklahoma Dept. of Libraries] have now revised our Federal Websites - Native Americans website which links to federal agency websites by topic that are either for or about Native Americans. The main purpose of the revision was to list the websites within each topic by the name of their originating agency. This website will continue to be revised as I discover more websites from federal government agencies that have significant content for and about Native Americans (here defined as American Indians and Native Alaskans)"

    March 15, 2012
    * FDsys replaces GPO Access as official system of record for online government information

    "As of today, March 16, 2012, the transition from GPO Access to GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) is complete. FDsys now is GPO's only Web site for online official and authentic Government information from all three branches of the Federal Government. After ushering GPO into the online world 16 years ago, GPO Access has been archived and taken off line. As part of the transition process, no new content has been added to GPO Access since November 2011."

  • If you have questions or comments, please use the askGPO help service
  • March 14, 2012
    * Following the Money 2012: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data

    "In Following the Money 2012: How the States Rank on Providing Online Access to Government Spending Data, researchers at the United States Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) graded all 50 states on how well they provide online access to information about government spending. States were given “A” to “F” grades based on the characteristics of the online transparency systems they have created to provide information on contracts, subsidies and spending at quasi-public agencies...This report is U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s third annual ranking of states’ progress toward “Transparency 2.0” – a new standard of comprehensive, one-stop, one-click budget accountability and accessibility. The past year has seen continued progress, with new states providing online access to government spending information and several states pioneering new tools to further expand citizens’ access to spending information and engagement with government."

    * CareerOneStop - Tools to help job seekers, students, businesses, and career professionals

    CareerOneStop is

    • "Your source for employment information and inspiration
    • The place to manage your career
    • Your pathway to career success
    • Tools to help job seekers, students, businesses and career professionals
    • Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor"

    March 08, 2012
    * White House Launches Ethics.gov with searchable datasets

    "Ethics.Data.gov brings together datasets from across the government to help citizens easily access this information, empowering Americans to hold government accountable.

  • Enter a name and see every record of that person across the entire collection of ethics data - including campaign finance, lobbying, and White House visitor records.
  • Ethics.Data.gov brings together datasets from across the government to help citizens easily access this information, empowering Americans to hold government accountable."
  • March 06, 2012
    * United Nations E-Government Survey 2012

    United Nations E-Government Survey 2012

  • "According to the 2012 United Nations E-government Survey rankings, the Republic of Korea is the world leader (0.9283) followed by the Netherlands (0.9125), the United Kingdom (0.8960) and Denmark (0.8889), with the United States, Canada, France, Norway, Singapore and Sweden close behind. The steady improvement in all the indicators of the e-government development index has led to a world average of 0.4877 as compared to 0.4406 in 2010. This reflects that countries in general have improved their online service delivery to cater to citizens’ needs. On a regional level, Europe (0.7188) and Eastern Asia (0.6344) lead, followed by Northern America (0.8559), South Asia (0.3464) and Africa (0.2762). Despite progress, there remains an imbalance in the digital divide between developed and the developing countries, especially in Africa. The latter region had a mean e-government development index of about 30 per cent of Northern America and about half of the world average. The digital divide is rooted in the lack of e-infrastructure, which has hindered information-use and knowledge-creation. The tremendous difference of broadband width and subscriptions between the developing and the developed world proves that there are yet many milestones to be reached in order to close the gap of the digital divide."
  • Country Data View: View, Sort, Chart, Export and Print Country Level E-Government Data. For more information about the data please visit the E-Government Overview section.
  • March 03, 2012
    * Drupal Open Source CMS now used by 150 federal agencies

    Federal Computer Week: "At least 150 federal websites are now operating on the Drupal open source content management system, and more are preparing to migrate. Federal agencies, led by the White House, began adopting Drupal three years ago as a more flexible, open and engaging platform with which to interact with citizens on the Web. To date, websites sponsored by about 130 federal agencies, 20 offices in the House of Representatives and several dozen state governments have converted to Drupal, according to a Drupal wiki page that lists government adoptions around the globe."

  • beSpacific's older sibling, LLRX.com moved to the Drupal platform over 5 years ago.
  • March 01, 2012
    * Use DOE Data Explorer to find scientific research data

    "Use the DOE Data Explorer (DDE) to find scientific research data - such as computer simulations, numeric data files, figures and plots, interactive maps, multimedia, and scientific images - generated in the course of DOE-sponsored research in various science disciplines. The DOE Data Explorer provides access both to collections and to individual datasets that have been submitted to OSTI by their creator, by a DOE National Laboratory, or by a DOE Data Center. OSTI became a member of and a registering agency for DataCite in 2011 and now assigns Digital Object Identifiers to individual datasets. DataCite provides a good definition of a DOI and why one is important at http://datacite.org/whatisdoi. The assigning and registration of a DOI for every dataset submitted is a free service provided by OSTI to enhance DOE's management of this important resource."

  • See also - Science Accelerator a gateway to science, including R&D results, project descriptions, accomplishments, and more, via resources from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), U.S. Department of Energy. Science Accelerator was developed and is made available from OSTI as a free public service."
  • February 29, 2012
    * United Nations E-Government Survey 2012

    United Nations E-Government Survey 2012, E-Government for the People

  • "The overall challenge then is to deliver improvements in the standards of living in such a manner that development today does not compromise development tomorrow. Embedded in the concept of sustainability is the viability of (i) national and sub-national governance systems that are citizencentric, socially inclusive and participatory; and (ii) the associated government operations and services that affect development outcomes. In paying attention to citizen needs, there is a critical need for governments to encompass modalities in working together with citizens in fulfilling service delivery. Therefore the theme of the United Nations E-Government Survey 2012 is E-Government for the People. Areas deserving special emphasis include expanding usage of e-government services, including through multiple channels, and a whole of government approach in promoting equity and bridging the digital-divide by extending service delivery to all, particularly vulnerable groups."
  • February 23, 2012
    * Bioethics Commission Posts Additional Documents on Public Health Service STD Studies in Guatemala

    "Today the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues posted on its website hundreds of supporting documents related to its investigation into the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) studies conducted in Guatemala in the 1940s. The documents include a spreadsheet that Commission staff painstakingly created to document the research subjects in Guatemala. In addition, the Commission has posted a Spanish translation of its report, "Ethically Impossible" STD Research in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948. As the world is now aware, the PHS research involved intentionally exposing and infecting vulnerable populations to sexually transmitted diseases without the subjects’ consent. The revelation of the research led to an apology from President Obama to the President of Guatemala. It also resulted in a request from President Obama to the Commission for a thorough fact finding investigation into the U.S. PHS studies...The Commission completed its historical investigation and sent its final report to the White House last September. The full report posted now includes hyperlinks to the supporting historical documents cited in the endnotes."

    February 21, 2012
    * Regulations.gov: Remaking Public Participation

    News release: "On January 18, 2011, the President issued Executive Order 13563, in which he directed regulatory agencies to base regulations on an “open exchange of information and perspectives” and to promote public participation in Federal rulemaking. The President identified Regulations.gov as the centralized portal for timely public access to regulatory content online. In response to the President’s direction, Regulations.gov has launched a major redesign, including innovative new search tools, social media connections, and better access to regulatory data. The result is a significantly improved website that will help members of the public to engage with agencies and ultimately to improve the content of rules. The redesign of Regulations.gov also fulfills the President’s commitment in The Open Government Partnership National Action Plan to “improve public services,” including to “expand public participation in the development of regulations.” This step is just one of many, consistent with the National Action Plan, designed to make our Federal Government more transparent, participatory, and collaborative."

    February 20, 2012
    * NASA Map Sees Earth's Trees in a New Light

    News release: "A NASA-led science team has created an accurate, high-resolution map of the height of Earth's forests. The map will help scientists better understand the role forests play in climate change and how their heights influence wildlife habitats within them, while also helping them quantify the carbon stored in Earth's vegetation. Scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; the University of Maryland, College Park; and Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, Mass., created the map using 2.5 million carefully screened, globally distributed laser pulse measurements from space. The light detection and ranging (lidar) data were collected in 2005 by the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System instrument on NASA's Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat)...The map, available at http://lidarradar.jpl.nasa.gov, depicts the highest points in the forest canopy. Its spatial resolution is 0.6 miles (1 kilometer). The map was validated against data from a network of nearly 70 ground sites around the world."

    February 18, 2012
    * A Comprehensive Guide for Best Practices in Cloud Computing for State and Local Governments

    A Comprehensive Guide for Best Practices in Cloud Computing for State and Local Governments, February 2012

  • "Sensing the convergence of these business and technology trends, in September 2011 the TechAmerica Foundation formed a group of experts to develop guidance for helping state and local governments evaluate, adopt and implement cloud computing. This State and Local Government Cloud Commission (SLG-CC) initiative follows the Foundation’s earlier release of a blueprint for the U.S. federal government’s adoption of cloud computing, which supported the Obama Administration’s cloud-first strategy for government technology and for driving U.S. commercial leadership and innovation...This paper is a distillation of the SLG Cloud Commission’s efforts. It addresses cloud access and deployment challenges that are unique to states and localities — including procurement practices — and provides recommendations for surmounting barriers. In producing its recommendations, the Commission considered delivery of critical services to the public, such as healthcare, human services, and education, and discussed ways that large, complex programs can best leverage the cloud."
  • * Air Force Special Operations Command Buys iPads and Deploys Russian software for charts

    NextGov: "When the Air Force Special Operations Command decided to buy 2,861 made-in-China Apple iPad tablet computers in January to provide flight crews with electronic navigation charts and technical manuals, it specified mission security software developed, maintained and updated in Russia. The command followed in the path of Alaska Airlines, which in May 2011 became the first domestic carrier to drop paper charts and manuals in exchange for electronic flight bags. Alaska chose the same software, GoodReader, developed by Moscow-based Good.iware, to display charts in a PDF format on iPads. Delta Air Lines kicked off a test in August for electronic flight bags and the carrier said it planned to use GoodReader software."

    February 16, 2012
    * BusinessUSA Launches - connects businesses to services and information relevant to them

    "Today President Obama announced the launch of BusinessUSA, a virtual one-stop-shop that makes it easier for America's businesses to access the services and information they need to help them grow, hire, and export. Get help starting, growing, and financing a business, or learn more about expanding your market and becoming more globally competitive through exporting."

    February 13, 2012
    * The President's Budget for Fiscal Year 2013

    "We now face a make-or-break moment for the middle class and those trying to reach it. After decades of eroding middle-class security as those at the very top saw their incomes rise as never before and after a historic recession that plunged our economy into a crisis from which we are still fighting to recover, it is time to construct an economy that is built to last. The President’s 2013 Budget is built around the idea that our country does best when everyone gets a fair shot, does their fair share, and plays by the same rules. We must transform our economy from one focused on speculating, spending, and borrowing to one constructed on the solid foundation of educating, innovating, and building. That begins with putting the Nation on a path to living within our means – by cutting wasteful spending, asking all Americans to shoulder their fair share, and making tough choices on some things we cannot afford, while keeping the investments we need to grow the economy and create jobs. The Budget targets scarce federal resources to the areas critical to growing the economy and restoring middle-class security: education and skills for American workers, innovation and research and development, clean energy, and infrastructure. The Budget is a blueprint for how we can rebuild an economy where hard work pays off and responsibility is rewarded." See also:

  • Accompanying data in both PDF and XLS format: Supplemental Materials: Supporting Documents, Federal Credit Supplement Spreadsheets, Tax Expenditures Spreadsheet, Public Budget Database, History of Economic Assumptions, Long Range Budget Projections
  • Budget via GPO
  • February 08, 2012
    * BSEE and NOAA to complete Arctic oil spill response mapping tool

    News release: "The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today they are partnering to enhance the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) for the Arctic region by summer 2012. ERMA® is the same interactive online mapping tool used by federal responders during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This effort will help address numerous challenges in the Arctic where increasing ship traffic and proposed energy development are increasing the risk of oil spills and chemical releases."

  • The public can view the tool online, which currently covers the Gulf of Mexico region, by visiting here."
  • * DOJ Launches Website to Improve Outcomes for At-Risk and Delinquent Girls

    "The Department of Justice announces a new resource — the National Girls Institute website — to better meet the needs of at-risk and delinquent girls, their families and the agencies and organizations that serve them. The institute is supported by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) through a grant from the Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)...OJJDP established the National Girls Institute in 2010 to develop and provide a range of training, technical assistance and other resources to local, tribal and private organizations serving girls and young women in, or at risk of entering, the juvenile justice system. Through this website, professionals can submit requests for training and technical assistance, as well as find current information about best practices, gender-responsive tools, research and related events."

    * CDW-G's Federal Mobility Report - Security Edition 2012

    "CDW-'s new Federal Mobility Report examines how Federal employees use mobile devices today, the challenges they face and the benefits they enjoy. More than half of Federal employees use at least one mobile device at work, according to CDW-G's research, and many are using personal devices. The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend is likely to continue, following the November 2011 executive order that asked agencies to limit the number of Information Technology (IT) devices they issue to employees, including mobile devices such as laptops and smartphones, in order to cut costs. In this report, CDW-G examines the current BYOD status, how agency IT professionals manage mobile devices – both personal and agency-owned – and the steps they are taking to mitigate very real security concerns."

    February 05, 2012
    * EPA To Provide Nearly $10 Million to Clean Up Beaches Across the Nation

    EPA launches improved website for beach advisories and closures : "The website, called BEACON, has the capability to update as frequently as every two hours based on new data provided by states, territories and tribes. Users will have access to mapped location data for beaches and water monitoring stations, monitoring results for various pollutants such as bacteria and algae, and data on public notification of beach water quality advisories and closures. For the first time, users can also access reports that combine notifications and water quality monitoring data. The enhanced system also uses enhanced map navigation and report display tools. The majority of beach advisories and closures in the United States are due to water test results indicating bacterial contamination, which can make people sick. Bacterial contamination comes from a variety of sources. Some examples are sewer overflows, untreated stormwater runoff, boating wastes, wildlife and pet waste, and malfunctioning septic systems."

    * EU Guidelines - Implementation of Central Repository of Rating Statistics

    European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA) - "The ESMA has set up a central repository (CEREP) for publishing the rating performance activity statistics of credit rating agencies. The CEREP allows users to search, filter, download and print statistics for individual CRAs for time periods of varying lengths and different rating types.

    January 21, 2012
    * Digitizing Federal Public Records

    Digitizing Federal Public Records, By David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States: "Thank you for signing a petition asking the Obama Administration to digitize all public records. The Obama Administration believes increasing access to our collections by digitizing our records is a great idea. Our most recent efforts to do this ourselves as part of our OpenGov initiative, include the Citizen Archivist project, a Wikipedian in Residence, Tag it Tuesdays, and Scanathons. We are also moving forward on implementing the President’s recent Memorandum on Managing Government Records, which focuses on the need to update policies and practices for the digital age. But all those things aren’t enough. Your petition, and the Yes We Scan effort broadly, calls for a national strategy, and even a Federal Scanning Commission, to figure out what it would take to digitize the holdings of many federal entities, from the Library of Congress to the Government Printing Office to the Smithsonian Institution."

    January 18, 2012
    * EPA: 2010 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Large Facilities Now Available

    News release: "For the first time, comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) data reported directly from large facilities and suppliers across the country are now easily accessible to the public through EPA’s GHG Reporting Program. The 2010 GHG data released today includes public information from facilities in nine industry groups that directly emit large quantities of GHGs, as well as suppliers of certain fossil fuels...EPA’s online data publication tool allows users to view and sort GHG data for calendar year 2010 from over 6,700 facilities in a variety of ways—including by facility, location, industrial sector, and the type of GHG emitted. This information can be used by communities to identify nearby sources of GHGs, help businesses compare and track emissions, and provide information to state and local governments."

    January 15, 2012
    * ProgrammableWeb's database of 100 government APIs released in 2011

    Programmable Web Services Directory of over 100 government [local, state and federal] APIs released in 2011.

    January 12, 2012
    * UK Government Web Archive

    UK Government Web Archive - "The National Archives is preserving government information published on the web by archiving UK Central Government Websites..The UK Government Web Archive has received more than a billion hits since it was launched by The National Archives in 2003 and is now one of the most-visited websites in government."

    * The Gov Doc Kids Group and Free Government Information

    The Gov Doc Kids Group and Free Government Information - Tom Adamich, Martha Childers, Katy Davis, John H. Faria and Antoinette W. Satterfield. The IFLA World Library and Information Congress

  • "Free government information fuels innovation among all the world's children and has the potential to enhance every aspect of their lives. Join us as members of the Gov Doc Kids Group present tried-and-true, effective means of opening the doors of government information to children. We will explore international and country websites."
  • January 09, 2012
    * GSA Annual Report 2011 - Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies

    FY 2011 GSA OCSIT Annual Report: "We are leading the Obama Administration’s charge to make government more open, transparent, and effective for the citizens it serves. We led several key initiatives this year to reform federal IT, facilitate using new technologies to improve government operations and citizen engagement, and help agencies enhance customer experience across government. Citizens accessed our information and services more than 272 million times this year, visiting USA.gov and other websites, searching through USASearch, ordering and downloading publications, interacting via social media, and getting answers by phone calls and e-mails about thousands of different government services and programs...Data.gov, which now hosts over 400,000 downloadable, interactive data sets, is the anchor of the 38-nation Open Government Partnership. We also launched Data.gov-in-a-Box, an open-source version of Data.gov that other countries and other governments at any level can use."

    January 08, 2012
    * DC.gov - applications built by DC government

    Via DC Apps - Users may Browse Categories: Education, Public Safety, Economic Development, Infrastructure, Government Operations, Health and Human Services, About DC. Also includes links to Best applications built by individuals/companies.

  • Apps include: DC Police Crime Mapping, Where is my Bus?, DC Wi-Fi Hot Spot Map, AreYouSafe DC, find a metro dc, DC Multimodal Crime Finder
  • * NASA expands open source activities with launch of code.nasa.gov

    News release: "...we are launching code.nasa.gov, the latest member of the open NASA web family. Through this website, we will continue, unify, and expand NASA’s open source activities. The site will serve to surface existing projects, provide a forum for discussing projects and processes, and guide internal and external groups in open development, release, and contribution. In our initial release, we are focusing on providing a home for the current state of open source at the Agency. This includes guidance on how to engage the open source process, points of contact, and a directory of existing projects. By elucidating the process, we hope to lower the barriers to building open technology in partnership with the public. Phase two will concentrate on providing a robust forum for ongoing discussion of open source concepts, policies, and projects at the Agency. In our third phase, we will turn to the tools and mechanisms development projects generally need to be successful, such as distributed version control, issue tracking, continuous integration, documentation, communication, and planning/management. During this phase, we will create and host a tool, service, and process chain to further lower the burden to going open. Ultimately, our goal is to create a highly visible community hub that will imbue open concepts into the formulation stages of new hardware and software projects, and help existing projects transition to open modes of development and operation."

    January 07, 2012
    * EPA State of the Environment Photo Project 2012

    EPA Blog: "Almost 40 years ago, EPA’s Documerica project captured thousands of images of environmental problems and everyday life. Now it’s your turn! On Earth Day 2011, EPA put out a global call for current photos of life and our environment, PLUS a challenge to photograph the ‘now’ of places in Documerica. Your photo could be exhibited around the U.S. in 2012! Join In! Sign up and submit photos through Flickr!"

    * Government As a Platform

    Government As a Platform Copyright © 2010 O’Reilly Media, Inc.

  • You are reading the text of an O’Reilly book that has been published (Open Government). However, the author of this piece—Tim O’Reilly—understands that the ideas in this chapter are evolving and changing. We’re putting it here to get feedback from you—what are your ideas? This chapter uses the Open Feedback Publishing System (OFPS), an O’Reilly experiment that tries to bridge the gap between manuscripts and public blogs."

  • January 04, 2012
    * Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis' digital library launched redesign

    "FRASER, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis' digital library of historic economic and banking publications and archival material, has received a facelift. The redesigned website includes new and enhanced site navigation, such as chronological browsing, collections by topic and author, and a more advanced search feature." [Katrina Stierholz]

    January 03, 2012
    * LLRX - Competitive Intelligence - A Selective Resource Guide - Completely Updated

    Competitive Intelligence - A Selective Resource Guide - Completely Updated - December 2011: Sabrina I. Pacifici's comprehensive, current awareness guide focuses on leveraging a wide but selected range of reliable, focused, predominantly free websites and resources to effectively track, monitor, analyze, background and review current and historical data, news, reports, and profiles on companies, markets, countries, people, and issues, from a global perspective. Sabrina's guide is a "best of" web resource that encompasses search engines, databases, alerts, publisher specific services and tools, along with links to content targeted sources produced by leading media organizations, governments, academia, NGOs and independent researchers.

    January 01, 2012
    * Pew - Reviews and Recommendations for State Election Websites 2010

    "Millions are turning to official state election websites to find the information they need to cast a ballot. Being Online Is Still Not Enough provides state-by-state reviews and analysis based on detailed criteria of election websites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It also includes recommendations for improving each site to better inform voters, and provides a list of best practices adopted by many states to maximize their election office’s online presence. This report follows Pew’s initial 2008 study, Being Online Is Not Enough. Assessments were based on three categories: content, lookup tools, and usability. Roll your cursor over the map below to see each state’s overall score, and scores broken down by category."

    December 30, 2011
    * GPO Library Services and Content Managemeny FY2011 Year in Review

    LSCM’s Past, Present, and Future of Keeping America Informed FY2011 Year in Review: "One LSCM focus this past year has been to increase content in GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) by improving and escalating our efforts to partner and collaborate with Federal depository libraries, Federal executive agencies, the Library of Congress, and the Federal courts. As a result, many new collections have been added to FDsys, including Federal court opinions and digitized historic volumes of the U.S. Statutes at Large. FDsys became GPO’s official system of record in December 2010, and GPO Access is now archive-only and will be officially shut down in 2012. LSCM staff have been instrumental in making the transition from GPO Access to FDsys a success. It’s important to point out that the eCFR is not affected by this change and will continue to be updated and remain publicly accessible."

    * O'Reilly: 2011 Gov 2.0 year in review

    A look at the Gov 2.0 themes, moments and achievements that made an impact in 2011. by Alex Howard

  • By most accounts, the biggest stories of 2011 were the Arab Spring, the historic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the death of Osama Bin Laden. In each case, an increasingly networked world experienced those events together through the growing number of screens. At the beginning of the year, a Pew Internet survey emphasized the Internet's importance in civil society. By year's end, more people were connected than ever before."
  • December 26, 2011
    * Healthy People.gov - Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2020

    "Healthy People 2020 provides a comprehensive set of 10-year, national goals and objectives for improving the health of all Americans. Healthy People 2020 contains 42 topic areas with nearly 600 objectives (with others still evolving), which encompass 1,200 measures. A smaller set of Healthy People 2020 objectives, called Leading Health Indicators, has been selected to communicate high-priority health issues and actions that can be taken to address them."

    December 25, 2011
    * FCC Launches Beta version of MyFCC

    "Welcome to the Beta version of MyFCC, a new tool that lets you create a customized FCC online experience, with quick access to the tools and information that you need...Personalization options built into MyFCC make it possible to easily create, save and manage a customized page, or “dashboard.” Choose from a menu of “widgets” featuring a wide variety of the FCC’s most frequently used tools and services by simply dragging and dropping your selections onto your screen. MyFCC also makes it possible for you to share your MyFCC selections with colleagues or on the Web, either as a customized dashboard or by embedding individual widgets on a website or blog."

    December 21, 2011
    * State of the Federal Web Report

    State of the Federal Web Report, December 16, 2011. Produced by the .gov Reform Task Force

  • "This report presents a summary of data and findings about the state of Federal websites, collected as part of the .gov Reform Initiative. The report is intended to highlight—for the first time—the size and scope of websites in the Federal Executive Branch, how agencies are managing them, and opportunities for improvement. Though not a comprehensive assessment of every Federal Executive Branch website, this data provides a high-level overview and is the first step to more effectively collecting data to make better decisions about our Federal web operations. The .gov Reform Task Force and its partners will use this data to develop a Federal Web Strategy and create tools, best practices, and other resources that will make Federal websites more efficient and useful for citizens...The .gov Reform Initiative is part of the President Obama's Campaign to Cut Waste and Executive Order 13571, Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service, which call for agencies to improve customer service and manage their web operations more efficiently. Read more about the .gov Reform Initiative."
  • December 15, 2011
    * Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future: The Cybersecurity Strategy for the Homeland Security Enterprise

    "The Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future builds on the Department of Homeland Security Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report’s strategic framework by providing a clear path to create a safe, secure, and resilient cyber environment for the homeland security enterprise. With this guide, stakeholders at all levels of government, the private sector, and our international partners can work together to develop the cybersecurity capabilities that are key to our economy, national security, and public health and safety. The Blueprint describes two areas of action: Protecting our Critical Information Infrastructure Today and Building a Stronger Cyber Ecosystem for Tomorrow. The Blueprint is designed to protect our most vital systems and assets and, over time, drive fundamental change in the way people and devices work together to secure cyberspace. The integration of privacy and civil liberties protections into the Department’s cybersecurity activities is fundamental to safeguarding and securing cyberspace."

  • The Atlantic Council: The New US “Blueprint” for National Cyber Security
  • December 04, 2011
    * NIST Cloud Computing Program

    "Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics (On-demand self-service, Broad network access, Resource pooling, Rapid elasticity, Measured Service); three service models (Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS), Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)); and, four deployment models (Private cloud, Community cloud, Public cloud, Hybrid cloud). Key enabling technologies include: (1) fast wide-area networks, (2) powerful, inexpensive server computers, and (3) high-performance virtualization for commodity hardware." Draft Documents as follows:

    November 28, 2011
    * Statistics Canada to make all online data free February 2012

    "All of Statistics Canada’s standard online products, including the census, socioeconomic and geographic data, will be offered to the public for free starting February 2012, Embassy has learned. While Statistics Canada has been working towards opening up more of its data for several years, it still currently charges for a portion of its online data, including, for example, some data sets inside its Canadian Socioeconomic Information Management System, what the agency calls its “key socioeconomic database.” Researchers, economists and other individuals buy these products, and several firms are also licensed by the agency to act as redistributors. Some of those firms charge for reselling the data, and some roll it into other value-added products they sell. This fall, the agency began alerting "key stakeholders" to the upcoming change." [Cassandra Hartnett]

    * Presidential Memorandum - Managing Government Records

    "This memorandum begins an executive branch wide effort to reform records management policies and practices. Improving records management will improve performance and promote openness and accountability by better documenting agency actions and decisions. Records transferred to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provide the prism through which future generations will understand and learn from our actions and decisions. Modernized records management will also help executive departments and agencies (agencies) minimize costs and operate more efficiently. Improved records management thus builds on Executive Order 13589 of November 9, 2011 (Promoting Efficient Spending), which directed agencies to reduce spending and focus on mission critical functions. When records are well managed, agencies can use them to assess the impact of programs, to reduce redundant efforts, to save money, and to share knowledge within and across their organizations. In these ways, proper records management is the backbone of open Government."

    November 27, 2011
    * HealthCare.gov Insurance Finder Gets Better for Consumers

    News release: "...the Department of Health and Human Services updated the HealthCare.gov Insurance Finder with more information on private insurance plans. Created under the Affordable Care Act, www.HealthCare.gov was launched July 1, 2010, and is the first website of its kind to bring information about private and public health coverage options into one place to make it easy for consumers to learn about and compare their insurance choices. HealthCare.gov and its Insurance Finder are critical new tools for consumers, making the health insurance market more transparent than it has ever been. On October 1, the Insurance Finder added price estimates for private insurance policies for individuals and families, allowing consumers to easily compare health insurance plans – putting consumers, not their insurance companies, in charge and taking much of the guesswork and confusion out of buying insurance. Insurance companies are also required to include two notable metrics never before made public:

    • The percentage of people who applied for insurance and were denied coverage.
    • The percentage of applicants who were charged higher premiums because of their health status."

    November 24, 2011
    * FCC Launches the Small Biz Cyber Planner

    News release: "The FCC is launching the Small Biz Cyber Planner, an online resource to help small businesses create customized cybersecurity plans. This is the result of an unprecedented public-private partnership between government experts and private IT and security companies, including DHS, NCSA, NIST, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, The Chertoff Group, Symantec, Sophos, Visa, Microsoft, HP, McAfee, The Identity Theft Council, ADP and others. The online tool is available at FCC.gov/cyberplanner. By almost any measure small businesses have an outsized impact on our economy and it is critically important that small businesses, a vibrant engine for job and idea creation, are secure using the many broadband enabled tools they need to efficiently run their businesses. According to a survey released in October, 2011 by Symantec and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), two-thirds of U.S. small businesses rely on broadband Internet for their day-to-day operations...This effort is part of an ongoing program to raise awareness about the cybersecurity risks to small businesses and to help these businesses become cyber-secure. Earlier this year, the FCC and a coalition of public and private-sector partners developed a cybersecurity tip sheet, which includes tips to educate business owners about basic steps they can take immediately to protect their companies. The tip sheet is available at FCC.gov/cyberforsmallbiz".

    November 20, 2011
    * Dept. of Energy IG - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Unclassified Cyber Security Program - 2011

    Evaluation Report - The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Unclassified Cyber Security Program - 2011. OAS-M-12-01 November 2011.

  • "The Commission had taken actions to improve its cyber security posture and mitigate risks associated with certain issues identified during our FY 2010 evaluation. While these measures are noteworthy, our current evaluation disclosed that additional action is needed to further protect information systems and data. In particular, we continued to identify weaknesses related to the Commission's timely remediation of software vulnerabilities. Specifically, our testing found that additional opportunities existed for the Commission to ensure that all servers and workstations were patched in a timely manner."
  • November 17, 2011
    * DOE Publishes 2012 Fuel Economy Guide

    2012 Fuel Economy Guide - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

  • "The annual fuel cost estimates in the 2008–2012 electronic fuel economy guides are updated weekly to match EIA's current national average prices for gasoline and diesel fuel. 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 $3.42/gallon for regular unleaded gasoline and $3.68/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."
  • November 16, 2011
    * Sunlight Foundation Update: Digitizing Legislative Documents

    A Year Later, Little Progress on Digitizing Legislative Documents, Daniel Schuman: "A year ago today, Congress' Joint Committee on Printing directed that three sets of vital legislative and legal documents be published online "as quickly as possible." We've reviewed how well that order was implemented, and the results are not encouraging. Of the three documents, there's only apparent progress on one. The vital documents are the Constitution Annotated, the Congressional Record, and the Statutes at Large. The Government Printing Office is responsible for publishing them, and shares that responsibility to a certain extent with the Library of Congress and its subsidiary agencies, the Congressional Research Service and the Law Library of Congress. These agencies are custodians of America's heritage, and have an important obligation to make it available to every citizen. Here's how they've performed..."

    November 15, 2011
    * EPIC: European Union Limits Use of Airport Body Scanners

    "The European Union has adopted strict new guidelines limiting the use of body scanners at EU airports. Under the new guidelines, European Union member states may only deploy airport body scanners if they comply with new regulations that protect health, privacy, and fundamental rights. The European Commission has also prohibited any devices that store, record, or transfer images of travelers as well as devices that display an image of the naked human body. As a result, backscatter x-ray devices are now effectively prohibited in airports in the European Union. The European Commission has also made clear that passengers may not be required to go through body scanners, following the conclusion reached by the federal appellate court in the United States in the EPIC v. DHS case, which held that passengers have a legal right to opt-out of body scanners. The body scanners have not done well during trials in Europe. Most recently a test in Germany found that the devices were ineffective. For more information, see EPIC: Whole Body Imaging Technology and EPIC: EPIC v. DHS (Suspension of the Body Scanner Program)."

    * National Archives Publishes National Registry of Controlled Unclassified Information

    News release: "President Obama signed Executive Order 13556, "Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)," and designated the National Archives and Records Administration as the Executive Agent "to implement this order and oversee agency actions to ensure compliance with this order." On November 4, 2011, as required by this Executive Order, the National Archives Controlled Unclassified Information Office established a publically available registry reflecting the initial categories and subcategories of unclassified information that require dissemination or safeguarding controls consistent with and pursuant to law, regulation, and Government-wide policy. This registry is online."

    November 13, 2011
    * Teach.gov and Microsoft Partner to Support Educators Around the World

    Teach.gov: "Teaching is a rewarding and challenging profession where you can make a lasting impact. You can have a positive influence on students, schools, and communities now and into the future. Schools across the nation are in need of a diverse set of talented teachers, especially in our big cities and rural areas, and especially in the areas of Math, Science, Technology, Special Education, and English Language Learning. The TEACH campaign is an initiative of the United States Department of Education designed to raise awareness of the teaching profession and get a new generation of teachers to join the ones who are already making a difference in the classroom. At TEACH.gov you can learn what it’s really like to be a teacher and get the tools you need to launch your own career in education. Are you ready to make a difference? Discover your path to teaching and get started today."

  • "Microsoft Corp. announced new and continuing collaborations with the U.S. Department of Education, the British Council and the Smithsonian Institution to engage educators from their initial desire to enter the profession to successfully inspiring students in their classrooms. Microsoft believes that well-prepared educators can help today’s youth overcome the emerging opportunity divide and can help put students on a path toward the education, skills and opportunities they need to prosper in the 21st century."
  • November 10, 2011
    * Geospatial Platform provides shared and trusted geospatial data, services, apps

    "Federal agencies and their partners collect and manage large amounts of geospatial data - but these data are often not easily found when needed or accessible in useful forms. The Geospatial Platform provides ready access to federally maintained geospatial data, services and applications. The content of all datasets and services demarcated with the Data.gov globe have been verified by the Agency to be consistent with Federal privacy, national security, and information quality policies. As an additional service to our users, we also provide access to data from our partners across State, Tribal, Regional and local governments as well as non-governmental organizations."

    November 08, 2011
    * FDA launches website on safe disposal of used needles and other “sharps”

    "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today launched a new website for patients and caregivers on the safe disposal of needles and other so-called “sharps” that are used at home, at work and while traveling. The website will help people understand the public health risks created by improperly disposing of used sharps and how users should safely dispose of them. Sharps is a term for medical devices with sharp points or edges that can puncture or cut the skin. Such medical devices include hypodermic needles and syringes used to administer medication; lancets or fingerstick devices to collect blood for testing; needle and tubing systems for infusing intravenous and subcutaneous medicines; and connection needles used for home hemodialysis. After being used, many sharps end up in home and public trash cans or flushed down toilets. This kind of improper disposal puts people, such as sanitation workers, sewage treatment workers, janitors, housekeepers, family members and children at risk for needle stick injuries or infection with viruses such as Hepatitis B and C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)."

    October 26, 2011
    * 112th Congress Gold Mouse Awards Released

    News release: "Congressional websites are getting better, according to an analysis by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). The nonprofit organization graded 618 congressional websites and found the most common grade moved from an F in the 111th Congress to a B in the 112th Congress. CMF has been grading congressional websites since 2001 and issues biannual Congressional Gold Mouse Awards for the best websites on Capitol Hill for each Congress. CMF conducted its analysis from June to September 2011...see the latest report - 112th Congress Gold Mouse Awards: Best Practices in Online Communications on Capitol Hill, [which] identified recent trends related to online communications in Congress, including:

    • A significant number of House and Senate Member websites lacked basic educational and transparency features including: links to bills sponsored and cosponsored, voting records, and basic information on how a bill becomes a law.
    • House Members taking office in January 2011 had significantly better websites than Senators taking office in January 2011, with 61% of new House Members receiving an A or B grade, compared to 31% of new Senators receiving a similar grade. Nearly half (46%) of new Senators received a grade of D or F, compared to 17% of new House Members.
    • While there was general parity overall in quality of websites between Democrats and Republican Member websites, the best websites tended to be Democratic Members.
    • View the full list of the 112th Congress Gold Mouse Award Winners

    October 25, 2011
    * ForeSee Study Highlights Social Media Best Practices for the Federal Government

    News release: "Customer experience analytics firm ForeSee today released its report on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Quarterly E-Government Satisfaction Index, including an analysis of the state of social media in the federal government. ForeSee’s audit of social media activity in the federal government identified clear themes and best practices, showing that the public sector is learning to communicate with citizens in ways that are not usually associated with government services. ForeSee conducted an expert usability review of the 15 executive department websites in order to gauge how many participate in social media and how they do it. All are participating in the three most popular social platforms—Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—and many are using other new media and communications tools, from Flickr and podcasts to email newsletters and RSS feeds."

    * EIA launches new electricity-focused web page

    "EIA launched a new web-based report called the Electricity Monthly Update, replacing the Monthly Flash Estimates for Electric Power Data. This new product introduces a feature story, interactive graphics, a new presentation flow, and new electricity industry data sources. The report is organized into four sections:

    October 11, 2011
    * Report - Use of Dashboards in Government

    Use of Dashboards in Government, by Sukumar Ganapati, Florida International University, IBM Center for the Business of Government

  • "Stephen Few defines a dashboard as a “visual display of the most important information needed to achieve one or more objectives; consolidated and arranged on a single screen so the information can be monitored at a glance”. Dashboards summarize key performance metrics of organizations. They typically integrate data from different sources and display performance measures through informative graphics. The visualization allows readers to understand complex data in less time than it would take to read similar material located in the text of a full report. At the same time, the dashboards should be self-contained. Dashboards can be static (providing metrics at a particular time, e.g., PDF files) or dynamic (providing metrics in real time, e.g., interactive web dashboards).
  • October 09, 2011
    * Smokefree.gov is intended to help you or someone you care about quit smoking

    "Different people need different resources as they try to quit. The information and professional assistance available on this Web site can help to support both your immediate and long-term needs as you become, and remain, a nonsmoker. Smokefree.gov allows you to choose the help that best fits your needs. You can get immediate assistance in the form of:

    • A step-by-step quit smoking guide
    • Information about a wide range of topics related to smoking and quitting
    • An interactive U.S. map highlighting smoking information in your state
    • LiveHelp, National Cancer Institute's instant messaging service
    • National Cancer Institute's telephone quitline, 1-877-44U-QUIT
    • Local and state telephone quitlines, 1-800-QUIT-NOW
    • Publications to download, print, or order
    • SmokefreeTXT is a free mobile service designed for teens and young adults across the United States."

    October 04, 2011
    * USA.gov’s new publications web site, Publications.USA.gov

    "Publications.USA.gov offers publications from across government, on topics including: Cars | Consumer | Protection | Education | Employment | Federal Programs | Food | Health | Housing | Money

  • "You’ll find hundreds of free publications to read online, download in PDF format, or order in print. We also offer a small but growing number of e-books to download to your e-reader, tablet, or smart phone. Many publications are offered in both Spanish and English."
  • October 02, 2011
    * REVISED: New Economic Indicator Database Search Available from Census Bureau

    News release: "On Sept. 26, 2011, we released a tip sheet notice highlighting the Census Bureau's online tool for searching economic indicators. The tool currently searches on 12 but will be updated to allow searches on a 13th indicator (housing vacancies and homeownership). Below is the language of the notice revised to reflect this update. Statistics from 12 of the Census Bureau's 13 economic indicators are now easy to access and easier to use with the new economic indicator database search. Current plans are under way to add the 13th indicator (the quarterly report on housing vacancies and homeownership) to this user-friendly Internet tool. It provides an easy way to create statistical tables in ASCII text or time series charts in spreadsheet format. Users can select an indicator and choose statistics by item, time period and other dimensions using drop-down menus."

    September 27, 2011
    * Consolidated Federal Funds Report: 2010 and Federal Aid to States for Fiscal Year 2010

    "These two reports provide an overview of virtually all federal spending at the national, state and county levels. The Consolidated Federal Funds Report shows spending for procurement contracts, salaries and wages, direct payments and loans, grants and insurance. The Federal Aid to States report show federal grants to state and local government. The Consolidated Federal Funds Report: 2010 and Federal Aid to States for Fiscal Year 2010."

  • Highlights: "Salaries and wages for federal employees accounted for $342.9 billion (10.5 percent) of all federal spending. The largest share of this category went to Department of Defense payrolls (53.1 percent), federal civilian payrolls (29.3 percent), and U.S. Postal Service payrolls (17.6 percent)."
  • * New Economic Indicator Database Search Available from Census Bureau

    News release: "Statistics from 12 economic indicators are now easy to access and easier to use with the new economic indicator database search. With the release of the Quarterly Financial Report for retail trade, all 12 of the Census Bureau's economic indicators are accessible in this user-friendly Internet tool. It provides an easy way to create statistical tables in ASCII text or time series charts in spreadsheet format. Users can select an indicator and choose statistics by item, time period and other dimensions using drop-down menus at here."

    * CRS: Intelligence Issues for Congress

    Intelligence Issues for Congress, Richard A. Best Jr., Specialist in National Defense, September 14, 2011

  • "Techniques for acquiring and analyzing information on small groups of plotters differ significantly from those used to evaluate the military capabilities of other countries, with a much higher need for situational awareness of third world societies. U.S. intelligence efforts are complicated by unfilled requirements for foreign language expertise. Intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was inaccurate and Members have criticized the performance of the intelligence community in regard to current conditions in Afghanistan, Iran, and other areas. Improved analysis, while difficult to mandate, remains a key goal. Better human intelligence, it is widely agreed, is also essential, but very challenging to acquire. Intelligence support to military operations continues to be a major responsibility of intelligence agencies. The use of precision guided munitions depends on accurate, real-time targeting data; integrating intelligence data into military operations challenges traditional organizational relationships and requires innovative technological approaches."

  • * Marine Corps Social Media Principles Manual

    Marine Corp Social Media Principles

  • "The Marine Corps must continuously innovate to communicate in media-intensive environments, to remain the nation’s force in readiness. This mission is based on the Marine Corps Vision and Strategy 2025 and the public affairs tasks outlined in the Marine Corps Service Campaign Plan for 2009-2015. While building and launching a social media program or accessing a favorite social media site can sometimes be fast, easy, and inexpensive. Existing rules for public affairs as well as personal conduct still apply. The Marine Corps encourages Marines to explore and engage in social media communities at a level they feel comfortable with. The best advice is to approach online communication in the same way we communicate in person — by using sound judgment and common sense, adhering to the Marine Corps’ core values of honor, courage and commitment, following established policy, and abiding by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). The social media principles provided in this handbook are intended to outline how our core values should be demonstrated, to guide Marines through the use of social media whether personally involved or when acting on behalf of the Marine Corps."
  • * The Open Government Partnership - National Action Plan for the United States of America

    The Open Government Partnership - National Action Plan for the United States of America, September 20, 2011

  • "Over the past two and a half years, Federal agencies have done a great deal to make government more transparent and more accessible, to provide people with information that they can use in their daily lives, to solicit public participation in government decision-making, and to collaborate with all sectors of the economy on new and innovative solutions. These Open Government efforts are now entering a new phase, as we collaborate with other countries in the global Open Government Partnership (OGP)...Transparency enables people to find information that they “can readily find and use.” For this reason, the President has asked agencies to “harness new technologies” and "solicit public feedback to identify information of greatest use to the public."
  • September 23, 2011
    * Report - Evaluating the Use of Public Surveillance Cameras for Crime Control and Prevention

    Evaluating the Use of Public Surveillance Cameras for Crime Control and Prevention - A Summary. Nancy G. La Vigne, Samantha S. Lowry, Joshua Markman, Allison Dwyer. September 19, 2011

  • "A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras to reduce crime, but little research exists to determine whether they’re worth the cost. With jurisdictions across the country tightening their belts, public safety resources are scarce—and policymakers need to know which potential investments are likely to bear fruit. This research brief summarizes the Urban Institute’s series documenting three cities use of public surveillance cameras and how they impacted crime in their neighborhoods."
  • September 21, 2011
    * FTC Announces New and Improved OnGuardOnline Website

    News release: "Want to know more about Internet safety and security? Visit the new and improved OnGuardOnline.gov for practical tips and resources on how to be safe, secure and responsible online. Created through a partnership of 16 federal agencies led by the Federal Trade Commission, it’s a great source of free information for your home, school, community group, or workplace. OnGuardOnline’s new features include a cybersecurity blog and information updates via e-mail. Also, the FTC has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies in the Stop.Think.Connect Campaign™ to raise awareness of the need for stronger cybersecurity with new approaches to help increase online safety and security. The new OnGuardOnline blog offers cybersecurity news from around the government, how-to articles and videos, and insights from federal officials. Check back regularly for updates, or sign up to get an e-mail when a new post is up. You can copy information from the site, adapt it, post it, or link to it, and you can share your thoughts on the blog. Updating your website or blog? Link to OnGuardOnline. Editing a newsletter? Use our articles. Need hand-outs for a talk you’re giving? Print publications from the website, or order free materials from the FTC."

    September 18, 2011
    * HHS Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan 2011 – 2015

    Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan, 2011 – 2015. In developing and executing the federal health IT strategy, the government strives to

    • "Put individuals and their interests first. In order to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans, the government must meet the needs and protect the rights of each individual.
    • Be a worthy steward of the country’s money and trust. The government seeks to use its resources judiciously. This means relying to the extent possible on private markets to accomplish important societal objectives, and acting to correct market failures when necessary. It also means developing governmental policies through open and transparent processes.
    • Support health IT benefits for all. All Americans should have equal access to quality health care. This includes the benefits conferred by health IT. The government will endeavor to assure that underserved and at-risk individuals enjoy these benefits to the same extent as all other citizens.
    • Focus on outcomes. Federal health IT policy will constantly focus on improving the outcomes of care, so as to advance the health of Americans and the performance of their health care system.
    • Build boldly on what works. The government will set ambitious goals and then work methodically to achieve them, monitoring health IT successes, and looking for ways to expand upon programs that work. It will seek to be nimble and action-oriented: evaluating existing government activities, learning from experience, and changing course if necessary.
    • Encourage innovation. The government is working to create an environment of testing, learning, and improving, thereby fostering breakthroughs that quickly and radically transform health care. The government will support innovation in health IT."

    September 13, 2011
    * IDC Government Insights Survey Reveals the Need for Government Agencies to Maintain Multiple Information and Service Channels

    New release: "IDC Government Insights announced the availability of a new report, Creating More Effective Government Information and Service Channels – Citizen Survey and Analysis (Document # GI229971), based on new survey data revealing that U.S. citizens expect governments to provide multiple channels for the delivery of government services information, including in person, by mail, by telephone, by email, and via a personal computer. The survey revealed the highest preference for interacting with all branches of U.S. government is currently through government Web portals via a personal computer; 36% of respondents chose this method of interacting with the federal government. However, currently, when it comes to interacting with government regarding information and services, one in five survey respondents is not satisfied with the experience with any branch of government, despite efforts at all level of government to improve citizen satisfaction. This new report was designed to help governments looking to evolve from open/transparent government to "Smart Government," which intuitively measures outcomes and monitors citizen satisfaction across all channels to more effectively provide services and information."

    September 08, 2011
    * NYT - 9/11: The Reckoning, America and the World A Decade After 9/11

    The New York Times - 9/11: The Reckoning, America and the World A Decade After 9/11

  • "That Day - What is amazing is that in that moment, there was a moment before that we saw that plane, that second plane, and there was a moment after, and it’s like two different worlds, those two moments. I mean, literally, I can feel like I can remember the exact second when the whole world changed and my life changed forever. — AUDREY J. MARCUS
  • USA.gov resource on the 9/11 Tenth Anniversary
  • * FTC Launches 2011 "We Don't Serve Teens" Education Campaign

    News release: "As the new school year starts, the Federal Trade Commission is launching its 2011 We Don’t Serve Teens consumer education campaign, which warns of the hazards of underage drinking. The FTC and a coalition of private and public groups are distributing education materials that support the legal drinking age of 21 and emphasize that what parents know about underage drinking can make a huge difference in their children’s future. “Parents need to confront the risks of teen drinking head on,” said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Alcohol remains the most widely used substance of abuse among youth in the United States, and the more parents understand the pressures their children face, the better prepared they will be to help.” For more information see: We Don’t Serve Teens."

    September 05, 2011
    * The 2011 Federal Customer Experience Study

    Uncle Sam at Your Service - The 2011 Federal Customer Experience Study, August 29, 2011. MeriTalk Government IT Network.

    • "31% of Americans are very satisfied with Federal service this year, up from 24% in 2010
    • Americans report the biggest improvements in agency responsiveness and information consistency, where the percentage of very satisfied Americans grew from 27% to 39% and 24% to 35% over the past year
    • Which Federal agency has delivered the best customer service to you? Responses: 1.Internal Revenue Service (IRS); 2.Social Security Administration; 3.United States Postal Service; 4.Department of Education; 5.State Department."

    * Mobile Learning: The Current Landscape in the Department of Defense

    Mobile Learning: The Current Landscape in the Department of Defense (DoD), Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Co-Laboratories, 10 August 2011 Version 1.0

  • "The Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) Initiative recognizes the ubiquity of mobile devices and believes continued research regarding their use is warranted. However, ADL recognizes that the selection of mobile technology should be driven by the learning requirements and not the other way around. ADL defines mobile learning as the use of handheld computing devices to provide access to learning content and information resources. Mobile devices enable access to support and training materials at the moment of need. Driven by improved software, improved hardware, and evolving habits of mobile device users, the opportunities have increased even more significantly in the past few years. While mobile learning is not always appropriate as a training solution, it is now being considered as a part of the total learning and training support infrastructure. Earlier this year, ADL conducted a survey to investigate mobile device proliferation and usage by a wide range of DoD stakeholders."
  • August 25, 2011
    * New Government Accountability Website Launched - Performance.gov

    "Performance.gov is a central website that provides a window on the Administration’s efforts to deliver a more effective, smarter, and leaner government. The site gives the public, government agencies, Members of Congress, the media, and others a view of the progress underway in cutting waste, streamlining government, and improving performance. Performance.gov advances the commitment in the President’s FY2011 budget to communicate candidly and concisely what the Federal government is trying to accomplish, how it is trying to accomplish it, and why these efforts are important. The home page provides two main ways to view information, by agency or area of focus. Specifically, Performance.gov provides information on the government’s progress in the following areas of focus:

    • Improving the return on contract spending
    • Reducing improper payments
    • Eliminating unneeded Federal real estate
    • Achieving technology-driven productivity gains
    • Accelerating performance on agency priorities
    • Hiring the best to deliver the best

    August 23, 2011
    * Federal Agency Use of Electronic Media in the Rulemaking Process

    Federal Agency Use of Electronic Media in the Rulemaking Process, by Cary Coglianese - University of Pennsylvania [via Michael Ravnitzky]

  • "In this report, I survey the landscape of agencies’ contemporary efforts to use electronic media in the rulemaking process. Drawing on a review of current agency uses of the Internet, a systematic survey of regulatory agencies’ websites, and interviews with managers at a variety of federal regulatory agencies, I identify both existing “best practices” as well as opportunities for continued improvement. As such, this study, commissioned by the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS), is intended as one further input into a broader series of government-wide efforts to study and improve federal agencies’ use of electronic media. Over the years, many agencies have used the Internet to improve greatly the public’s access to information about rulemaking and to provide enhanced opportunities for public input into agency decisions. Through both large, cross-cutting initiatives – such as the online portal Regulations.Gov – as well as smaller ones at individual agencies, the federal government has undertaken numerous efforts to promote transparency of and public participation in the rulemaking process. In addition, a growing administrative infrastructure has emerged both within and across agencies, such as through the government-wide Federal Web Managers Council, for standardizing and improving the design of federal agency websites as well as agency use of interactive electronic media. As such, this report emerges at an energetic time in a field fertile for governmental innovation, with undoubtedly no shortage of ideas for continued development of the federal government’s digital infrastructure."
  • August 22, 2011
    * Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Can Better Protect TSA’s Wireless Network and Devices

    Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Can Better Protect TSA’s Wireless Network and Devices (Redacted) OIG-11-99 July 2011

  • "Overall, TSA has implemented effective physical and logical security controls to protect its wireless network and devices. We did not detect any high-risk vulnerabilities on its wireless network infrastructure or rogue or unauthorized wireless networks or devices attributed to TSA or the Federal Air Marshal Service. Although we identified signal leakage from TSA’s wireless network, we determined that this was not a security risk because of the mitigating controls implemented. However, we identified high-risk vulnerabilities involving patch and configuration controls. Improvements are needed to enhance the security of wireless components to fully comply with the department’s information security policies and better protect TSA’s and Federal Air Marshal Service’s wireless infrastructure against potential risks, threats, and exploits."
  • * GovSales is a consolidated, citizen friendly web site that makes it easy for the public to find government assets for sale

  • "What is available on GovSales.gov? - Find land, houses, jewelry, cars, trucks, tools, computers and many other exciting items. Check out the web site today. Thousands of items, updated daily.
  • How does GovSales.gov work? - Choose the category you would like to search by selecting a tab at the top of the page. Search and locate thousands of items for sale. Select any item listed for sale and you’re taken to the seller’s web site to bid or buy the item you want. On-line auctions require that you register with the seller to participate."

  • * OMB: Instructions and Guidance for Completing the Web Inventory

    Follow up to .gov Reform Effort: Improving Federal Websites - Instructions and Guidance for Completing the Web Inventory, August 19, 2011

  • "Instructions: Agency CIOs must include key internal stakeholders, including the Agency Web Director, New Media Director
    (where applicable), Director of Public Affairs, and other staff responsible for managing Agency web resources, in completing the web inventory. Although the inventory surveys are not due until October 11, Agencies are encouraged to complete them sooner to allow time to analyze results. These results should be incorporated into the Web Improvement Plan that must be posted on Agency Open Government pages by October 11, 2011. A high level summary of the inventory results will be made publicly available on the .gov Reform Initiative website at: http://www.usa.gov/webreform."
  • August 21, 2011
    * A pocket Congress – track elected officials, read the latest bills and laws

    "The government apps and mobile sites allow you to access official information on various topics from the palm of your hand. Learn more about apps."

  • Congress – A Pocket Directory - Sunlight Labs - "track elected officials, read the latest bills and laws. Want to know more about Congress?: Find your representatives by your location; See how they vote, read up on bills; Stay on top of floor activity, committee hearings; Be notified of new events."
  • August 17, 2011
    * GPO and Archives Launch API for Federal Register

    News release: "The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the National Archives’ Office of the Federal Register (OFR) have taken another step in making Government information open and transparent for the American public. The agencies have introduced an Application Programming Interface (API) for Federal Register.gov, enabling information technology developers to create new applications for regulatory information published in the Federal Register. The API is an open data tool packaged in a light-weight, Web-friendly data transfer format that requires only a Web browser or client to begin development projects. This interface enables
    developers to tailor applications for sub-sets of agencies and particular documents, and to optimize resources for the mobile Web. Many Open Government supporters have given the API positive reviews."

    * Instructions and Guidance for Completing the E-Gov Web Inventory

    Follow up to posting, .gov Reform Effort: Improving Federal Websites, see NextGov: "Government officials charged with rationalizing their agencies' Web presence should consider potential cost savings from cutting or consolidating seldom visited websites and aim for a sleeker online footprint that better serves the public, according to guidance released Tuesday. Federal agencies have historically set a low bar for what warrants a new website, leading the government's online universe to balloon to nearly 2,000 domains and more than 20,000 individual sites."

    * VA Issues Guidance on use of Web-based collaboration technologies

    "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) endorses the secure use of Web-based collaboration and social media tools to enhance communication, stakeholder outreach collaboration, and information exchange; streamline processes; and foster productivity improvements. Use of these tools supports VA and VA’s goal of achieving an interoperable, net-centric environment by improving employee effectiveness through seamless access to information. Web-based collaboration tools enable widely dispersed facilities and VA personnel to more effectively collaborate and share information—which can result in better productivity, higher efficiency, and foster innovation. This Directive establishes policy on the proper use of these tools, consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and policies."

    August 13, 2011
    * 9th Annual Digital Counties Survey - 2011 Results

    "The Center for Digital Government's Digital Counties Survey is conducted in partnership with the National Association of Counties (NACo) annually in the spring: March - April. All U.S. counties are invited to participate (consolidated county-city jurisdictions are invited to participate in the Digital Cities Survey in the summer). The awards are presented during NACO's annual conference each July."

  • 9th Annual Digital Counties Survey - 2011 Results
  • August 10, 2011
    * Data-Enabled Government: How Well Is Our Personal Information Used and Protected?

    Data-Enabled Government: How Well Is Our Personal Information Used and Protected? - HP Business White Paper

  • "This is a summary of a longer report written in co-operation with the Economist Intelligence Unit. It examines the key issues surrounding the use and protection of personal data and draws on in-depth interviews with experts working on the front lines of public sector data management in the UK, Germany, France and Sweden, as well as academics and other authorities...Governments are continually expanding the breadth and depth of data they hold about their citizens, from the provision of public health and welfare services, to law enforcement and public security. In the pursuit of greater efficiency and improved public services, many are digitising operations and sharing information. However, the issues surrounding how to both deliver better service and safeguard private citizen data are becoming increasingly complex."
  • August 01, 2011
    * What is inflation and how does the Federal Reserve measure it?

    "What is inflation and how does the Federal Reserve measure it?
    Inflation occurs when the prices of goods and services increase over time. Inflation cannot be measured by an increase in the cost of one product or service, or even several products or services. Rather, inflation is a general increase in the overall price level of the goods and services in the economy. Federal Reserve policymakers evaluate changes in inflation by monitoring several different price indexes. A price index measures changes in the price of a group of goods and services. The Fed considers several price indexes because different indexes track different products and services, and because indexes are calculated differently. Therefore, various indexes can send diverse signals about inflation."

    * Find “Most Efficient” Products with Newest Energy Star Label

    "The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy have teamed up to recognize the cream of the crop in energy-efficient appliances. These top-rated products will stand out from other Energy Star appliances with a new, “Most Efficient” label. The designation will not only help consumers save money and reduce the amount of pollution they generate, but should also spur manufacturers to innovate to produce the most energy-efficient appliances they can." DOE and EPA have identified Most Efficient 2011 products among televisions, clothes washers, and heating and cooling equipment. Refrigerators are coming soon. More product categories will be added in 2012."

    * Student Aid on the Web

    "Search for Student Aid - The fall semester starts in weeks. If school expenses are weighing on your mind, remember that Uncle Sam is the biggest single provider of student aid. That includes grants, work-study programs and low-interest loans for those who qualify, whether for college or for a technical, career or trade school. For all federal student aid, as well as for many state, regional and private aid programs, completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the way to begin. Visit Student Aid on the Web to get started."

    July 27, 2011
    * USA.gov Links to Your Elected Officials

    Roll Call reported late in the evening on July 26, 2011 that Congressional websites and phone systems crashed after President Obama's speech on the debt ceiling. So via USA.gov, the following links to help you communicate with your elected officials,

    July 24, 2011
    * Looks Too Good To Be True.com webstie

    "While the Internet can be a safe and convenient place to do business, scammers are out there in "cyber world" targeting unsuspecting consumers. The Looks Too Good To Be True.com website was built to educate you, the consumer, and help prevent you from becoming a victim of an Internet fraud scheme. The website was developed and is maintained by a joint federal law enforcement and industry task force. Funding for the site has been provided by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Key partners include the National White Collar Crime Center, Monster.com, Target and members of the Merchants Risk Council."

    * Research interstate moving companies, obtain consumer protection information, read and file complaints

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has launched a newly designed Web site with resources to help consumers protect themselves from fraudulent or unscrupulous interstate household goods moving companies. The Web site - www.ProtectYourMove.gov - includes a user-friendly database that allows visitors to look up interstate moving companies by state or by name and to review both the consumer complaint history as well as the company's on-road safety performance records. A new feature of the Web site allows state consumer protection agencies to easily update state contact information for shippers who have questions about household goods movers. The www.ProtectYourMove.gov Web site features a new public service announcement, "Don't Be a Victim," that focuses on ways consumers can prevent moving fraud."

    July 20, 2011
    * NYT: U.S. to Close 800 Computer Data Centers

    NYT: "The federal government plans to shut 40 percent of its computer centers over the next four years to reduce its hefty technology budget and modernize the way it uses computers to manage data and provide services to citizens. Vivek Kundra, chief information officer for the government, said cloud computing could save the country billions of dollars. Computer centers typically do not employ many people to tend the machines, but analysts estimate that tens of thousands of jobs will most likely be eliminated."

    July 17, 2011
    * ACLU: Lessons from the UK "Phone Hacking" Scandal

    Commentary: "Britain is now enmeshed in a gigantic scandal around privacy invasions by the press and police. It began with revelations about reporters for Rupert Murdoch's British tabloid newspaper News of the World hacking into the voicemail of a murdered young girl, and has expanded as other privacy invasions have come to light."

  • WSJ.com: Scandal Grows at News Corp. - "Former News Corp. executive Rebekah Brooks was arrested and the head of Scotland Yard stepped down, as a convulsive phone-hacking scandal raced into the loftiest ranks of Britain's business and law-enforcement worlds."
  • * .gov Reform Effort: Improving Federal Websites

    "The .gov reform effort is part of President Obama's Campaign to Cut Waste, identifying unnecessary websites that can be consolidated into other websites to reduce costs and improve the quality of service to the American public. The President signed Executive Order 13571, "Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service," April 27, 2011, which requires federal agencies to take specific steps to strengthen customer service, including how they deliver services and information on federal ".gov" websites."

  • Federal Executive Branch Internet Domains: Listing of all 1759 Federal Agency Internet Domains
  • July 14, 2011
    * New FTC Video Helps Businesses Comply with CAN-SPAM Rule

    News release: "Say “spam” and most business executives think of annoying e-mail messages, like the ones that hold out a phony offer to split $50 million that’s sitting in a foreign bank. Of course, this type of message is covered by the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Rule, which is designed to protect consumers from deceptive commercial e-mail. But CAN-SPAM covers e-mails from legitimate businesses, too, such as e-mail notifying customers about a new product line or a special sale. To help explain what the CAN-SPAM Rule covers, the FTC has produced a new video for businesses with a seven-point checklist for sending commercial e-mail messages. For example, e-mail marketers must use accurate headers and subject lines and provide a method for consumers to stop getting e-mails. In addition to the video, the FTC also offers a brochure, The CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business."

    * Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace

    Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, July 2011

  • "...the Department of Defense (DoD) depends on cyberspace to function. It is difficult to overstate this reliance; DoD operates over 15,000 networks and seven million computing devices across hundreds of installations in dozens of countries around the globe. DoD uses cyberspace to enable its military, intelligence, and business operations, including the movement of personnel and material and the command and control of the full spectrum of military operations. The Department and the nation have vulnerabilities in cyberspace. Our reliance on cyberspace stands in stark contrast to the inadequacy of our cybersecurity – the security of the technologies that we use each day. Moreover, the continuing growth of networked systems, devices, and platforms means that cyberspace is embedded into an increasing number of capabilities upon which DoD relies to complete its mission. Today, many foreign nations are working to exploit DoD unclassified and classified networks, and some foreign intelligence organizations have already acquired the capacity to disrupt elements of DoD’s information infrastructure. Moreover, non-state actors increasingly threaten to penetrate and disrupt DoD networks and systems. We recognize that there may be malicious activities on DoD networks and systems that we have not yet detected."
  • July 11, 2011
    * FTC Hart-Scott-Rodino Premerger Notification System

    "The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act established the federal premerger notification program, which provides the FTC and the Department of Justice with information about large mergers and acquisitions before they occur. The parties to certain proposed transactions must submit premerger notification to the FTC and DOJ. Premerger notification involves completing an HSR Form, also called a “Notification and Report Form for Certain Mergers and Acquisitions,” with information about each company’s business. The parties may not close their deal until the waiting period outlined in the HSR Act has passed, or the government has granted early termination of the waiting period. For more information about the program, read our Introductory Guides. The FTC administers the premerger notification program, and the staff of the Premerger Notification Office is available to answer questions about how and when to file."

    July 07, 2011
    * Federal Reserve releases report on college credit card agreements

    News release: "The Federal Reserve Board released a report that contains 2010 payment and account information about more than 1,000 agreements between institutions of higher education or affiliated organizations and credit card issuers. The Board also updated an online database that provides the complete text of each agreement and the payment and accounts information submitted by issuers. Users may also search for agreements by card issuer, by educational institution or organization, or by the city or state in which the institution or organization is located."

    * UK Prime Minister sets ambitious open data agenda

    "The Prime Minister has today committed to publishing key data on the National Health Service, schools, criminal courts and transport. This represents the most ambitious open data agenda of any government anywhere in the world. The new data [see data.go.uk] will reveal clinical achievements and prescribing data by individual GP practices, the performance of hospital teams in treating lung cancer and other key healthcare conditions, the effectiveness of schools at teaching pupils across a range of subjects, criminal sentencing by each court, and data on rail timetables, rail service performance, roadworks, current road conditions, car parks and cycle routes in an open format for use by all. The new commitments, set out in a letter from the Prime Minister to Cabinet colleagues, aim to provide the public with more information about the performance of services they use every day, and to help to drive modern, personalised and sustainable public services. The new data are also expected to drive economic growth as they promote the creation of new services and applications."

    July 06, 2011
    * DOE Introduces First-of-Its Kind Database for Tidal Energy Resources

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology today introduced a new database highlighting the energy potential available in the United States from ocean tides. This online database is an important step towards providing information that can improve the performance, lower the costs, and accelerate the deployment of innovative water power technologies...Researchers at Georgia Tech Savannah used advanced regional ocean models to simulate tidal flows along the entire U.S. coastline. DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory validated the model’s accuracy and the resulting data are now publically available at the website developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology."

    * EIA - The Petroleum Marketing Monthly - July 2011

    "The Petroleum Marketing Monthly (PMM)- July 2011 - With Data for April 2011 - provides information and statistical data on a variety of crude oils and refined petroleum products. The publication presents statistics on crude oil costs and refined petroleum products sales for use by industry, government, private sector analysts, educational institutions, and consumers. Data on crude oil include the domestic first purchase price, the f.o.b. and landed cost of imported crude oil, and the refiners’ acquisition cost of crude oil. Refined petroleum product sales data include motor gasoline, distillates, residuals, aviation fuels, kerosene, and propane. The Office of Petroleum and Biofuels Statistics, U.S. Energy Information Administration ensures the accuracy, quality, and confidentiality of the published data in the Petroleum Marketing Monthly."

    July 05, 2011
    * 2011 Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff

    "Since 1995, the White House has been required to deliver a report to Congress listing the title and salary of every White House Office employee. Consistent with President Obama's commitment to transparency, this report is being publicly disclosed on our website as it is transmitted to Congress. In addition, this report also contains the title and salary details of administration officials who work at the Office of Policy Development, including the Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council -- along with White House Office employees. View the searchable table here."

    * PBGC Website Gives Access to Legal Filings, Decisions

    News release: "The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. (PBGC) has expanded the range of public information offered on its website by adding a Legal Filings and Decisions section to the Resources page. This innovation, part of a recent major upgrade of the PBGC website, presents significant legal filings recently submitted by PBGC in its efforts to preserve and safeguard pensions, as well as court decisions issued in response to PBGC filings. The new section also will offer noteworthy filings and decisions from the recent past."

    July 03, 2011
    * Commentary - final launch of space shuttle brings to an end the dreams of Apollo era

    The Economist: "If the weather holds and there are no unforeseen complications, then early in the morning on July 8th a woman and three men will ascend the launch tower at Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre, strap themselves into Atlantis, the last operational space shuttle, and, as the engines ignite, wait for the countdown to reach zero. Burning thousands of litres of rocket fuel every second and blasting superheated gas into the water-filled trench beneath the pad, the engines will kick up the vast gouts of steam and smoke that characterise a rocket launch."

  • The Final Space Shuttle Mission: STS-135
  • June 30, 2011
    * Public access to Davis Bacon Wage Determination information

    "The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has partnered with the Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) to provide permanent public access to Davis Bacon Wage Determination information.Wage Determinations OnLine (WDOL)is the official Federal Acquisitions Regulation (FAR) mandated Web site that contains both current and archived wage determinations. Users can search for a determination or browse by state and county. Archived determinations are available from 2000 forward. Permanent public access to the Davis Bacon Wage Determinations is ensured through the partnership; therefore, GPO's Davis Bacon site will redirect users to the WDOL site."

    June 26, 2011
    * USDA - Agricultural Chemical Use Program

    2010 Agricultural Chemical Usage Data Correction: "In the fall of 2010, NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service) collected data about chemical use and pest management on acres of conventional and organic corn as well as upland cotton and fall potatoes that were planted for the 2010 crop year. These data were collected as part of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey, and results were based on 4,893 individual responses from producers in 25 program states: Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North
    Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin. These states accounted for 93 percent of corn acres, 84 percent of the upland cotton acres, and 87 percent of the fall potato acres planted nationwide in the 2010 crop year."

  • "Corrections were made to the release highlights and to the Quick Stats 2.0 database."
  • * USDA Introduces Online Tool for Locating 'Food Deserts'

    News release: "The online Food Desert Locator, developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Economic Research Service (ERS), is a tool that can be used to assist efforts to expand the availability of nutritious food in food deserts, or low-income communities that lack ready access to healthy food. Expanding the availability of nutritious food is part of First Lady Michele Obama's Let's Move! initiative to address the epidemic of childhood obesity...A food desert is a low-income census tract where either a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store. "Low income" tracts are defined as those where at least 20 percent of the people have income at or below the federal poverty levels for family size, or where median family income for the tract is at or below 80 percent of the surrounding area's median family income. Tracts qualify as "low access" tracts if at least 500 persons or 33 percent of their population live more than a mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (for rural census tracts, the distance is more than 10 miles). This definition was developed by a working group comprised of members from the departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services, and USDA, which is partnering to expand the availability of nutritious food."

    June 24, 2011
    * Truth About Wireless Phones and the National Do-Not-Call List

    FCC: "You may be one of many consumers who have received emails saying you’re about to be assaulted by unwanted telemarketing calls to your wireless phone. Rest assured that placing telemarketing calls to wireless phones is -- and always has been -- illegal in most cases. Why the Confusion? The confusion seems to stem from recent discussions in the wireless phone industry about establishing a wireless 411 phone directory, much like your traditional (wired) 411 phone directory. A number of email campaigns seem to suggest that if your wireless telephone number is listed in a wireless 411 directory, it will be available to telemarketers, and you will start to receive sales calls. In addition, some of these email campaigns suggest that there is a separate do-not-call “cell phone registry,” which you must call to have your wireless phone number covered by the do-not-call rules. This information is wrong."

    June 22, 2011
    * National Library of Medicine launches MedlinePlus Connect

    News release: "The National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library and a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has formally launched MedlinePlus Connect. This free service allows health organizations and health information technology (HIT) providers to link patient portals and electronic health record (EHR) systems to MedlinePlus.gov, a trusted source of authoritative, up-to-date health information for patients, families and health care providers. MedlinePlus brings together information from NIH, other federal agencies, and reputable health information providers. MedlinePlus covers a wide range of health conditions and wellness issues, and includes key resources to inform patients about their health."

    June 20, 2011
    * FDA unveils new global strategy to help ensure safety and quality of imported products

    News release: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today unveiled a new strategy to meet the challenges posed by rapidly rising imports of FDA-regulated products and a complex global supply chain in a report called the Pathway to Global Product Safety and Quality. The FDA report calls for the agency to transform the way it conducts business and to act globally in order to promote and protect the health of U.S. consumers. Highlights of the report include four key elements needed to make the change:

    1. The FDA will partner with its counterparts worldwide to create global coalitions of regulators focused on ensuring and improving global product safety and quality.
    2. The coalitions of regulators will develop international data information systems and networks and increase the regular and proactive sharing of data and regulatory resources across world markets.
    3. The FDA will build in additional information gathering and analysis capabilities with an increased focus on risk analytics and information technology.
    4. The FDA increasingly will leverage the efforts of public and private third parties and industry and allocate FDA resources based on risk."

    * State Department - Smart Traveler Enrollment Program

    "Sign up for our free Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (formerly known as “Travel Registration” or “Registration with Embassies”) to receive the latest travel updates and information. When you sign up, you will automatically receive the most current information we compile about the country where you will be traveling or living. ou will also receive updates, including Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts (where appropriate). You only need to sign up once, and then you can add and delete trips from your account based on your current travel plans."

  • Country Specific Information: "We provide information on every country in the world. For each country, you will find information like the location of the U.S. embassy and any consular offices; whether you need a visa; crime and security information; health and medical conditions; drug penalties; and localized hot spots. This is a good place to start learning about where you are going."
  • June 15, 2011
    * Brief Guide to the European Union and Its Legislative Processes

    A Brief Guide to the European Union and Its Legislative Processes, June 2011 - "The EU, created by the Treaty of Maastricht1, is a union of 27 independent states. It was founded to enhance political, economic and social cooperation. Its origins date back to the 1950s and the establishment of three organisations:

    • European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) established by the Treaty of Paris
    • European Economic Community (EEC) and European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) established by the Treaties of Rome
      Under the Treaty of Maastricht, these three organisations (collectively, under the Treaty of Brussels4, the ‘European Communities’) were brought together to comprise the first of three conceptual pillars, which together formed the EU.
    • The Treaty also renamed the EEC the ‘European Community’ (EC), reflecting the determination of the Member States to expand the European Communities’ powers to non-economic domains."

    * The U.S. Government Printing Office: 150 Years of Service to the Nation

    "The U.S. Government Printing Office published its last official history 50 years ago, marking its centennial anniversary.
    100 GPO Years 1861–1961 has proven to be a remarkably valuable resource and deserves to stand alone as an enduring
    contribution to the historical record of this great agency. Instead of trying to improve on it, with the approach of our
    150th anniversary we decided to recreate the telling of GPO’s story. Keeping America Informed: The U.S. Government
    Printing Office: 150 Years of Service to the Nation
    recasts our history in a fresh light, with new contributions and emphases,
    and provides the reader with a greater exposure to GPO’s rich photographic record, with many of the images in this book
    published for the first time. Most important of all, Keeping America Informed describes how the agency has transformed itself through the years by continually adapting to the most efficient technologies available to get its work done. In the ink-on-paper era, this meant moving from handset to machine-set type, from slower to high-speed presses, and from hand to automated bookbinding. These changes enabled GPO to keep up with the demands of a growing Nation and helped keep costs down, and they were significant for their time. Yet they pale by comparison with the transformation that accompanied GPO’s incorporation of electronic information technologies, the single most dominant trend at the agency of the past 50 years, and the generator of unprecedented improvements in productivity and hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer savings that continue into the present. Today, GPO is fundamentally different from what it was as recently as a generation ago: smaller, leaner, and equipped with digital production capabilities that are the bedrock of the information systems relied upon daily by Congress, Federal agencies, and the public to ensure open and transparent Government in the digital era."

    * EPA: Searchable databases on chemical toxicity and exposure data now available

    News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making it easier to find data about chemicals. EPA is releasing two databases — the Toxicity Forecaster database (ToxCastDB) and a database of chemical exposure studies (ExpoCastDB) — that scientists and the public can use to access chemical toxicity and exposure data. ToxCastDB users can search and download data from over 500 rapid chemical tests conducted on more than 300 environmental chemicals. ToxCast uses advanced scientific tools to predict the potential toxicity of chemicals and to provide a cost-effective approach to prioritizing which chemicals of the thousands in use require further testing. ToxCast is currently screening 700 additional chemicals, and the data will be available in 2012...The new databases link together two important pieces of chemical research — exposure and toxicity data — both of which are required when considering potential risks posed by chemicals. The databases are connected through EPA’s Aggregated Computational Toxicology Resource (ACToR), an online data warehouse that collects data on over 500,000 chemicals from over 500 public sources."

    June 14, 2011
    * White House Releases A Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid

    A Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid: Enabling Our Secure Energy Future, June 2011

  • "This report outlines policy recommendations that build upon the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and the Obama Administration's smart grid investments to foster long-term investment, job growth, innovation, and help consumers save money. The report was prepared by the Subcommittee on Smart Grid of the National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Technology. A 21st century electric system is essential to America's ability to lead the world and create jobs in the clean-energy economy of the future. The Administration has made unprecedented investments in clean-energy technologies and grid modernization. For example, as part of the Recovery Act, the Nation invested more than $4.5 billion for electricity delivery and energy reliability modernization. This report highlights further efforts that are needed to take advantage of opportunities made possible by modern information, energy, and communications technology. It also provides a policy framework that promotes cost-effective investment, fosters innovation to spur the development of new products and services, empowers consumers to make informed decisions with better energy information, and secures the grid against cyber attacks. Facilitating a smarter and more secure grid will require sustained cooperation among the private sector, state and local governments, the Federal Government, consumer groups, and other stakeholders. Such progress is important to ensure that the United States is a world leader in the 21st century economy, is at the forefront of the clean energy revolution, and wins the future by encouraging innovation."
  • June 13, 2011
    * GPO Releases Congressional Pictorial Directory: 112th Congress

    "The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has made available the Congressional Pictorial Directory: 112th Congress on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys), a one-stop site to authentic, published Government information. GPO employees designed and created the Pictorial Directory, which features a color photograph of each Member of the House of Representatives and the Senate and details each Member’s length of service, political party affiliation, and congressional district. The Pictorial Directory also contains pictures of the President, Vice President, and House and Senate officers and officials."

    June 12, 2011
    * NOAA announces agency-wide move to cloud-based unified messaging technology

    News release: "NOAA announced an $11.5 million, three-year award to Earth Resources Technologies, Inc. for cloud-based unified messaging services. The agency-wide transition will modernize e-mail and calendar infrastructure, integrate collaborative tools and facilitate synchronization with mobile devices to better support NOAA’s mission and its nationwide workforce. As the largest federal agency to adopt cloud technology to date, NOAA will migrate 25,000 mailboxes to the cloud rather than utilizing in-house servers. NOAA’s decision to pursue the cloud solution supports the Obama administration’s direction to pursue a “cloud first” approach. “The cost to the taxpayer will be 50 percent less than an in-house solution,” said NOAA Chief Information Officer Joseph Klimavicz. “As the new standard, cloud computing has great value allowing us to ramp up quickly, avoid redundancy and provide new services and capabilities to large groups of customers.”

    June 10, 2011
    * EPIC, ACLU, EFF, and Others Urge Homeland Security to Stop Creation of National Identity System

    "EPIC and a coalition of privacy, consumer rights, and civil rights organizations filed a statement to the Department of Homeland Security in opposition to the proposed expansion of the employment verification system, "E-Verify." The agency announced plans to incorporate state driver license records that could significantly expand the use of the Homeland Security database. The groups said that the DHS proposal is unlawful and looks very similar to the REAL ID scheme that was previously defeated. EPIC has testified before Congress and published a Spotlight on Surveillance report about E-Verify. For more information, see EPIC: Employment Eligibility Verification System and EPIC: National ID."

    June 08, 2011
    * EPA Removes Confidentiality Claims for More Than 150 Chemicals

    News release: "In order to ensure the public has as much information as possible about the health and the environmental impacts of chemicals, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made public the identities of more than 150 chemicals contained in 104 health and safety studies that had been claimed confidential by industry. Today’s announcement is another in a series of unprecedented actions that EPA is taking to provide the public with greater access to information on the chemicals that are manufactured and used in the United States. For these 104 studies, the chemical identity will no longer be redacted, or kept from view. The chemicals involved are used in dispersant formulations and consumer products such as air fresheners, non-stick and stain resistant materials, fire resistant materials, nonylphenol compounds, perfluorinated compounds, and lead."

    * Federal Reserve Beige Book, June 8, 2011

    Full Report - Beige Book, June 8, 2011 and Links to the Districts

  • "Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that economic activity generally continued to expand since the last report, though a few Districts indicated some deceleration. Some slowing in the pace of growth was noted in the New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Chicago Districts. In contrast, Dallas characterized that region's economy as accelerating. Other Districts indicated that growth continued at a steady pace. Manufacturing activity continued to expand in most parts of the country, though a number of Districts noted some slowing in the pace of growth. Activity in the non-financial service sectors expanded at a steady pace, led by industries related to information technology and business and professional services."
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * EPIC: WhiteHouse.gov to Track Users for Two Years

    EPIC: "The White House modified its privacy policy for WhiteHouse.gov on June 3, 2011. The new policy is more than twice as long as the old policy. The new policy states the White House web site now uses persistent Google Analytics cookies that track users for up to two years. Previously the site employed only single-session cookies, which were automatically deleted when users closed their browsers. The site does not provide a means for visitors to opt out of receiving cookies. The present policy reflects changes the administration made last year to allow for use of tracking cookies by federal websites. For more information, see EPIC: White House Adopts Weird Opt-Out Privacy Policy for Public Access to Government Web Sites."

    June 07, 2011
    * CDC: No Progress in Salmonella During Past 15 Years

    News release: "Food safety annual report card targets hard-to-prevent infection Salmonella infections have not decreased during the past 15 years and have instead increased by 10 percent in recent years, according to a new Vital Signs report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the same time period, illnesses from the serious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157 have been cut nearly in half and the overall rates of six foodborne infections have been reduced by 23 percent, the report said. The Vital Signs report summarizes 2010 data from CDC's Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet), which serves as America's report card for food safety by tracking whether nine of the most common infections transmitted through foods are increasing or decreasing."

    June 06, 2011
    * EPIC: House Passes Budget for TSA, Cuts Funding for Body Scanners

    Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, via EPIC: "The House has approved the 2012 budget for the Transportation Security Administration, cutting $270 million from the amount originally requested by the Agency. The cuts include $76 million that had been designated for the purchase of 275 airport body scanners. Leading lawmakers and activists have called attention to the health risks associated with the scanners, as well as their invasiveness. Representative Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) criticized the machines as “slow” and “ineffective.”

    June 05, 2011
    * Search the full text of EDGAR filings from the last four years

    SEC: "This page allows you to search the full text of EDGAR filings from the last four years. The full text of a filing includes all data in the filing as well as all attachments to the filing. To find the information you need and make your search easy and enjoyable, please visit our FAQ page. We are still developing this feature, and we plan to enhance it based on user feedback."

    June 04, 2011
    * GSA's Apps.gov Offers Info and Links to Free Social Media Applications for Government Agencies

    Via GSA's Apps.gov: "Social media apps make it easier to create and distribute content and discuss the things we care about and help us get the job done. Social media includes various online technology tools that enable people to communicate easily and share information. Social media includes text, audio, video, images, podcasts, and other multimedia communications." This site lists, and links to, 55 free apps in categories including: Analytics and Search Tools, Blogs and microblogs, Bookmarking/Sharing, Display of Multimedia, Data, Maps, Document Sharing on Websites, Idea Generation/General Discussion, In-depth Discussion Tools, Social Networks, Video, Photo, Audio Hosting/Sharing, and Wikis.

    June 02, 2011
    * CRS - Geospatial Information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): An Overview for Congress

    Geospatial Information and Geographic Information Systems (GIS): An Overview for Congress, Peter Folger - Specialist in Energy and Natural Resources Policy. May 18, 2011

  • "Geospatial information is data referenced to a place—a set of geographic coordinates—which can often be gathered, manipulated, and displayed in real time. A Geographic Information System
    (GIS) is a computer data system capable of capturing, storing, analyzing, and displaying geographically referenced information. The federal government and policy makers increasingly use geospatial information and tools like GIS for producing floodplain maps, conducting the census, mapping foreclosures, congressional redistricting, and responding to natural hazards such as wildfires, earthquakes, and tsunamis. For policy makers, this type of analysis can greatly assist in clarifying complex problems that may involve local, state, and federal government, and affect businesses, residential areas, and federal installations. Examples of how GIS and geospatial data are used within and outside the federal government are growing rapidly. In this report, a few examples are provided that describe the real-time or near real-time data analysis in the case of a California wildfire; policy analysis in support of a Base Realignment and Closure decision in Virginia Beach; and analysis of foreclosure patterns using census and other data for the New York City area. An additional example is provided demonstrating the burgeoning interaction of GIS and social media. In this case, Japanese citizens collected and provided census records, maps, and other information—a variant of “crowdsourcing”— to a GIS team. The team assembled the information into data layers supporting an interactive map to assist humanitarian organizations working in areas of Japan damaged by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami."

  • June 01, 2011
    * EPA, DOT Unveil the Next Generation of Fuel Economy Labels

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today are unveiling new fuel economy labels that will help consumers take advantage of the increased efficiency standards achieved under the Obama Administration that will save families money at the pump starting this year. The new labels, which are the most dramatic overhaul to fuel economy labels since the program began more than 30 years ago, will provide more comprehensive fuel efficiency information, including estimated annual fuel costs, savings, as well as information on each vehicle’s environmental impact. The new labels underscore the benefits of the historic, bipartisan passenger car and truck fuel economy rule adopted under this administration by the EPA and DOT in 2010. These improvements will give consumers better, more complete information to consider when purchasing new vehicles that are covered by the increased fuel economy standards. Starting with model year 2013, the improved fuel economy labels will be required to be affixed to all new passenger cars and trucks – both conventional gasoline powered and “next generation” cars, such as plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles."

  • Learn About the New Label
  • May 31, 2011
    * WSJ - Pentagon Considers Cyberattacks as Acts of War

    WSJ: "The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force. The Pentagon's first formal cyber strategy, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, represents an early attempt to grapple with a changing world in which a hacker could pose as significant a threat to U.S. nuclear reactors, subways or pipelines as a hostile country's military. In part, the Pentagon intends its plan as a warning to potential adversaries of the consequences of attacking the U.S. in this way. "If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks," said a military official. Recent attacks on the Pentagon's own systems—as well as the sabotaging of Iran's nuclear program via the Stuxnet computer worm—have given new urgency to U.S. efforts to develop a more formalized approach to cyber attacks. A key moment occurred in 2008, when at least one U.S. military computer system was penetrated. This weekend Lockheed Martin, a major military contractor, acknowledged that it had been the victim of an infiltration, while playing down its impact."

    * NOAA Fires, Floods and Severe Weather Continue as Main Threats Today

    weather.gov: "Fire weather conditions continue across the Southwest and Southern Plains with a critical area affecting portions of southern Nevada and the Northern Mojave Desert. Meanwhile warming temperatures, continued precipitation and a high water-content snowpack continue the threat of flooding in eastern Montana and the Dakotas. A moderate risk of severe weather is forecasted for most of Lower Michigan and eastern Upper Michigan with a slight risk of severe thunderstorms from northern Illinois and Wisconsin eastward into Michigan, northern Indiana and northwestern Ohio. Much of the Mid-Atlantic has Heat Advisories and Air Quality Alerts. Details..."

    * FDA Inspection, Compliance Data Disclosure Transparency Increased With Release of Database

    "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts careful inspections of regulated facilities to determine a site’s compliance with regulations and the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Inspections are one of many ways FDA protects the public health. The Agency is disclosing inspection information to help improve the public’s understanding of how the FDA works to protect the public health. Disclosure of the compliance status of establishments helps to provide the public with a rationale for the Agency’s enforcement actions. Disclosure will also help to inform public and industry decision-making, allowing them to make more informed marketplace choices and help to encourage compliance. Inspections are classified (see Inspection Classifications) to reflect the compliance status of a firm. Classifications are based upon findings identified during an inspection and Agency review for compliance. During the Agency assessment, classifications may be subject to change after a review of all relevant information. To maintain current knowledge of a firm's compliance status, it may be important to recheck the Inspections Database for updates.

  • The Inspection Classification Database Search is updated regularly.
  • May 30, 2011
    * Fact Sheet on Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plants

    Fact Sheet includes Decommissioning Status for Shut Down NRC-Licensed Power Reactors (As of April 2011): "When a power company decides to close its nuclear power plant permanently, the facility must be decommissioned by safely removing it from service and reducing residual radioactivity to a level that permits release of the property and termination of the operating license. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has strict rules governing nuclear power plant decommissioning, involving cleanup of radioactively contaminated plant systems and structures and removal of the radioactive fuel. These requirements protect workers and the public during the entire decommissioning process and the public after the license is terminated."

  • See also Ensuring Nuclear Safety, by Gregory Jaczko, Chairman of the NRC since 2009 and a Commissioner since 2005
  • * EU: Environment: New maps give Europeans close-up picture of air pollution from diffuse sources

    News release: "The Europe-wide register aims to help Europeans actively engage in decisions affecting the environment. New online maps published by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, in close cooperation with the Joint Research Centre, the Commission's in-house science service, allow citizens for the first time to pinpoint the main diffuse sources of air pollution, such as transport and aviation. The new set of 32 maps shows where certain pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter are released. It complements existing data on emissions from individual industrial plants from the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR)."

    * NASA First Federal Agency to Launch Platform Using Slideshare

    Federal Computer Week: "NASA is the first federal agency to venture into creating an aggregation network on the SlideShare Web platform, officials announced May 16. The NASA Universe network that started May 16 on SlideShare provides links to the agency’s videos, slide presentations and other documents shared from SlideShare channels sponsored by NASA headquarters and its 10 field centers. NASA Universe takes advantage of the new aggregation network technology, which SlideShare recently established and currently customizes for a handful of clients, including NASA, IBM and Dell. The SlideShare networks automatically and continuously aggregate content from many channels. NASA headquarters and the field centers each has its own channel on the site feeding documents into NASA Universe."

    May 29, 2011
    * GovSpeak A Guide to Government Acronyms & Abbreviations

    GovSpeak - A Guide to Government Acronyms & Abbreviations: "This guide lists acronyms and abbreviations commonly used by the United States federal government. Each acronym is defined and links to the home page (or best alternative) of the identified department, agency, office, program or publication. While Appendix A of the U.S. Government Manual provided the foundation of GovSpeak, this expanded list includes hundreds of acronyms not included in that publication; most have been discovered by manual reviews of department websites. Links are checked and updated monthly."

    * CFPB Creating Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans

    Consumer Finance Protection Bureau: "The people just now reaching their sixties are part of America’s largest-ever generation of retirees. The CFPB is creating an Office of Financial Protection for Older Americans to ensure we serve this large community effectively. This Office will connect seniors with what they need to guide themselves through their financial lives. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires this Office to be active by January 21, 2012. We are building it right alongside the rest of the consumer bureau, and in the coming weeks and months you’ll hear more from us about financial issues for seniors. Here are some places you can go now for senior financial protection information:

    * Agencies Have Identified 78 Systems Migrating to the Cloud Within One Year

    Via WSJ: "This year, the government will spend $80 billion on IT, at agencies as varied as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services, and on non-classified sections of the US Department of Defense [see Federal Cloud Computing Strategy Published]. As slices of government spending go, this is not huge, amounting to about 2 percent of the federal budget, but not trivial either. As has usually been the case, the government spends more (about $3.8 trillion in 2011) than it brings in via tax revenue (about $2.2 trillion in 2011). With Congress and the President wrestling over extending the debt ceiling, every dollar spent becomes a politically-charged particle of a wider debate over the appropriate role of government in our society...A keystone of Vivek Kundra [Chief Information Officer of the United States], is to push federal agencies to embrace, where possible and appropriate, the cost-savings and efficiency that come from cloud computing. Today he’s released exclusively to AllThingsD a list of 78 different government projects and services that have been identified for a shift to the cloud. Requests for proposals–RFPs, the documents through which government agencies seek bids from the private sector–are either already written or soon to be released." The list is embedded in this article using Scribd.

    May 22, 2011
    * FBI 2010 Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report

    News release: "Preliminary FBI figures reveal that the levels of both violent crime and property crime in the U.S. declined in 2010 from the previous year's data. The 2010 Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, just released today, shows a 5.5 percent decrease in the number of reported violent crimes when compared with data from 2009. It also shows a 2.8 percent decline in reported property crimes. This latest report is based on information submitted to the FBI from 13,007 law enforcement agencies around the country. The crimes covered are murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson...There were some specific increases noted:

    • The Northeast saw increases in some violent crime categories from 2009 figures—murder was up 8.3 percent, forcible rape up 1.4 percent, and aggravated assault up 0.7 percent.
    • Cities with populations of 250,000 to 499,999 saw a 3.0 percent rise in murder, while cities with populations of 500,000 to 999,999 saw a 1.9 percent increase in forcible rape, and cities between 25,000 and 49,999 saw an increase of 1.3 percent in burglary.
    • The Northeast also saw an increase in burglary—up 3.5 percent.
    • Non-metropolitan counties reported slight increases in burglary (1.2 percent) and larceny-theft (3.2 percent)."

    May 18, 2011
    * Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Releases Streamlined Mortgage Discolosure Form

    Know Before You Owe. Go!, by Patricia McCoy: "We’ve just posted two draft designs for a single, simpler mortgage disclosure form on our Know Before You Owe page. Now, we need to hear from you! The task is pretty simple: Consumers would receive a form similar to one of these versions within a few days of applying for a loan. Take a look, and tell us which one would do a better job of disclosing the necessary information. What information should lenders and brokers share with consumers when they apply for a mortgage?...At the heart of our work is the idea that the consumer financial product and services market should work for you. We think we should learn from you what you want to see. One of the best ways to do that is also the simplest: we’re asking."

  • MBA Statement on Prototype Mortgage Disclosures
  • Currently in use: Truth in Lending form and the Good Faith Estimate.
  • * Report: Push for Electronic Medical Records Overlooks Security Gaps

    PBS Newshour: 'As the Obama administration pushes ahead with plans to increase the use of electronic medical records, two internal reports released Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services revealed "significant concerns" about security gaps in the system. The Office of the Inspector General found "a lack of general [information technology] security controls during prior audits at Medicare contractors, State Medicaid agencies, and hospitals." The investigation audited computer security at seven large hospitals in different states, and found 151 major vulnerabilities, including unencrypted wireless connections, easy passwords, and even a taped-over door lock on a room used for data storage. The auditors classified 124 of the breeches were "high impact" - resulting in costly losses, injury or death. According to the report, "outsiders or employees at some hospitals could have accessed, and at one of the seven hospitals did access, systems and beneficiaries' personal data."

    May 17, 2011
    * Roadmap for the Digital City - Achieving New York City's Digital Future

    Roadmap for the Digital City - Achieving New York City's Digital Future - The City of New York, May 2011

  • "New York City is one of the world’s leading digital metropolises. As Part I: State of the Digital City illustrates, New York City government engages over 25 million people a year through more than 200 digital channels including nyc.gov, mobile applications, and social media. As a pioneer in Open Government, New York City government has unlocked thousands of public records, enabling technologists to build tools that help New Yorkers everyday, from finding parking spaces to listening to audio tours of Central Park. One of the nation’s most connected municipalities, New York City’s digital sector growth propelled it to rank second in venture capital funding last year. By every digital index, the City of New York is thriving...Road Map for the Digital City outlines a path to build on New York City’s successes and establish it as the world’s top-ranked Digital City, based on indices of Internet access, Open Government, citizen engagement, and digital industry growth. Part II: Digital Input is informed by 90 days of research and over 4,000 points of engagement from residents, City employees, and technologists who shared insights and ideas. Chief among public interests were calls for expanded Internet access, a refreshed nyc.gov interface, real-time information, and more digital 311 tools. Businesses and technologists sought greater broadband connectivity, a deeper engineering employment pool, and read/write API access to City information. Finally, City employees proposed ideas for next-generation strategy, new coordination tools, and shared resources to enhance digital communications efforts."

  • * EPA’s National Library Network Named Federal Library/Information Center of the Year

    News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Library Network has been named Federal Library/Information Center of the Year by the Library of Congress. The award recognizes outstanding, innovative, and sustained achievements during fiscal year 2010 by a federal library or information center. EPA’s library network is an essential information partner with EPA staff and the public to support transparency, decision making, environmental awareness, and protection of people’s health and the environment...In FY2010, EPA libraries worked together to digitize 7,500 agency publications, adding to the growing inventory of more than 45,000 digital documents available to the public at no cost. Serving as a point of contact for public inquiries, EPA libraries collectively addressed nearly 9,000 public reference questions and loaned more than 8,000 documents, saving taxpayers an estimated $266,000."

    * Using Online Tools to Engage – and be Engaged by – The Public

    Using Online Tools to Engage – and be Engaged by – The Public: While all federal agencies have developed “open government plans,” many managers find themselves unfamiliar with what tactics and tools work best, under different scenarios. Matt Leighninger, IBM Deliberative Democracy Consortium

  • "Mr. Leighninger’s report begins to pull back the veil on how the various online engagement tactics and tools can be used, and when they work best. His report describes common scenarios where public managers may find themselves needing, or using, public input. He describe a mix of ten different tactics managers may find useful for engaging the public online and highlights over 40 different technologies in use today to support those kinds of engagements."
  • May 15, 2011
    * Office of the Director of National Intelligence 2010 Data Mining Report

    Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2010 Data Mining Report For the Period January 1, 2010 through December 31, 2010 [via FAS, May 10, 2011]

  • "The ODNI did not engage in any activities to use or develop data mining functionality in the reporting period."
  • May 14, 2011
    * Explore Australian collections and worldwide online sources

    Australia Trove: "Find and get over 238,389,330 (and counting) Australian and online resources: books, images, historic newspapers, maps, music, archives and more."

    May 13, 2011
    * Social Security Board of Trustees: Projected Trust Fund Exhaustion One Year Sooner

    News release: "The Social Security Board of Trustees today released its annual report on the financial health of the Social Security Trust Funds. The combined assets of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds will be exhausted in 2036, one year sooner than projected last year. The DI Trust Fund, while unchanged from last year, will be exhausted in 2018 and legislative action will be needed soon. At a minimum, a reallocation of the payroll tax rate between OASI and DI would be necessary, as was done in 1994. The Trustees also project that OASDI program costs will exceed non-interest income in 2011 and will remain higher throughout the remainder of the 75-year period."

  • The 2011 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds [244 pages, PDF]
  • May 11, 2011
    * Search.USA.gov

    "Search.USA.gov is the U.S. government’s official search engine. It is a comprehensive, searchable index of about 50 million pages from federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal websites.

    • Leverages Bing™ index of government websites.
    • Customizes search using structured algorithms specific to government information.
    • Optimizes search to retrieve and make sense of relevant information quickly.
    • Improves navigation by providing customized search suggestions, such as related topics and type-ahead search.
    • Enhances mobile access through a mobile site and native iPhone application.
    • Provides access to all Spanish language government websites at Buscador.USA.gov"

    * FDIC Supervisory Insights - Special Foreclosure Edition

    Regulatory Actions Related to Foreclosure Activities by Large Servicers and Practical Implications for Community Banks, May 2011: "This Special Foreclosure Edition describes lessons learned from an interagency review of foreclosure practices at the 14 largest residential mortgage servicers and includes examples of effective mortgage servicing practices derived from these lessons."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • May 10, 2011
    * Law Enforcement Use of Global Positioning (GPS) Devices to Monitor Motor Vehicles: Fourth Amendment Considerations

    CRS - Law Enforcement Use of Global Positioning (GPS) Devices to Monitor Motor Vehicles: Fourth Amendment Considerations, February 28, 2011

  • "As technology continues to advance, what was once thought novel, even a luxury, quickly becomes commonplace, even a necessity. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is one such example. Generally, GPS is a satellite-based technology that discloses the location of a given object. This technology is used in automobiles and cell phones to provide individual drivers with directional assistance. Just as individuals are finding increasing applications for GPS technology, state and federal governments are as well. State and federal law enforcement use various forms of GPS technology to obtain evidence in criminal investigations. For example, federal prosecutors have used information from cellular phone service providers that allows real-time tracking of the locations of customers’ cellular phones. Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1958 (P.L. 90-351) regulates the interception of wire, oral, and electronic communications. As such, it does not regulate the use of GPS technology affixed to vehicles and is beyond the scope of this report. The increased reliance on GPS technology raises important societal and legal considerations. Some contend that law enforcement’s use of such technology to track motor vehicles’ movements provides for a safer society. Conversely, others have voiced concerns that GPS technology could be used to reveal information inherently private. Defendants on both the state and federal levels are raising Fourth Amendment constitutional challenges, asking the courts to require law enforcement to first obtain a warrant before using GPS technology."
  • May 09, 2011
    * CDC: Asthma in the US Growing every year

    CDC Vital Signs, May 2011: "Asthma is a lifelong disease that causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. It can limit a person's quality of life. While we don't know why asthma rates are rising, we do know that most people with asthma can control their symptoms and prevent asthma attacks by avoiding asthma triggers and correctly using prescribed medicines, such as inhaled corticosteroids. The number of people diagnosed with asthma grew by 4.3 million from 2001 to 2009. From 2001 through 2009 asthma rates rose the most among black children, almost a 50% increase. Asthma was linked to 3,447 deaths (about 9 per day) in 2007. Asthma costs in the US grew from about $53 billion in 2002 to about $56 billion in 2007, about a 6% increase. Greater access to medical care is needed for the growing number of people with asthma."

    May 08, 2011
    * UK - Consumer empowerment strategy - Better Choices: Better Deals

    Better Choices: Better Deals - Consumers Powering Growth. UK Department for Business, Innovations and Skills, April 2011

  • "This document aims to show how consumers can become empowered to make better choices and get better deals. It is about helping consumers to get better value, better customer service and better support when making choices or seeking help. By empowering consumers, Better Choices: Better Deals can also contribute to long term growth. More active consumers mean that our best and most innovative businesses benefit most, helping to improve overall economic performance. Many of the changes set out in Better Choices: Better Deals would have been impossible a decade ago. The internet, smart phones and new data management methods have increased the information available to consumers. This has created new opportunities for consumers, which we want to support. These technological changes have also given businesses more information about their customers’ shopping habits. In some areas, businesses know more about customers’ spending habits than they do themselves – with detailed knowledge of how they use their phone, or how likely they are to go over their overdraft limit. Better Choices: Better Deals is about putting customers in charge: in charge of their own personal data which can be used to inform their purchasing decisions and lifestyle choices. However, our vision of consumer empowerment goes far beyond the hidden value in information. We want, for example, to foster renewed and widespread interest in collective purchasing, enabling consumers to be stronger by acting together. We want Government organisations to publish more of their data on consumer issues, especially on complaints. And above all, we want this strategy to stimulate feedback to Government about how we can support consumers to get better choices, better deals from business and Government. Please go to www.bis.gov.uk/betterchoices
    to let me know what you think."
  • * Department of Transportation Unveils Strong New Measures to Improve Passenger Bus Safety

    News release: "U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced several new measures that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is taking to help ensure that passengers traveling by bus are as safe as possible. The U.S. DOT will now require more rigorous commercial driver’s license testing standards, seek new rules to strengthen passenger carrier and driver compliance with federal safety regulations, and empower consumers to review safety records of bus companies before booking. Standing outside motorcoach buses at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, Secretary LaHood and Administrator Ferro also announced that FMCSA will be teaming up with state law enforcement to conduct unannounced motorcoach inspections at popular travel destinations throughout the spring and summer peak travel season."

  • "FMCSA is also encouraging consumers to report any unsafe bus company, vehicle or driver to the agency through a toll free hotline 1-888-DOT-SAFT (1-888-368-7238) or FMCSA’s consumer complaint website."
  • * White House: The Gift of Good Health on Mother’s Day

    "Pregnant women and new mothers deserve more than just flowers this Mother’s Day. They deserve the precious gift of good health for themselves and their babies. That’s why today I’d like to celebrate the benefits of text4baby, a free, mobile health information service that offers useful tips timed to a woman’s due date or baby’s date of birth. The beauty of text4baby is its simplicity. Text BABY (or BEBE in Spanish) to 511411, and receive three free SMS messages every week on important issues like nutrition, oral health, and immunization schedules. Text4baby also connects women to public clinics and support services for prenatal and infant care in their area. In the year since last Mother’s Day, text4baby has chalked up a number of exciting achievements that have improved the lives of the mothers it serves. The service has sent 12 million messages to more than 170,000 users with the support of over 500 outreach partners."

    * Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance Fourth Edition

    FDA - Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance - Fourth Edition, April 2011: "This guidance is intended to assist processors of fish and fishery products in the development of their Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans. Processors of fish and fishery products will find information in this guidance that will help them identify hazards that are associated with their products, and help them formulate control strategies. The guidance will help consumers and the public generally to understand commercial seafood safety in terms of hazards and their controls. The guidance does not specifically address safe handling practices by consumers or by retail establishments, although many of the concepts contained in this guidance are applicable to both. This guidance is also intended to serve as a tool to be used by federal and state regulatory officials in the evaluation of HACCP plans for fish and fishery products."

    May 06, 2011
    * Census Bureau Releases 2010 Census Demographic for DC and 12 States

    News release: "The U.S. Census Bureau [May 4, 2011] released the Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 for the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. The demographic profiles provide 2010 Census data on age and sex distributions, race, Hispanic or Latino origin, household relationship and type, the group quarters population, and housing occupancy and tenure (whether the housing occupant owns or rents). Throughout May, these profiles are being released on a rolling basis for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The profile includes more than 150 data items in all, plus percentage distributions...The demographic profiles can be found on the Census Bureau's American FactFinder website."

    May 05, 2011
    * Payroll employment rises 244,000 in April; unemployment rate edges up to 9.0%

    Employment Situation Summary - April 2011

  • "Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 244,000 in April, and the unemployment rate edged up to 9.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in several service providing industries, manufacturing, and mining. Household Survey Data: The number of unemployed persons, at 13.7 million, changed little in April. The unemployment rate edged up from 8.8 to 9.0 percent over the month but was 0.8 percentage point lower than in November. The labor force also was little changed in April. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (8.8 percent), adult women (7.9 percent), teenagers (24.9 percent), whites (8.0 percent), blacks (16.1 percent), and Hispanics (11.8 percent) showed little change in April. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.4 percent, not seasonally adjusted. The number of persons unemployed for less than 5 weeks increased by
    242,000 in April. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) declined by 283,000 to 5.8 million; their share of unemployment declined to 43.4 percent."
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * White House releases data on thousands of excess federal properties across the country

    Saving Money by Selling Excess Property: "We...are releasing data on thousands of excess properties across the country and an interactive map that allows you to see which excess properties are on the government’s books in your state so that you can hold Congress and the Administration accountable for our progress. You also can use this site to help us identify other properties in your communities that are not on the excess list but should be sold or otherwise disposed of. These excess properties are just the tip of the iceberg...The Federal Government is the biggest property owner in the U.S., and billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted each year on government properties that are no longer needed. The President has proposed a Civilian Property Realignment Board to help the Federal Government cut through red tape and politics to sell or get rid of property it no longer needs, saving taxpayers $15 billion over the first three years after the Board is fully up and running. There are roughly 14,000 buildings and structures currently designated as excess and thousands of others that are underutilized. These properties range from sheds to underutilized office buildings and empty warehouses."

  • Washington Business Journal: "Search the database of 12,218 properties by federal agency, state and city to find detailed information regarding specific properties."
  • May 03, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: School Meal Programs, VA Health Care, Overstay Enforcement
    • School Meal Programs: More Systematic Development of Specifications Could Improve the Safety of Foods Purchased through USDA's Commodity Program, GAO-11-376, May 03, 2011
    • VA Health Care: Weaknesses in Policies and Oversight Governing Medical Equipment Pose Risks to Veterans' Safety, GAO-11-591T, May 03, 2011
    • VA Health Care: Weaknesses in Policies and Oversight Governing Medical Supplies and Equipment Pose Risks to Veterans' Safety, GAO-11-391, May 03, 2011
    • Overstay Enforcement: Additional Mechanisms for Collecting, Assessing, and Sharing Data Could Strengthen DHS's Efforts but Would Have Costs, GAO-11-411, April 15, 2011
    * Analyzing Cancer Risks Around Nuclear Facilities

    News release: "Nuclear facilities licensed by the NRC routinely release very small amounts of radioactivity during normal operations. Even though the NRC closely monitors the plants and assures that these releases are well below regulatory limits, some community members remain concerned about potential health risks from these facilities. To address the concerns, the NRC has asked the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) – an independent group of experts chartered by Congress to carry out transparent, objective and detailed studies independent of the government — to examine how best to perform a state-of-the-art study on cancer risk for individuals living around NRC-licensed nuclear facilities. The NAS effort will study nuclear power plants that generate electricity and certain plants that create the nuclear fuel used in the power plants. The NRC is seeking the expertise of the NAS to update the 1990 report by the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI). This report, “Cancer in Populations Living Near Nuclear Facilities,” found that cancer mortality rates were not elevated in these populations. The NRC staff uses the NCI report as a primary resource during public discussions of cancer risk in communities that are near or around nuclear facilities."

    May 02, 2011
    * International Research Portal for Records Related to Nazi-Era Cultural Property

    "The International Research Portal is a collaboration of national and other archival institutions with records that pertain to Nazi-Era cultural property. These archival institutions, along with expert national and international organizations, are working together to extend public access to the widely-dispersed records through a single internet portal. The portal will enable families to research their losses, provenance researchers to locate important documentation, and historians to study newly accessible materials on the history of this period. This collaborative project was established to fulfill the 1998 Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art, the 2000 Vilnius Forum Declaration and the 2009 Terezin Declaration, in particular on the importance of making all such records publicly accessible. The portal links researchers to archival materials consisting of descriptions of records and, in many cases, digital images of the records that relate to cultural property that was stolen, looted, seized, forcibly sold, or otherwise lost during the Nazi-era. Cultural property documented in these records covers a broad range from artworks to books and libraries, religious objects, antiquities, archival documents, carvings, silver and more."

  • See also via Google Blog: Sharing stories of the Holocaust for future generations
  • * National Security Archive Posts Osama Bin Laden File

    "The Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden - killed in Pakistan by U.S. special operations forces yesterday, ranked as “one of the most significant financial sponsors of Islamic terrorist activities in the world” as early as 1996, according to declassified U.S. documents posted on the web today by the National Security Archive at George Washington University. The Osama Bin Laden File includes the CIA’s 1996 biographic sketch, the infamous President’s Daily Brief from 6 August 2001 warning “Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US,” a State Department issue paper from 2005 reporting that “some Taliban leaders operate with relative impunity in some Pakistan cities,” the 400-page Sandia National Laboratories profile of Bin Laden focusing on the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the 2006 State Department cable on the Taliban’s regrouping in Pakistan’s tribal areas making them “a sanctuary beyond the reach of either Government,” the demands made on Pakistan right after 9/11 by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, and the only known conversation between the U.S. government and the Taliban leader Mullah Omar."

  • See also the comprehensive sources posted on the Department of Defense site - The Demise of Osama bin Laden - and from PBS NewHour: Bin Laden Is Dead: Updates, Reaction and Analysis
  • May 01, 2011
    * Implementing Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 IT Purchasing Requirements

    Implementing Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 IT Purchasing Requirements: M-1l-20 - Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies from Jacob Lew, director of the Office of Management and Budget, April 28, 2011

  • "Implementing Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 IT Purchasing Requirements: "On December 9,2010, President Obama signed into law the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 (the Act). Telework provides multiple benefits for Executive Agencies and the federal workforce. It can produce resource savings and reduce time, expenses, and greenhouse gas production associated with commuting. Telework also provides federal employees the ability to continue working during inclement weather, emergencies, or situations that may disrupt normal operations. However, telework is only as effective as the technologies used to support it, which is why it is critical for agencies to take immediate measures to ensure that their employees are properly equipped. Within 90 days of issuance of this memorandum, agency chief information officers (CIOs), in coordination with chief acquisition officers (CAOs) shall develop or update policies on purchasing computing technologies and services to enable and promotes continued adoption of telework. At the same time, purchasing policies must address the information security threats raised by use of technologies associated with telework."
  • * Study: Rural Broadband Subsidy Program Wastes Funds in Areas Already Served by Broadband

    "A new economic analysis of federal government broadband stimulus projects awarded by the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) concludes that the program's funding of duplicative broadband networks has resulted in an extremely high cost to reach a small number of unserved households. The study, Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of RUS Broadband Subsidies: Three Case Studies, was commissioned by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and prepared by Jeffrey Eisenach and Kevin Caves of Navigant Economics of Washington, D.C., April 13, 2011."

    * All Federal Benefits Will Be Paid Electronically Effective March 1, 2013

    "The U.S. Department of the Treasury will pay all federal benefit and non-tax payments electronically. Benefit recipients can choose to receive their payments by direct deposit to a bank or credit union account or to a Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® card account. Act now to get your money safely and quickly – on time, every time!

    • If you will apply for federal benefits on or after May 1, 2011, you will need to choose your preferred electronic payment option when you enroll to receive benefits from the Social Security Administration, Veterans Affairs, Railroad Retirement Board, Office of Personnel Management or Department of Labor (Black Lung). Find out what you'll need on hand.
    • You will need to make the switch from paper benefit checks to electronic payments by March 1, 2013. Learn more or sign up now

    April 29, 2011
    * The 2nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 30, 2011

    DEA sponsors 2nd National Prescription Drug Take Back Day - Saturday, April 30, 2011- 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

  • National Take Back Initiative Collection Site Search Locator
  • April 28, 2011
    * NRC: FOIAs Related to Japan's Emergency

    FOIAs Related to Japan's Emergency: "To avoid duplication of effort and delays in response times, please take note of the following requests that have already been submitted to the NRC. Responses to these FOIA requests will be made publicly available as soon as possible."

    * Data Compilation on Women in National Parliaments

  • Women in National Parliaments: "The data in the tables below has been compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union on the basis of information provided by National Parliaments by 31 March 2011. The percentages do not take into account the case of parliaments for which no data was available at that date. Comparative data on the percentage of women in each National Parliament as well as data concerning the two regional parliamentary assemblies elected by direct suffrage can be found on separate pages. You can use the PARLINE database to view detailed results of parliamentary elections by country." [Stuart Basefsky]

  • * GSA Plans RFP for $2.5 Billion in Cloud Computing to Support IT Reform Plan

    Jason Miller, Executive Editor, Federal News Radio: "The General Services Administration is about to give the Obama administration's policy that requires agencies to use cloud computing a big boost. GSA plans on releasing a request for proposals May 10 for e-mail-as-a-service that could be worth $2.5 billion. Vivek Kundra, the federal chief information officer, said Wednesday there are $20 billion in systems across the government that could move to the cloud, and email and collaboration software are among the easiest first steps. We already are seeing 15 agencies that have identified 950,000 e-mail boxes across 100 email systems that are going to move to the cloud," he said during an update on the administration's 25-point IT reform plan at the White House. "This represents a huge opportunity for [vendors] to aggressively compete for these new opportunities in the cloud space and provide the government with the best value and most innovative technologies." Among those 15 agencies already on their way are the Agriculture Department and GSA. USDA is moving 120,000 employees to Microsoft's cloud, while GSA picked Unisys, which partnered with Google, to move as many as 30,000 employees to a new email system."

    * BLS Mobile Service

    BLS Mobile Service: "In our never-ending quest to provide the American public with the latest labor economics and statistics data no matter where they are, we are introducing a mobile version of the BLS homepage. The mobile homepage is designed to give our visitors a quick view of the latest BLS statistical products such as the latest numbers data, links to our most recent economic releases and more. The BLS mobile service places today’s rapidly changing economic information in the palm of your hand. We value your feedback, so send us your comments and let us know what you would like to see in an expanded BLS Mobile site."

    April 27, 2011
    * USDA: International Evidence on Food Consumption Patterns

    International Evidence on Food Consumption Patterns: An Update Using 2005 International Comparison Program Data, By Andrew Muhammad, James L. Seale, Jr., Birgit Meade, and Anita Regmi - Technical Bulletin No. (TB-1929) 59 pp, March 2011

  • "In a 2003 report, International Evidence on Food Consumption Patterns, ERS economists estimated income and price elasticities of demand for broad consumption categories and food categories across 114 countries using 1996 International Comparison Program (ICP) data. This report updates that analysis with an estimated two-stage demand system across 144 countries using 2005 ICP data. Advances in ICP data collection since 1996 led to better results and more accurate income and price elasticity estimates. Low-income countries spend a greater portion of their budget on necessities, such as food, while richer countries spend a greater proportion of their income on luxuries, such as recreation. Low-value staples, such as cereals, account for a larger share of the food budget in poorer countries, while high-value food items are a larger share of the food budget in richer countries. Overall, low-income countries are more responsive to changes in income and food prices and, therefore, make larger adjustments to their food consumption pattern when incomes and prices change. However, adjustments to price and income changes are not uniform across all food categories. Staple food consumption changes the least, while consumption of higher-value food items changes the most."
  • April 26, 2011
    * ACSI E-Government Report Links Good Federal Websites with Cost Savings and Better Democracy

    "ForeSee Results today issued its quarterly report on the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index, which indicates that good federal government websites save the government money and foster democracy. The research quantifies a direct cause-and-effect relationship between highly satisfied citizens and cost savings for the government. Highly satisfied visitors to federal government websites save the federal government money by using the web channel as their primary means to interact with the government as opposed to costlier channels like call centers, mail, and brick-and-mortar customer service centers. Some estimates indicate that the federal government could save hundreds of millions of dollars on postage alone by right-channeling citizens to websites."

    April 23, 2011
    * GeoEVSE Forum: government-industry collaboration committed to establishing a repository of public electric vehicle supply equipment

    DOE: The GeoEVSE Forum is a government-industry collaboration committed to establishing a repository of public electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) location data for use by consumers and industry. A network of public charging stations, or EVSE, gives plug-in electric vehicle drivers alternatives to home charging and can extend driving range. Recognizing that these drivers need an easy way to locate EVSE, automakers have enabled vehicle navigation systems to locate the nearest available charging sites. A successful navigation system depends on a comprehensive database of publicly accessible EVSE locations, irrespective of equipment manufacturer or charging network. The U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center (AFDC) contains the locations of nearly 7,000 alternative fueling stations, including more than 600 EVSE locations. These locations are available to the public through the Alternative Fueling Station Locator and through third party websites that provide portals to the AFDC data."

  • See also: the Alternative Fuel Price Report - The Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a newsletter designed to keep you up to date on the price of alternative fuels in the United States in relation to gasoline and diesel prices.
  • April 22, 2011
    * Information Security Oversight Office released its Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Report to the President

    Information Security Oversight Office’s (ISOO) Report to the President for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010: "This report provides information on the status of the security classification program as required by Executive Order 13526, “Classified National Security Information” (the Order). It provides statistics and analysis concerning key components of the system, primarily classification and declassification, and coverage of ISOO’s reviews. It also contains information with respect to industrial security in the private sector as required by Executive Order 12829, as amended, “National Industrial Security Program.” FY 2010 was a notable year for the security classification program. The initial implementation of Executive Order 13526 began in earnest and remains ongoing. To comply with your direction that a government-wide implementing directive be issued within 180 days, we led an interagency working group that developed 32 C.F.R. Part 2001 which became effective and binding on all appropriate Executive branch agencies on June 25, 2010. However, we are concerned about delays in the issuance of agency regulations implementing the Order. Despite the preparation of agency drafts and the completion of our review last Fall, many agencies failed to issue their regulations in final form by December 2010 and many have yet to issue them as of the date of this letter [April 15, 2011]."

    April 21, 2011
    * EPA Resources fo Earth Day - April 22, 2011

    Earth Day is April 22 - "Make every day Earth Day and help protect health and the environment throughout the year."

  • Find events where you live
  • Actions You Can Take to Make a Difference
  • * Report: Canada is the most significant source for U.S. energy imports

    Energy Information Administration - Canada Country Analysis Brief: "Canada has been a significant component of the global energy trade due to its proximity to and trade with the largest energy consumer in the world, the United States. Canada maintains a surplus in all sellable energy commodities, exporting crude oil, natural gas, coal and electricity. The country is the most significant source for U.S. energy imports. The United States has traditionally provided the markets for Canada's energy exports. However, Asian countries are seeking greater access to Canada's natural resources to fuel Asia's own long-term economic growth. Canada produces and exports substantial volumes of primary energy and electricity. In 2008, Canada ranked fifth globally in total energy produced, generating 19.11 quadrillion British Thermal Units (Btu) of primary energy. Canada's geographical location and geological composition allow for a diversified supply of energy sources, ranging from coal to considerable hydropower generation capacity."

    * CBO - The Effects of Automatic Stabilizers on the Federal Budget

    The Effects of Automatic Stabilizers on the Federal Budget - April 21, 2011. See also Tables to Accompany the 2011 Automatic Stabilizers Report

  • "This report focuses on the automatic responses of revenues and outlays to developments in the economy—the automatic stabilizers—that reflect cyclical movements in real (inflation-adjusted) output and unemployment. CBO estimates that automatic stabilizers are adding significantly to the budget deficit now but that their contribution will steadily fade over the next few years."
  • April 20, 2011
    * BEA: Local Area Personal Income, 2009

    "Today, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released estimates of personal income at the county level for 2009. Among large counties (those with a population of more than 250,000) the change in personal income from 2008 to 2009 ranged from an 8.1 percent decline (in Oakland County, Michigan) to a 4.2 percent gain (in Loudoun County, Virginia). Growth slowed in all but one of the nation’s 255 large counties. For the nation, personal income fell 1.7 percent in 2009 after growing 4.0 percent in 2008. Per capita personal income (personal income divided by population) in large counties in 2009 ranged from $20,509 in Hidalgo County, Texas to $105,554 in New York County, New York (Manhattan). Among small counties, those with populations less than 50,000, swings in farm income accounted for much of the change in personal income from 2008 to 2009...A narrative for each county describing personal income using current estimates, growth rates, and a breakdown of the sources of personal income is available here."

    * U.S. Department of Transportation Expands Airline Passenger Protections

    News release: "U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced new airline passenger protections that will require airlines to reimburse passengers for bag fees if their bags are lost, provide consumers involuntarily bumped from flights with greater compensation, expand the current ban on lengthy tarmac delays, and disclose hidden fees. The rulemaking finalized today builds on passenger protections issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation in December 2009, which prohibited U.S. airlines operating domestic flights from permitting an aircraft to remain on the tarmac for more than three hours, with exceptions for safety, security and air traffic control related-reasons. The rule also required U.S. airlines to provide basic services such as access to lavatories and water in the event of extended tarmac delays."

    * Census - 2008 Immigration/Emigration Supplement Data

    2008 Immigration/Emigration Supplement Data: "These data focus on five migration-related topics - citizenship, year of entry, residence one year ago, residents and emigrants abroad and monetary transfers. The monetary transfers section, in particular, is noteworthy because it represents the first time questions on both the giving and receiving of these transfers were included on a large, federally sponsored, nationally representative survey in the United States. This supplement to the Current Population Survey was fielded in August 2008. The purpose was to provide additional data to improve the statistics on the size and characteristics of the foreign-born population in the United States. These microdata can be downloaded from the Census Bureau website."

  • See also CRS: The Changing Demographic Profile of the United States
  • April 19, 2011
    * BLS: Consumer Price Index increases 2.7 percent in 12 months

    News release: "Over the last 12 months, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment, the largest increase since December 2009. The food index has risen 2.9 percent over the past 12 months. The index for food at home has risen 3.6 percent with the index for meats, poultry, fish and eggs up 7.9 percent. The index for food away from home has risen 1.9 percent over the past 12 months. The energy index has now risen 15.5 percent over the last 12 months, with the gasoline index up 27.5 percent. The household energy index has risen 1.2 percent over the last 12 months, with the fuel oil index up 34.0 percent and the electricity index up 1.0 percent, but the index for natural gas down 5.5 percent. The index for all items less food and energy increased 1.2 percent over the last 12 months. This change is above the low of 0.6 percent in October, but is still below the 1.9 percent average over the last 10 years. The indexes for shelter, new vehicles, used cars and trucks, airline fares, and medical care are among those that have increased over the past year; the indexes for apparel, household furnishings and operations, and recreation have declined."

    * New GAO Reports: Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, TARP
    • Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Update on Federal Financial Risks and Claims Processing, GAO-11-397R, April 18, 2011
    • Management Report: Improvements Are Needed in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, GAO-11-434R, April 18, 2011
    * Proposed rule to implement amendments to the Truth in Lending Act

    News release: "The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday requested public comment on a proposed rule under Regulation Z that would require creditors to determine a consumer's ability to repay a mortgage before making the loan and would establish minimum mortgage underwriting standards. The revisions to the regulation, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), are being made pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The proposal would apply to all consumer mortgages (except home equity lines of credit, timeshare plans, reverse mortgages, or temporary loans)."

    * Federal Reserve redesigns the frequently asked questions section of its website

    "The Federal Reserve Board has redesigned and expanded the Current FAQs (frequently asked questions) section of its website. New questions and answers address the Federal Reserve's roles and actions, currency and coin, consumer issues, the banking and financial system, and the economy. Many answers link to related information and resources, and videos accompany some answers. Users can navigate the FAQs by topic. Questions and answers will be updated regularly and new entries will be added as needed. Users may submit ideas for new questions using an online form."

    April 18, 2011
    * Digital Agenda: children using social networks at a younger age; many unaware of basic privacy risks, says survey

    EU: "77% of 13-16 year olds and 38% of 9-12 year olds in the EU have a profile on a social networking site, according to a pan-European survey carried out for the European Commission. Yet, a quarter of children who use social networking sites like Facebook, Hyves, Tuenti, Nasza-Klasa SchuelerVZ, Hi5, Iwiw or Myvip say their profile is set to "public" meaning that everyone can see it, and many of these display their address and/or phone number. The figures highlight the importance of the European Commission's upcoming review of the implementation of the Safer Social Networking Principles for the EU. This agreement was brokered by the Commission in 2009 (IP/09/232) when major social networking companies agreed to implement measures to ensure the online safety of their under 18s users. Children's safety online is an important part of the Digital Agenda for Europe (see IP/10/581, MEMO/10/199 and MEMO/10/200)."

    * Senate Investigations Subcommittee Releases Levin-Coburn Report On the Financial Crisis

    News release: "Concluding a two-year bipartisan investigation, Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Senator Tom Coburn M.D., R-Okla., Chairman and Ranking Republican on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, [April 13, 2011] released a 635-page final report on their inquiry into key causes of the financial crisis. The report catalogs conflicts of interest, heedless risk-taking and failures of federal oversight that helped push the country into the deepest recession since the Great Depression...[the] report presents new facts, new findings and recommendations, with more than 700 new documents totaling over 5,800 pages. It recounts how Washington Mutual aggressively issued and sold high-risk mortgages to Wall Street, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac, even as its executives predicted a housing bubble that would burst, and offers new detail about how its regulator deferred to the bank’s management. New documents show how Goldman used net short positions to benefit from the downturn in the mortgage market, and designed, marketed, and sold CDOs in ways that created conflicts of interest with the firm’s clients and at times led to the bank’s profiting from the same products that caused substantial losses for its clients. Other new information provides additional detail about how credit rating agencies rushed to rate new mortgage-backed securities and collect lucrative rating fees before issuing mass ratings downgrades that shocked the financial markets and triggered a collapse in the value of mortgage related securities. Over 120 new documents provide insights into how Deutsche Bank contributed to the mortgage mess."

    April 17, 2011
    * White House Releases National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace

    National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace, Enhancing Online Choice, Efficiency, Security, and Privacy - April 2011

  • "A secure cyberspace is critical to our prosperity 1 We use the Internet and other online environments to increase our productivity, as a platform for innovation, and as a venue in which to create new businesses “Our digital infrastructure, therefore, is a strategic national asset, and protecting it—while safeguarding privacy and civil liberties—is a national security priority” and an economic necessity. By addressing threats in this environment, we will help individuals protect themselves in cyberspace and enable both the private sector and government to offer more services online As a Nation, we are addressing many of the technical and policy shortcomings that have led to insecurity in cyberspace Among these shortcomings is the online authentication of people and devices: the President’s Cyberspace Policy Review established trusted identities as a cornerstone of improved cybersecurity...The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC or Strategy) charts a course for the public and private sectors to collaborate to raise the level of trust associated with the identities of individuals, organizations, networks, services, and devices involved in online transactions."
  • * Your 2010 Federal Taxpayer Receipt

    Your 2010 Federal Taxpayer Receipt: "In his State of the Union Address, President Obama promised that this year, for the first time ever, American taxpayers would be able to go online and see exactly how their federal tax dollars are spent. Just enter a few pieces of information about your taxes, and the taxpayer receipt will give you a breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent on priorities like education, veterans benefits, or health care."

    April 16, 2011
    * Consumer prices increase 0.5% in March as gasoline and food prices continue to rise

    March 2011: "The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment. Gasoline and food prices continued to rise and together accounted for almost three quarters of the seasonally adjusted all items increase in March. The gasoline index posted its ninth consecutive increase and has now risen 14.4 percent over the last three months. The household energy index rose as well, with advances in the fuel oil and electricity indexes more than offsetting a decline in the index for natural gas. The food at home index continued to accelerate in March, rising 1.1 percent as all six major grocery store food groups increased."

    April 15, 2011
    * New GAO Report: Davis-Bacon Act, Employment Verificatio, Employment and Training Administration
    • Davis-Bacon Act: Methodological Expertise Critical for Improving Survey Quality, GAO-11-486T, April 14, 2011
    • Employment Verification: Agencies Have Improved E-Verify, but Significant Challenges Remain, GAO-11-522T, April 14, 2011
    • Employment and Training Administration: More Actions Needed to Improve Transparency and Accountability of Its Research Program, GAO-11-285, March 15, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Improper Payments, Southwest Border
    • Improper Payments: Recent Efforts to Address Improper Payments and Remaining Challenges, GAO-11-575T, April 15, 2011
    • Southwest Border: Border Patrol Operations on Federal Lands, GAO-11-573T, April 15, 2011
    • Status of Fiscal Year 2010 Federal Improper Payments Reporting, GAO-11-443R, March 25, 2011
    * Wall Street And The Financial Crisis: Anatomy Of A Financial Collapse

    Majority And Minority Staff Report United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Wall Street And The Financial Crisis: Anatomy Of A Financial Collapse, April 13, 2011 - : "This 639 page report, which was part of a 2-year bi-partisan investigation by the U.S. Senate Permanent Committee on Investigations into the origins of the 2008 financial crisis. The goal of the report was to: "deepen the understanding of what happened; identify some of the root causes of the crisis; and provide a factual foundation for the ongoing effort to fortify the country against the recurrence of a similar crisis in the future." The report includes more than 150 interviews and depositions, and consultations with dozens of government, academic and private sector experts. In April 2010, the Subcommittee held four hearings examining four root causes of the financial crisis."

    April 14, 2011
    * OnGuardOnline.gov Urges Taxpayers to Contact the IRS If They Suspect Tax-Related Identity Theft

    News release: "OnGuardOnline.gov, a partnership of fourteen federal agencies managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is informing consumers that an unexpected message from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could be a warning sign that their Social Security number is being misused by an identity thief. OnGuardOnline.gov suggests that people contact the IRS if they receive a notice that: more than one tax return was filed in the consumer’s name, or IRS records show the consumer was paid by an employer that he or she does not know. People who think they have tax issues related to identity theft should let the IRS know as soon as possible, even if the taxpayer doesn’t have any evidence that the identity theft affected a tax return. Specialists in the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit will help identity theft victims file their tax returns, get any refund they are due, and protect their IRS accounts from identity thieves in the future. The IRS website has more information here, or consumers can call 1-800-908-4490. The unit’s hours are 8:00 am to 8:00 pm (local time)."

    April 13, 2011
    * Kaiser Foundation Data Note Explores Digital Divide and Access to Health Information Online

    "The Affordable Care Act (ACA) calls for a number of web-based initiatives, including development of the website healthcare.gov which provides a variety of health information and helps individuals find coverage options. Therefore, understanding the level and quality of Internet access among those groups most likely to benefit from reform, such as the uninsured, those with lower incomes, and members of racial and ethnic minority groups, is an important consideration as health reform is implemented. A new Data Note, using data from The Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation/Harvard University Race and Recession Survey, conducted Jan. 27-Feb. 9, 2011, examines racial and ethnic disparities in the shares who report seeking out health information online, and explores the broader question of how disparities in Internet access might impact the abilities of different groups to access health care information available on the web as part of the ACA."

    * Publication of Joint Study on Feasibility of Mandating Algorithmic Descriptions for Derivatives

    "the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (collectively “Commissions”) delivered to Congress a joint staff study on the “the feasibility of requiring the derivatives industry to adopt standardized computer-readable algorithmic descriptions which may be used to describe complex and standardized financial derivatives.” See Title VII, Sec. 719(b) of Dodd-Frank. Based on the public input, staff investigation and analysis, the joint study concludes that current technology is capable of representing derivatives using a common set of computer-readable descriptions. These descriptions are precise enough to use both for the calculation of net exposures and to serve as part or all of a binding legal contract."

    April 12, 2011
    * Federal Reserve Testimony on Derivatives Regulation

    Federal Reserve Governor Daniel K. Tarullo - Derivatives regulation, Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., April 12, 2011

  • "The Dodd-Frank Act addressed both the infrastructure of the derivatives markets and the regulation and supervision of its dealers and major participants. Central counterparties are given an expanded role in the clearing and settling of swap and security-based swap (hereafter referred to as "swap") transactions, and the Board believes benefits can flow from this reform. Since 2005, Federal Reserve staff members have worked with market participants to strengthen the infrastructure for OTC derivatives, including developing and broadening the use of central clearing mechanisms and trade repositories. Market participants have already established central counterparties that provide clearing services for some OTC interest rate, energy, and credit derivatives contracts. If properly designed, managed, and overseen, central counterparties offer an important tool for managing counterparty credit risk, and thus they can reduce risk to market participants and to the financial system. Both central counterparties and trade repositories also support regulatory oversight and policymaking by providing more-comprehensive data on the derivatives markets. The Board is committed to continuing to work with other authorities, both in the United States and abroad, to ensure that a largely consistent international approach is taken to central counterparties and trade repositories and that their risk-reducing benefits are realized."
  • * New GAO Reports: Financial Literacy, Information Technology, Tax Administration
    • Financial Literacy: The Federal Government's Role in Empowering Americans to Make Sound Financial Choices, GAO-11-504T, April 12, 2011
    • Information Technology: Continued Improvements in Investment Oversight and Management Can Yield Billions in Savings, GAO-11-511T, April 12, 2011
    • Tax Administration: Preliminary Information on Selected Foreign Practices That May Provide Useful Insights, GAO-11-540T, April 12, 2011
    * FTC, CFTC Agree to Share Information on Energy Investigations

    News release: "As part of their ongoing efforts to keep markets that they oversee open and fair for American consumers, the Federal Trade Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that they signed an agreement to foster further cooperation between the two agencies by helping them share nonpublic information. The FTC and CFTC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will facilitate sharing of non-public information on investigations being conducted by the agencies, including investigations into the oil and gasoline markets. The agreement will help the FTC enforce its petroleum market manipulation rule, which prohibits fraudulent manipulation of U.S. petroleum markets. Information-sharing also will help the CFTC in exercising its authority to pursue manipulation in the oil markets."

    * Online OECD Employment Database

    "About one in three people of working age does not have a job in the OECD area. Faced with ageing populations, increasing employment rate has become crucial. And a further key challenge is to help companies and citizens to cope successfully with rapid technological change and globalisation. Our online Employment database allows to assess labour market performances of OECD countries, as regards employment and unemployment, job duration, working time and earnings. It also gives a picture of labour market policies and institutions through various indicators such as, expenditures on labour market policies, strictness of employment protection legislation, minimum wage and union membership."

    April 11, 2011
    * Announcing HumanRights.gov

    "Last week, in conjunction with the release of its annual Human Rights Report, the State Department officially launched HumanRights.gov, a new central portal for international human rights-related information generated by the United States Government. HumanRights.gov was designed in the letter and spirit of President Obama’s Open Government Directive issued in January 2009, requiring Federal agencies to take specific steps to achieve key milestones in transparency, participation, and collaboration. HumanRights.gov is primarily aimed at increasing the American public’s access to human rights-related information and understanding of our global engagement on these critical issues. We hope that it proves equally valuable to citizens of other nations seeking to promote accountability and change in their own societies."

    * European Commission releases third report on progress in addressing water scarcity and droughts in Europe

    "In the run up to a major water policy review in 2012, the third and final report presents the water management measures introduced by Member States to tackle water scarcity and droughts and highlights the areas for further action. The report confirms that water scarcity and drought is not limited to Mediterranean countries. Apart from some sparsely-populated northern regions with abundant water resources, this is a growing issue across the EU. The Commission will further address this growing challenge in a review of EU water scarcity and drought policy which will form part of a “Blueprint” for safeguarding Europe's waters scheduled for 2012. Over the next months, the focus will be on filling in the knowledge and data gaps and carrying out an impact assessment. The report is accompanied by a staff working paper on the details of the activities carried out in the Member States.

    * BLS: College Enrollment and Work Activity of 2010 High School Graduates

    BLS news release, April 8, 2011: "In October 2010, 68.1 percent of 2010 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Recent high school graduates not enrolled in college in October 2010 were more likely than enrolled graduates to be working or looking for work (76.6 percent compared with 40.0 percent). Information on school enrollment and work activity is collected monthly in the Current Population Survey (CPS), a nationwide survey of about 60,000 households that provides information on employment and unemployment."

    April 10, 2011
    * State Department: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2010

    2010 Human Rights Report, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, released April 8, 2011

  • "This report provides encyclopedic detail on human rights conditions in over 190 countries for 2010. Because we are publishing this report three months into the new year, however, our perspectives on many issues are now framed by the dramatic changes sweeping across countries in the Middle East in 2011. At this moment we cannot predict the outcome of these changes, and we will not know the lasting impacts for years to come. The internal dynamics in each of these countries are different, so sweeping analysis of the entire region is not appropriate. In places like Tunisia and Egypt, we are witnessing popular demands for meaningful political participation, fundamental freedoms, and greater economic opportunity. These demands are profound, they are homegrown, and they are being driven by new activists, many of them young people. These citizens seek to build sustainable democracies in their countries with governments that respect the universal human rights of their own people. If they succeed, the Middle East region, and with it the whole world, will be improved."
  • * Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Barack Obama (2009, Book 1)

    Barack Obama (2009, Book 1), Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States

    * White House Blog - Details of the Bipartisan Budget Deal

    Dan Pfeiffer is White House Communications Director: "This deal cuts spending by $78.5 billion from the President’s FY 2011 Budget request -- the largest annual spending cut in our history. These are real cuts that will save taxpayers money and have a real impact. Many will be painful, and are to programs that we support, but the fiscal situation is such that we have to act. The two sides agreed to cut $13 billion from funding for programs at the Departments of Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services as well as over $1 billion in a cut across non-defense agencies, forcing everyone to tighten their belt. There will be reductions to housing assistance programs and some health care programs along with $8 billion in cuts to our budget for State and Foreign Operations. These significant cuts to the State Department and foreign assistance will mean we will not meet some of the ambitious goals set for the nation in the President’s Budget..."

  • See also related White House webpage on the economy
  • April 08, 2011
    * Presidential Policy Directive - National Preparedness

    Presidential Policy Directive PPD-8, National Preparedness, March 30, 2011 [via FAS]

  • "This directive is aimed at strengthening the security and resilience of the United States through systematic preparation for the threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation, including acts of terrorism, cyber attacks, pandemics, and catastrophic natural disasters. Our national preparedness is the shared responsibility of all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and individual citizens. Everyone can contribute to safeguarding the Nation from harm. As such, while this directive is intended to galvanize action by the Federal Government, it is also aimed at facilitating an integrated, all-of-Nation, capabilities-based approach to preparedness. Therefore, I hereby direct the development of a national preparedness goal that identifies the core capabilities necessary for preparedness and a national preparedness system to guide activities that will enable the Nation to achieve the goal. The system will allow the Nation to track the progress of our ability to build and improve the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from those threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation."
  • Presidential Policy Directives [PPDs] Barack Obama Administration
  • * April is Financial Literacy Month

    "April is Financial Literacy Month, and the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, has information to help you make the most of your money whether you’re a student, young adult, parent, older person, or military service member.

    • Money Matters offers short, practical tips, videos, and links to reliable sources on a variety of topics in English and Spanish, ranging from credit repair, debt collection, job hunting, and job scams to vehicle repossession, managing mortgage payments, and avoiding foreclosure rescue scams.
    • Free Annual Credit Reports offers details about a consumer’s right to a free copy of his or her credit report from each of the three national credit reporting agencies, upon request, once every 12 months. Reviewing one’s credit report regularly is an effective way to deter and detect identity theft.
    • You Are Here is a virtual mall where kids experience the FTC’s mission by learning about advertising, competition, and how to protect their privacy.

    April 07, 2011
    * Obama-Biden Transition: Agency Review Teams

    Via Change.Gov, the Office of the President-Elect: "The Agency Review Teams for the Obama-Biden Transition will complete a thorough review of key departments, agencies and commissions of the United States government, as well as the White House, to provide the President-elect, Vice President-elect, and key advisors with information needed to make strategic policy, budgetary, and personnel decisions prior to the inauguration. The Teams will ensure that senior appointees have the information necessary to complete the confirmation process, lead their departments, and begin implementing signature policy initiatives immediately after they are sworn in."

    * FCC Takes Action on Data Roaming to Expand Consumers' Access to Mobile Broadband

    "The FCC acted today to promote increased consumer access to nationwide mobile broadband service by adopting an Order that requires facilities-based providers of commercial mobile data services to offer data roaming arrangements to other such providers on commercially reasonable terms and conditions, subject to certain limitations. Consumers expect mobile data services that will allow them to remain connected wherever they go; a data roaming rule will help ensure that consumers’ services are not interrupted and that coverage is available on a competitive basis. The widespread availability of data roaming arrangements will allow consumers with mobile data plans to remain connected when they travel outside their own provider’s network coverage areas by using another provider’s network. This promotes connectivity and nationwide access to mobile data services such as email and wireless broadband Internet access. The rule the FCC adopted today promotes investment in and deployment of mobile broadband networks, consistent with the recommendations of the National Broadband Plan. This new investment in broadband will increase competition and benefit consumers; without data roaming guarantees, consumers will be limited in their choices, especially in rural areas."

    * CBO: Monthly Budget Review, April 2011

    Monthly Budget Review, April 2011, Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for February and the Daily Treasury Statements for March

  • "The federal government incurred a budget deficit of $830 billion in the first six months of fiscal year 2011, CBO estimates—$113 billion more than the shortfall recorded in the same period last year. Outlays and revenues are both higher than they were last year at this time, by 11 percent and 7 percent, respectively."
  • April 06, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Census Reforms, Aviation Security, Federal Real Property, Financial Management, Federal Teacher Quality, Davis-Bacon Act
    • 2010 Census: Preliminary Lessons Learned Highlight the Need for Fundamental Reforms, GAO-11-496T, April 06, 2011
    • Aviation Security: TSA Is Taking Steps to Validate the Science Underlying Its Passenger Behavior Detection Program, but Efforts May Not Be Comprehensive, GAO-11-461T, April 06, 2011
    • Federal Real Property: Progress Made on Planning and Data, but Unneeded Owned and Leased Facilities Remain, GAO-11-520T, April 06, 2011
    • Financial Management: Audit of the Senate Gift Shop Revolving Fund for Fiscal Year 2010, GAO-11-326R, April 06, 2011
    • Financial Management: Audit of the Senate Stationery Room Revolving Fund for Fiscal Year 2010, GAO-11-204R, April 06, 2011
    • Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap, and Potential Duplication in Federal Teacher Quality and Employment and Training Programs, GAO-11-509T, April 06, 2011
    • State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook: April 2011 Update, GAO-11-495SP, April 06, 2011
    • Davis-Bacon Act: Methodological Changes Needed to Improve Wage Survey, GAO-11-152, March 22, 2011
    April 05, 2011
    * Federal Reserve Payments Study Provides Details on Increasing Role of Electronic Payments

    News release: "The 2010 Federal Reserve Payments Study released today reveals in greater detail increasing adoption of electronic alternatives for payments in the United States by consumers, businesses and governments. The study examined payments made between 2006 and 2009. In December, the Federal Reserve released a summary of the study’s findings that highlighted trends related to the use of payment cards and electronification of check processing. Debit card usage now exceeds all other forms of noncash payments and represents approximately 35 percent of total noncash payments. Much of the growth in debit card payments was due to increases in purchases for small dollar amounts; for example, the report reveals that 64 percent of all signature debit card transactions are now for amounts under $25. General purpose credit cards, with 44 percent being under $25, are also used for small dollar purchases. Study results showed that card usage varied by dollar amount. Nearly 50 percent of all card payments under $15 are made with signature debit cards, while 41 percent of all card payments over $25 are made with general purpose credit cards.

  • “The study reveals that we continue to experience extraordinary changes in the utilization of payment instruments as this nation’s propensity for all things electronic continues to grow,” notes Richard Oliver, executive vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which sponsored the study. Today’s report also reveals a number of details about check usage. The report notes that during the 2009 calendar year, remittance checks—those written to pay bills—comprised over half of all checks written. A detailed report of the individual studies comprising the 2010 Federal Reserve Payments Study is available at www.frbservices.org. The final study updates the figures for checks written that were presented in summary report published in December 2010."
  • * EPA Announces Updated Energy Star Standards for Lighting

    News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing updated standards for light fixtures to qualify for the Energy Star label – an efficiency program that has saved consumers money on their energy bills while contributing to cleaner air and protecting people’s health since 1992. Effective October 1, 2011, to qualify for the Energy Star label light fixtures will need to increase efficiency 30 percent above currently qualified fluorescent-based fixtures. In 2013, performance requirements will increase further, providing 40 percent higher efficiency compared to currently qualified models."

    * New GAO Reports: Military Treatment Facilities on Guam, Human Services Programs, Medicaid and CHIPS, State Dept. IG
    • Defense Infrastructure: The Navy Needs Better Documentation to Support Its Proposed Military Treatment Facilities on Guam, GAO-11-206, Apr 5, 2011
    • Human Services Programs: Opportunities to Reduce Inefficiencies, GAO-11-531T, Apr 5, 2011
    • Medicaid and CHIP: Reports for Monitoring Children's Health Care Services Need Improvement, GAO-11-293R, Apr 5, 2011 - Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)--two joint federal-state health care programs for low-income families and children--play a critical role in addressing the health care needs of children. In 2008, more than 36 million children in the United States received health care coverage through Medicaid or CHIP. Like all children, children covered by Medicaid and CHIP may have health care conditions that could warrant care from primary care or specialist providers. At the same time, a significant number of children in Medicaid and CHIP may not be receiving basic preventive care, which these programs generally
    • State Department Inspector General: Actions to Address Independence and Effectiveness Concerns Are Under Way GAO-11-382T, Apr 5, 2011
    * United States Government Manual Online: The Official Handbook of the Federal Government

    "The United States Government Manual is the official handbook of the Federal Government. This currently updated edition of the Government Manual provides comprehensive and authoritative information on the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It also includes information on quasi-official agencies, international organizations with U.S. membership, and Federal boards, commissions, and committees. Agency descriptions typically include:

    • A list of officials heading major operating units.
      A summary of the agency's mission and role in the Federal Government.
    • A brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority.
    • A description of agency programs and activities.
    • A set of websites, street addresses, and phone numbers for services, benefits, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and other public information.
    • This website offers three ways to find information about Government agencies and organizations: Enter a term in the keyword search box at the top left of the home page; Browse by category using the pull-down menu in the middle of the home page; Use "The Government of the United States" site map at the top right of the home page for an overview of the Government."
  • * New Version of FCC.gov Includes Customer URL Shortener

    Alex Howard, Gov 2.0: "Later this week, a new version of FCC.gov will go live. It’s a complete redesign of the Federal Communications Online presence. You could even call it a reboot, in keeping with the FCC launch of reboot.gov last January. There’s much more to report on when the new FCC.gov goes online. For now, here’s a preview of something nifty that’s already live: the new FCC custom URL shortener, FCC.us. The new custom URL shortener, is based upon bit.ly, like the 1.usa.gov URL shortener for civilian use. It automatically shortens any FCC.gov that’s shortened using bit.ly or the shorter j.mp. For instance, FCC.gov/developer becomes http://fcc.us/bkJYlG. In a new media world that is often shortened to 140 characters, that’s rather handy."

    April 04, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: CH-53K Helicopter Program, Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers, Lead In Tap Water
    • Defense Acquisitions: CH-53K Helicopter Program Has Addressed Early Difficulties and Adopted Strategies to Address Future Risks, GAO-1-332, April 04, 2011
    • Factors for Evaluating the Cost Share of Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program to Assist Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers GAO-11-437R, April 04, 2011
    • Lead In Tap Water: CDC Public Health Communications Need Improvement, GAO-11-279, March 14, 2011
    * Federal Reserve: Clearinghouses, Financial Stability, and Financial Reform

    Speech by Chairman Ben S. Bernanke At the 2011 Financial Markets Conference, Stone Mountain, Georgia, April 4, 2011 - Clearinghouses, Financial Stability, and Financial Reform

  • "Clearinghouses have been around a long time and have been used for many types of transactions, yet virtually all clearinghouses perform certain basic functions. Notably, by centralizing and standardizing specific classes of financial transactions, clearinghouses reduce the costs and operational risks of clearing and settlement among multiple market participants. In many cases they also act as a guarantor of transactions--the counterparty to every trade--thereby helping to reduce counterparty credit and liquidity risks. However, the flip side of the centralization of clearing and settlement activities in clearinghouses is the concentration of substantial financial and operational risk in a small number of organizations, a development with potentially important systemic implications. Because the failure of, or loss of confidence in a major clearinghouse would create enormous uncertainty about the status of initiated transactions and, consequently, about the financial positions of clearinghouse participants and their customers, strong risk management at these organizations as well as effective prudential oversight is essential."
  • * Kaiser Foundation: Data Spotlights Examine Financial Burden of Health Care on Medicare Beneficiaries

    "With renewed attention to the nation’s long-term budget deficit and the national debt, proposed changes to Medicare and other federal entitlement programs could significantly affect health coverage and spending for millions of older and disabled Americans. These three data spotlights from the Kaiser Family Foundation provide new information on out-of-pocket health care spending among the nation’s 48 million Medicare beneficiaries, as well as income and asset projections for future beneficiaries by race, ethnicity and other demographic factors.

    * Department of Commerce appoints and convenes first Climate Assessment Advisory Committee meeting

    Opening keynote address as delivered on April 4 by Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator as part of the First National Climate Assessment Federal Advisory Committee Meeting in Washington, DC.

    • "In the U.S., climate-related changes are being documented: more frequent extreme weather events, longer growing seasons, shifting ranges of plant and animal species, and record low Arctic sea ice coverage in the summer.
    • Future changes are projected to be larger and more rapid than those experienced over the past century and the impacts will extend across all economic sectors, including water resources, energy, transportation, agriculture, forestry, coasts, fisheries, and human health.
    • Climate variability and climate change are profoundly affecting our society and way of life. Some impacts of climate change may benefit sectors in certain areas of the country, and others will pose major challenges to our economy, our health, and our planet’s resources. The National Climate Assessment should strive to help the nation prepare for both the opportunities and challenges of climate change."
    • Related postings on climate change

    * Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the U. S

    "This report - the eighteenth annual report - presents the U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest estimates of emissions for carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases. For this report, activity data on coal and natural gas consumption and electricity sales and losses by sector were obtained from the January 2011 Monthly Energy Review (MER).
    In keeping with current international practice, this report presents data on greenhouse gas emissions in million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent. The data can be converted to carbon equivalent units by multiplying by 12/44. Data on ozone-depleting gases with high global warming potentials (high-GWP gases) are obtained directly from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For this report, updated EPA values were available for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); however, no updates were available for perfluorocarbons (PFCs) or sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and last year's values are used instead. Historical data in the chapter tables are revised from the data contained in the previous Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2008."

    April 03, 2011
    * FBI Launches New Electronic Reading Room

    "The Vault is our new electronic reading room, containing more than 2,000 documents that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office. Included here are more than 25 new files that have been released to the public but never added to this website; dozens of records previously posted on our site but removed as requests diminished; and files from our previous electronic reading room. The Vault includes several new tools and resources for your convenience: Searching for Topics; Searching for Key Words; Viewing the Files; Requesting a Status Update." [via Michael Ravnitzky]

  • See also the Vault Index
  • * Impact of State Disability Determination Services Furloughs

    What are the furloughs: "The Disability Determination Services (DDS) are state agencies responsible for developing medical evidence and making disability determinations. The Federal Government fully funds the DDS budgets through the Social Security Administration (SSA). The current economic climate presents budget-balancing challenges for many states. As a result, some states are furloughing state employees. A furlough is when a state places an employee in a temporary non-duty, non-pay status. 100% of the resources states use to make disability determinations are federally funded. States may not use the funding for any other purpose or program. The states save no money by furloughing employees working in the DDS. Federal regulations require that states avoid furloughs or other hiring restrictions whenever possible. The interactive map shows each DDS:

    • In furlough;
    • Exempt from furlough;
    • Previously in furlough;
    • Not in furlough
    • In states that have ever been in furlough status, the corresponding state profile lists the aggregate estimated administrative funding lost to date, the aggregate estimated number of cases delayed to date, and the aggregate estimated dollar value of disability benefits delayed to date. In a state exempt or not in furlough status, these estimated numbers are shown by furlough ‘day’."

    * BLS: Payroll employment increases 216,000 in March 2011

    Employment Situation, March 2011: "Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 216,000 in March, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 8.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, leisure and hospitality, and mining. Employment in manufacturing continued to trend up. The number of unemployed persons (13.5 million) and the unemployment rate (8.8
    percent) changed little in March. The labor force also was little changed over the month. Since November 2010, the jobless rate has declined by 1.0 percentage point."

  • The Economist: America's recovery - The pieces are falling into place
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * Best Practices Study of Social Media Records Policies

    Best Practices Study of Social Media Records Policies, ACT-IAC Collaboration & Transformation (C&T) Shared Interest Group (SIG), March 2011

  • "Government agencies are increasingly incorporating Web 2.0 collaborative technologies, also known as social media, such as wikis and blogs, in conducting agency business. Federal recordkeeping requirements include developing and implementing policies for Federal records and cover records from social media.
    The purpose of this study is to build a discussion around the use of social media to help government and its citizens connect more closely, collaboratively, and openly. The study involved interviews at 10 agencies regarding records management processes addressing the use of social media. The ACT-IAC Collaboration & Transformation Shared Interest Group (C&T SIG) sought to explore and identify government best practices of records policies for social media used to support agency missions. The team found that active use of social media tools has identified some challenges for recordkeeping, but also has allowed some best practices to surface which agencies are following or need to follow to address the challenges."
  • April 02, 2011
    * US Court of Appeals - 9th Circuit YouTube Channel

    "This is the official YouTube Channel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In addition to these video recordings, you may find audio recordings of our hearings on our internet site at http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov."

    * Open Government Sites Initiated Under Obama Targeted for Closing

    OMB prepares for open gov sites to go dark in May: "Government sources confirm that the Office of Management and Budget is planning to take seven websites dark in two months because of a lack of funding. One government official, who requested anonymity because they didn't get permission to discuss the topic, said funding will begin to run out on April 20 for public sites IT Dashboard, Data.gov and paymentaccuracy.gov. The source said OMB also is planning on shutting down internal government sites, including Performance.gov, FedSpace and many of the efforts related the FEDRamp cloud computing cybersecurity effort. The official said two other sites, USASpending.gov and Apps.gov/now, will run through July 30 but go dark soon after."

  • More insights into this news, and proposals to save these projects by advocacy groups are detailed by Alex Howard: Congress weighs deep cuts to funding for federal open government data platforms
  • April 01, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: 2010 Lobbying Disclosure, Combating Child Pornography, Key Indicator Systems
    • 2010 Lobbying Disclosure: Observations on Lobbyists' Compliance with Disclosure Requirements, GAO-11-452, April 01, 2011
    • Military Base Realignments and Closures: Review of the Iowa and Milan Army Ammunition Plants, GAO-11-488R, April 01, 2011
    • Combating Child Pornography: Steps Are Needed to Ensure That Tips to Law Enforcement Are Useful and Forensic Examinations Are Cost Effective, GAO-11-334, March 31, 2011
    • Key Indicator Systems: Experiences of Other National and Subnational Systems Offer Insights for the United States, GAO-11-396, March 31, 2011
    March 31, 2011
    * Evaluation of Federal Housing Finance Agency's Oversight of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's Executive Compensation Programs

    Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of the Inspector General - Evaluation Report: Evaluation of Federal Housing Finance Agency's Oversight of Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's Executive Compensation Programs (EVL-2011-002, March 31, 2011)

  • NYT: "Regulators have approved generous executive compensation at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the taxpayer-backed mortgage finance giants, with little scrutiny or analysis, according to a report published Thursday by the inspector general of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The companies, whose fates are to be decided by Congress this year, paid a combined $17 million to their chief executives in 2009 and 2010, the two full years when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were wards of the state, the report found. The top six executives at the companies received $35.4 million over the two years. Since Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were taken over in September 2008, the companies’ mounting mortgage losses have required a $153 billion infusion from taxpayers. Total losses may reach $363 billion through 2013, according to government estimates."
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding

    Institute of Medicine Report - The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding, March 31, 2011

  • "At a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals—often referred to under the umbrella acronym LGBT—are becoming more visible in society and more socially acknowledged, clinicians and researchers are faced with incomplete information about their health status. While LGBT populations often are combined as a single entity for research and advocacy purposes, each is a distinct population group with its own specific health needs. Furthermore, the experiences of LGBT individuals are not uniform and are shaped by factors of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location, and age, any of which can have an effect on health-related concerns and needs. Researchers still have a great deal to learn and face a number of challenges in understanding the health needs of LGBT populations. To help assess the state of the science, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the IOM to evaluate current knowledge of the health status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations; to identify research gaps and opportunities; and to outline a research agenda to help NIH focus its research in this area. The IOM finds that to advance understanding of the health needs of all LGBT individuals, researchers need more data about the demographics of these populations, improved methods for collecting and analyzing data, and an increased participation of sexual and gender minorities in research. Building a more solid evidence base for LGBT health concerns will not only benefit LGBT individuals, but also add to the repository of health information we have that pertains to all people."
  • * FTC Chairman Issues Commission's 2011 Annual Report Highlights Agency Accomplishments to Protect Consumers and Competition

    "Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz today issued the FTC’s 2011 Annual Report at the American Bar Association’s Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting in Washington, DC, highlighting the agency’s continued efforts to protect financially distressed consumers and promote competition during the economic downturn.

  • “Over the past year, the FTC has challenged unscrupulous business practices and anticompetitive mergers, shut down shady operations and deceptive marketing campaigns, and protected consumers’ privacy and their pocketbooks,” Chairman Leibowitz said. “The agency’s actions in the past 12 months have had far-reaching effects in protecting consumers and competition in critical sectors of our economy – from high tech to health care, financial services to online commerce.”
  • * A Review of CBO's Activities in 2010 Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

    A Review of CBO's Activities in 2010 Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, March 31, 2011

  • "In this report, which is part of an annual series that began in 1997, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reviews its activities under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995. The report covers public laws enacted and legislation considered by the Congress in calendar year 2010 that would impose federal mandates on state, local, or tribal governments or on the private sector.
    Summary: The federal government—through laws and regulations—sometimes imposes requirements on state, local, and tribal governments and entities in the private sector to achieve national goals. In 1995, the Congress passed and the President signed the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) to ensure that, during the legislative process, the Congress receives information about such proposed requirements, known as federal mandates, and their costs before enacting a piece of legislation."
  • * Federal Reserve: Regulating Systemic Risk

    Regulating Systemic Risk - Governor Daniel K. Tarullo At the 2011 Credit Markets Symposium, Charlotte, North Carolina, March 31, 2011

  • "Events of the last few years have given the phrases "systemic risk" and "financial stability" a prominent place in the lexicon of policymakers. Although protecting financial stability is germane to numerous areas, including monetary policy, today I will focus on some aspects of its relevance for financial regulation. More specifically, I will address the implementation of the new statutory regime for special supervision and regulation of financial institutions whose stress or failure could pose a risk to financial stability. Then I will identify two important issues raised by the implementation of this regime that need the attention of academics, analysts, and policymakers if we are to regulate systemic risk effectively and efficiently."
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * Affordable Care Act to improve quality of care for people with Medicare

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today released proposed new rules to help doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers better coordinate care for Medicare patients through Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). ACOs create incentives for health care providers to work together to treat an individual patient across care settings – including doctor’s offices, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. The Medicare Shared Savings Program will reward ACOs that lower health care costs while meeting performance standards on quality of care and putting patients first. Patient and provider participation in an ACO is purely voluntary. The proposed new rules will help doctors, hospitals, and other providers form ACOs and are now available for public comment. HHS also announced it will hold a series of open-door forums and listening sessions during the comment period to help the public understand what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency administering the ACO program, is proposing to do and to ensure that the public understands how to participate in the formal comment process."

    March 30, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Border Security, Delphi Defined Benefit Plans, Rural Housing Service, Advanced Technology Vehicle Loan Program, Older Americans Act
    • Border Security: DHS Progress and Challenges in Securing the U.S. Southwest and Northern Borders, GAO-11-508T, March 30, 2011
    • Key Events Leading to the Termination of the Delphi Defined Benefit Plans, GAO-11-373R, March 30, 2011
    • Rural Housing Service: Opportunities Exist to Strengthen Farm Labor Housing Program Management and Oversight, GAO-11-329, March 30, 2011
    • Department of Energy: Advanced Technology Vehicle Loan Program Implementation Is Under Way, but Enhanced Technical Oversight and Performance Measures Are Needed, GAO-11-145, February 28, 2011
    • Older Americans Act: More Should Be Done to Measure the Extent of Unmet Need for Services, GAO-11-237, February 28, 2011
    • VA Education Benefits: Actions Taken, but Outreach and Oversight Could Be Improved, GAO-11-256, February 28, 2011
    * UK House of Lords: 'Complacency' of auditors contributed to financial crisis

    "A report by the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee published March 30, 2011 has called for a competition probe into the Big Four auditors’ oligopoly. Their 'complacency' and 'dereliction of duty' contributed to financial crisis, the report found. The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee's report follows an eight month investigation into the audit market. There are three main areas of findings. ‘The Big Four auditors’ domination of the large firm audit market limits competition and choice’ In 2010 they audited 99 of the FTSE 100 largest listed companies, which change auditors every 48 years on average. In bank audit in the UK only three of the Big Four are active. And there is the risk that one of the Big Four might leave the audit market, leading to an unacceptable degree of market concentration. The Committee calls on the Office of Fair Trading to hold a detailed investigation into the audit market with a view to a possible inquiry by the Competition Commission. It recognises that the global reach of the Big Four audit firms – Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers – goes beyond the scope of national authorities, but considers that the UK should take a lead since London is a major global financial centre where the Big Four are particularly prominent."

  • Economic Affairs Committee Second Report – Auditors: Market concentration and their role
  • * Agencies Seek Comment on Proposed Rule on Incentive Compensation

    News release: "Federal financial regulatory agencies request comment on a joint proposed rule to ensure that regulated financial institutions design their incentive compensation arrangements to take account of risk. The proposed rule, which is being issued pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, would apply to certain financial institutions with more than $1 billion in assets. It also contains heightened standards for the largest of these institutions. In prohibiting incentive compensation arrangements that could encourage inappropriate risks, the proposal would require compensation practices at regulated financial institutions to be consistent with three key principles--that incentive compensation arrangements should appropriately balance risk and financial rewards, be compatible with effective controls and risk management, and be supported by strong corporate governance. The proposed rule complements guidance previously issued by the agencies, including guidance on sound incentive compensation policies issued by the banking agencies last year."

  • "The OCC, Board, FDIC, OTS, NCUA, SEC, and FHFA (the Agencies) are proposing rules to implement section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The proposed rule would require the reporting of incentive-based compensation arrangements by a covered financial institution and prohibit incentive-based compensation arrangements at a covered financial institution that provide excessive compensation or that could expose the institution to inappropriate risks that could lead to material financial loss."
  • * Review of CBO's Cost Estimate for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Ac

    Review of CBO's Cost Estimate for the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives,March 30, 2011.

  • "CBO estimated that, over the 2010–2020 period, the Dodd-Frank Act would increase both revenues and direct (or mandatory) spending—by $13.4 billion and $10.2 billion, respectively. On net, those effects were projected to reduce deficits by $3.2 billion. The revenues would stem primarily from fees assessed on various financial institutions and market participants. Certain provisions of the act were estimated to increase direct spending by $37.8 billion over the 10-year period; most of those costs, $26.3 billion, would result from a new program created to resolve insolvent or soon-to-be insolvent financial entities, which would be financed through an Orderly Liquidation Fund (OLF). CBO also estimated that other provisions of the act would reduce direct spending by $27.6 billion over that period by decreasing authority for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and making changes to federal deposit insurance programs."
  • March 29, 2011
    * BJS: Workplace Violence, 1993-2009

    Workplace Violence, 1993-2009, Erika Harrell, Ph.D., BJS Statistician, March 29, 2011. NCJ 233231

  • "Presents information on violence in the workplace against employed persons based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. This report includes both nonfatal and fatal forms of violence. Comparisons are made with violence against unemployed persons and violence against employed persons outside of the workplace. Information on type of workplace violence is included. Also discussed is violence by occupation as well as information on victim and crime characteristics such as gender and race distribution, offender weapon use, police notification, and victim injury. Highlights include the following:
    • From 2002 to 2009, the rate of nonfatal workplace violence has declined by 35%, following a 62% decline in the rate from 1993 to 2002.
    • Between 2005 and 2009, law enforcement officers, security guards, and bartenders had the highest rates of nonfatal workplace violence.
    • Among workplace homicides that occurred between 2005 and 2009, about 28% involved victims in sales and related occupations and about 17% involved victims in protective service occupations."
  • * UK Financial Ombudsman Service: Consumer complaints (emerging risks and mass claims)

    Financial Ombudsman Service, Financial Services Authority and the Office of Fair Trading Consumer complaint (emerging risks and mass claims): Feedback on DP10/1

    • From the March 2011 "In Summary Newsletter": "We – the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Financial Ombudsman Service (the ombudsman service) – are publishing a Feedback Statement, setting out how we intend to strengthen our coordination on complaints handling in the financial services industry, and our response to the feedback we received to last year’s Discussion Paper (DP) on this topic. Since the paper covers how firms handle complaints, it could be of interest to all financial services firms, as well as their trade associations. It is also of interest to consumer groups. Inadequate complaints handling remains a major issue. If we are to rebuild consumer confidence in the financial services industry, complainants must be treated fairly, and risks must be identified and dealt with before they turn into widespread problems."
    • FSA/OFT/FOS Coordination Committee
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Claims Management Regulator and the Financial Services Authority
    • FSA Handbook

    * CBO: Report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program

    Report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program, March 29, 2011: "In October 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of Public Law 110-343) established the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to enable the Department of the Treasury to promote stability in financial markets through the purchase and guarantee of "troubled assets." Section 202 of that legislation requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit semiannual reports on the costs of the Treasury's purchases and guarantees of troubled assets. The law also requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to prepare an assessment of each OMB report within 45 days of its issuance. That assessment must discuss three elements:

  • The costs of purchases and guarantees of troubled assets,
  • The information and valuation methods used to calculate those costs, and
  • The impact on the federal budget deficit and debt."
  • * Correcting over-reliance on contractors in contingency operations

    Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan - At what risk? Correcting over-reliance on contractors in contingency operations, Second Interim Report to Congress, Recommendations for Legislative and Policy Changes Commission, February 24, 2011

  • "Federal reliance on contractors to support defense, diplomatic, and development missions during contingency operations stands at unprecedented levels. Over the course of the past nine years, contractors have at times exceeded the number of military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Total spending through contracts is correspondingly large. While there is no central federal source for definitive data on contracts and grants regarding contingency operations, the Commission’s conservative estimate is that since October 2001, at least $177 billion has been obligated on contracts and grants to support U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Given the magnitude of mission and money at risk, losses from waste, fraud, and abuse represent a significant cost. While the impact on mission cannot be readily quantified, misspent dollars run into the tens of billions.
    • The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) warned at the Commission’s January 2011 hearing that the entire $11.4 billion for contracts to build nearly 900 facilities for the Afghan National Security Forces is at risk due to inadequate planning. This estimate does not include the waste that has resulted from the host country’s inability to sustain projects.
    • The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has reported a survey-based estimate that 7 percent of revenue is lost to fraud. Applying this metric to the $177 billion in contingency contracts and grants suggests the cost of federal failure to control the acquisition process could be as high as $12 billion for fraud, not including contract waste.
    • New and expanded, often time-critical missions combined with
      ceilings on civilian and military personnel have led senior officials and commanders to rely on contractors as the default option."
  • * Agencies Announce Consideration of Risk Retention Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    News release: "The staffs of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (together, the agencies) announced that the agencies this week are considering for approval a notice of proposed rulemaking that addresses section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act...Section 941 requires the agencies to prescribe rules to require that a securitizer retain an economic interest in a material portion of the credit risk for any asset that it transfers, sells, or conveys to a third party. The chairperson of the Financial Stability Oversight Council is tasked with coordinating this rulemaking effort."

    * FCC Releases New Data on Internet Access Services, Local Telephone Competition

    Internet Access Services: Status as of June 30, 2010, Industry Analysis and Technology Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, March 2011: "This report summarizes information about Internet access connections over 200 kilobits per second (kbps) in at least one direction in service in the United States on June 30, 2010, as collected by FCC Form 477. Form 477 gathers standardized information about subscribership to Internet access services in the fifty states, District of Columbia, and inhabited insular areas (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands). The information is reported by telephone companies, cable system operators, terrestrial wireless service providers, satellite service providers, and other facilities-based providers of advanced telecommunications capability.
    Notable developments during the first half of 2010 include:

  • Fixed-location Internet access connections increased by only 1% (from 81 to 82 million) while subscribers with mobile wireless devices and data plans for full Internet access increased by 27%
    (from 56 million to 71 million).
  • Fixed-location connections continue to dominate at speeds that meet or exceed the availability benchmark adopted in the Sixth Broadband Deployment Report (41 million fixed connections
    compared to 5 million mobile subscribers)."
  • March 28, 2011
    * Middle-East and African Governments Censoring Citizens Using Western Technologies

    News release: "Today, the OpenNet Initiative, a partnership between the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs (Munk School) and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, announced the release of a new report titled West Censoring East: The Use of Western Technologies by Middle East Censors, 2010-2011 by Helmi Noman and Jillian C. York. The OpenNet Initiative has documented network filtering by national governments of the Internet in more than forty countries worldwide. National governments use network filtering as one of many methods to control the flow of online content, and utilize a variety of technical means to institute such filtering. The report analyzes the use of three American and Canadian-made tools: Websense, McAfee SmartFilter, and Netsweeper for the purpose of government-level filtering in the Middle East and North Africa. The investigation found that nine countries in the region utilize Western-made tools for the purpose of blocking social and political content, effectively blocking a total of over 20 million Internet users from accessing such websites. The authors analyze as well the increasing opacity of the usage of Western-made tools for filtering at the national level."

    * Homes have more energy-efficient appliances, but the efficiency gains are partly offset by more consumer electronics

    News release: "While most home appliances have become more efficient over the past 30 years, the average U.S. household uses many more consumer electronics — in particular, personal computers, televisions and related devices, according to data released today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) in the latest update to its Residential Energy Consumption Survey. This new information on the ways energy is used in American homes is the first release of 2009 data from the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), which EIA has conducted periodically since 1979. Notable trends in household energy characteristics include:

    • 58 percent of U.S. homes had energy-efficient, multi-pane windows, up from 36 percent in the 1993 survey
    • 76 percent of the 114 million U.S. homes had at least one computer, eight percentage points more than just four years prior; 35 percent had multiple computers
    • 68 million homes have energy-efficient compact fluorescent (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) lights
    • 44 percent of all U.S. homes had three or more televisions. Screen size and average energy consumption per television continue to grow.
    • The initial RECS 2009 household energy characteristics data can be found here."

    * Federal Reserve Flow of Funds Guide

    Flow of Funds Guide: "This interactive documentation serves as a guide to the data compiled and published as part of the “Flow of Funds Accounts of the United States” (Z.1) data release and the Integrated Macroeconomic Accounts. This comprehensive documentation system is designed to help a user understand the links between series and underlying source data by providing the capability to search or browse the vast amount of information underlying the Z.1 and the Integrated Macroeconomic Accounts."

    * DHS - Enabling Distributed Security in Cyberspace

    Enabling Distributed Security in Cyberspace - Building a Healthy and Resilient Cyber Ecosystem with Automated Collective Action, March 23, 2011

  • "Like natural ecosystems, the cyber ecosystem comprises a variety of diverse participants – private firms, non‐profits, governments, individuals, processes, and cyber devices (computers, software, and communications technologies) – that interact for multiple purposes. Today in cyberspace, intelligent adversaries exploit vulnerabilities and create incidents that propagate at machine speeds to steal identities, resources, and advantage. The rising volume and virulence of these attacks have the potential to degrade our economic capacity and threaten basic services that underpin our modern way of life. This discussion paper explores the idea of a healthy, resilient – and fundamentally more secure – cyber ecosystem of the future, in which cyber participants, including cyber devices, are able to work together in near‐real time to anticipate and prevent cyber attacks, limit the spread of attacks across participating devices, minimize the consequences of attacks, and recover to a trusted state. In this future cyber ecosystem, security capabilities are built into cyber devices in a way that allows preventive and defensive courses of action to be coordinated within and among communities of devices. Power is distributed among participants, and near‐real time coordination is enabled by combining the innate and interoperable capabilities of individual devices with trusted information exchanges and shared, configurable policies."
  • March 27, 2011
    * FAQ: National Response to Radioiodine in U.S. from Japan Nuclear Power Plant

    This FAQ comprises Q&A from three federal agencies concerning Iodine-131 (131I), also called radioiodine: EPA, FDA and CDC.

  • Related FAQ from Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services, March 27, 2011: "The I-131 found recently in rainwater is likely the result of atmospheric conditions. The trace amounts of I-131 have been trapped in cloud formation and moved across the US as part of weather patterns. Recent precipitation in Massachusetts deposited I-131 in sample collection containers."
  • * DOJ Releases Redacted Draft Version - Striving for Accountability in Aftermarth of Holocaust

    The Office of Special Investigations: Striving for Accountability in the Aftermarth of the Holocaust, by Judy Feigin, Edited by Mark M Richard, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice Criminal Division, December 2008

  • "[T]he Holocaust is one of those few issues that the more distant we are from it, the larger it looms. Each decade since the end of the war has seen greater, not lesser, attention, and that is an oddity. There are very few issues which grow in magnitude as they are further away from the event. This is one of them. Perhaps
    because it is the ultimate evil, because it takes so much time to absorb its lessons, and that those lessons have become universalized in Cambodia, in Rwanda, in ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, the Holocaust has taken on an even greater sense of urgency."
  • * How Consumers Used the 2009 Economic Recovery Payments of $250

    "In 2009, the Social Security Administration administered the delivery of one-time economic recovery payments of $250 for most recipients of Social Security, Railroad Retirement, Supplemental Security Income, and Veterans' Benefits. Individuals who qualified for or received any of these benefits anytime from November 2008 through January 2009 were eligible to receive this one-time economic recovery payment. The payments were sent by the Department of Treasury during May 2009. To examine the impact of these payments, staff of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) included special questions in the Interview component of the Consumer Expenditure Survey from July through September 2009. These questions were designed to collect information on whether the payment was received, and how it was used—whether the money was used mostly for spending, mostly for saving, or mostly for paying off debt. This report contains the first analysis of these data by staff of BLS. In the text that follows, consumer units that include at least one member who received a payment are referred to as recipient consumer units, and members who received a payment are recipients."

    * USGS: Large and Deadly Earthquakes This Year

    Large and Deadly Earthquakes This Year - Earthquakes Magnitude 7 and Greater

  • "This web site is provided by the United States Geological Survey’s (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program as part of our effort to reduce earthquake hazard in the United States. We are part of the USGS Geologic Discipline and are the USGS component of the congressionally established, multi-agency National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). The USGS participates in the NEHRP with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In the 2004 reauthorization of NEHRP by Congress, NIST has been given the lead role to plan and coordinate this national effort to mitigate earthquake losses by developing and applying earth science data and assessments essential for land-use planning, engineering design, and emergency preparedness decisions."
  • * National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product: Fourth Quarter and Annual 2010

    National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product: Fourth Quarter and Annual 2010 (Third Estimate) Corporate Profits: Fourth Quarter and Annual 2010

  • "Real gross domestic product - the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States - increased at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, (that is, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter), according to the "third" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.6 percent. The GDP estimate released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the "second" estimate issued last month. In the second estimate, the increase in real GDP was 2.8 percent. The increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE), exports, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by negative contributions from private inventory investment and state and local government
    spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased."
  • * EIA: Bahrain Country Analysis Brief

    Bahrain Country Analysis Brief, Mar 23, 2011: "Despite its relatively low volumes of oil production, Bahrain's oil sector accounts for about 70 percent of total government revenues. The country's exports are mainly in the form of refined petroleum products rather than crude oil. Bahrain's proven oil reserves stood at 125 million barrels as of January 2011, according to Oil and Gas Journal, all of which are located in the Awali field. In addition to the 46,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) produced in its territory, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia share the 300,000 bbl/d of oil production from the offshore Abu Safah field. This figure is counted in Saudi oil production figures, but half of the output is allocated to Bahrain. For an analysis of Bahrain's energy sector, please see our updated Country Analysis Brief."

    * Privacy Impact Assessment for the Use of Unidirectional Social Media Applications Communications and Outreach

    Privacy Impact Assessment for the Use of Unidirectional Social Media Applications Communications and Outreach, March 8, 2011. Kathleen McShea
    Director of New Media and Web Communications, Office of Public Affairs, Department of Homeland Security

  • "Unidirectional social media applications encompass a range of applications, often referred to as applets or widgets, that allow users to view relevant, real-time content from predetermined sources. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS or Department) intends to use unidirectional social media tools including desktop widgets, mobile apps, podcasts, audio and video streams, Short Message Service (SMS) texting, and Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, among others, for external relations (communications and outreach) and to disseminate timely content to the public about DHS initiatives, public safety, and other official activities and one-way notifications. These dynamic communication tools broaden the Department’s ability to disseminate content and provide the public multiple channels to receive and view content. The public will continue to have the option of obtaining comparable content and services through the Department’s official websites and other official means. This Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) analyzes the Department’s use of unidirectional social media applications."
  • * EEOC Announces Final Bipartisan Regulations for the ADA Amendments Act [via Ohio Legal Rights Service]
    * Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (Annual Revision) - G.17

    Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization (Annual Revision) - G.17: "The Federal Reserve has revised its index of industrial production (IP) and the related measures of capacity and capacity utilization. Although the revisions affect these data for January 1972 through February 2011, the most significant effects are for the period from 2008 through 2010. Measured from fourth quarter to fourth quarter, total IP is now reported to have declined 1.4 percentage points and 1.7 percentage points more sharply in 2008 and in 2009, respectively, and to have risen 0.5 percentage point more rapidly in 2010. That said, the broad contour of total IP in recent years is similar to previous estimates, and the dates of the recent peak (September 2007) and the recent trough (June 2009) are unchanged from the earlier estimates. However, the peak-to-trough decline in total IP, at 17.1 percent, is 2.0 percentage points larger than previously estimated. As of February 2011, total IP is now shown to have reversed about 55 percent of its peak-to-trough decline, somewhat less than previously reported."

    * Women@NASA website was developed to encourage more young women to pursue careers in math, science, and technology

    "The Women@Nasa website includes a stunning collection of 32 videos and essays from women across the agency who contribute to NASA’s mission in many different ways. We hope to give you a glimpse of the talent we have at the agency today. Their stories illuminate the vibrant community of dedicated women workers who play a vital role at the agency. You’ll hear stories of women overcoming almost every obstacle imaginable to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the world. In the future, we hope that the website will support a collaborative and supportive community of women at NASA, and serve as the hub of all activity related to women’s issues at the agency. In addition, we hope that these stories will inspire girls everywhere to reach for the stars, and explore the myriad of opportunities available to them through pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics."

    * Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan 2011 – 2015

    Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan 2011 – 2015

  • "It has been a momentous time for health care. With two major pieces of legislation – first the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act passed as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and then the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (referred to collectively as the Affordable Care Act) – Congress has given the country an unprecedented opportunity to modernize the way care is delivered, and improve the health of all Americans."
  • March 25, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Credit Cards, Defense Acquisitions, Missile Defense, Private Health Insurance Coverage
    • Credit Cards: Consumer Costs for Debt Protection Products Can Be Substantial Relative to Benefits but Are Not a Focus of Regulatory Oversight, GAO-11-311, March 25, 2011
    • Defense Acquisitions: Application of Lessons Learned and Best Practices in the Presidential Helicopter Program, GAO-11-380R, March 25, 2011
    • Missile Defense: Actions Needed to Improve Transparency and Accountability, GAO-11-372, March 24, 2011
    • Private Health Insurance Coverage: Expert Views on Approaches to Encourage Voluntary Enrollment, GAO-11-392R, February 25, 2011
    * Federal Reserve expands consumer protection regulations for credit transactions and leases of higher dollar amounts

    News release: "The Federal Reserve Board on Friday adopted two rules that would expand the coverage of consumer protection regulations to credit transactions and leases of higher dollar amounts. The final rules amend Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) and Regulation M (Consumer Leasing) to implement a provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Effective July 21, 2011, the Dodd-Frank Act requires that the protections of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and the Consumer Leasing Act (CLA) apply to consumer credit transactions and consumer leases up to $50,000, compared with $25,000 currently. This amount will be adjusted annually to reflect any increase in the consumer price index."

    March 24, 2011
    * BEA: State Personal Income 2010

    Full release and tables: "State personal income rose an average 3.0 percent in 2010 after falling 1.7 percent in 2009, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. State personal income growth ranged from 0.3 percent in Nevada to 4.2 percent in New Mexico. Inflation, as measured by the national price index for personal consumption expenditures, increased to 1.7 percent in 2010 from 0.2 percent in 2009. All three major components of personal income (earnings, property income, and personal current transfer receipts) grew in 2010. In 2009 only transfers grew as lower employment reduced earnings and lower interest rates and profits reduced property income (dividends, interest, and rent). The 7.6 percent growth of transfer receipts in 2010 was larger than the 2.4 percent growth of earnings and the 0.6 percent growth of property income."

    March 23, 2011
    * Census Bureau Reports State Government Tax Collections Decrease $14 Billion in 2010

    News release: "State government tax collections decreased $14.3 billion to $704.6 billion in fiscal year 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported today. There was a $65.8 billion decrease in 2009. These new data come from the 2010 Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections, which contains annual statistics on the fiscal year tax collections of all 50 state governments, including receipts from licenses and compulsory fees. Tax revenues also include related penalty and interest receipts of the governments. According to the survey, corporate net income tax revenue was $38.2 billion, down 6.6 percent, while tax revenue on individual income was $236.4 billion, down 4.4 percent. General sales tax revenue was $224.5 billion, down 1.8 percent. These taxes comprised 70.8 percent of all state government tax collections nationally.

  • This survey provides an annual summary of taxes collected by state for up to 25 tax categories. For more information about this survey, visit http://www.census.gov/govs/statetax/.
  • * CBO - Alternative Approaches to Funding Highways

    Alternative Approaches to Funding Highways, March 23, 2011

  • "About 25 percent of the nation's highways, which carry about 85 percent of all road traffic, are paid for in part by the federal government. Federal spending on highways comes primarily from taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, but those and other taxes paid by highway users do not yield enough revenue to support current or proposed federal spending on highways. Although raising fuel taxes would increase revenue, those taxes alone cannot provide a strong incentive for highway users to consider all of the costs their road use imposes on others. This CBO study, prepared at the request of the Senate Budget Committee, examines broad alternatives for federal funding of highways, focusing on fuel taxes and on other taxes that could be assessed on the basis of the number of miles that vehicles travel."
  • * New GAO Reports: DOD and VA Health Care, End-Stage Renal Disease
    • DOD and VA Health Care: Federal Recovery Coordination Program Continues to Expand but Faces Significant Challenges, GAO-11-250, March 23, 2011
    • End-Stage Renal Disease: CMS Should Assess Adequacy of Payment When Certain Oral Drugs Are Included and Ensure Availability of Quality Monitoring Data, GAO-11-365, March 23, 2011
    March 22, 2011
    * Federal Reserve System publishes annual financial statements

    News release: "The Federal Reserve System on Tuesday released the 2010 combined annual comparative financial statements for the Federal Reserve Banks, as well as for the 12 individual Federal Reserve Banks, the limited liability companies (LLCs) that were created to respond to strains in financial markets, and the Board of Governors. These financial statements are audited annually by an independent auditing firm. Total Reserve Bank assets as of December 31, 2010, were $2.428 trillion, which represents an increase of $193 billion from the previous year. The composition of the balance sheet changed notably. Holdings of U.S. Treasury securities increased $261 billion and holdings of federal agency and government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) mortgage-backed securities (MBS) increased $86 billion. These increases were partly offset by a $96 billion decrease in loans to depository institutions and a $23 billion decrease in loans extended under the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility, largely due to early repayments by borrowers."

    * GAO: Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook, Elder Justice
    • The Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook: January 2011 Update [Reissued on March 22, 2011] GAO-11-451SP, March 18, 2011
    • Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Enhance National Response to Elder Abuse [Reissued on March 22, 2011] GAO-11-208, March 02, 2011
    March 21, 2011
    * FTC Submits 2011 Fair Debt Collection Practices Report to Congress

    News release: "At a time when many consumers are having trouble paying their debts, the Federal Trade Commission issued its 33rd annual report describing the agency’s law enforcement and other efforts to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, and abusive debt collection practices. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits these and other improper practices by third-party debt collectors and requires that the Commission submit annual reports to Congress discussing the agency’s administration of the FDCPA. Data in the report, Federal Trade Commission Annual Report 2011: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (March 2011), show that in 2010, as in other recent years, the FTC received more complaints about debt collection than any other single industry. Specifically, the agency received 140,036 debt collection complaints in 2010, up from 119,609 complaints in 2009. The top three categories of complaints about third-party collectors were:

    • calling repeatedly or continuously;
    • misrepresenting the character, amount, or status of the debt (including demanding a larger payment than is permitted by law); and
    • failing to send consumers a statutorily required written notice about the debt and their rights.

    * Libya is a major energy exporter, especially to Europe

    Energy Information Administration: "Libya, the largest holder of proven oil reserves in Africa and until recently its fourth largest oil producer, exports most of the energy it produces. Europe is the major market for both oil and natural gas exports from Libya. Following the outbreak of civil unrest in mid-February, Libyan oil and natural gas production has been cut by 60 to 90 percent, affecting Libya's energy exports. Oil exports have fallen with production and Libya's natural gas exports to Italy via the Greenstream pipeline stopped in late February. Libya produced an estimated 1.8 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil in 2010, of which 1.5 million bbl/d were exported. Libya exports nine grades of crude oil. API gravities range from 26.0 degrees to 43.3 degrees, with a sulfur content as low as 0.2-0.3%. While the lighter, sweeter grades are generally sold to Europe, the heavier crude oils are often exported to Asian markets."

    * FDIC Comprehensive Seminar On Deposit Insurance Coverage For Bankers

    FDIC Comprehensive Seminar On Deposit Insurance Coverage For Bankers, March 23, 2011

  • Outline: Part 1 – Overview of Recent Rule Changes;; Part 2 – General Principles; Part 3 – Ownership Categories; Part 4 – Ownership Category Requirements; Part 5 – Fiduciary and Agency Accounts; Part 6 – Issues When An FDIC-Insured Bank Merges or Fails; Part 7 – Deposit Insurance Coverage Resources
  • * New GAO Reports: Financial Audit FDIC, Federal Govt's Fiscal Outlook, Medicare Part D
    • Financial Audit: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Funds' 2010 and 2009 Financial Statements, GAO-11-412, March 18, 2011
    • The Federal Government's Long-Term Fiscal Outlook: January 2011 Update, GAO-11-451SP, March 18, 2011
    • Medicare Part D: CMS Conducted Fraud and Abuse Compliance Plan Audits, but All Audit Findings Are Not Yet Available, GAO-11-269R, February 18, 2011
    * Bank for International Settements Quarterly Review, March 2011

    "The BIS Quarterly Review for March 2011, discusses how expectations of higher growth in the advanced economies and surging commodity prices pushed up short-term inflation expectations. Full text 97 pages."

  • Statistical tables: Summary tables (PDF, 18 pages)and Detailed tables(PDF, 137 pages)
  • March 20, 2011
    * EPA - Japanese Nuclear Emergency: Radiation Monitoring

    Japanese Nuclear Emergency: Radiation Monitoring: "As of 1:00 p.m. (EDT) on March 20, EPA's RadNet radiation air monitors across the U.S. show typical fluctuations in background radiation levels. The levels detected are far below levels of concern. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said we do not expect to see radiation at harmful levels reaching the U.S. from damaged Japanese nuclear power plants..More Due to the events in Japan and the heightened interest in radiation monitoring data, EPA has developed new content RadNet Map View which contains monitoring data and additional contextual information from EPA's Radiation Protection Programs."

  • "You can get any combination of national and regional news releases from EPA; sign up for each list using the links on this page
  • .

    * Federal Reserve completes Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review

    News release: "The Federal Reserve on Friday announced it has completed the Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR), its cross-institution study of the capital plans of the 19 largest U.S. bank holding companies. As a result of the CCAR, some firms are expected to increase or restart dividend payments, buy back shares, or repay government capital. The Federal Reserve on Friday will discuss the reviews and its decisions with firms that requested a capital action. All 19 firms will receive more detailed assessments of their capital planning processes next month. In February 2009, the Federal Reserve advised bank holding companies that safety and soundness considerations required that dividends be substantially reduced or eliminated. Since that time, the Federal Reserve has indicated that increased capital distributions would generally not be considered prudent in the absence of a well-developed capital plan and a capital position that would remain strong even under adverse conditions. The Federal Reserve's actions on capital distributions come after significant improvement in both economic conditions and the capital positions of financial institutions. From the end of 2008 through 2010, common equity increased by more than $300 billion at the 19 largest U.S. bank holding companies."

    March 19, 2011
    * Preliminary Analysis of the President's Budget for 2012

    Preliminary Analysis of the President's Budget for 2012, March 18, 2011: "This report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) presents a preliminary analysis of the proposals contained in the President's budget for fiscal year 2012 and their estimated effects on federal revenues, outlays, and budget deficits. A report presenting CBO's full analysis of the President's budget, including an assessment of the macroeconomic effects of the President's proposals, will be published in April. As a basis for analyzing the President's budget, CBO updated its baseline budget projections, which were last issued in January 2011. Unlike its estimates of the President's budget, CBO's baseline projections largely reflect the assumption that current tax and spending laws will remain unchanged. Under that assumption, CBO estimates that the deficit will total $1.40 trillion in 2011—$81 billion less than the agency estimated in January. For the following 10 years (2012 to 2021), CBO now projects a cumulative deficit of $6.7 trillion—$234 billion less than the amount in the previous baseline. CBO has not modified its economic forecast since January, so the updated baseline projections mainly reflect new information that the agency has obtained about various aspects of the federal budget since the previous projections were completed."

    March 18, 2011
    * Fiscal 2010 Sexual Assault in the Military Report

    News release: "The Department of Defense today released the Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military. This year’s report also incorporates results from the quadrennial 2010 Workplace and Gender Relations Survey of Active Duty Members, an anonymous and voluntary survey conducted by the Defense Manpower Data Center, which measures gender issues among members of the armed forces. Over the last two years, the department has made significant efforts to prevent and respond to sexual assault. While it appears these efforts are beginning to payoff, there is still work to do to integrate and continue our efforts across the department and the services."

    March 17, 2011
    * Japanese Nuclear Emergency: Basic Radiation Facts From EPA

    Japanese Nuclear Emergency: Basic Radiation Facts From EPA: Includes tabs with information specific to: Technical Users, General Public, Reporters, Librarians, Students/Teachers.

    March 16, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: 401(k) Plans, Cybersecurity, Dept. of Labor Tech & Financial Controls, Government Performance, Private Health Insurance
    • 401(k) Plans: Issues Involving Securities Lending in Plan Investments, GAO-11-359T, March 16, 2011
    • Cybersecurity: Continued Attention Needed to Protect Our Nation's Critical Infrastructure and Federal Information Systems, GAO-11-463T, March 16, 2011
    • Department of Labor: Further Management Improvements Needed to Address Information Technology and Financial Controls, GAO-11-157, March 16, 2011
    • Government Performance: GPRA Modernization Act Provides Opportunities to Help Address Fiscal, Performance, and Management Challenges, GAO-11-466T, March 16, 2011
    • Private Health Insurance: Data on Application and Coverage Denials, GAO-11-268, March 16, 2011
    • 401(K) Plans: Certain Investment Options and Practices That May Restrict Withdrawals Not Widely Understood, GAO-11-291, March 10, 2011
    March 15, 2011
    * FDIC Approves Proposed Rule to Set Claims Process Under Dodd-Frank Act's Orderly Liquidation Authority Provisions

    News release: "The Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) to further clarify application of the orderly liquidation authority contained in Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, "Orderly Liquidation Authority" (OLA). The NPR builds on the interim rule approved by the FDIC on January 18, 2011, which clarified certain discrete issues under the OLA. The NPR approved today establishes a comprehensive framework for the priority payment of creditors and for the procedures for filing a claim with the receiver and, if dissatisfied, pursuing the claim in court. The NPR also clarifies additional issues important to the implementation of the OLA, including how compensation will be recouped from senior executives and directors who are substantially responsible for the failure of the firm. The NPR, along with the interim final rule, is intended to provide clarity and certainty about how key components of OLA will be implemented and to ensure that the liquidation process under Title II reflects the Dodd-Frank Act's mandate of transparency in the liquidation of covered financial companies."

    * BLS: U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes

    News release: "U.S. import prices rose 1.4 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today, following a similar 1.3 percent advance in January. The price index for U.S. exports increased 1.2 percent in February after rising 1.3 percent the previous month. Higher agricultural and nonagricultural export prices each contributed to the overall advance in February. All Imports: Prices for imports rose 1.4 percent in February, continuing a five-month trend of monthly increases greater than 1.0 percent. Import prices advanced 6.9 percent for the year ended in February, driven by a 7.0 percent jump for the index over the past five months. The year-over-year rise in February was the largest 12-month advance since an 8.5 percent increase for the year ended in May 2010. Higher prices for both fuel and nonfuel import prices contributed to the increase in February and over the past year...All Imports Excluding Fuel: Nonfuel import prices advanced 0.3 percent in February after a 0.7 percent increase in January. Higher prices for nonfuel industrial supplies and materials; foods, feeds, and beverages; and each of the major finished goods categories all contributed to the rise in nonfuel prices in February. The price index for nonfuel imports increased 3.6 percent the past year, the largest 12-month advance since a 4.8 percent increase between October 2007 and October 2008. The current 12-month rise was mostly driven by a 12.9 percent advance for nonfuel industrial supplies and materials prices and a 15.8 percent increase for foods, feeds, and beverages prices."

    * Federal Open Market Committee Statement

    FOMC statement, March 15, 2011: "Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in January suggests that the economic recovery is on a firmer footing, and overall conditions in the labor market appear to be improving gradually. Household spending and business investment in equipment and software continue to expand. However, investment in nonresidential structures is still weak, and the housing sector continues to be depressed. Commodity prices have risen significantly since the summer, and concerns about global supplies of crude oil have contributed to a sharp run-up in oil prices in recent weeks. Nonetheless, longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable, and measures of underlying inflation have been subdued."

    * New GAO Reports: Border Security, Homeland Security IRS Internal Controls, Joint Strike Fighter
    • Border Security: Preliminary Observations on the Status of Key Southwest Border Technology Programs, GAO-11-448T, March 15, 2011
    • Homeland Security: Improvements in Managing Research and Development Could Help Reduce Inefficiencies and Costs, GAO-11-464T, March 15, 2011
    • Information Security: IRS Needs to Enhance Internal Control over Financial Reporting and Taxpayer Data, GAO-11-308, March 15, 2011
    • Joint Strike Fighter: Restructuring Should Improve Outcomes, but Progress Is Still Lagging Overall, GAO-11-450T, March 15, 2011
    • Maritime Security: Updating U.S. Counterpiracy Action Plan Gains Urgency as Piracy Escalates off the Horn of Africa, GAO-11-449T, March 15, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: OMB IT Dashboard Improvements Needed

    Information Technology: OMB Has Made Improvements to Its Dashboard, but Further Work Is Needed by Agencies and OMB to Ensure Data Accuracy, GAO-11-262, March 15, 2011: "Billions of taxpayer dollars are spent on information technology (IT) investments each year; federal IT spending has now risen to an estimated $79 billion for fiscal year 2011. During the past several years, we have issued multiple reports and testimonies and made numerous recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to improve the transparency, oversight, and management of the federal government’s IT investments. As part of its response to our prior work, OMB deployed a public Web site in June 2009, known as the IT Dashboard, which provides detailed information on federal agencies’ major IT investments, including assessments of actual performance against cost and schedule targets (referred to as ratings) for approximately 800 major federal IT investments. The Dashboard aims to improve the transparency and oversight of these investments."

    * EIA: Advanced electric meter installations rising in homes and businesses

    U.S. Advanced Meter Penetration by end-use sector: "Electric meters with enhanced communication capabilities — an essential component of the smart grid — are becoming more prevalent. This offers the possibility that electric systems will become more reliable and efficient. In 2009, 39% of all U.S. electrical customers had advanced meters, up from 32% in 2008. Advanced meters can use one-way communication (known as Automated Meter Reading, or AMR), which enables the utility to do remote meter reading, or two-way communication (Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI). In 2009, 17% of advanced meters used two-way communication, up from 10% in 2008. These two-way meters are often referred to as "smart meters." Utilities have an incentive to install advanced meters for residential customers because automated meter reading lowers costs. Commercial and industrial customers probably have lower penetration rates for these digital meters because they are more likely to have more sophisticated analog meters already in place, to be on a time-responsive tariff, and to be interruptible customers."

    * EIA: Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update

    Retail gasoline prices rose by 4.7 cents per gallon between March 7 and March 14, 2011 - See this Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, with accompanying charts.

    * Federal Health Reform: State Legislative Tracking Database

    Welcome to the State Legislative Tracking Database on Health Reform: Search 2011 legislation by state, topic, keyword, status, and/or primary sponsor.

  • "The database includes 2011 legislation, including pending, failed and enacted bills and resolutions. The database is intended to capture state actions related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care Education and Reconciliation Act, together referred to as the Affordable Care Act or federal health reform. Topics relate to some of the major provisions in the Affordable Care Act and include Medicaid, Health Insurance Exchanges, Health Insurance Reform, Health Information Technology, Prevention and Wellness, and Providers and Workforce. A seperate topic, Challenges and Alternatives, covers policies that differ from the federal provisions."
  • * DOJ Launches FOIA.gov

    "As the flagship initiative of the Department’s Open Government Plan, OIP [Office of Information Policy] is proud to announce the launch of FOIA.Gov, a comprehensive public resource for government-wide FOIA information and data. FOIA.Gov displays graphically a wealth of data on agency FOIA compliance, contains educational material about how the FOIA works, and contact information for all government agencies. OIP’s own website will always provide a link to FOIA.Gov on the right hand side of our site."

    March 14, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Nuclear Waste, Prescription Drugs
    • Nuclear Waste: DOE Needs a Comprehensive Strategy and Guidance on Computer Models that Support Environmental Cleanup Decisions, GAO-11-143, February 10, 2011
    • Prescription Drugs: Trends in Usual and Customary Prices for Commonly Used Drugs, GAO-11-306R, February 10, 2011
    * DHS OIG: Contracts Awarded Through Other Than Full and Open Competition During Fiscal Year 2010

    OIG-11-41 - DHS Contracts Awarded Through Other Than Full and Open Competition During Fiscal Year 2010

  • "The department obligated about $1.3 billion for noncompetitive contracts in fiscal year 2010. Our review of 40 contract files, with a total reported value of more than $100 million, showed that the department generally improved acquisition management oversight by strengthening its guidance and conducting reviews of the components to validate compliance with its guidance. However, not all contract files contained sufficient evidence of justification and approval, market research, and acquisition planning. Also, acquisition personnel did not always document consideration of contractor past performance when performing background research of eligible vendors. As a result, the department cannot be sure that it received the best possible value on the goods and services acquired through these contracts or that acquisition personnel awarded government contracts to eligible and qualified vendors."
  • * BJS: Prisoner Recidivism Analysis Tool

    News release: "...the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics released the first in a series of data analysis tools that will enable the public to explore the recidivism patterns of persons involved with the criminal justice system. The new Prisoner Recidivism Analysis Tool allows users to conduct customized analyses of a large database describing the recidivism of prisoners released in 1994 and followed for a three-year period after release. In 2012, BJS plans to update the tool with new recidivism data on prisoners released in 2005. The public can use this online tool to analyze a large research database and verify statistics found in government publications, media reports or other sources that use these data. The tool allows users to move beyond the published statistics to explore in more detail the recidivism patterns of released prisoners. Users may examine the recidivism patterns of released prisoners based on one or more attributes, such as gender, age at release, race, commitment offense, sentence length, prior arrests and prior commitments."

    March 13, 2011
    * EIA: What we pay for in a gallon of regular gasoline

    Charts include 2000-2009 Average Price and 201 Annual Average: "Crude oil, refining, distribution & marketing, and taxes are the four major cost components for estimates of the retail price of a gallon of gasoline. The portion of the gasoline price each of these components accounts for can vary significantly over time."

    * EIA: Electric Power Monthly, March 2011 Edition

    Electric Power Monthly, March 2011 Edition, with data for December 2010 [this release links to PDF and xls and associated graphs]

  • "Net generation in the United States was up 3.1 percent from December 2009 to December 2010. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that although temperatures in the contiguous United States as a whole were near normal in December, geographical disparities led to heating degree day totals that were 9.9 percent above the average for December, and 2.4 percent higher than they were in December 2009. The Federal Reserve reported that industrial production was 5.9 percent higher than it had been in December 2009, the twelfth consecutive month that industrial production was higher than it had been in the corresponding months of the previous year. The rise in natural gas-fired generation was the largest absolute fuel-specific increase from December 2009 to December 2010 as it was up 5,239 thousand megawatthours, or 7.3 percent. Increased gas-fired generation in Florida, Alabama, and Pennsylvania accounted for 95.2 percent of the national jump in gas-fired generation. Increased nuclear generation was the next largest fuel-specific rise as it was up 4.2 percent, or 2,973 thousand megawatthours. Increased nuclear generation in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire accounted for 71.7 percent of the national nuclear increase."
  • * New GAO Reports: GAO FY2012 Budget Request, Flood Insurance, Navy's Next Gen Info Tech
    • Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Request: U.S. Government Accountability Office, GAO-11-453T, March 11, 2011
    • Flood Insurance: Public Policy Goals Provide a Framework for Reform, GAO-11-429T, March 11, 2011
    • Information Technology: Better Informed Decision Making Needed on Navy's Next Generation Enterprise Network, GAO-11-150, March 11, 2011
    * BLS: Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary

    News release: "Regional and state unemployment rates were generally unchanged in January. Twenty-four states recorded unemployment rate decreases, 10 states registered rate increases, and 16 states and the District of Columbia had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported [March 11, 2011]. Thirty-nine states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, 9 states reported increases, and 2 states had no change. The national jobless rate fell by 0.4 percentage point between December 2010 and January 2011 to 9.0 percent, 0.7 point lower than in January 2010. In January nonfarm payroll employment increased in 35 states and the District of Columbia, and decreased in 15 states. The largest over-the-month increase in employment occurred in Texas (+44,100), followed by Michigan (+39,700), Ohio (+31,900), Illinois (+24,500), and California (+22,600)."

  • Business Journals posted a database of the latest nonfarm figures for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
  • Related postings on the financial system
  • * Job Openings and Labor Turnover – January 2011

    "There were 2.8 million job openings on the last business day of
    January 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The job openings rate (2.1 percent), hires rate (2.8 percent), and total separations rate (2.7 percent) were little changed over the month. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and by geographic region. This release also includes annual estimates for hires and separations. The annual totals for hires and quits increased in 2010 while the annual total for layoffs and discharges decreased."

    * Unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans at 11.5 percent in 2010

    BLS: Unemployment rate for Gulf War-era II veterans at 11.5 percent in 2010 The unemployment rate for veterans of Gulf War era II (September 2001 forward) was 11.5 percent in 2010. About 25 percent of Gulf War-era II veterans reported having a service-connected disability in July 2010, compared with about 13 percent of all veterans."

    March 12, 2011
    * CDC: Cancer Survivors - United States, 2007

    Cancer Survivors - United States, 2007 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) March 11, 2011 / 60(09);269-272

  • "As a result of advances in early detection and treatment, cancer has become a curable disease for some and a chronic illness for others; persons living with a history of cancer are now described as cancer survivors rather than cancer victims. From 1971 to 2001, the number of cancer survivors in the United States increased from 3.0 million to 9.8 million. To update those data, published in 2004, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and CDC analyzed cancer incidence and follow-up information from nine Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) programs to estimate the number of persons in the United States ever diagnosed with cancer who were alive on January 1, 2007. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that the number of cancer survivors increased from 9.8 million in 2001 to 11.7 million in 2007. Breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers were the most common types of cancer among survivors, accounting for 51% of diagnoses. As of January 1, 2007, an estimated 64.8% of cancer survivors had lived ≥5 years after their diagnosis of cancer, and 59.5% of survivors were aged ≥65 years. Because many cancer survivors live long after diagnosis and the U.S. population is aging, the number of persons living with a history of cancer is expected to continue to increase. Public health and health-care professionals should understand the potential long-term needs of cancer survivors, engage in health promotion (e.g., urging cancer screening and smoking cessation), and ensure coordination of follow-up care for this growing population."
  • March 11, 2011
    * SSA IG: Applicant Experiences with Retirement Insurance Benefit Internet Claim Applications

    Applicant Experiences with Retirement Insurance Benefit Internet Claim Applications, A-07-10-20167

  • "To obtain applicants’ perceptions of the iClaim application and determine whether applicants filing for RIB using the iClaim application were receiving an appropriate level of service from SSA, we discussed their experiences with 200 applicants who filed an RIB iClaim application in May 2010. Based on our discussions, we determined that applicants had a positive perception of the RIB iClaim application process. In fact, 198 of the 200 applicants identified their experience filing online to be excellent, very good, or good, with almost half providing the top rating of excellent. One applicant stated that the iClaim application was as easy as could be, and that, if a person of his age—who did not grow up with the Internet—could do it, he did not see how any future generation would have any problems. Another applicant said, “The application and the process was very easy and saved a lot of time…"
  • * CBO: An Analysis of the Navy's Shipbuilding Plans

    Testimony before the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, March 10, 2011.

  • "At the direction of the Congress, the Department of the Navy issues annual reports that describe its plans for ship construction over the coming 30 years. The latest report—issued in February and covering fiscal years 2011 to 2040—contains some significant changes in the Navy’s long-term goals for shipbuilding. The new plan appears to increase the required size of the fleet compared with earlier plans, while reducing the number of ships to be purchased—and thus the costs for ship construction—over the next three decades. Despite those reductions, the total costs of carrying out the 2011 plan would be much higher than the funding levels that the Navy has received in recent years, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)."

  • * How Federal Agencies Can Effectively Manage Records Created Using New Social Media Tools

    How Federal Agencies Can Effectively Manage Records Created Using New Social Media Tools, Patricia C. Franks, Associate Professor, School of Library & Information Science, San Jose State University

  • "Dr. Franks’ report addresses the challenges of federal recordkeeping in the social media age. She describes the struggle of agency records managers to keep up with the information revolution, as well as the historical evolution of how records management and information technology have become both intertwined and yet separated by “silos” in many agencies. She identifies the
    governance challenges, the policy challenges, the technology challenges, as well as the capacity challenges to address these issues. She concludes with recommendations for improving social media records management, and offers a series of best practices based on interviews with dozens of records managers, Web masters, and social media managers across the federal government."
  • March 10, 2011
    * Consultative Report on Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures Released

    News release: "The Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems (CPSS) and the Technical Committee of the International Organization of Securities Commission (IOSCO) today released for comment the consultative report on the Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures. The CPSS and IOSCO expect these principles to play an important role in the future regulation of financial market infrastructures around the world. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, a member of the CPSS, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, members of the Technical Committee of IOSCO, encourage interested persons to review and comment on the consultative report. The consultative report contains updated and new proposed international principles for systemically important payment systems, central securities depositories, securities settlement systems, central counterparties, and trade repositories. The 24 proposed principles would replace existing CPSS and CPSS-IOSCO standards for payment, clearing, and settlement systems previously published in the Core Principles for Systemically Important Payment Systems, Recommendations for Securities Settlement Systems, and Recommendations for Central Counterparties and introduce principles for trade repositories for the first time."

  • Principles for financial market infrastructures - consultative report, CPSS Publications No 94, March 2011
  • * CBO - Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Options

    Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Options, March 10, 2011

  • "Federal budget deficits will total $7 trillion over the next decade if current laws remain unchanged, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects. If certain policies that are scheduled to expire under current law are extended instead, deficits may be much larger. Beyond the coming decade, the aging of the U.S. population and rising health care costs will put increasing pressure on the budget. If federal debt continues to expand faster than the economy—as it has since 2007—the growth of people's income will slow, the share of federal spending devoted to paying interest on the debt will rise, and the risk of a fiscal crisis will increase. This report presents 105 illustrative options that would reduce projected budget deficits. As in past reports, the options cover an array of policy areas—from defense to energy to entitlement programs to provisions of the tax code. The budgetary effects shown for most options span the 10 years from 2012 to 2021 (the period covered by CBO's January 2011 baseline budget projections), although many options would have longer-term effects as well. The options are grouped into three major budget categories: mandatory spending, discretionary spending, and revenues. In most cases, the table accompanying an option shows the option's estimated budgetary effects in each of the next 10 years, as well as 5- and 10-year totals."
  • * Release of data.gov.au

    "The new data.gov.au site has now been released and I invite you to explore, access and reuse the data available on the site. The release of public sector information in the form of datasets allows the commercial, research and community sectors to add value to government data in new, innovative and exciting ways. Data.gov.au plays a crucial role in realising the Australian Government’s commitment to informing, engaging and participating with the public, as expressed in its Declaration of Open Government and Freedom of Information (FoI) reforms. It is the Australian equivalent to similar overseas sites such as the United States’ data.gov, the United Kingdom’s data.gov.uk and New Zealand’s data.govt.nz. Agencies such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Geoscience Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) already release large amounts of data to the public. An important goal of data.gov.au is to provide a broader range of agencies the opportunity to similarly release more data online. More than 200 datasets are accessible through data.gov.au"

    * Google Launches Feature to Block Sites From Future Search Results

    Official Google Blog: "Now there’s yet another way to find more of what you want on Google by blocking the sites you don’t want to see. You’ve probably had the experience where you’ve clicked a result and it wasn’t quite what you were looking for. Many times you’ll head right back to Google. Perhaps the result just wasn’t quite right, but sometimes you may dislike the site in general, whether it’s offensive...or of generally low quality. For times like these, you’ll start seeing a new option to block particular domains from your future search results. Now when you click a result and then return to Google, you’ll find a new link next to “Cached” that reads “Block all example.com results.” Once you click the link to “Block all example.com results” you’ll get a confirmation message, as well as the option to undo your choice. You’ll see the link whether or not you’re signed in, but the domains you block are connected with your Google Account, so you’ll need to sign in before you can confirm a block. Once you’ve blocked a domain, you won’t see it in your future search results."

    March 08, 2011
    * Consumer Product Safety Commission: SaferProducts.gov is in Soft Launch

    "Welcome to the new home for consumer product safety reports. Use our new online form to submit a Report on an unsafe product. Register your business with the new Business Portal to review and respond to Reports. Reports and manufacturer comments during this Soft Launch will be used by CPSC, but they will not be published on SaferProducts.gov.

    * NOAA: U.S. 'Turning a Corner' in Ending Overfishing

    News release: "At a hearing today in front of the Senate Commerce Committee on the Magnuson-Stevens Act, Assistant NOAA Administrator for Fisheries Eric Schwaab said that the U.S. is making good progress toward meeting the mandate to end domestic overfishing. “We know that nearly $31 billion in sales and as many as 500,000 jobs are lost because our fisheries are not performing as well as they would if all stocks were rebuilt,” Schwaab said. “While we are turning a corner toward a brighter future for fishermen and fishing communities, many fishermen are struggling in part as a result of years of decline in fishing opportunity.” Schwaab said that NOAA is committed to working with fishermen and communities during this period of transition. Our nation’s fisheries have been vital to the economics and identities of our coastal communities for hundreds of years. According to the most recent estimates, U.S. commercial and saltwater recreational fisheries support almost two million jobs and generate more than $160 billion in sales."

    * New GAO Reports: State Dept. Strategic Planning
    • Department of State: Additional Steps Are Needed to Improve Strategic Planning and Evaluation of Training for State Personnel GAO-11-438T, March 08, 2011
    • Department of State: Additional Steps Are Needed to Improve Strategic Planning and Evaluation of Training for State Personnel GAO-11-241, January 25, 2011
    * EPA Updates Database on Health and Environmental Impacts of Electricity Generation

    News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated its database that helps Americans understand the health and environmental impacts of electricity generation. EPA’s Emissions and Generation Integrated Resource Database (eGRID) and Power Profiler now include data from 2007, an update from 2005. eGRID is a comprehensive database of emissions from almost all electric power generated in the United States. The data are widely used to show the impacts of electricity generation as well as the benefits from reduced electricity demand. eGRID contains emissions information for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) which contribute to unhealthy air quality and acid rain in many parts of the country. eGRID also contains emissions information for carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), which are greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Power Profiler is a user friendly online application that uses eGRID data to show air emissions information and the type of electricity generation, such as coal or nuclear, in various regions of the country. By simply entering a zip code and selecting a utility, users can learn more about where their electricity comes from and what impact it has on air quality and the environment."

    * CBO: Four Observations about the Federal Budget

    Four Observations about the Federal Budget, March 2011 - CBO Director Doug Elmendorf's presentation to the National Association for Business Economics: "The gap between spending and revenues is likely to remain very large even after
    we return to normal economic conditions. Fiscal policy cannot be put on a sustainable path just by eliminating waste and inefficiency; the policy changes that are needed will significantly affect popular programs or people’s tax payments or both."

    * CBO Monthly Budget Review - March 2011

    CBO Monthly Budget Review - March 2011, Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for January and the Daily Treasury Statements for February

  • Summary: "CBO estimates that the federal government incurred a budget deficit of $642 billion for the first five months of fiscal year 2011, $10 billion less than the shortfall recorded in the same period last year. Outlays were $58 billion higher than in the previous year, while revenues were $68 billion higher."
  • March 07, 2011
    * Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being

    Via the White House, Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being

  • "In support of the Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Management and Budget and the Economics and Statistics Administration within the Department of Commerce worked together to create the Women in America report which, for the first time in recent history, pulls together information from across the Federal statistical agencies to compile baseline information on how women are faring in the United States today and how these trends have changed over time. The report provides a statistical portrait showing how women’s lives are changing in five critical areas:
  • * March is Women’s History Month

    "Women’s History Month honors the achievements and contributions of American women in all walks of life. Check out some interesting facts about American women. Here are just a few:

    • 157.2 million women and 153.2 million men reside in the United States. At age 85 and older, there are more than twice as many women as men.
    • 82.8 million women are mothers.
    • 55% of college students are women.
    • 66% of women and 62% of men reported voting in the 2008 presidential election.
    • 14% of armed forces members are women.
    • 88% was the ratio of women’s-to-men’s earnings in the District of Columbia in 2009, which was among the highest of any location in the nation." [via USA.gov]

    * FTC Report Recommends Improvements in Patent System

    News release: "A new Federal Trade Commission report recommends improvements to two areas of patent law policies affecting how well a patent gives notice to the public of what technology is protected and remedies for patent infringement. The report, The Evolving IP Marketplace: Aligning Patent Notice and Remedies with Competition, emphasizes that the patent system and competition policy share the goal of promoting innovation that benefits consumers."

    March 06, 2011
    * NARA 2010 Records Management Self-Assessment Report

    An Assessment of Records Management Programs in the Federal Government National Archives and Records Administration, February 22, 2011

  • "Federal records are national assets. They are essential to Government transparency and accountability, and the people who use Federal records – American citizens, Government officials, researchers – must have confidence in their integrity, authenticity, and reliability. Towards this ideal, a number of laws and regulations are in place to govern the creation, maintenance, and disposition of Federal records. Agency employees at all levels, and in all aspects of their work, are required to practice proper Federal records management. They have to document their actions (and by extension the actions of the Government), retain records in a usable format for as long as necessary, and ensure the preservation and availability of permanent records. Agencies must have robust records management programs, with leadership and support from senior officials, and professional staff and adequate resources, to help their employees do this."
  • Nextgov: "After investigating itself for almost a year, the Justice Department reported to the National Archives and Records Administration that it is unable to determine whether any e-mails related to its notorious 2002 "torture memos" were improperly destroyed. The department's finding, which it delivered to NARA in February, appears to close a troubling case of lax records management by a federal agency. Officials at NARA accepted the explanation of the Justice Department's chief records keeper of why thousands of e-mails vanished when they were needed for an investigation and closed the agency's examination of the matter."
  • * CDC: Unhealthy Sleep-Related Behaviors - 12 States, 2009

    Unhealthy Sleep-Related Behaviors - 12 States, 2009. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) March 4, 2011 / 60(08);233-238

  • "An estimated 50 -70 million adults in the United States have chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders. Sleep difficulties, some of which are preventable, are associated with chronic diseases, mental disorders, health-risk behaviors, limitations of daily functioning, injury, and mortality. The National Sleep Foundation suggests that most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, although individual variations exist. To assess the prevalence and distribution of selected sleep difficulties and behaviors, CDC analyzed data from a new sleep module added to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in 2009. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which determined that, among 74,571 adult respondents in 12 states, 35.3% reported having <7 hours of sleep on average during a 24-hour period, 48.0% reported snoring, 37.9% reported unintentionally falling asleep during the day at least 1 day in the preceding 30 days, and 4.7% reported nodding off or falling asleep while driving in the preceding 30 days. Continued public health surveillance of sleep quality, duration, behaviors, and disorders is needed to understand and address sleep difficulties and their impact on health. As a first step, a multifaceted approach that includes increased public awareness and education and training in sleep medicine for appropriate health-care professionals is needed; however, broad societal factors, including technology use and work policies, also must be considered."
  • * BLS Spotlight on Statistics: Women at Work, March 2011

    women at Work: "Until things slowly changed during the last century, women's participation in the labor force was limited by traditional cultural, educational, and legal practices. Women's work outside of home and marriage was restricted to a handful of occupations such as domestic service, factory work, farm work, and teaching. Over the past several decades, the women's labor force in the United States and throughout the world has experienced many changes. Women's labor force participation rates are significantly higher today than they were in the 1970s. Throughout that period, women have increasingly attained higher levels of education and experienced an increase in their earnings as a proportion of men's earnings. In addition to highlighting the past, present, and future of women in the workforce, this Spotlight presents BLS data on the types of activities that women spend their time doing during an average week, how they choose to spend their hard-earned money, and the nature of fatal injuries in the workplace."

    * CDC: Updated Norovirus Outbreak Management and Disease Prevention Guidelines

    Updated Norovirus Outbreak Management and Disease Prevention Guidelines, Recommendations and Reports, March 4, 2011 / Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) 60(RR03);1-15

  • "Noroviruses are the most common cause of epidemic gastroenteritis, responsible for at least 50% of all gastroenteritis outbreaks worldwide, and a major cause of foodborne illness. In the United States, approximately 21 million illnesses attributable to norovirus are estimated to occur annually. Since 2001, when the most recent norovirus recommendations were published, substantial advances have been made in norovirus epidemiology, immunology, diagnostic methods, and infection control. As molecular diagnostic techniques have improved in performance and become more widely available, detection and reporting of norovirus outbreaks have increased. Although the inability to culture human noroviruses in vitro has hampered progress, assessment of the performance of disinfectants has been facilitated by the discovery of new, cultivable surrogates for human noroviruses. In addition, the periodic emergence of epidemic strains (from genogroup II type 4, GII.4) and outbreaks in specific populations (e.g., the elderly in nursing homes) have been characterized. This report reviews these recent advances and provides guidelines for outbreak management and disease prevention. These recommendations are intended for use by public health professionals investigating outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis, including state and local health authorities, as well as academic and research institutions."
  • March 04, 2011
    * Introducing Apps@State

    Apps@State: "Use the communications tools at your disposal to spread your values...by creating your own networks you can extend the power of governments to end hunger, defeat disease, combat climate change and give every child the ability to live up to his or her God-given potential." HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, Secretary of State

    March 03, 2011
    * EPA Submits for Public Comment the Next Round of Safe Drinking Water Act Contaminant Monitoring

    News release: "As part of its commitment to implement sensible protections of drinking water for communities across the country, and as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing 30 currently unregulated contaminants for monitoring in water systems, and submitting this proposal for public comment. The comment period will allow the public and other stakeholders to provide input on the selection of new contaminants for monitoring, and will help determine the best path forward as the EPA seeks to collect data that will inform future decisions about how best to protect drinking water."

    March 02, 2011
    * DrawCongress.org

    "A nonpartisan map of all 435 congressional districts in the nation has never been drawn. The widespread diffusion of redistricting technology and data and the training of a group of students dedicated to that purpose has made such a map possible for the first time. DrawCongress.org represents the first attempt to create an internet depository for nonpartisan congressional maps for the entire country. DrawCongress.org is an outgrowth of the “Redistricting and Gerrymandering” course at Columbia Law School. At this website you will find a series of student-drawn nonpartisan redistricting plans, which will culminate in a complete map of all 435 congressional districts. The students used Caliper Corporation's Maptitude for Redistricting software to draw their plans."

    * Inspector General Finds Homeland Security's Contract Management Process Noncompetitive

    Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, via EPIC: "The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security released a report finding that the agency's contract files did not "contain[] sufficient evidence of justification and approval, market research, and acquisition planning" for the $1.3 billion dollars in noncompetitive contracts the agency entered into in fiscal year 2010. The noncompetitive process raises doubts that the agency secured the "best possible value" for the goods and services and that the contracts were awarded to "eligible and qualified vendors." The IG recommended that the agency’s Chief Procurement Officer pursue corrective action plans. EPIC previously criticized the agency’s contracting practices regarding whole body scanners. For related information see EPIC: EPIC v. DHS: Body Scanners (Suspend the Program) and EPIC: EPIC v. DHS (FOIA)."

    * FTC Steps Up Efforts Against Scams That Target Financially-Strapped Consumers

    More Than 90 Actions Brought By Commission and Its Law Enforcement Partners: "The Federal Trade Commission today stepped up its ongoing campaign against scammers who falsely promise guaranteed jobs and opportunities to “be your own boss” to consumers who are struggling with unemployment and diminished incomes as a consequence of the economic downturn. “Operation Empty Promises,” a multi-agency law enforcement initiative today announced more than 90 enforcement actions, including three new FTC cases and developments in seven other matters, 48 criminal actions by the Department of Justice (many of which involved the assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service), seven additional civil actions by the Postal Inspection Service, and 28 actions by state law enforcement agencies in Alaska, California, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia."

    * New GAO Reports: DOD Education Benefits, Elder Justice, EPA, Medicare, TARP, USPS, VA Real Property
    • DOD Education Benefits: Further Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Tuition Assistance Program, GAO-11-389T, March 02, 2011
    • Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Enhance National Response to Elder Abuse, GAO-11-208, March 02, 2011
    • Elder Justice: Stronger Federal Leadership Could Help Improve Response to Elder Abuse, GAO-11-384T, March 02, 2011
    • Environmental Protection Agency: Major Management Challenges, GAO-11-422T, March 02, 2011
    • Medicare: Program Remains at High Risk Because of Continuing Management Challenges, GAO-11-430T, March 02, 2011
    • Troubled Asset Relief Program: Actions Needed by Treasury to Address Challenges in Implementing Making Home Affordable Programs, GAO-11-338T, March 02, 2011
    • U.S. Postal Service: Modernization and Restructuring Needed to Address Financial Challenges, GAO-11-428T, March 02, 2011
    • Medicare: Private Sector Initiatives to Bundle Hospital and Physician Payments for an Episode of Care, GAO-11-126R, January 31, 2011
    • VA Real Property: Realignment Progressing, but Greater Transparency about Future Priorities Is Needed, GAO-11-197, January 31, 2011
    * Federal Reserve Beige Book, March 2, 2011

    Full Report - Beige Book, March 2, 2011 and Links to the Districts - "Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicated that overall economic activity continued to expand at a modest to moderate pace in January and early February. Both Kansas City and San Francisco noted that their economies expanded further. Boston and Philadelphia cited conditions as improving. New York, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, and St. Louis described activity as modestly improving, while Minneapolis and Dallas experienced moderate growth. Chicago reported that although there was an increase in activity, it was at a pace not quite as strong as during the previous reporting period."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • * Removing References to Credit Ratings in Regulations; Proposing Alternatives to the Use of Credit Ratings

    "NCUA [National Credit Union Administration] is proposing rules to implement certain statutory provisions in Title IX of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act). The proposed rules replace or remove references to credit ratings in NCUA regulations. Comments must be received on or before May 2, 2011...The proposed rule generally handles NRSRO ratings three different ways, depending on the manner in which the rating is used in the regulations. For investments, the proposal generally replaces the minimum credit rating requirement with a requirement that the credit union do an internal credit analysis of the investment pursuant to a particular narrative standard. For counterparty transactions, the proposal generally replaces the minimum credit rating requirement with a requirement that the credit union do an internal credit analysis of the counterparty pursuant to an internal standard set by the credit union’s board. For ratings usage outside of investment and counterparty suitability, the proposal generally removes the ratings reference without requiring some substitute analysis."

    * Federal Reserve Monetary Policy Report to the Congress

    Monetary Policy Report to the Congress Submitted pursuant to section 2B of the Federal Reserve Act, March 1, 2011: "Economic activity in the United States expanded at a moderate pace, on average, in the second half of 2010 and early 2011. In the spring and early summer, a number of key indicators of economic activity softened relative to the readings posted in late 2009 and the first part of 2010, raising concerns about the durability of the recovery. In light of these developments--and in order to put the economic recovery on a firmer footing--the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) provided additional monetary policy stimulus during the second half of 2010 by reinvesting principal repayments from its holdings of agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities in longer-term Treasury securities and by announcing its intention to purchase an additional $600 billion of Treasury securities by the end of the second quarter of 2011."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • * 2011 Trade Policy Agenda and 2010 Annual Report

    2011 Trade Policy Agenda and 2010 Annual Report of the President of the United States on the Trade Agreements Program, Ambassador Ronald Kirk, Office of the United States Trade Representative, March 1, 2011.

  • "Two-way trade is essential to American economic growth and success. Ninety-five percent of consumers reside beyond our borders, and the International Monetary Fund forecasts that nearly 83 percent of world growth over the next five years will take place outside of the United States. To reach our full potential for employment and economic growth, America must engage globally to sell more goods and services abroad. Expanding American exports supports jobs here at home. Every $1 billion in goods exports supports more than 6,000 jobs, and every $1 billion of services exports supports more than 4,500 jobs. Agriculture exports alone support nearly one million American jobs on and off the farm. Jobs supported by goods exports pay up to 18 percent more than the national average. Export-supported jobs in America’s services sector – which employs 80 percent of America’s private sector workforce – run the gamut from contractors to cargo handlers, and expanding America’s highly competitive services companies into new markets will support more of these jobs here at home."
  • March 01, 2011
    * EPA Report Underscores Clean Air Act's Successful Public Health Protections

    "A report released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the benefits of reducing fine particle and ground level ozone pollution under the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments will reach approximately $2 trillion in 2020 while saving 230,000 people from early death in that year alone. The report studied the effects of the Clean Air Act updates on the economy, public health and the environment between 1990 and 2020. The EPA report received extensive review and input from the Council on Clean Air Compliance Analysis, an independent panel of distinguished economists, scientists and public health experts established by Congress in 1991."

  • EPA Second Prospective Study - 1990 to 2020: "In March 2011, EPA issued the Second Prospective Report which looked at the results of the Clean Air Act from 1990 to 2020. According to this study, the direct benefits from the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments are estimated to reach almost $2 trillion for the year 2020, a figure that dwarfs the direct costs of implementation ($65 billion)."
  • * Pew: How the Public Perceives Community Information Systems

    How the Public Perceives Community Information Systems, March 1, 2011

  • "When people think about issues in their communities, they usually frame those issues through practical questions they would like to see addressed. Is the town budget too high or too low? Are teachers doing a good job? Are the streets safe? Do emergency responders have the right training? How can traffic congestion be eased? Does the library have the best technology for patrons? Do zoning rules work the best way? Are all the people in the community getting fair access to social services?"
  • * Federal Reserve seeks comment on proposed rules on risk-based pricing notices and adverse action notices

    News release: "The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday proposed regulations regarding the credit score disclosure requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The statute requires creditors to disclose credit scores and related information to consumers in risk-based pricing and adverse action notices under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) if a credit score was used in setting the credit terms or taking adverse action." The notices for the two proposed rules are as follows:

    * New GAO Reports: DOI, DOD, Military Dependent Students, Duplication in Government Programs, Warfighter Support
    • Department of the Interior: Major Management Challenges, GAO-11-424T, March 01, 2011
    • DOD Education Benefits: Increased Oversight of Tuition Assistance Program Is Needed, GAO-11-300, March 01, 2011
    • Education of Military Dependent Students: Better Information Needed to Assess Student Performance, GAO-11-231, March 01, 2011
    • Financial Audit: American Battle Monuments Commission's Financial Statements for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2009, GAO-11-320, March 01, 2011
    • Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue, GAO-11-318SP, March 01, 2011
    • Warfighter Support: DOD Should Have a More Comprehensive Approach for Addressing Urgent Warfighter Needs, GAO-11-417T, March 01, 2011
    • Warfighter Support: DOD's Urgent Needs Processes Need a More Comprehensive Approach and Evaluation for Potential Consolidation GAO-11-273, March 01, 2011
    * UK GDP and the Labour Market - Comparing Recessions

    National Statistics Online, GDP and the Labour Market - Q1 2008 - Q 3 2010: "Between quarter four 2009 to quarter four 2010, total employment rose by 0.8 per cent (383,000). The most recent quarter, however, saw total employment fall by 0.2 per cent (68,000) compared to the previous three months. This may reflect changing situations for individuals within the labour market. The number of self-employed individuals stood at 3.98 million in quarter four 2010, down 49,000 on the previous quarter. However, self-employment is still 2.4 per cent (92,000) higher than the same time last year. Also, comparing quarter four 2010 with quarter four 2009:

    • Full-time employment fell by less than 0.1 per cent (5,000)
    • Part-time employment grew by 2.9 per cent (224,000), and
      and Self-employment grew by 2.4 per cent (92,000)
    • Employees grew by 0.4 per cent (110,000)
    • Over the six quarters of economic contraction from quarter one 2008, total employment fell by 600,000. In the 1980s recession, the final quarter of economic contraction saw employment levels 619,000 lower than pre-recession level. At the end of the 1990s recession, employment was 910,000 lower than it was prior to the recession."

    * BEA: Personal Income and Outlays, January 2011

    Personal Income and Outlays, January 2011: "Personal income increased $133.2 billion, or 1.0 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $78.3 billion, or 0.7 percent, in January, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $23.7 billion, or 0.2 percent. In December, personal income increased $56.6 billion, or 0.4 percent, DPI increased $48.5 billion, or 0.4 percent, and PCE increased $56.5 billion, or 0.5 percent, based on revised estimates. Real disposable income increased 0.4 percent in January, compared with an increase of 0.1 percent in December. Real PCE decreased 0.1 percent, in contrast to an increase of 0.3 percent."

    February 28, 2011
    * GDP and the Economy Advance Estimates for the Fourth Quarter of 2010

    Bureau of Economic Analysis, GDP and the Economy Advance Estimates for the Fourth Quarter of 2010

  • "Real Gross domestic product (GDP) increased 3.2 percent at an annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to the advance estimates of the national income and product accounts (NIPAs). In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.6 percent. For the year 2010, real GDP increased 2.9 percent after decreasing 2.6 percent in 2009 The acceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected a sharp downturn in imports, an acceleration in consumer spending, and an upturn in residential fixed investment that were partly offset by downturns in inventory investment and in federal government spending and a deceleration in nonresidential fixed investment."
  • * Economic Report of the President 2011

    "The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices. The Economic Report of the President is transmitted to Congress no later than ten days after the submission of the Budget of the United States Government. Supplementary reports can be issued to the Congress which contain additional and/or revised recommendations. Documents are available in ASCII text and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), with many of the tables also available for separate viewing and downloading as spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel (XLS)."

    * Monthly Energy Review

    Monthly Energy Review, February 2011: "A publication of recent energy statistics. This publication includes 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 values."

    * Regional and State Unemployment, 2010 Annual Average Summary

    News release: "Annual average unemployment rates in 2010 rose in 31 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 18 states, and remained the same in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment-population ratios decreased in 43 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 3 states, and were unchanged in 4 states. Jobless rates increased in three regions and decreased in one, and employment-population ratios declined in all four regions in 2010. The U.S. jobless rate rose by 0.3 percentage point from the prior year to 9.6 percent, while the national employment population ratio fell by 0.8 point to 58.5 percent."

    * Cloud Computing Research Study - Lockheed Martin

    Special Research Report: Cloud Computing - "In December 2010, the 1105 Government Information Group and Beacon Technology Partners conducted a survey of federal IT managers to determine their attitudes toward cloud computing. The survey revealed the greatest cloud opportunities among federal agencies and the preferred deployment modes for cloud initiatives. Additionally, the research showed perceived advantages of cloud computing, concerns about security, and more. Read this special research report for more information."

    February 27, 2011
    * DOE Study: One Million Electric Vehicles By 2015

    One Million Electric Vehicles By 2015, February 2011 Status Report

  • "President Obama’s goal of putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 represents a key milestone toward dramatically reducing dependence on oil and ensuring that America leads in the growing electric vehicle manufacturing industry. Although the goal is ambitious, key steps already taken and further steps proposed indicate the goal is achievable. Indeed, leading vehicle manufacturers already have plans for cumulative U.S. production capacity of more than 1.2 million electric vehicles by 2015, according to public announcements and news reports. While it appears that the goal is within reach in terms of production capacity, initial costs and lack of familiarity with the technology could be barriers. For that reason, President Obama has proposed steps to accelerate America’s leadership in electric vehicle deployment, including improvements to existing consumer tax credits, programs to help cities prepare for growing demand for electric vehicles and strong support for research and development."
  • See also the DOE Electric Vehicles website
  • February 26, 2011
    * CBO Estimate of H.R. 1, the Full -Year Continuing Appropriations Act

    CBO Estimate of H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 as Passed by the House of Representatives on February 19, 2011 (In millions of dollars)

    * CBO - Outlook for the Economy and the Budget

    Outlook for the Economy and the Budget - February 2011, CBO Director Doug Elmendorf's presentation to the National Economists Club

    "Timing of Deficit Reduction

    • The longer the necessary adjustments are delayed:
    • The greater the negative consequences of mounting debt;
    • The more uncertainty about future government policies; and
    • The more drastic the ultimate policy changes"

    * EPA OIG: EPA Needs Better Agency-Wide Controls Over Staff Resources

    Evaluation Report - EPA Needs Better Agency-Wide Controls Over Staff Resources, Report No. 11-P-0136, February 22, 2011

  • "EPA does not enforce a coherent program of position management to assure the efficient and effective use of its workforce. While some organizational elements have independently established programs to control their resources, there is no Agency-wide effort to ensure that personnel are put to the best use. Prior to April 2010, EPA had the Position Management and Control Manual, which required an Agency-wide program. However this manual was not enforced and in April 2010 it was cancelled without replacement. According to the cancellation memorandum, the manual was eliminated because Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM) officials believed EPA had other mechanisms in place to appropriately manage and control its positions. However, the other mechanisms do not provide similar effects, controls, or documentation. Without an Agency-wide position management program, EPA leadership lacks reasonable assurance that it is using personnel in an effective and efficient manner to achieve mission results."
  • February 24, 2011
    * Migrants' Remittances and Related Economic Flows

    Migrants' Remittances and Related Economic Flows - February 24, 2011

  • "Migrants' remittances—payments sent by foreign-born workers back to their home country—have become a significant source of monetary inflows for many countries. In 2009, such remittances from the United States to other countries totaled more than $48 billion, nearly 30 percent more in inflation-adjusted terms than they were in 2000. People in Mexico receive more of the remittances sent from the United States than do residents of any other country. This document updates and expands upon the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) May 2005 publication Remittances: International Payments by Migrants. That paper included data through 2003; this document includes data through 2009. The existing data on global remittances are not of very high quality, however, and the comparisons and trends reported here should be viewed only as approximations."
  • * DHS: Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2010

    Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2010, February 2011: "This report provides estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population residing in the United States as of January 2010 for periods of entry and leading countries of birth and states of residence...In summary, the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in January 2010 was 10.8 million—the same as in January 2009—but down from 11.8 million in January 2007. Between 2000 and 2010, the unauthorized population grew by 27 percent. Of all unauthorized immigrants living in the United States in 2010, 39 percent entered in 2000 or later, and 62 per-cent were from Mexico."

    * EPA Establishes Clean Air Act Standards for Boilers and Incinerators

    News release: "In response to federal court orders requiring the issuance of final standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing final Clean Air Act standards for boilers and certain incinerators that achieve significant public health protections through reductions in toxic air emissions, including mercury and soot, but cut the cost of implementation by about 50 percent from an earlier proposal issued last year. Mercury, soot, lead and other harmful pollutants released by boilers and incinerators can lead to developmental disabilities in children, as well as cancer, heart disease, aggravated asthma and premature death in Americans. These standards will avoid between 2,600-6,600 premature deaths, prevent 4,100 heart attacks and avert 42,000 asthma attacks per year in 2014."

    February 23, 2011
    * EIA - Energy and Financial Markets Overview: Crude Oil Price Formation

    Energy and Financial Markets Overview: Crude Oil Price Formation, presentation by Richard Newell, Administrator, to the Society of Petroleum Engineers, National Capital Section, Washington, DC on February 23, 2011

    • "Some researchers are finding evidence that factors including unexpectedly strong economic growth in China and stagnant supply were at least associated with, and may have contributed to, the sharp oil price run-up and subsequent decline during the 2007-2008 period
    • The researchers are also finding some evidence suggesting that the price run-up and decline may have been exacerbated by the formation and collapse of an oil price bubble, perhaps triggered by fundamental factors in both the oil market and the broader global economy
    • As discussed later in the presentation, both internal EIA and academic research is also addressing the major increase in oil derivatives trading, significant change in the composition of derivatives traders (such as the growth of swap dealers, hedge funds, and commodity index funds), and increased correlation of oil and other markets over the past several years."
    • WSJ: Rising Oil Prices Raise the Specter of a Double Dip

    * FDIC Quarterly Banking Profile - 4th Quarter 2010

    FDIC's Quarterly Banking Profile, Fourth Quarter 2010, released February 23, 2010

    • "Banks Earned $21.7 Billion in Fourth Quarter as Recovery Continues: Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) reported an aggregate profit of $21.7 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, a $23.5 billion improvement from the $1.8 billion net loss the industry reported in the fourth quarter of 2009. This is the sixth consecutive quarter that earnings registered a year-over-year increase.
    • Full-Year Net Income of $87.5 Billion Is Highest Since 2007
    • Asset Quality Improves for Third Consecutive Quarter
    • Institutions Set Aside Half as Much for Loan Losses as a Year Earlier
    • 157 Insured Institutions Failed During 2010"

    * Projections of Federal Receipts and Expenditures in the Framework of the National Income and Product Accounts

    CBO's Projections of Federal Receipts and Expenditures in the Framework of the National Income and Product Accounts, February 2011

  • "The fiscal transactions of the federal government are recorded in two major sets of accounts. One is The Budget of the United States Government, prepared by the Office of Management and Budget, which is the framework generally used by executive branch agencies and the Congress and typically discussed in the press. The other set of accounts is the national income and product accounts (NIPAs), produced by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis. The purposes served by the budget and the NIPA accounting frameworks, the conceptual differences, and the relationship between those two sets of data are examined briefly in this report and more thoroughly in previous publications by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In January, CBO reported its latest baseline projections of federal revenues and outlays in the standard structure for budget accounting. This report presents those projections in the NIPA framework."
  • * 2010 Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering Examination Manual - in Spanish

    "The Federal Reserve on Wednesday issued a Spanish version of the 2010 Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering Examination Manual. The Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, developed the Spanish version to make the regulatory expectations regarding Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering compliance programs accessible to a wider group of people. The manual provides current and consistent guidance on risk-based policies, procedures, and processes for banking organizations to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act and safeguard operations from money laundering and terrorist financing."

    * EIA: Yemen Country Analysis Brief

    Yemen Country Analysis Brief — Feb 22, 2011

  • "Yemen is important to the global oil trade because of its location on the Bab al Mandab, one of the world's most strategic shipping lanes, through which an estimated 3.2 million barrels of oil passed daily in 2009. Disruption to shipping in the Bab el-Mandab could prevent tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden from reaching the Suez Canal/Sumed pipeline complex, requiring a costly diversion around the southern tip of Africa to reach western markets. In recent years, this region has seen rising piracy off the northern Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden and southern Red Sea including the Bab el-Mandab."
  • * Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output from October 2010 - December 2010

    Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output from October 2010 Through December 2010, February 23, 2011

  • "The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) contains provisions that are intended to boost economic activity and employment in the United States. Section 1512(e) of the law requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to comment on reports filed by recipients of ARRA funding that detail the number of jobs funded through their activities. This CBO report fulfills that requirement. It also provides CBO's estimates of ARRA's overall impact on employment and economic output in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2010. Those estimates— which CBO considers more comprehensive than the recipients' reports—are based on evidence from similar policies enacted in the past and on the results of various economic models."
  • February 22, 2011
    * Avoiding Water Wars: Water Scarcity and Central Asia's Growing Importance for Stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan

    Avoiding Water Wars: Water Scarcity and Central Asia's Growing Importance for Stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Majority Staff Report prepared for the use of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, 112th Congress, First Session, February 22, 2011

  • "This report by the committee majority staff examines United States policy with respect to water scarcity and water management in Central and South Asia. Water plays an increasingly important role in our diplomatic and national security interests in the region, and we must ensure that our approach is carefully considered and coordinated across the interagency. President Obama’s administration deserves credit for recognizing the critical role water plays in achieving our foreign policy objectives. As water demand for food production and electricity generation increases, in part as a result of the quickening pace of climate change, so too must our efforts to provide water security. While much of our focus currently rests on Afghanistan and Pakistan, we must also consider the interests in the shared waters by India and the neighboring five Central Asian countries—Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. This report draws on staff travel to the region and the work of experts in government, academia, and international institutions. It provides significant insight and several key recommendations to advance U.S. policy in Central and South Asia with respect to this vital transboundary resource."
  • * New GAO Reports: Debt Limit, Ryan White CARE Act, Defense Management, Superfund, Commercial Motor Carriers
    • Debt Limit: Delays Create Debt Management Challenges and Increase Uncertainty in the Treasury Market, GAO-11-203, February 22, 2011
    • Ryan White CARE Act: Estimated Effect of Continued Application of the Fiscal Year 2010 Stop-Loss Provision on 2011 Funding for Urban Areas, GAO-11-405R, February 18, 2011
    • Defense Management: Additional Cost Information and Stakeholder Input Needed to Assess Military Posture in Europe, GAO-11-131, February 03, 2011
    • Superfund: Information on the Nature and Costs of Cleanup Activities at Three Landfills in the Gulf Coast Region, GAO-11-287R, February 18, 2011
    • Commercial Motor Carriers: More Could Be Done to Determine Impact of Excessive Loading and Unloading Wait Times on Hours of Service Violations, GAO-11-198, January 26, 2011
    * Chief Counsel's Report - BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

    Follow up to previous postings on the Deepwater oil spill, see Macondo - the Gulf Oil Disaster - Chief Counsel’s Report | 2011, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And Offshore Drilling | Report to the President

  • "Notwithstanding demanding time constraints, the Commission‘s Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit and his investigative team have provided the most comprehensive, coherent, and detailed account of the events leading up to the blowout and explosion. The wealth of material presented here offers new details and documentation in support of the Commission's final report, Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling, released on January 11, 2011. What the investigation makes clear, above all else, is that management failures, not mechanical failings, were the ultimate source of the disaster. In clear, precise, and unflinching detail, this Report lays out the confusion, lack of communication, disorganization, and inattention to crucial safety issues and test results that led to the deaths of 11 men and the largest offshore oil spill in our nation's history. The Chief Counsel's efforts were integral to the Commission's deliberations and findings. For that reason, this report is an important companion to the full report of the Commission. It stands on its own as well—a durable contribution to our understanding of the importance of responsible management systems and state-of-the-art practices, and the dire consequences when they fail."
  • * CDC: Ignition Interlocks Reduce Alcohol-Impaired Driving

    Ignition Interlocks - A Proven Means for Preventing Impaired Driving Re-Arrests, and Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Ignition Interlocks
    "When someone is convicted of DWI and arrested, it's clear that they've made the decision, at least once, to drink and drive. It's important to take steps to prevent them from making such a risky decision in the future. Devices known as ignition interlocks can be installed in DWI offenders' vehicles as safeguards to help prevent future episodes of impaired driving—a serious public health problem that kills about 11,000 people annually and costs nearly $110 billion a year. When an ignition interlock is installed in a car or truck, it prevents that vehicle from being driven by anyone with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above a specified level. This level is usually 0.02 to 0.04 grams per deciliter (g/dL); the minimum illegal BAC level is 0.08 g/dL in every state. Typically, interlocks are installed in vehicles operated by drivers who have already been convicted of DWI. They may be mandated through the court system or offered as an alternative to a suspended license, and they're usually installed for 6 to 24 months."

    * Iraq: The Transition from a Military Mission to a Civilian-Led Effort

    Senate Foreign Relations Committee - Iraq: The Transition from a Military Mission to a Civilian-Led Effort (Committee Print - Majority), January 31, 2011

  • "This will be a year of unprecedented transition for the United States in Iraq as we move from a military-led mission to a civilian-led effort. The diplomatic mission that results will be of extraordinary size and complexity and it will assume security responsibilities in a still-dangerous environment. The stakes are high, not just for our civilian personnel, but for American foreign policy in the Middle East. While Iraq has made dramatic progress in recent years, the situation remains fragile and potentially reversible. The success of our diplomatic mission there will be an important factor in whether Iraq emerges from years of turmoil as a strategic partner or turns toward Iran. This report by the majority staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee sheds new light on this important topic and offers a number of policy recommendations. The report’s central message—that our government needs to make sure our objectives in Iraq are aligned with both our civilian capacities and a financial commitment to succeed—will be vital as we face a similar transition in Afghanistan in the years to come."
  • * WaPo: Contractors nervous about public access to database of past problems

    "A new database on contractors' past behavior has industry scrambling to prepare, according to contracting lawyers and advocates. The Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, or FAPIIS, is meant to ensure the government, before making major awards to contractors, knows of past problems such as criminal convictions, fines, suspensions and contracts terminated due to default. The database, with the exception of past performance reviews, is set to go public in mid-April. Now, attorneys and industry advocates say contractors are concerned about how the information will be used and whether their proprietary data will be protected. In the past, such records have not been easily accessible by the public. The new system will take a while to become a comprehensive source, as it depends on people entering information. Some records are to be submitted by the contractors themselves; others come directly from the government."

    February 20, 2011
    * BLS: Consumer Price Index - January 2011

    News release: "The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.4 percent in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 1.6 percent before seasonal adjustment. Increases in indexes for energy commodities and for food accounted for over two thirds of the all items increase. The indexes for gasoline and fuel oil both increased in January, continuing their recent strong upward trend. The index for food at home posted its largest increase in over two years with all six major grocery store food group indexes rising. The index for all items less food and energy also rose in January. The indexes for apparel, shelter, airline fares, and recreation all posted increases. In contrast, the indexes for new vehicles and for used cars and trucks declined in January. Over the last 12 months, the food index has risen 1.8 percent with the food at home index up 2.1 percent; both 12-month changes are the highest since 2009. The energy index has increased 7.3 percent over the last 12 months, with the gasoline index up 13.4 percent. The index for all items less food and energy has risen 1.0 percent."

    February 18, 2011
    February 17, 2011
    * National Broadband Map Launched

    "The National Broadband Map is a searchable and interactive website that allows users to view broadband availability across every neighborhood in the United States. The NBM was created by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in collaboration with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and in partnership with 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia. The NBM is a project of NTIA's State Broadband Initiative. The NBM will be updated approximately every six months and was first published on February 17, 2011."

    * New GAO Reports: Civilian Assistance to Pakistan,
    • Department of State's Report to Congress and U.S. Oversight of Civilian Assistance to Pakistan Can Be Further Enhanced, GAO-11-310R, February 17, 2011
    • Electronic Prescribing: CMS Should Address Inconsistencies in Its Two Incentive Programs That Encourage the Use of Health Information Technology, GAO-11-159, February 17, 2011
    • GAO's 2011 High Risk Series: An Update, GAO-11-394T, February 17, 2011
    * OPM Issues Competency Model for Cybersecurity

    "The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council and the Chief Human Capital Officers Council's Workforce Development Subcommittee identified cybersecurity related occupations as high priorities for Governmentwide competency models. In November 2009, OPM initiated a Governmentwide study to identify critical competencies for cybersecurity work, working with the CIO Council and the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE). Subject matter experts provided key insights, and employees and supervisors across the Government completed surveys to paint a comprehensive picture of cybersecurity work. We are pleased to provide the attached Cybersecurity competency model to support your human resources initiatives. The competencies identified may be used in such agency efforts as workforce planning, training and development, performance management, recruitment, and selection. When used for selection, the competencies must be used in conjunction with the appropriate qualification standard."

    February 16, 2011
    * 2011 Draft U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report

    Draft Inventory of U.S. Gas Greenhouse Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2009 (February 2011) [Note: individual report sections are posted here]

  • "An emissions inventory that identifies and quantifies a country's primary anthropogenic1 sources and sinks of greenhouse gases is essential for addressing climate change. This inventory adheres to both 1) a comprehensive and detailed set of methodologies for estimating sources and sinks of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, and 2) a common and consistent mechanism that enables Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to compare the relative contribution of different emission sources and greenhouse gases to climate change."
  • * New GAO Reports: Federal Workforce, High-Risk Series, USPS
    • Federal Workforce: Practices to Increase the Employment of Individuals with Disabilities, GAO-11-351T, February 16, 2011
    • High-Risk Series: An Update, GAO-11-278, February 16, 2011: "The federal government is the world’s largest and most complex entity, with about $3.5 trillion in outlays in fiscal year 2010 funding a broad array of programs and operations. GAO maintains a program to focus attention on government operations that it identifies as high risk due to their greater vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement or the need for transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. Since 1990, GAO has designated over 50 areas as high risk and subsequently removed over one-third of the areas due to progress made."
    • U.S. Postal Service: Foreign Posts' Strategies Could Inform U.S. Postal Service's Efforts to Modernize, GAO-11-282, February 16, 2011
    * Federal Cloud Computing Strategy Published

    "The Federal Cloud Computing Strategy was published February 13, 2011, marking a milestone in the Administration’s 25-Point Implementation Plan To Reform Federal IT Management. The strategy is designed to help the government deliver value to the public by increasing the operational efficiency of Federal IT dollars, and responding faster to taxpayer needs. In releasing the report, Federal CIO Vivek Kundra noted, “The adoption of cloud computing will play a pivotal role in helping the government close the productivity gap between the public and private sectors.” The strategy outlines how the Federal government can accelerate the safe, secure adoption of cloud computing, and provides agencies with a framework for migrating to the cloud. It also examines how agencies can address challenges related to the adoption of cloud computing, such as privacy, procurement, standards, and governance...Moving forward, agencies are required to evaluate their technology sourcing strategies so that cloud computing options are fully considered, consistent with the “Cloud First” policy outlined in the 25-Point Implementation Plan, which states: “The three-part strategy on cloud technology will revolve around using commercial cloud technologies where feasible, launching private government clouds, and utilizing regional clouds with state and local governments where appropriate.”

    February 15, 2011
    * CRS: The Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative: Issues for Congress

    The Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative: Issues for Congress, Wendy R. Ginsberg - Analyst in Government Organization and Management, January 28, 2011

  • "The 112th Congress may oversee the Administration’s open government efforts and has the authority to codify any parts of the initiative. This report reviews and discusses the centerpieces of President Obama’s transparency initiatives, the Open Government Initiative and the Open Government Directive. The report analyzes agency response to the OGI and the OGD and examines whether the OGD’s requirements can meet the stated goals of the Administration. The report discusses the three central tenets of the Administration’s OGD—transparency, public participation, and collaboration—and analyzes each one individually to determine whether agencies are meeting these requirements and whether the requirements may improve the effectiveness of the federal government."
  • * NOAA: January 2011 Ranked 17th Warmest on Record

    News release: "Last month was the 17th warmest January for combined global land and ocean surface temperature since records began in 1880. La Niña, with its cooling effect on the central and eastern tropical Pacific, continues to be a factor in global ocean temperatures. The monthly analysis from NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides government, business and community leaders so they can make informed decisions...The average Arctic sea ice extent for January was 5.23 million square miles (13.55 million square km), which was 8.7 percent below average. This ranks as the smallest January Arctic sea ice extent since records began in 1979 and the second consecutive month with record low Arctic ice extent."

    * SEC OIG - Investigation of Failure of SEC's LA Regional Office to Uncover Fraud in Westridge Capital Management

    Investigation of the Failure of the SEC's Los Angeles Regional Office to Uncover Fraud in Westridge Capital Management Notwithstanding Investment Adviser Examination Conducted in 2005 and Inappropriate Conduct on the Part of Senior Los Angeles Official, Case No. OIG-533 [redacted, dated October 26, 2010 and released February 2011]

  • "In all, the OIG searched over 68,000 e-mails. We obtained and reviewed e-mails for the period from January to May 2005 for all examiners who had any involvement with the 2005 Westridge IA examination. We also obtained and reviewed all e-mails for the period from February 2009 to August 2009 for examiners who worked on either the 2009 Westridge IA examination or the 2009 WG Trading BD examination."
  • See also Written Testimony of H. David Kotz Inspector General of the Securities and Exchange Commission Before the Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives, Thursday, February 10, 2011: "The Office’s investigations unit has conducted numerous comprehensive investigations into significant failures of the SEC in accomplishing its regulatory mission, as well as investigations into allegations of violations of statutes, rules and regulations, and other misconduct by Commission employees and contractors. Several of these investigations involved senior-level Commission officials and represent matters of great concern to the Commission, Congressional officials and the general public. Where appropriate, we have reported evidence of improper conduct and made recommendations for disciplinary actions, including removal of employees from the Federal service, as well as recommendations for improvements in agency policies, procedures and practices."
  • * President's Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012

    "The President's Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012 is now available from the United States Government Printing Office (GPO). The public can search or browse the authentic, electronic version of the budget, which is accessible from GPO's Federal Digital System. GPO authenticated the document by digital signature. This signature assures the public that the document has not been changed or altered. A digital signature, viewed through the GPO Seal of Authenticity, verifies the document's integrity and authenticity. FY 2012 Budget documents are available in PDF, with many of the tables also available for separate viewing and downloading as spreadsheets in xls and comma delimited formats. The budget documents include:

    • Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012;
    • Appendix, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012;
    • Analytical Perspectives; and
    • Historical Tables. [via Cynthia Etkin]

    * FTC Offers Tips on Wise Use of Wi-Fi Networks

    News release: "The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, released tips to help people protect their personal information while they use public wireless networks – Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops, libraries, airports, hotels, universities, and other public places. While convenient, public Wi-Fi networks often are not secure. When using wireless networks, it’s best to send only personal information that is encrypted – either by an encrypted website or a secure network. Encryption scrambles information sent over the internet into a code so that it’s not accessed by others. An encrypted website protects only the information sent to and from that site. A secure wireless network encrypts all the information sent over it. To determine if a website is encrypted, look for https at the beginning of the web address (the “s” is for secure), and a lock icon at the top or bottom of the browser window. Some websites use encryption only on the sign-in page, but if any part of the session isn’t encrypted, the entire account could be vulnerable. Look for https and the lock icon throughout the site, not just at sign in."

  • OnGuard Online: Tips for Using Public Wireless Networks
  • February 14, 2011
    * New York State Public Health Legal Manual - A Guide for Judges, Attorneys and Public Health Professionals

    "In today’s world, we face many natural and man-made catastrophic threats, including the very real possibility of a global influenza outbreak or other public health emergency that could infect millions of people. While it is impossible to predict the timing or severity of the next public health emergency, our government has a responsibility to anticipate and prepare for such events. An important element of this planning process is advance coordination between public health authorities and our judicial and legal systems. The major actors in any public health crisis must understand the governing laws ahead of time, and must know what their respective legal roles and responsibilities are. What is the scope of the government’s emergency and police powers? When may these be invoked, and by which officials? What are the rights of people who may be quarantined or isolated by government and public health officials? These questions must be researched and answered now—not in the midst of an emergency—so that the responsible authorities have a readymade resource to help them make quick, effective decisions that protect the public interest. This New York State Public Health Legal Manual - A Guide for Judges, Attorneys and Public Health Professionals, Michael Colodner, Editor-in Chief, is designed to serve this purpose. It will be an absolutely essential tool in guiding us through the effective management of future public health disasters."

    * New GAO Reports: Nuclear Weapons, Medicare Home Oxygen
    • Nuclear Weapons: NNSA Needs More Comprehensive Infrastructure and Workforce Data to Improve Enterprise Decision-making, GAO-11-188, February 14, 2011
    • Medicare Home Oxygen: Refining Payment Methodology Has Potential to Lower Program and Beneficiary Spending, GAO-11-56, January 21, 2011
    * Testimony by Fed Gov.on assessing regulatory, economic, and market implications of Dodd-Frank derviatives title

    Governor Daniel K. Tarullo, Assessing the regulatory, economic, and market implications of the Dodd-Frank derivatives title, Before the Committee on Financial Services, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., February 15, 2011

  • "The Dodd-Frank Act requires that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission consult with the Board on the rules they are crafting to implement Title VII. Immediately after passage of the act, the staff from the commissions and the Board met to fashion a process for this consultation; at the Board, we identified members of the staff with relevant expertise, both here and across the Federal Reserve System. Our staff have commented on proposed rules of the commissions at each stage of the development process to date. In providing feedback, we have tried to bring to bear our experience from supervising dealers and market infrastructure and our familiarity with markets and data sources to assist the commissions."
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * General Explanations of the Administration's Fiscal Year 2012 Revenue Proposals

    Treasury Fact Sheet: "Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released a crucial piece of that plan – the General Explanations of the Administration's FY2012 Revenue Proposals, or “Greenbook.” The Greenbook explains the Administration’s revenue proposals, which are designed to provide incentives for innovation, infrastructure, and education; provide middle-class tax relief; reduce the deficit in the medium term; and ensure our tax code is fair and conducive to strong economic growth. The President’s FY2012 Budget positions our nation to win the future and out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world by including tax cuts to encourage needed investments in innovation, infrastructure, and education, including tax cuts for small business investment, clean energy, and research and development. While preserving these incentives, the President also believes that, to be competitive, we must pursue comprehensive corporate tax reform, and, as the President has announced, we are now looking at ways to lower the corporate tax rate and to pay for this by cutting corporate tax expenditures.

  • 2011 Final Green Book - General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2012 Revenue Proposals, February 2011
  • February 13, 2011
    * CBO: Long-Term Implications of the 2011 Future Years Defense Program

    Long-Term Implications of the 2011 Future Years Defense Program

  • "In most years, the Department of Defense (DoD) provides a five- or six-year plan, called the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), associated with the budget that it submits to the Congress. Because decisions made in the near term can have consequences for the defense budget well beyond that period, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has examined the programs and plans contained in DoD's FYDP and projected their budgetary impact in subsequent years. For this analysis, CBO used the FYDP provided to the Congress in April 2010, which covers fiscal years 2011 through 2015—the most recent plan available when this analysis was conducted. CBO's projections span 2011 through 2028."
  • Also see CBO Estimate of H.R. 1, the Full‐Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 as Posted on the Rules Website
    In millions of dollars
    , February 11, 2011.
  • * BLS: In the fourth quarter 2010 - 1,910 mass layoffs affected 295,571 workers

    Extended Mass Layoffs - Fourth Quarter 2010 - Annual Totals 2010

  • "In the fourth quarter 2010, 1,910 extended mass layoff events resulted in 295,571 separations, both down from fourth quarter 2009. Sixty percent of employers expected to recall some laid-off workers, the highest fourth quarter percentage since 2005. Permanent worksite closures accounted for 6 percent of extended mass layoff events in the fourth quarter 2010, the lowest proportion of events due to closure in program history (with data available back to 1995). Manufacturing firms accounted for 19 percent of private nonfarm extended mass layoff events
    and 21 percent of separations, the lowest fourth quarter proportions in program history. Sixty percent of employers expected to recall at least some laid-off workers, the highest fourth quarter percentage since 2005 and up from 48 percent a year earlier. The national unemployment rate averaged 9.2 percent, not seasonally adjusted, in the fourth quarter 2010, down from 9.5 percent a year earlier. Private nonfarm payroll employment, not seasonally adjusted, increased by 0.8 percent (903,000) over the year."
  • * The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Launches Website

    "The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the launch of a ‘beta’ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) website, ConsumerFinance.gov, a critical link to the American public for soliciting ideas on the bureau’s creation and priorities and for answering questions on its work. “We have the opportunity to create a brand new consumer agency from the ground up. This agency will put a cop on the beat to enforce the laws on credit cards, mortgages, student loans, prepaid cards, and other kinds of consumer financial products and services,” said Elizabeth Warren, Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the CFPB, in a new video available on the website. “We want to make sure that the American people are with us all the way while we build it.” The central aim of the CFPB implementation team’s initial new media efforts will be engagement. The team will reach out to the American public for ideas, input, and feedback on the work already underway and on new initiatives commencing in the weeks and months ahead. In addition, the site will be a valuable tool in recruiting talent to join the staff of the CFPB."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • February 12, 2011
    * OIG: FEMA's Progress in Implementing the Remedial Action Management Program

    FEMA's Progress in Implementing the Remedial Action Management Program, OIG-11-32, January 2011

  • "FEMA needs to improve its implementation of the Remedial Action Management Program to identify lessons learned and best practices. Specifically, FEMA officials should: (1) conduct an after-action review for every disaster to identify lessons learned and best practices; and (2) develop instructions or examples on how to develop clear and concise lesson learned and best practice statements. Program officials distributed lessons learned and best practices to more personnel than what was required by program policy. However, distribution was still limited to the program’s database users, averaging 70 users. Program officials told us that those users served as organizational points of contact and disseminated the information to others. In May 2010, FEMA lost access to program data, including lessons learned and best practices, when the server which housed the program’s database failed. In November 2010, program officials informed us that they were able to recover all of the data; however, the software necessary to read the data has not been restored. Therefore, historical data on lessons learned and best practices that was contained in the program’s database is not available to all FEMA personnel."
  • February 10, 2011
    * Administration Plan Provides Path Forward for Reforming America's Housing Finance Market

    News release: "The Obama Administration delivered a report to Congress that provides a path forward for reforming America’s housing finance market. The Administration’s plan will wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and shrink the government's current footprint in housing finance on a responsible timeline. The plan also lays out reforms to continue fixing the fundamental flaws in the mortgage market through stronger consumer protection, increased transparency for investors, improved underwriting standards, and other critical measures. Additionally, it will help provide targeted and transparent support to creditworthy but underserved families that want to own their own home, as well as affordable rental options."

  • Reforming America’s Housing Finance Market, A Report to Congress, February 2011
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * New GAO Reports: DOE Oversight, Employment Verification, Federal Real Property, Army Medical Personnel, Recovery Act
    • Department of Education: Improved Oversight and Controls Could Help Education Better Respond to Evolving Priorities, GAO-11-194, February 10, 2011
    • Employment Verification: Federal Agencies Have Improved E-Verify, but Significant Challenges Remain, GAO-11-330T, February 10, 2011
    • Federal Real Property: The Government Faces Challenges to Disposing of Unneeded Buildings, GAO-11-370T, February 10, 2011
    • Military Personnel: DOD Addressing Challenges in Iraq and Afghanistan but Opportunities Exist to Enhance the Planning Process for Army Medical Personnel Requirements, GAO-11-163, February 10, 2011
    • Recovery Act: Broadband Programs Awards and Risks to Oversight, GAO-11-371T, February 10, 2011
    • Medicare Advantage: Comparison of Plan Bids to Fee-for-Service Spending by Plan and Market Characteristics, GAO-11-247R, February 04, 2011
    * HUD and VA Issue First-Ever Report on Veteran Homelessness in America

    News release: "For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today published the most authoritative analysis of the extent and nature of homelessness among American veterans. According to HUD and VA’s assessment, nearly 76,000 veterans were homeless on a given night in 2009 while roughly 136,000 veterans spent at least one night in a shelter during that year. This unprecedented assessment is based on an annual report HUD provides to Congress and explores in greater depth the demographics of veterans who are homeless, how veterans compare to others who are homeless, and how veterans access and use the nation’s homeless response system. Read Veteran Homelessness: A Supplement to the 2009 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress."

  • Read more about the Administration’s strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness in America.
  • * President Obama Details Plan to Win the Future through Expanded Wireless Access

    News release: "President Barack Obama will today detail his plan to win the future by catalyzing the buildout of high-speed wireless services that will enable businesses to grow faster, students to learn more, and public safety officials to access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications. In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for a National Wireless Initiative to make available high-speed wireless services to at least 98 percent of Americans. The Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative laid out today will make it possible for businesses to achieve that goal, while freeing up spectrum through incentive auctions, spurring innovation, and creating a nationwide, interoperable wireless network for public safety. It will also reduce the national deficit by approximately $10 billion."

  • Fact Sheet - Initiative expands wireless coverage to 98% of Americans, reduces deficit by nearly $10 billion, invests in nationwide public safety network
  • * The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011 to 2021

    The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011 to 2021 - Testimony before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives - February 10, 2011.

  • "Although recent actions by U.S. policymakers should help support further gains in real (inflation-adjusted) GDP in 2011, production and employment are likely to stay well below the economy’s potential for a number of years. CBO expects that economic growth will remain moderate this year and next. As measured by the change from the fourth quarter of the previous year, real GDP is projected to increase by 3.1 percent this year and by 2.8 percent next year (see Table 2). That forecast reflects CBO’s expectation of continued strong growth in business investment, improvements in both residential investment and net exports, and modest increases in consumer spending. It also includes the impact of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (referred to in this report as the 2010 tax act), enacted in December, which provides a short term boost to the economy by reducing some taxes, extending unemployment benefits, and delaying an increase in taxes that would otherwise have occurred in 2011. CBO projects that inflation will remain very low in 2011 and 2012, reflecting the large amount of unused resources in the economy, and will average no more than 2.0 percent a year between 2013 and 2016."

  • * Defense Science Board Report: Enhancing Adaptability of our Military Forces

    Enhancing Adaptability of our Military Forces, January 2011 [via greta's links] - "...offers important recommendations for how the Department of Defense can better face the rapidly changing security environment in the 21st century by increasing its adaptability. The key elements are:

    • align enterprise function to support mission outcomes
    • reduce uncertainty through better global awareness
    • prepare for degraded operations
    • enhance the adaptability of the workforce
    • change the culture"

    * Report: EPA Analysis Detailing How the Clean Air Act is Good for Jobs and the Economy

    News release: "[February 9, 2011] Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bobby L. Rush, Ranking Member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee, released a letter and white paper from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the economic benefits of implementing the Clean Air Act. The EPA found that implementing the Clean Air Act's public health protections "creates American jobs and bolsters the global competitiveness of American industry, even as it lowers healthcare costs and protects American families from birth defects, illnesses, and premature death."

    February 09, 2011
    * Federal Reserve issues final rule to implement Volcker Rule conformance period

    "The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced its approval of a final rule to implement the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act that give banking firms a period of time to conform their activities and investments to the prohibitions and restrictions of the so-called Volcker Rule. The Volcker Rule generally prohibits banking entities from engaging in proprietary trading in securities, derivatives, or certain other financial instruments and from investing in, sponsoring, or having certain relationships with a hedge fund or private equity fund. The statute generally provides banking entities two years to bring their activities and investments into compliance and allows the Board to extend this conformance period under certain conditions. The Dodd-Frank Act requires that the Board issue rules implementing the Volcker Rule's conformance period. In developing the rule, the Board consulted with the Department of the Treasury, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The final rule is substantially similar to the proposal published in November."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • * Commerce, NOAA Release Draft National Aquaculture Policies, Invite Public Comment

    News release: "The Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today released complementary draft national aquaculture policies that support sustainable marine aquaculture to increase the U.S. supply of healthy seafood, create jobs in coastal and other communities, spur innovation in technology, and help restore depleted species and marine habitats. Marine aquaculture is the farming of marine organisms such as shellfish, finfish, and algae for food, habitat restoration, and rebuilding of wild fish stocks. The public is invited to comment on both draft policies for the next 60 days."

    * CDC Reports Sharp Increase in Strokes Among Those Under 35 Years of Age

    "The number of acute ischemic stroke hospitalizations among middle-aged and older men and women fell between 1994 and 2007, but sharply increased among those under age 35 — including teens and children — according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2011. Analysts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reviewing hospitalization data by age and gender, identified declining rates of 51 percent in girls 0-4 years and 25 percent in men and 29 percent in women over 45. However, the number of ischemic stroke hospitalizations increased 51 percent in males between ages 15 and 34 during the period studied. The rate increased 17 percent in females between 15 and 34. Among children and teens, they found a 31 percent increase in boys between 5 to 14 years and a 36 percent increase among girls 5 to 14 years. Among the younger middle-aged set, they found a 47 percent increase among men 35-44 and a 36 percent increase among women 35-44. “I believe this is the first large study to report these findings, stratified by age and gender,” said Xin Tong, M.P.H., a health statistician with the CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention..."

  • Also from CDC: Most Americans with High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol at Unnecessary Risk for Heart Attack and Stroke - "80 percent of adults with uncontrolled blood pressure or high cholesterol have insurance and availability to low cost effective treatment."
  • * SEC Proposes First in Series of Rule Amendments to Remove References to Credit Ratings

    News release: "The Securities and Exchange Commission today voted unanimously to propose amendments to its rules that would remove credit ratings as one of the conditions for companies seeking to use short-form registration when registering securities for public sale. Section 939A of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires federal agencies to review how existing regulations rely on credit ratings and remove such references from their rules as appropriate. This marks the first in a series of upcoming SEC proposals in accordance with Dodd-Frank to remove references to credit ratings contained within existing Commission rules and replace them with alternative criteria."

    February 08, 2011
    * 2010 U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Annual Report on Intellectual Property Enforcement

    2010 U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Annual Report on Intellectual Property Enforcement, U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, February 2011

  • "Over the last six months, we have heard repeated concerns about enforcement of patents and trade secrets, particularly in China. This year, DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have increased their investigations and prosecutions of corporate and state-sponsored trade secret theft. For example, in July, two defendants were indicted for stealing General Motors hybrid-vehicle technology trade secrets that caused more than $40 million of harm to GM and, in November, a defendant was convicted of stealing Ford trade secrets that caused between $50 to $100 million of harm to Ford. This focus will continue. In addition, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will lead an effort this year to thoroughly assess the patent enforcement landscape in China and recommend steps that the U.S. Government can take to improve patent enforcement there."
  • * FDA Launches Medical Device Innovation Initiative

    News release: "Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed the CDRH Medical Device Innovation Initiative, a priority review program for new, breakthrough medical devices and announced the first submission: a brain-controlled, upper-extremity prosthetic that will serve as a pilot for the program. The FDA also announced plans to seek further public comment before the Pathway can be used more broadly. The new proposed Innovation Pathway program for pioneering medical devices, highlighted in a report published on the FDA’s website today, is part of a broader effort underway in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) designed to encourage cutting-edge technologies among medical device manufacturers. The initiative will also seek to strengthen the nation’s research infrastructure for developing breakthrough technologies and advancing quality regulatory science."

  • Medical Device Innovation Initiative White Paper, CDRH Innovation Initiative
  • Questions and Answers about the Medical Device Innovation Initiative
  • * NOAA: U.S. Cooler and Much Drier than Normal in January

    News release: "Last month was the coolest January since 1994, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) in Asheville, N.C. Across the contiguous United States, the average January temperature was 30.0 F, which is 0.8 F below the 1901-2000 average. And despite several large winter storms across the country, last month was the ninth driest January on record, much drier than normal. Average precipitation across the contiguous United States was 1.48 inches, 0.74 inch below the 1901-2000 average. This monthly analysis, based on records dating back to 1895, is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides."

    * Federal Reserve issues proposals related to designation of systemically important nonbank financial companies

    News release: "The Federal Reserve Board requested comment on a proposed rule that implements two provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act related to the designation by the Financial Stability Oversight Council of systemically important nonbank financial companies for consolidated supervision by the Board. First, the proposed rule establishes the requirements for determining if a company is "predominantly engaged in financial activities." Under the Dodd-Frank Act, a company generally can be designated by the Council only if 85 percent or more of the company's revenues or assets are related to activities that have been determined to be financial in nature under the Bank Holding Company Act. Second, the proposed rule defines the terms "significant nonbank financial company" and "significant bank holding company." Among the factors the Council must consider in determining whether to designate a nonbank financial company for supervision by the Board is the extent and nature of the company's transactions and relationships with other "significant" nonbank financial companies and "significant" bank holding companies. Under the proposal, a firm would be considered "significant" if it has $50 billion or more in total consolidated assets or had been designated by the Council as systemically important."

    * NASA's Toyota Study Released by Dept. of Transportation

    "The results of a ten-month study by 30 NASA engineers of possible electronic causes of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles was released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). "NASA found no evidence that a malfunction in electronics caused large unintended accelerations," said Michael Kirsch, principal engineer and team lead of the study from the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) based at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. At the request of Congress, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began the study in March 2010 and asked NASA engineers with expertise in electronic and software systems to look into consumer claims that electronic systems may have played a role in reports of unintended acceleration."

    * Macroprudential policy - a literature review

    Macroprudential policy - a literature review, by Gabriele Galati and Richhild Moessner. Working Papers No 337, February 2011 - Bank for International Settlements

  • "The recent financial crisis has highlighted the need to go beyond a purely micro approach to financial regulation and supervision. In recent months, the number of policy speeches, research papers and conferences that discuss a macro perspective on financial regulation has grown considerably. The policy debate is focusing in particular on macroprudential tools and their usage, their relationship with monetary policy, their implementation and their effectiveness. Macroprudential policy has recently also attracted considerable attention among researchers. This paper provides an overview of research on this topic. We also identify important future research questions that emerge from both the literature and the current policy debate."
  • February 07, 2011
    * A National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Energy Industry in the United States

    "A National Offshore Wind Strategy: Creating an Offshore Wind Energy Industry in the United States was prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Wind and Water Power Program to outline the actions it will pursue to support the development of a world‐class offshore wind industry in the United States. This National Offshore Wind Strategy will guide DOE as it expands its ongoing efforts through the Offshore Wind Innovation and Demonstration (OSWInD) initiative to promote and accelerate responsible commercial offshore wind development in the U.S. in both federal and state waters. As the agency with primary jurisdiction over reviewing and approving offshore wind projects in federal waters, the Department of the Interior (DOI) is a crucial partner in implementing this National Offshore Wind Strategy and ensuring the creation of a robust and environmentally responsible offshore wind energy industry in the U.S. Over the past two years, DOI has developed a regulatory framework to review proposed offshore wind projects in federal waters and recently launched the Smart from the Start initiative to facilitate siting, leasing, and construction of new projects. This National Offshore Wind Strategy incorporates elements of that initiative and illustrates the commitment of DOE and DOI to work together to spur the rapid and responsible development of offshore wind energy."

    * CBO: Monthly Budget Review, January 2011

    CBO: Monthly Budget Review, January 2011

  • "The federal government incurred a budget deficit of $424 billion in the first four months of fiscal year 2011, CBO estimates, slightly less than the shortfall recorded in the same period last year. If appropriations for the rest of this fiscal year are set at the same annualized amounts as those in effect for the first several months and the Congress were to enact no other legislation affecting spending or revenues, CBO expects that the federal government would end fiscal year 2011 with a deficit of nearly $1.5 trillion, around $200 billion more than the $1.3 trillion deficit recorded in 2010. (CBO recently published projections for the coming decade in The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2011 to 2021.)"

  • * Roll Call - Social Media Goes Viral on Capitol Hill

    "The role of social media in Congressional leaders’ messaging and outreach has exploded over the past few years, whether it be through tweets about floor schedule updates or on Facebook. But within that trend is a clear — and nonpartisan — divide between the savvy and those still in the dark. House Democratic and Republican leadership aides are eager to tout their bosses’ use of social media." [Link]

    * New START Treaty Entry Into Force - Fact Sheet

    New START Treaty Entry Into Force Fact Sheet, February 5, 2011

  • "The New START Treaty officially entered into force with the exchange of Instruments of Ratification between Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov in Munich on February 5, 2011. The entry into force of the New START Treaty sets into motion a number of requirements which are outlined below. The exchange of all Treaty-required notifications now begins. The initial exchange of the databases is required 45 days after entry into force. The databases will include information on numbers, locations, and technical characteristics of weapons systems and facilities that are subject to the Treaty, and updated thereafter via notifications of data changes. The Parties have the right to conduct on-site inspections beginning 60 days after the Treaty’s entry into force. During the 60-day period between entry into force and the first on-site inspections, detailed planning and preparation—as well as any necessary technical exhibitions—will take place."

  • February 06, 2011
    * USDA: Reaching Those In Need - State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2008

    Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Studies, Participation Rates (State): Reaching Those In Need: State Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation Rates in 2008 - December 2010

  • "SNAP provides an important support for the “working poor” people who are eligible for SNAP benefits and live in households in which someone earns income from a job. Thirty-three million people received benefits in an average month in 2009. Thirteen million—almost 40 percent—lived in households that had income from earnings, up from 30 percent of all participants in 1996, the year in which more emphasis was placed on work for public assistance recipients through the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • * National Security Space Strategy Released by DOD

    News release: "The Department of Defense announced {February 4, 2011] the release of the National Security Space Strategy (NSSS) [Unclassified Summary], signed jointly by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. The strategy is derived from the National Security Strategy and the National Space Policy and outlines necessary changes to enhance national security through DoD and intelligence community activities in space. It is the culmination of a lengthy and detailed Space Posture Review conducted in close consultation with other agencies and allies. The NSSS is driven by an evolving strategic environment. Space is crucial for military operations and intelligence collection, but it is increasingly congested with satellites, orbital debris, and radiofrequency interference; contested by countries developing counterspace capabilities; and competitive with an increasing number of spacefaring countries and companies. In implementing the strategy, the department will promote norms of behavior to bring order to a congested domain; develop international partnerships to operate in coalitions and reinforce military space capabilities; increase resiliency and pursue cross-domain solutions to fight in a degraded space environment; and improve acquisition processes to energize the space industrial base."

    * WSJ: U.S. Cuts Global Grain Supply Outlook; Higher Prices Expected at Grocery Stores

    WSJ: "Evidence of tightening global food supplies grew as the U.S. Agriculture Department cut its estimates for global harvests of key crops [see USDA Wheat Data and USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates] and ]and raised some demand forecasts, adding to worries about rising food prices...Prices of many agricultural commodities are still below the levels that sparked food riots in poor countries around the world in 2008. But economists see few signs that prices for grain, livestock and cotton will cool significantly anytime soon, signaling potential headaches for consumers and food companies...The strain on the world's food system is making policy makers nervous. The World Economic Forum cited rising demand for water, food and energy as a risk facing the world, in a separate report..."

  • World Economic Forum - Global Risks 2011, Sixth Edition: "The “water-food-energy” nexus: A rapidly rising global population and growing prosperity are putting unsustainable pressures on resources. Demand for water, food and energy is expected to rise by 30-50% in the next two decades, while economic disparities incentivize short-term responses in production and consumption that undermine long-term sustainability. Shortages could cause social and political instability, geopolitical conflict and irreparable environmental damage. Any strategy that focuses on one part of the water-food-energy nexus without considering its interconnections risks serious unintended consequences."
  • * USDA: How Much Do Fruits and Vegetables Cost?

    How Much Do Fruits and Vegetables Cost? By Hayden Stewart, Jeffrey Hyman, Jean C. Buzby, Elizabeth Frazão, and Andrea Carlson, Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-71), February 2011

  • "Federal dietary guidance advises Americans to consume more vegetables and fruits because most Americans do not consume the recommended quantities or variety. Food prices, along with taste, convenience, income, and awareness of the link between diet and health, shape food choices. We used 2008 Nielsen Homescan data to estimate the average price at retail stores of a pound and an edible cup equivalent (or, for juices, a pint and an edible cup equivalent) of 153 commonly consumed fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. We found that average prices ranged from less than 20 cents per edible cup equivalent to more than $2 per edible cup equivalent. We also found that, in 2008, an adult on a 2,000- calorie diet could satisfy recommendations for vegetable and fruit consumption in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (amounts and variety) at an average price of $2 to $2.50 per day, or approximately 50 cents per edible cup equivalent."
  • * EIA Oman Country Analysis Brief

    Oman Country Analysis Brief — Feb 3, 2011: "Oman possesses the largest oil reserves of any non-OPEC country in the Middle East and significant reserves of natural gas, of which it is a leading exporter regionally. For all the latest information on the energy sector in Oman, please see our updated Country Analysis Brief."

    February 05, 2011
    * PACER, RECAP, and the Movement to Free American Case Law

    PACER, RECAP, and the Movement to Free American Case Law, by Steve Schultze, VoxPopuLII, LII/Legal Information Institute, Cornell University Law School (February 3, 2011), via freegovinfo.info: "...The ultimate solution to the PACER {Public Access to Court Electronic Records) fee problem unfortunately lies...in bureaucratic details of authorization subcommittees and technical details of network architecture. This is the next front of PACER liberation. We now have friends in Washington, and we understand the process better every day. We also have very smart geeks, and I think that the ultimate finger on the scale may be our ability to explain how the U.S. Courts could run a tremendously more efficient system that would simultaneously generate a diversity of new democratic benefits. We also need smart librarians and archivists making good policy arguments. That is one reason why the Law.gov movement is so exciting to me. It has the potential not only to unify open-law advocates, but to go well beyond the U.S. Federal Case Law fiefdom of PACER."

  • "Better Access to Public Court Records - RECAP is a free extension for Firefox that improves the experience of using PACER, the electronic public access system for the U.S. Federal District and Bankruptcy Courts."
  • February 04, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Medicaid and CHIP, Electronic Records Archive
    • Medicaid and CHIP: Given the Association between Parent and Child Insurance Status, New Expansions May Benefit Families, GAO-11-264, February 04, 2011
    • Electronic Records Archive: National Archives Needs to Strengthen Its Capacity to Use Earned Value Techniques to Manage and Oversee Development, GAO-11-86, January 13, 2011: "Since 2001, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has been working to develop an Electronic Records Archive (ERA) to preserve and provide access to massive volumes and all types of electronic records. However, in acquiring this system, NARA has repeatedly revised the program schedule and increased the estimated costs for completion from $317 million to $567 million. NARA is to manage this acquisition using, among other things, earned value management (EVM). EVM is a project management approach that, if implemented appropriately, provides objective reports of project status and unbiased estimates of anticipated costs at completion. GAO was asked to (1) assess whether NARA is adequately using EVM techniques to manage the acquisition and (2) evaluate the earned value data to determine ERA's cost and schedule performance. To do so, GAO compared agency and contractor documentation with best practices, evaluated earned value data to determine performance trends, and interviewed cognizant officials."
    * BLS: Employment Situation Summary, January 2011

    News release: "The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 9.0 percent in January, while nonfarm payroll employment changed little (+36,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment rose in manufacturing and in retail trade but was down in construction and in transportation and warehousing. Employment in most other major industries changed little over the month. The unemployment rate (9.0 percent) declined by 0.4 percentage point for the second month in a row. The number of unemployed persons decreased by about 600,000 in January to 13.9
    million, while the labor force was unchanged. (Based on data adjusted for updated population controls. Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (8.8 percent), whites (8.0 percent), and Hispanics (11.9 percent) declined in January. The unemployment rates for adult women (7.9 percent), teenagers (25.7 percent), and blacks (15.7 percent) were little changed. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.9 percent, not seasonally adjusted. The number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs fell from 8.9 to 8.5 million in January. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) edged down to 6.2
    million and accounted for 43.8 percent of the unemployed."

  • NPR: 6 Ways Of Looking At The Jobs Numbers
  • Related postings on financial system
  • * Report: $1 Trillion in Profits and Still at the Trough: Oil and Gas in the 21st Century

    $1 Trillion in Profits and Still at the Trough: Oil and Gas in the 21st Century, February 3, 2011. House Committee on Natural Resources, Democratic Staff.

  • U.S. gasoline prices have increased 44 cents per gallon in the last year to an average price of $3.10 per gallon, with some parts of the country paying much more. The Energy Information Administration projects regular-grade gasoline to rise further to an average price of $3.17 per gallon this year and $3.29 per gallon in 2012.1 At these prices, Americans will pay an additional $67 billion for gasoline this year, or $262 per driver. Economy-wide gasoline expenditures will top $541 billion for the year. These figures could rise dramatically if instability in Egypt leads to a disruption in trade flows through the Suez Canal or if any other events in this volatile region threaten the supply and flow of oil. Meanwhile, high oil prices gave a huge boost to the Big 5 oil companies, ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP, and Shell. A Natural Resources Democratic staff review of recent earnings announcements by the five largest oil companies operating in the United States shows that this industry has generated outsized profits that undermine the necessity for continued tax subsidies and royalty-free drilling access."
  • * Census - State Population Estimates: April 1, 2010

    News release: "The Census Bureau is releasing a preliminary set of April 1, 2010, estimates of total population for the nation, states and Puerto Rico. An Internet table will show the estimates in comparison with official April 1, 2010, Census counts released in December 2010. The estimates are based on the 2000 Census and were prepared using the current estimates methodology without knowledge of 2010 Census results. An additional Internet table will show preliminary estimates of the July 1 populations for each year since the 2000 Census."

    February 03, 2011
    * Agencies Propose Changes in Reporting Requirements for OTS-Regulated Savings Associations and Savings and Loan Holding Companies

    News release: "The federal bank and thrift regulatory agencies announced proposed changes today to reporting requirements for savings associations and savings and loan holding companies regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). The proposed changes include a change from quarterly Thrift Financial Reports to quarterly Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income, commonly known as Call Reports. The agencies—the OTS, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Federal Reserve Board—are proposing the changes pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). Provisions of Dodd-Frank require the transfer of OTS functions to the OCC, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection on July 21, 2011."

    February 02, 2011
    * EPA To Develop Regulation for Perchlorate and Toxic Chemicals in Drinking Water

    Follow up to previous postings on perchlorate and drinking water contamination, from EPA today: "the agency’s decision to move forward with the development of a regulation for perchlorate to protect Americans from any potential health impacts, while also continuing to take steps to ensure the quality of the water they drink. The decision to undertake a first-ever national standard for perchlorate reverses a decision made by the previous administration and comes after Administrator Jackson ordered EPA scientists to undertake a thorough review of the emerging science of perchlorate. Perchlorate is both a naturally occurring and man-made chemical, and scientific research indicates that it may impact the normal function of the thyroid, which produces important developmental hormones. Thyroid hormones are critical to the normal development and growth of fetuses, infants and children. Based on this potential concern, EPA will move forward with proposing a formal rule. This process will include receiving input from key stakeholders as well as submitting any formal rule to a public comment process...Monitoring data show more than 4 percent of public water systems have detected perchlorate and between 5 million and 17 million people may be served drinking water containing perchlorate."

    * DOE IG: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Monitoring of Power Grid Cyber Security

    Audit Report, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Monitoring of Power Grid Cyber Security, DOE/IG-0846, January 2011

  • "Despite their importance to protecting the power grid, the CIP [Critical Infrastructure Protection] standards did not include a number of security controls commonly recommended for government and industry systems, including both administrative and mission-related systems. For instance, the standards did not include essential security requirements and effective practices such as defining what constituted critical assets and implementation of strong logical access controls. In certain cases, Commission officials noted that the lack of stringent requirements for defining critical assets contributed to significant under reporting of these assets. In addition, while we recognize that there are inherent delays associated with the current regulatory structure, we found that the timeliness of the standards development and approval process was also impacted because the Commission did not take advantage of existing authority. Delays ultimately limited the standards' usefulness in facilitating responses to emerging threats. Without increased efficiency in this area, the Commission and the entities under its purview may not be able to develop and implement future standards in a timely manner to address emerging security threats.."
  • February 01, 2011
    * New HUD Study - Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: A Report to Congress

    News release: "In a report to Congress released today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that “worst case housing needs” grew by nearly 1.2 million households, or more than 20 percent, from 2007 to 2009 and by 42 percent since 2001. “Worst case housing needs” are defined as low-income households who paid more than half their monthly income for rent, lived in severely substandard housing, or both. HUD’s study, Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: A Report to Congress, one in a long-term series of reports designed to measure the scale of critical housing problems facing low-income un-assisted American renting households. The findings are based on data from the U.S Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey conducted between May and September of 2009, predating the impact of the Obama Administration’s economic recovery efforts, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This report finds a direct link between the increased numbers of worst case needs and the recent recession and related joblessness."

  • Related postings on the financial system
  • * New GAO Reports: Contract Audits, Border Security
    • Contract Audits: Role in Helping Ensure Effective Oversight and Reducing Improper Payments, GAO-11-331T, February 01, 2011
    • Border Security: Enhanced DHS Oversight and Assessment of Interagency Coordination Is Needed for the Northern Border, GAO-11-97, December 17, 2010
    * FTC Issues Annual Financial Acts Enforcement Report to Federal Reserve

    "The Federal Trade Commission issued its annual report to the Federal Reserve Board on FTC enforcement activities regarding the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA), Consumer Leasing Act, and Truth in Lending Act. This year’s report also discusses FTC activities under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, such as enforcement of new EFTA requirements and the FTC’s new authority over motor vehicle dealers."

    * EFF Releases Report Analyzing Surveillance of Americans During Intelligence Investigations Conducted Between 2001 and 2008

    Patterns of Misconduct: FBI Intelligence Violations from 2001 - 2008, A Report Prepared by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, January 2011

  • "In a review of nearly 2,500 pages of documents released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a result of litigation under the Freedom of Information Act, EFF uncovered alarming trends in the Bureau’s intelligence investigation practices. The documents consist of reports made by the FBI to the Intelligence Oversight Board of violations committed during intelligence investigations from 2001 to 2008. The documents suggest that FBI intelligence investigations have compromised the civil liberties of American citizens far more frequently, and to a greater extent, than was previously assumed. In particular, EFF’s analysis provides new insight into the number of Violations Committed by the FBI..."

  • January 31, 2011
    * USDA and HHS Announce New Dietary Guidelines to Help Americans Make Healthier Food Choices and Confront Obesity Epidemic

    News release: "Agriculture Secretary TomVilsack and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius today announced the release of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the federal government's evidence-based nutritional guidance to promote health, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, and reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity through improved nutrition and physical activity. Because more than one-third of children and more than two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese, the 7th edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans places stronger emphasis on reducing calorie consumption and increasing physical activity."

    * BEA: Personal Income and Outlays, December 2010

    News release: "Personal income increased $54.5 billion, or 0.4 percent, and disposable personal income (DPI) increased $47.3 billion, or 0.4 percent, in December, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $69.5 billion, or 0.7 percent. In November, personal income increased $44.9 billion, or 0.4 percent, DPI increased $39.0 billion, or 0.3 percent and PCE increased $35.4 billion, or 0.3 percent, based on revised estimates. Real disposable income increased 0.1 percent in December, compared with an increase of 0.2 percent in November. Real PCE increased 0.4 percent, compared with an increase of 0.2 percent."

  • Related postings on the financial system
  • * Report - An Open Government Implementation Model: Moving to Increased Public Engagement

    An Open Government Implementation Model: Moving to Increased Public Engagement, IBM Center for the Business of Government, January 2011

  • "This report presents an Open Government Implementation Model (OGIM) for guiding government agencies towards open government. Our model defines four implementation stages and describes the focuses, deliverables, benefits, challenges, best practices, and metrics for each stage. A key tenet of the Implementation Model is that government agencies should advance their open government initiatives incrementally, focusing on one implementation stage at a time. Starting from increasing data transparency (Stage One), the process moves on to improving open participation (Stage Two), enhancing open collaboration (Stage Three), and realizing ubiquitous engagement (Stage Four). We argue that by following this sequence, agencies can minimize risk and effectively harness the power of social media in order to engage the public."
  • * Agencies Announce Start of Initial Registration Period Under S.A.F.E. Act's Mortgage Loan Originator Provisions

    News release: "The federal bank, thrift and credit union regulatory agencies, along with the Farm Credit Administration, announce that the Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System and Registry will begin accepting federal registrations today. Under the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act (S.A.F.E. Act) and the agencies' final rules, residential mortgage loan originators employed by banks, savings associations, credit unions, or Farm Credit System institutions must register with the registry, obtain a unique identifier from the registry, and maintain their registrations. Following expiration of the 180-day initial registration period on July 29, 2011, any employee of an agency-regulated institution who is subject to the registration requirements will be prohibited from originating residential mortgage loans without first meeting these requirements. The rules include an exception for mortgage loan originators that originated five or fewer mortgage loans during the previous 12 months and who have never been registered; they would not be required to complete the federal registration process. The registry announcement is being made by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Farm Credit Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, National Credit Union Administration, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Office of Thrift Supervision. Further information regarding the registry and the registration process is available at the registry's website."

    * New GAO Reports: Hearing Loss Prevention, Rail Transit, Veterans' Health Care
    • Financial Management: NOAA Needs to Better Document Its Policies and Procedures for Providing Management and Administration Services, GAO-11-226, January 31, 2011
    • Hearing Loss Prevention: Improvements to DOD Hearing Conservation Programs Could Lead to Better Outcomes, GAO-11-114, January 31, 2011
    • Rail Transit: FTA Programs Are Helping Address Transit Agencies' Safety Challenges, but Improved Performance Goals and Measures Could Better Focus Efforts, GAO-11-199, January 31, 2011
    • Rail Transit: Reliability of FTA's Rail Accident Database, GAO-11-217R, January 31, 2011
    • Veterans' Health Care: VA Uses a Projection Model to Develop Most of Its Health Care Budget Estimate to Inform the President's Budget Request, GAO-11-205, January 31, 2011
    January 30, 2011
    * White House: Jeff Zients Will Lead Reorganization of Federal Government

    White House Blog: "As the President said in the State of the Union address, winning the future will take doing what we can do now to prepare America to compete in the global economy for decades to come. That means out-educating, out-innovating, and out-building our competition; restoring fiscal responsibility to remove the burden of deficits and debt; and reforming our government so that it is more effective, efficient, and open to the American people. As the President put it, “We cannot win the future with a government of the past.” The fact is that we live and do business in the information age, but the last major reorganization of the government happened in the middle of the last century. Over the past few decades, there has not been a business or large organization that has not rethought, retooled, and revamped how they did their job to respond to a growing, more competitive global economy and an ever-changing technology landscape. Yet too often, it seems that the federal government is stuck in the age of black-and-white television while we are competing in the age of the iPad...The President believes that we need to reform our government to make it better organized and better equipped to support American competitiveness. We want to ensure that we're aligning all of the resources we have into negotiating the best agreements, enforcing our trade rights, supporting our exporters and promoting their products. That is why the President has asked Jeffrey Zients, our nation’s first Chief Performance Officer (CPO), to lead our reorganization effort. Our first focus will be looking at trade and exports to see how we can better reform these functions to give American companies a leg up in the global economy."

    * SIGIR January 2011: Quarterly Report To Congress

    Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) January 2011: Quarterly Report To Congress

  • "Over the next 11 months the nature of the U.S. Presence in Iraq will fundamentally alter, with certain reconstruction elements either ceasing operations or transitioning responsibilities to other agencies. By September, the final Provincial Reconstruction Teams are slated to close as two new consulates (in Basrah and Erbil) and two temporary Embassy Branch 0ffices (in Kirkuk and Mosul) become operational. In October, one of the most crucial U.S. transitions will occur: the Department of State will assume Responsibility for police training from the Department of Defense (DoD). Finally, pursuant to the U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement (SA), all U.S. military forces will withdraw from Iraq by December 31,2011; a contingent of military personnel will remain under Chief of Mission authority, staffing the new 0ffice of Security Cooperation-Iraq. Maintaining a more sizeable military presence in Iraq would require the United States to renegotiate the terms of the SA with the Government of Iraq (GOI). This report is also broken out by Figures, Pictures, and Tables."
  • * New Report: European Privacy and Human Rights (EPHR) 2010

    "Privacy International, EPIC, and the Center for Media and Communications Studies (CMSC) released European Privacy and Human Rights (EPHR) 2010, a report investigating the scope of privacy and data protection laws in Europe. The study includes 33 individual reports covering issues from privacy enforcement to ID cards, biometrics, and data-sharing and video surveillance The study ranks privacy protections across the European Union (EU). An interactive map allows is available. The EPHR is based on EPIC's report Privacy & Human Rights: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments."

    * EIA: Natural Gas Monthly and Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production Report

  • Natural Gas Monthly — Jan 28, 2011: "Monthly natural and supplemental gas production, supply, consumption, disposition, storage, imports, exports, and prices in the United States. (Data reported through November 2010.)
  • Monthly Natural Gas Gross Production Report — Jan 28, 2011: "Monthly natural gas gross withdrawals estimated from data collected on Form EIA-914 (Monthly Natural Gas Production Report) for Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, Other States and Lower 48 States. Alaska data are from the State of Alaska and included to obtain a U.S. Total."
  • * USDA Questions and Answers: Roundup Ready Alfalfa Deregulation

    Factsheet, January 2011: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making available two decision-making documents related to the regulation of alfalfa that has been genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide commercially known as Roundup. The first is a determination of non regulated status for Roundup ready alfalfa. This determination, based on a thorough plant pest risk assessment prepared by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), finds there is no plant pest risk associated with Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa. Consistent with the plant pest provisions of the Plant Protection Act and APHIS’ regulations, the Agency has reviewed the necessary and relevant scientific data and has found that Roundup ready alfalfa exhibits no plant pest properties. Therefore, APHIS is granting the petition to deregulate Roundup ready alfalfa, which will become effective upon publication of the determination in the Federal Register. The second document is a Record of Decision, which selects the second alternative evaluated as part of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), for the petition to grant non-regulated status for RR alfalfa. Based on its plant pest risk assessment, the analysis in the EIS, and public comments on both the draft and final EIS, APHIS is selecting Alternative 2--deregulation in full of Roundup ready alfalfa. The Record of Decision is available here." [Note - this link is not working now]

  • Center for Food Safety: USDA Decision On GE Alfalfa Leaves Door Open For Contamination, Rise Of Superweeds
  • * SEC Publishes Staff Study on Investor Access to Information About Investment Professionals

    News release: "The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it has published a staff study recommending steps to help investors better access information about investment professionals. The recommendations of the study, which was required by Section 919B of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, must be implemented within 18 months after the study's completion. Investors must currently search two separate databases for information about broker-dealers and investment advisers. The primary recommendation of the study is to enable investors to simultaneously search both databases using either FINRA's BrokerCheck website or the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website and receive unified search results. Other recommendations from the study include:

  • Expanding the search functions of BrokerCheck and IAPD to permit searches for broker-dealers, investment advisers, registered representatives, and investment adviser representatives, based on ZIP code or other indicator of location.
  • Enhancing BrokerCheck and IAPD by adding educational content, such as links and definitional material."
  • * New York Federal Reserve Bank: A Strategy for the 2011 Economic Recovery

    A Strategy for the 2011 Economic Recovery, January 28, 2011, [See also related charts in PDF] - Joseph S. Tracy, Executive Vice President, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

  • "We should keep in mind, though, that there is considerable uncertainty associated with every economic forecast. There are both upside and downside risks that could cause actual economic growth this year to deviate from the consensus forecast. One important downside risk to the outlook is associated with housing markets. Following the end of the home buyer tax credits, there was a sharp drop-off in home sales. In addition, the firming of house prices noted earlier has given way to renewed house price declines in many markets (Chart 27). There still remains a significant excess supply of housing that will exert downward pressure on house prices and new construction (Chart 28). Given the very low level of new home construction, the primary driver of this excess supply of housing is the on-going foreclosure process. The foreclosure pipeline continues to grow (Chart 29). How far along are we at resolving the foreclosure problem? Total completed foreclosures including short sales and deeds-in-lieu from the beginning of 2008 until the end of the third quarter of 2010 represent around 58 percent of all foreclosure starts over that same period. In addition, in each quarter the pace of foreclosure starts has exceeded the pace of completed foreclosures. At best, then, we are only halfway through the resolution process."
  • Related postings on the financial system
  • * EIA: Equatorial Guinea Country Analysis Brief

    Equatorial Guinea Country Analysis Brief — Jan 28, 2011: "Equatorial Guinea has become a significant oil and natural gas exporter since the discovery and development of large offshore oil reserves in the 1990s. While both oil and gas production have increased significantly over the past decade, both volumes appear to be leveling off in the short-term. For all the latest information on Equatorial Guinea, please see our updated Country Analysis Brief."

    January 29, 2011
    * The National Terrorism Advisory System replaces the color codes of the Homeland Security Advisory System

    "The National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) replaces the color codes of the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). The new alert system is currently in a 90 day implementation period that began on January 27, 2011 – until the end of the implementation period, the existing HSAS will remain in effect. NTAS will more effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, airports and other transportation hubs, and the private sector.

  • This page contains any current NTAS Alerts and archived copies of expired alerts."
  • Secretary Napolitano Announces New National Terrorism Advisory System to More Effectively Communicate Information about Terrorist Threats to the American Public
  • January 28, 2011
    * SIGR Audit - Sons of Iraq Program: Results are Uncertain and Financial Controls Were Weak

    SIGR Audit Report, January 28, 2011 - Sons of Iraq Program: Results Are Uncertain and Financial Controls Were Weak, "In June 2007, the Multi-National Corps–Iraq (MNC-I) began using Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP) funds to hire former insurgents and their passive supporters to guard checkpoints, buildings, and key parts of neighborhoods in Iraq. Known as the Sons of Iraq (SOI) program, the effort has been credited with helping reduce the overall levels of violence in Iraq. During the course of the program, MNC-I spent approximately $370 million drawn from fiscal year 2007-2009 CERP funds. Past SIGIR reports have identified weaknesses in the management of CERP funds. Our reporting objectives for the SOI program are to determine (1) the program’s contribution to reducing violence in Iraq, (2) the effectiveness of financial management controls, and (3) the status of GOI efforts to integrate SOI personnel into Iraqi ministries."

    * Biofuels and the Environment: the First Triennial Report to Congress

    "EPA is announcing the release of the draft report, Biofuels and the Environment: The First Triennial Report to Congress (EPA/600/R-10/183A), and the scheduling of an independent peer review meeting on March 14, 2011 in Arlington, VA. [Federal Register Jan 28, 2011]"

  • "The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA Section 204) directs EPA to conduct a study of the environmental impact associated with current and future biofuel production and use. The mandate asks for consideration of environmental issues including air quality, water quality and soil quality. The mandate also asks for consideration of resource conservation impacts of increased biofuel production and use, including air and water quality, soil quality and conservation, water availability, energy recovery from secondary materials, ecosystem health and biodiversity, invasive species, and international impacts. This report reviews impacts across the entire biofuel supply chain, including feedstock production and logistics, and biofuel production, distribution, and use. This report is the first of the U.S. Environmental Agency’s (EPA’s) reports to Congress required under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). EISA requires EPA to revise the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program to increase the volume of renewable fuel blended into transportation fuel from 9 billion gallons per year in 2008 to 36 billion gallons per year by 2022. The revised standards (RFS2), finalized in 2010, establish new specific annual volume requirements for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel in transportation fuel."
  • * SIGAR Releases January 2011 Quarterly Report to Congress

    News release: "Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), Arnold Fields, released SIGAR's January 2011 Quarterly Report to Congress today. The tenth Quarterly Report highlights SIGAR's growing concern that critical reconstruction programs are at risk because of poor planning, insufficient oversight, and the inability of the Afghan authorities to sustain them. The report includes a summary of SIGAR's oversight work for the reporting period, as well as a detailed update on reconstruction funding and reconstruction efforts in security, governance, economic development, infrastructure, counter narcotics and anti-corruption. Since 2002, the Unites States has invested over $56 billion in Afghanistan reconstruction, including $29 billion to train, equip, and provide infrastructure for the Afghanistan National Army and National Police."

    January 27, 2011
    * National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 4th Quarter and Annual 2010

    News release: "Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, (that is, from the third quarter to the fourth quarter), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 2.6 = percent. The Bureau emphasized that the fourth-quarter advance estimate released today is based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency (see the box on page 4). The "second" estimate for the fourth quarter, based on more complete data, will be released on February 25, 2011. The increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE), exports, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by a negative contribution from private inventory investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased. The acceleration in real GDP in the fourth quarter primarily reflected a sharp downturn in imports, an acceleration in PCE, and an upturn in residential fixed investment that were partly offset by downturns in private inventory investment and in federal government spending and a deceleration in nonresidential fixed investment."

  • Related postings on the financial system
  • * FTC: Court Freezes Assets of Massive Internet Enterprise in Alleged Billing Scheme

    News release: "At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a federal court has frozen the assets of corporations and an individual behind a far-reaching Internet enterprise that allegedly made more than $275 million by luring consumers into deceptive “trial” memberships, and bogus government-grant and money-making schemes. The court froze the assets of 61 corporations (collectively known as “I Works”) and their alleged ringleader, Jeremy Johnson. It placed these defendants’ assets under the control of a court-supervised receiver to help ensure that funds are available for consumer restitution when the case is concluded. In December 2010, the FTC alleged that I Works lured consumers into “trial” memberships for bogus government-grant and money-making schemes, and then repeatedly charged monthly fees for these and other memberships the consumers never ordered. According to the FTC’s complaint, the operation used websites that pitch various money-making programs or tout the availability of government grants to pay personal expenses."

    * New GAO Reports: Afghanistan Security, Payday Lending
    • Afghanistan Security: Afghan Army Growing, but Additional Trainers Needed; Long-term Costs Not Determined, GAO-11-66, January 27, 2011
    • Payday Lending: Federal Law Enforcement Uses a Multilayered Approach to Identify Employees in Financial Distress, GAO-11-147, January 26, 2011
    * Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Releases Report on the Causes of the Financial Crisis

    News release: "Today the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission delivered the results of its
    investigation into the causes of the financial and economic crisis. The Commission concluded that the crisis was avoidable and was caused by:

    • Widespread failures in financial regulation, including the Federal Reserve’s failure to stem the tide of toxic mortgages;
    • Dramatic breakdowns in corporate governance including too many financial firms acting recklessly and taking on too much risk;
    • An explosive mix of excessive borrowing and risk by households and Wall Street that put the financial system on a collision course with crisis;
    • Key policy makers ill prepared for the crisis, lacking a full understanding of the financial system
      they oversaw;
    • And systemic breaches in accountability and ethics at all levels.
    • The Financial Crisis Inquiry Report, Table of Contents to download each section or Download Full Report with Dissents (PDF)

    January 26, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Ballistic Missile Defense, Defense Business Transformation, Defense Infrastructure
    • Ballistic Missile Defense: DOD Needs to Address Planning and Implementation Challenges for Future Capabilities in Europe, GAO-11-220, January 26, 2011
    • Defense Business Transformation: DOD Needs to Take Additional Actions to Further Define Key Management Roles, Develop Measurable Goals, and Align Planning Efforts, GAO-11-181R, January 26, 2011
    • Defense Infrastructure: Further Actions Needed to Support Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator Relocation Plans, GAO-11-123R, January 26, 2011
    * Dept. of Interior's Strategic Plan Provides Blueprint for 21st Century Department

    News release: "Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released the Department’s Strategic Plan for 2011-2016, outlining the Department’s goals for America’s Great Outdoors, commitments to American Indian communities and responsible natural resource development. The five-year plan also emphasizes the Administration’s commitment to stronger science-based decision-making, higher ethical standards for employees as well as greater transparency and accountability to the American public...The Department’s programs support about $370 billion in economic activity each year. In terms that cannot be translated into dollars and cents, Interior offers unparalleled recreational opportunities in America’s national parks, wildlife refuges and other public areas, protects the Nation’s monuments and priceless landscapes, conserves wildlife and fisheries, preserves and interprets cultural sites that tell America’s story and manages vital water and energy resources."

    * FCC Takes Action to Advance Nationwide Broadband Communications for America's First Responders

    News release: "The Federal Communications Commission today adopted a Third Report and Order (Order) and Fourth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) that will significantly advance communications interoperability for our Nation’s first responders. The rules adopted and proposed in today’s Order and FNPRM support the build out of robust, dedicated and secure mobile broadband networks that will enable public safety broadband users to share information, videos, photos and emails across departments and jurisdictions nationwide for day-to-day operations and during large-scale emergencies. The Order and FNPRM requires all 700 MHz public safety mobile broadband networks to use a common air interface, specifically Long Term Evolution (LTE), to support roaming and interoperable communications and seeks comment on additional rules to enable nationwide interoperability. The FCC’s actions today build on the technical requirements that state and local 700 MHz broadband waiver recipients are already subject to in the early buildout of their regional public safety broadband networks."

    January 25, 2011
    * Citizen Satisfaction With Federal Government Services Plummets, According to ACSI

    News release: "Citizen satisfaction with the services provided by the U.S. federal government plunges this year, down 4.8% to 65.4 on a 0-100 scale, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This drop represents the largest single-year decline in satisfaction with the federal government since ACSI measurement began in 1994. The latest ACSI results indicate that the federal government will face the challenge of halting and reversing declining citizen satisfaction under particularly difficult circumstances."

    * Implementing Telework: Lessons Learned from Four Federal Agencies

    Implementing Telework: Lessons Learned from Four Federal Agencies, IBM Center for The Business of Government / Scott P. Overmyer, Professor and Director of the MSIS Program, Center for Graduate Studies, Baker College

  • "This report offers practical implementation advice to agency leaders and front-line managers faced with implementing the newly-enacted law expanding telework opportunities to over one million federal workers, The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010. Telework has been touted as a winning strategy for government. A study by the Telework Research Network claims potential savings for the federal government of nearly $3.8 billion as a result of reduced real estate costs, electricity savings, reduced absenteeism, and reduced employee turnover. However, the adoption of telework by the federal government has been slow in recent years. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, only 102,900 federal employees were teleworking in 2008. That figure represented only a fraction of the 1.2 million who were estimated to be eligible to do so. Dr. Overmyer describes the technological, social, operational, and management risks that face managers in implementing a telework strategy. He then presents case studies of how four cutting-edge federal agencies addressed these issues and successfully implemented telework in their organizations."
  • * It Pays to be the Boss--Supervisory Wages in the National Compensation Survey, 2009

    It Pays to be the Boss--Supervisory Wages in the National Compensation Survey, 2009 - by James E. Smith, Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 21, 2011 [This article uses National Compensation Survey data to illustrate differences in annual wages for team leaders and first-line, second-line, and third-line supervisors in the United States and in the Census Divisions.]

  • "Data from the National Compensation Survey (NCS) show that the pay of team leaders and supervisors increases as their position in the corporate hierarchy rises. For example, team leaders of engineers in the United States averaged $106,833 per year in 2009, while first-line supervisors averaged $117,756, second-line supervisors averaged $131,074, and third-line supervisors averaged $160,554. Similar patterns can be seen for a number of other management jobs that include varying levels of supervisory responsibility. These jobs share another characteristic--their pay is typically higher than that of all but the most highly paid nonsupervisory workers in the same occupation. Team leaders of engineers averaged 23 percent higher than nonsupervisory engineers, who averaged $87,162 per year."
  • * Report of the ePractice workshop on Inclusive eGovernment

    European Commission - Report of the ePractice workshop on Inclusive eGovernment: 11 January 2011: This workshop, held on 13 October 2010, aimed to encourage the sharing of good practice in the area of Inclusive eGovernment. The report documents the presentations made during the workshop session. Topics of discussion were: eGovernment policies targeted at groups at risk of exclusion; User segmentation in eGovernment services; Inclusive eGovernment in healthcare; Multichannel delivery services; eGovernment services: the ‘value chain’ dimension; Design, production, delivery, access and use of inclusive eGovernment services; “Inclusive by design” versus specific assistance - tailored services; Marketing, targeting and promotion of eGovernment services for specific disadvantaged groups. (You find the report under file name SMART 0109 SC01-eInclusion Days-Inclusive eGovernment workshop report.doc).

    * DHS Releases Freedom of Information Act Report for 2010

    EPI: "The Department of Homeland Security has released the Freedom of Information Act Report for 2010. The report analyzes the processing of FOIA requests made throughout the year by each DHS component, detailing the disposition of each request, response times, and the number of backlogged requests. DHS is under scrutiny for their policy of referring FOIA requests to political appointees before processing. The release of over 1,000 agency documents revealed a persistent agency practice of flagging FOIA requests from EPIC and other watchdog organizations for referral.The FOIA does not permit agencies to select FOIA requests for political scrutiny and the Supreme Court has stated that neither the identity of the FOIA requester nor the reason for the request is relevant to the processing of requests. EPIC has recommended that the FOIA Ombudsman investigate the Department’s policy. For related information see EPIC: Open Government and EPIC: Litigation under the Federal Open Government Laws 2010."

    January 24, 2011
    * Health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recover record $4 billion

    News release: "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli today announced a new report showing that the government’s health care fraud prevention and enforcement efforts recovered more than $4 billion in taxpayer dollars in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. This is the highest annual amount ever recovered from people who attempted to defraud seniors and taxpayers. In addition, HHS today announced new rules authorized by the Affordable Care Act that will help the department work proactively to prevent and fight fraud, waste and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)."

  • The Department of Health and Human Services and The Department of Justice Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2010, January 2011
  • * New GAO Reports: GAO's Performance, VA Health Care, Ryan White CARE Act
    • Summary of GAO's Performance and Financial Information Fiscal Year 2010, GAO-11-3SP, January 24, 2011
    • VA Health Care: VA Spends Millions on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Research and Incorporates Research Outcomes into Guidelines and Policy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Services, GAO-11-32, January 24, 2011
    • Ryan White CARE Act: Estimated Effect of Draft Stop-Loss Provision, GAO-11-322R, January 21, 2011
    * The UK National Identity Card and the Identification Card for EEA nationals ceased to be valid legal documents on 21 January 2011

    UK Home Office: "The Government began the process of scrapping identity cards by introducing the Identity Documents Bill to Parliament on 26 May 2010. The Bill made provision for the cancellation of the UK National Identity Card, the Identification Card for EEA nationals and the destruction of the National Identity Register. This Bill has completed the parliamentary process and the Identity Documents Act 2010 received Royal Assent on 21 December 2010. In line with the terms of the Act identity cards ceased to be valid legal documents for the purposes of confirming identity, age or for travel in Europe on 21 January 2011. Under the terms of the Act the National Identity Register will be destroyed within two months of the Act coming in to force. This means all personal information supplied during process of applying for an identity card, including photographs and fingerprints, will be destroyed by 21 February 2011. Refunds will not be provided and identity card holders are not required to return the card to IPS. As the card will cease to be a legal document, if you have an identity card you should consider securely destroying it. If you choose to retain your identity card, you should ensure that it is kept in a safe and secure place. The statutory post of Identity Commissioner, set up under the Identity Cards Act 2006 to provide independent oversight of the National Identity Service, is also terminated under the terms of the Act."

    * SEC Releases Staff Study Recommending a Uniform Fiduciary Standard of Conduct for Broker-Dealers and Investment Advisers

    News release: "The Securities and Exchange Commission submitted to Congress a staff study recommending a uniform fiduciary standard of conduct for broker-dealers and investment advisers -- no less stringent than currently applied to investment advisers under the Advisers Act -- when those financial professionals provide personalized investment advice about securities to retail investors.
    The study, provided to Congress last night, which looked into obligations and standards of conduct of financial professionals, was required under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In the study, the staff notes that investment advisers and broker-dealers are regulated extensively under different regulatory regimes. But, many retail investors do not understand and are confused by the roles played by investment advisers and broker-dealers. The study finds that "many investors are also confused by the standards of care that apply to investment advisers and broker-dealers" when providing personalized investment advice about securities."

  • Study on Investment Advisers and Broker-Dealers As Required by Section 913 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, January 2011
  • January 23, 2011
    * CBO: Spending and Funding for Highways

    Spending and Funding for Highways, Economic and Budget Issue Brief, January 20, 2011

  • "The nation's network of highways plays a vital role in the U.S. economy; private commercial activity and people's daily lives depend on that transportation infrastructure. In 2007, the public sector spent $146 billion to build, operate, and maintain highways in the United States. About three-quarters of that total was provided by state and local governments. One-quarter was provided by the federal government, primarily through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The initial authorization for that law has expired; as the Congress considers the future role of the federal government in providing highway infrastructure, it faces three important questions: how to structure decision making about highway projects, how much money to spend on highways, and how to pay for that spending."
  • * FBI Releases Bank Crime Statistics for Third Quarter of 2010

    News release: "During the third quarter of 2010, there were 1,325 reported violations of the Federal Bank Robbery and Incidental Crimes Statute, an increase from the 1,212 reported violations in the same quarter of 2009. According to statistics released today by the FBI, there were 1,310 robberies, 13 burglaries, two larcenies and six extortions of financial institutions reported between July 1, 2010 and Sept. 30, 2010."

  • Bank Crime Statistics (BCS)- Federal Insured Financial Institutions - Quarter 3, July 1, 2010 – September 30, 2010
  • * Federal Government Cybersecurity Progress: Obama Administration Report Card 2009 - Present

    National Security Cyberspace Institute - Federal Government Cybersecurity Progress: Obama Administration Report Card 2009-Present

  • What follows is an "Obama Administration Report Card," whereby we have awarded grades for progress against a number of the recommendations contained in the 60-Day Review, or "Hathaway Report" as it is commonly called. The Hathaway Report contained recommendations broken down into two categories of action plans, designated as Near-Term and Mid-Term, with neither plan being defined in terms of timing or projected dates of completion – perhaps its most glaring shortfall. Now that the administration is over halfway through their elected term, we believe enough time has passed to make it entirely reasonable to expect complete or near-complete implementation of action items described as "near term." We've therefore evaluated the administration's progress against the ten recommendations contained in the Near-Term Action Plan while withholding judgment for now on the additional 14 recommendations in the Mid-Term Action Plan."
  • January 22, 2011
    * White House Launches New State of the Union page

    "On Tuesday, January 25, at 9 p.m. EST, President Obama will deliver the State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol. We have been working on a number of ways citizens can get involved in the State of the Union and ask their questions of President Obama and senior Administration officials. You can find all the details on our brand new State of the Union page."

    • Watch the live stream of the State of the Union Address on WhiteHouse.gov.
    • Immediately following the State of the Union Address, stay tuned for a live Open For Questions event where Senior White House officials will answer your questions about key issues addressed in the speech live from the White House.
    • Wednesday: Press Secretary Robert Gibbs will be taking your questions via Twitter before his post-State of the Union briefing on Wednesday, January 26. Follow @PressSec on Twitter to find out when he’ll be taking your questions, then respond to @PressSec using the hashtag #1Q and watch for his video responses.
    • President Obama will answer your questions during a live YouTube interview at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday January 27. Submit your questions on youtube.com/askobama."

    January 21, 2011
    * U.S. Chief Technology Officer: White House Launches Search for New Public Participation Tool

    White House Open Government Initiative - Designing for Democracy: "...the White House Open Government Initiative and the General Services Administration, working closely with the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Performance and Personnel Management, [launched] a public consultation (through January 21, 2011) to obtain input on a design concept for a government-wide software tool and process to elicit expert public participation. In addition to making government more open and accountable to the public, this also advances the Administration’s objective of strengthening problem-solving networks to improve outcomes and reduce costs, one of three key performance management strategies laid out in the President’s FY2011 budget. To be clear, there is currently no specific funding identified for building this platform. Rather, we anticipate adapting already available tools and know-how to achieve the goal of getting better expertise faster and more openly. The proposed concept is intended to be complementary to two of the ways the Federal government currently obtains expertise to inform decision-making, namely by convening Federal Advisory Committees and announcing public comment opportunities in the Federal Register."

    * FDA Drug Safety Communication: Prescription Acetaminophen Products to be Limited to 325 mg Per Dosage Unit

    News release: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking drug manufacturers to limit the strength of acetaminophen in prescription drug products, which are predominantly combinations of acetaminophen and opioids. This action will limit the amount of acetaminophen in these products to 325 mg per tablet, capsule, or other dosage unit, making these products safer for patients. In addition, a Boxed Warning highlighting the potential for severe liver injury and a Warning highlighting the potential for allergic reactions (e.g., swelling of the face, mouth, and throat, difficulty breathing, itching, or rash) are being added to the label of all prescription drug products that contain acetaminophen. These actions will help to reduce the risk of severe liver injury and allergic reactions associated with acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is widely and effectively used in both prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) products to reduce pain and fever. It is one of the most commonly-used drugs in the United States. Examples of prescription products that contain acetaminophen include hydrocodone with acetaminophen (Vicodin, Lortab), and oxycodone with acetaminophen (Tylox, Percocet)."

    January 20, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Military Personnel, Troubled Asset Relief Program
    • Military Personnel: Personnel and Cost Data Associated with Implementing DOD's Homosexual Conduct Policy, GAO-11-170, January 20, 2011
    • Troubled Asset Relief Program: Third Quarter 2010 Update of Government Assistance Provided to AIG and Description of Recent Execution of Recapitalization Plan, GAO-11-46, January 20, 2011
    * Social Media and Congress

    Via House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) - "YouCut – a first-of-its-kind project - is designed to defeat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress. It allows you to vote, both online and on your cell phone, on spending cuts that you want to see the House enact. Each week that the House is in session, we will take the winning item and offer it to the full House for an up-or-down vote, so that you can see where your representative stands on your priorities. Vote on this page today for your priorities and together we can begin to change Washington's culture of spending into a culture of savings."

  • Politico: "On Tuesday [January 18, 2011], the House passed a bill to eliminate mandatory printing for every bill and resolution by axing the Government Printing Office — an initiative “crowd-sourced” by the public on YouCut. In addition, three new government subsidies were added to YouCut for the public to vote on."
  • Republicans to Add NPR Funding to 'You Cut' Budget Slashing Contest
  • * FCC Releases Order In Comcast-NBCU Transaction

    News release: "Today, the Federal Communications Commission grants—with conditions and enforceable commitments—approval of the assignment and transfer of control of broadcast, satellite, and other radio licenses from General Electric Company (GE) to Comcast Corporation. The approval will allow GE and Comcast to create a joint venture involving NBC Universal, Inc. (NBCU) and Comcast. An Order further explaining the Commission’s reasoning and the conditions and commitments will be issued shortly. The Commission's decision is based on a thorough review of the record, which includes extensive data and voluntary commitments from the applicants, as well as thousands of comments from interested parties and public input received at a public forum held in Chicago. Based on this review, the Commission has determined that granting the application, with certain conditions and contingent upon enforceable commitments, is in the public interest."

  • In the Matter of Applications of Comcast Corporation, General Electric Company and NBC Universal, Inc. For Consent to Assign Licenses and Transfer Control of Licensees, Memorandum Opinion and Order - Adopted: January 18, 2011 Released: January 20, 2011
  • * EIA: World Oil Transit Chokepoints Brief

    World Oil Transit Chokepoints Brief — Jan 18, 2011: "Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes, some so narrow that restrictions are placed on the size of vessel that can navigate through them. They are a critical part of global energy security due to the high volume of oil traded through their narrow straits. For a detailed summary and analysis of major world oil transit chokepoints, volumes of trade and alternate routes, please see the updated brief."

    * EIA: United Arab Emirates Country Analysis Brief

    United Arab Emirates Country Analysis Brief — Jan 18, 2011: "The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven different emirates which together comprise the third largest economy in the Middle East behind Saudi Arabia and Iran. The UAE is an important producer of natural gas and oil, ranking seventh globally in total proven reserves of both. The country is also a member of the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)."

    * 2011 IT Workforce Capability Assessment (ITWCA) Survey Launches

    Via CIO.gov:"Beginning January 18, 2011, the Government IT workforce will be able to weigh in on the future of Federal IT. All Federal civilian IT employees are invited to take the ITWCA, an anonymous online survey from the Federal Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council and Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The ITWCA, running from January 18 to February 25, 2011, will gather information on the current state of the Federal IT workforce. Survey results will inform Federal CIOs and Chief Human Capital Officers of any capability, skill, and resource gaps that need to be closed to achieve each agency’s mission. Findings from the ITWCA will ultimately help carry out the 25-Point Implementation Plan To Reform Federal Information Technology Management, and develop a new career path for Federal IT program managers."

    January 19, 2011
    * Present Law And Historical Overview Of The Federal Tax System

    Present Law And Historical Overview Of The Federal Tax System, Scheduled for a Public Hearing Before the Committee on Ways and Means on January 20, 2011, Prepared by the Staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, January 18, 2011, JCX-1-11 (January 18, 2011)

  • This document, prepared by the staff of the Joint Committee on
    Taxation, provides a summary of the Federal tax system, briefly describes its historical development over the period of time beginning in 1975, and provides an appendix of selected historical data on Federal tax rates, Federal tax receipts, components of adjusted gross income, and other features of the Federal tax system.
    The current Federal tax system has four main elements: (1) an income tax on individuals and corporations (which consist of both a “regular” income tax and an alternative minimum tax); (2) payroll taxes on wages (and corresponding taxes on self-employment income); (3) estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes, and (4) excise taxes on selected goods and services."
  • * FDA to improve most common review path for medical devices

    News release: "The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today unveiled a plan containing 25 actions it intends to implement during 2011 to improve the most common path to market for medical devices. Key actions include:

    • Streamlining the “de novo” review process for certain innovative, lower-risk medical devices,
    • Clarifying when clinical data should be submitted in a premarket submission, guidance that will increase the efficiency and transparency of the review process,
    • Establishing a new Center Science Council of senior FDA experts to assure timely and consistent science-based decision making.
    • These submissions are known as 510(k)s for the section of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that describes this notification requirement. Generally, 510(k)s must demonstrate that a proposed product is substantially equivalent to another, legally marketed medical device that is also lower-risk."

    * National Fruit & Vegetable Program and Web Site

    "The National Fruit & Vegetable Program is a public private partnership. It is a confederation of government, not-for-profit groups and industry groups working collaboratively and synergistically to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables for improved public health."

    January 18, 2011
    * Financial Stability Oversight Council's Study and Recommendations Regarding Implementation of the Volcker Rule

    Documents from the FSOC's January 18, 2011 Meeting

  • The FSOC’s Study and Recommendations Regarding Implementation of the Volcker Rule: "As mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, the FSOC conducted a study on how best to implement Section 619 of the Act (commonly known as the “Volcker Rule”), which is designed to improve the safety of our nation’s banking system by prohibiting proprietary trading activities and certain private fund investments. The FSOC’s study puts forward recommendations designed to effectively and comprehensively implement the Volcker Rule in a manner that constrains risk-taking by, and promotes the safety and soundness of, banking entities.
  • The FSOC’s Report on the Concentration Limit on Large Financial Companies: "Section 622 of the Dodd-Frank Act establishes a financial sector concentration limit that would prohibit a financial company from merging or consolidating with, or acquiring, another company if the resulting company’s consolidated liabilities would exceed 10 percent of the aggregate consolidated liabilities of all financial companies. This concentration limit is intended, along with a number of other provisions in the Dodd-Frank Act, to promote financial stability and address the perception that large financial institutions are “too big to fail.”
  • * CBO - Unauthorized Appropriations and Expiring Authorizations (Appropriations)

    Unauthorized Appropriations and Expiring Authorizations (Appropriations). "As required, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports each January to the Congress on the following:

    • All programs and activities funded for the current fiscal year for which authorizations of appropriations have expired, and
    • All programs and activities for which authorizations of appropriations will expire during the current fiscal year.
    • That requirement is specified in section 202(e)(3) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The purpose of that provision is "to help Congress use the early months of the year to adopt authorizing legislation that must be in place before the regular appropriation bills can be considered."

    * New GAO Reports: Consumer Finance, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, Defense Acquisitions, Maritime Security, Employment Verification
    • Consumer Finance: Regulatory Coverage Generally Exists for Financial Planners, but Consumer Protection Issues Remain, GAO-11-235, January 18, 2011
    • Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act: Role of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board in the Municipal Securities Markets and Its Past Funding, GAO-11-267R, January 18, 2011
    • Defense Acquisitions: Further Action Needed to Better Implement Requirements for Conducting Inventory of Service Contract Activities, GAO-11-192, January 14, 2011
    • Maritime Security: Federal Agencies Have Taken Actions to Address Risks Posed by Seafarers, but Efforts Can Be Strengthened, GAO-11-195, January 14, 2011
    • Employment Verification: Federal Agencies Have Taken Steps to Improve E-Verify, but Significant Challenges Remain, GAO-11-146, December 17, 2010
    • 2010 Tax Filing Season: IRS's Performance Improved in Some Key Areas, but Efficiency Gains Are Possible in Others, GAO-11-111, December 16, 2010
    January 17, 2011
    * New GAO Reports: Food Labeling, H-1B Visa Program, Program Evaluation, Rail Safety
    • Food Labeling: FDA Needs to Reassess Its Approach to Protecting Consumers from False or Misleading Claims, GAO-11-102, Jan 14, 2011
    • H-1B Visa Program: Reforms Are Needed to Minimize the Risks and Costs of Current Program, GAO-11-26, January 14, 2011
    • Program Evaluation: Experienced Agencies Follow a Similar Model for Prioritizing Research, GAO-11-176, January 14, 2011
    • Rail Safety: Federal Railroad Administration Should Report on Risks to the Successful Implementation of Mandated Safety Technology, GAO-11-133, December 15, 2010
    * CDC - Community Water Fluoridation: Questions and Answers

    "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proposing a change to the recommendation for the optimal fluoride level in drinking water to prevent tooth decay. The new recommendation, 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water, replaces the previous recommended range of 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter. There are several reasons for this change, including that Americans have access to more sources of fluoride than they did when water fluoridation was first introduced in the United States. The new guidance will update and replace original recommendations provided in 1962 by the U.S. Public Health Service. This fact sheet provides information on community water fluoridation, as well as current federal activities to update guidance and regulations on community water fluoridation."

    January 16, 2011
    * State Estimates of Drunk and Drugged Driving

    National Survey on Drug Use and Health Report, December 2010: "Recognizing the dangers associated with driving under the influence of drugs, the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, developed by the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy, identified the prevention of drugged driving as a national priority. In addition, a major component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) strategic initiative to reduce underage drinking and adult problem drinking is to reduce negative consequences, such as injuries resulting from impaired driving."

    • Combined 2006 to 2009 data indicate that 13.2 percent of persons aged 16 or older (an estimated 30.6 million persons) drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year and 4.3 percent (an estimated 10.1 million persons) drove under the influence of illicit drugs in the same time period
    • The rates of past year drunk driving were among the highest in Wisconsin (23.7 percent) and North Dakota (22.4 percent); the rates of drugged driving were among the highest in Rhode Island (7.8 percent) and Vermont (6.6 percent)
    • When combined 2002 to 2005 data are compared with combined 2006 to 2009 data, the Nation as a whole experienced statistically significant reductions in the rates of drunk driving (from 14.6 to 13.2 percent) and drugged driving (from 4.8 to 4.3 percent); 12 States saw reductions in drunk driving rates, and 7 saw reductions in drugged driving rates.'
    * DOT highlights many benefits of bicycle infrastructure

    DOT Fastlane Blog: "This week, a coalition of bicycling advocates introduced me to a new report showing that in Baltimore, MD, pedestrian and bicycle projects created nearly twice as many jobs per dollar spent than typical road projects. In this case-study, Estimating the Employment Impacts of Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Road Infrastructure, the Political Economy Research Institute compiled data provided by the city of Baltimore. They found that on-street bike lanes and pedestrian measures created more direct jobs, more indirect jobs, and more induced jobs per dollar than either road upgrades or road resurfacing. That report was followed last week by a survey released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicating widespread public support--67 percent--in America's cities for street design activities that increase physical activity."

    January 15, 2011
    * JFK Library Releases Digital Archive

    JFK Presidential Library and Museum: "The Digital Archives provides access to a growing collection of searchable digitized historical documents, images and materials [See also Advanced Search feature]. Archivists at the JFK Library are working to digitize and make available to the public all of our archival and museum holdings, beginning with the papers of President John F. Kennedy and his administration. Learn more about Access to a Legacy, our large scale digitization initiative. The vast majority of our holdings remain unidigitized. Access to all of the Library's holdings, whether digitized or not, is provided through a single search interface which allows you to browse all of our holdings using our faceted navigation system and/or a traditional keyword search. Finding aids to specific collections can be found here, with links to digitized content where available. To see a list of our holdings and view our online finding aids, you can browse all collections. In addition, the Library provides online research and reference services. For more information about how to search the Digital Archives, visit our Search Help page."

    January 13, 2011
    * Department of Labor: Mining deaths rise in 2010

    News release: "Mining fatalities in the United States significantly increased in 2010, following a year marked by the fewest deaths in mining history, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration. Seventy-one miners died on the job last year, compared to 34 in 2009. Forty-eight of those deaths occurred in coal mines, and 23 occurred at metal and nonmetal operations. Of the 71 mining fatalities reported, 23 of those victims were killed in surface mining accidents, while 48 miners died in underground mining accidents, 29 of whom were killed in the explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in April. The leading cause of coal mining deaths was ignition or explosion, followed by powered haulage and roof falls. The leading cause of metal/nonmetal mining deaths was powered haulage, followed by falling or sliding material, and machinery...MSHA has taken a number of actions to identify mines with safety issues, and has initiated a number of outreach and enforcement initiatives, including "Rules to Live By," a fatality prevention program spotlighting the safety and health standards most frequently cited during fatal accident investigations. That information is available on the MSHA website, here."

    * SIGTARP Audit: January 13, 2011 - Extraordinary Financial Assistance Provided to Citigroup, Inc.

    Extraordinary Financial Assistance Provided to Citigroup, Inc., SIGTARP - Office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, January 13, 2011

  • In November 2008, worried that Citigroup would fail absent a strong statement of support from the U.S. Government, and that such failure could cause catastrophic damage to the economy, federal officials decided to rescue one of the largest financial institutions in the world. Late on November 23, 2008, following a frantic few days dubbed “Citi Weekend,” Citigroup agreed to a Government proposal that would provide Citigroup asset guarantees and a $20 billion capital infusion in exchange for preferred shares of Citigroup stock. The essential purpose of the deal, as then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and then-Federal Reserve Bank of New York President Timothy F. Geithner later confirmed to SIGTARP, was to assure the world that the Government was not going to let Citigroup fail. SIGTARP found that the Government constructed a plan that not only achieved the primary goal of restoring market confidence in Citigroup, but also carefully controlled the risk of Government loss on the asset guarantee. The Government summarily rejected Citigroup’s initial proposal and made a take-it-or-leave-it offer that Citigroup only reluctantly accepted, against the advice of Citigroup insiders who considered the Government’s terms too expensive in light of the assistance provided. In the end, Citigroup accepted the deal chiefly because of its expected impact on the market’s perception of Citigroup’s viability."
  • * U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services November 2010

    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 $159.6 billion and imports of $198.0 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $38.3 billion, down from $38.4 billion in October, revised. November exports were $1.2 billion more than October exports of $158.4 billion. November imports were $1.1 billion more than October imports of $196.8 billion. In November, the goods deficit increased $0.1 billion from October to $51.2 billion, and the services surplus increased $0.2 billion to $12.9 billion. Exports of goods increased $1.3 billion to $113.5 billion, and imports of goods increased $1.4 billion to $164.7 billion. Exports of services decreased $0.1 billion to $46.2 billion, and imports of services decreased $0.3 billion to $33.3 billion. The goods and services deficit increased $3.0 billion from November 2009 to November 2010. Exports were up $20.7 billion, or 14.9 percent, and imports were up $23.7 billion, or 13.6 percent."

    * Proposed Rule: Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs

    Department of Agriculture, 7 CFR Parts 210 and 220 - Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; Proposed Rule

  • "This rule proposes to revise the meal patterns and nutrition requirements for the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program to align them with the 2005 "Dietary Guidelines for Americans," as required by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. The proposed changes are based on recommendations from the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine set forth in the report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. This proposed rule would increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat fluid milk in school meals; reduce the levels of sodium and saturated fat in meals; and help meet the nutrition needs of school children within their calorie requirements. Implementation of this proposed rule would result in more nutritious school meals that improve the dietary habits of school children and protect their health."

  • * Federal Reserve announces online publication on rules about credit decisions and notices

    News release: "Lenders often consider a consumer's credit history or credit score when deciding whether, and at what cost, to extend credit. A new online Federal Reserve publication helps consumers better understand new notices they may receive from lenders when credit reports or credit scores affect a decision to grant credit. The publication, What You Need To Know: New Rules about Credit Decisions and Notices, describes the types of notices consumer may receive and provides links to sample notices. It includes information about what consumers should do if they receive a notice, including instructions on how to dispute credit report errors."

    * New Research Paper: Rulemaking 2.0

    Farina, Cynthia R., Newhart, Mary , Cardie, Claire and Cosley, Dan, Rulemaking 2.0 (November 3, 2010). University of Miami Law Review, Vol. 65, No. 2, 2011; Cornell Legal Studies Research Paper No. 010-010.

  • "In response to President Obama’s Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, federal agencies are on the verge of a new generation in online rulemaking. However, unless we recognize the several barriers to making rulemaking a more broadly participatory process, and purposefully adapt Web 2.0 technologies and methods to lower those barriers, Rule-making 2.0 is likely to disappoint agencies and open government advocates alike."
  • See also: "The EPA Rulemaking Gateway provides information to the public on the status of EPA's priority rulemakings. Use the tabs at the top of this page to sort the rules according to specific criteria, or view a list of all of the priority rulemakings currently in the Gateway."
  • January 12, 2011
    * NASA Research Finds 2010 Tied For Warmest Year On Record

    News release: "Global surface temperatures in 2010 tied 2005 as the warmest on record, according to an analysis released Wednesday by researchers at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. The two years differed by less than 0.018 degrees Fahrenheit. The difference is smaller than the uncertainty in comparing the temperatures of recent years, putting them into a statistical tie. In the new analysis, the next warmest years are 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007, which are statistically tied for third warmest year. The GISS records begin in 1880. The analysis found 2010 approximately 1.34 F warmer than the average global surface temperature from 1951 to 1980. To measure climate change, scientists look at long-term trends. The temperature trend, including data from 2010, shows the climate has warmed by approximately 0.36 F per decade since the late 1970s...The analysis produced at GISS is compiled from weather data from more than 1000 meteorological stations around the world, satellite observations of sea surface temperature and Antarctic research station measurements. A computer program uses the data to calculate temperature anomalies -- the difference between surface temperature in a given month and the average temperature for the same period during 1951 to 1980. This three-decade period acts as a baseline for the analysis."

  • GISS Surface Temperature Analysis (GISTEMP)
  • * FTC Issues Interim Report to Congress on National Study of Credit Report Accuracy

    News release: "The Federal Trade Commission has issued a fourth interim report to Congress describing progress the agency has made on a national study examining the accuracy of credit reports. Congress directed the FTC to conduct a study of credit report accuracy and provide interim reports every two years, starting in 2004 and continuing through 2012, with a final report in 2014."

  • Section 319 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003: Fourth Interim Federal Trade Commission Report to Congress Concerning the Accuracy of Information in Credit Reports (January 2011)
  • * Federal Reserve Beige Book, January 12, 2011

    Full Report - Beige Book, January 12, 2011 - Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, and link to reports by Districts: "Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggest that economic activity continued to expand moderately from November through December. Conditions were said to be improving in the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Richmond Districts. Activity increased modestly to moderately in the Cleveland, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Dallas Districts. The economy of the Minneapolis District "continued its moderate recovery," while that of the San Francisco District "firmed further" in the reporting period leading up to the close of 2010. Conditions were generally said to be better in Districts' manufacturing, retail, and nonfinancial services sectors than in financial services or real estate."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • * Classification of the End-of-Term Archive: Extending Collection Development Practices to Web Archives

    Classification of the End-of-Term Archive: Extending Collection Development Practices to Web Archives - Findings of the Web Archive Survey of Federal Depository Libraries, December 2010, Revised: January 2011, Kathleen Murray

  • "The Classification of the End-of-Term Archive (EOT Archive) project builds on a previous project1 conducted collaboratively by the Library of Congress, the US Government Printing Office (GPO), the Internet Archive, the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries, and the California Digital Library. That project captured the entirety of the federal government’s public Web presence before and after the 2009 change in presidential administrations. The result is an approximately 16 terabyte Web archive of government information that is replicated in repositories at the collaborating organizations. As Web archives become more available and accessible, many libraries will be collecting materials from these important information repositories. Librarians will need the capability to identify and select materials in accord with collection development policies. Additionally, libraries will need to characterize these materials using common metrics; however, such metrics are not established for Web archives, making it difficult for librarians to communicate the scope and value of these materials to administrators."
  • * New GAO Reports: Electricity Grid Modernization, TARP
    • Electricity Grid Modernization: Progress Being Made on Cybersecurity Guidelines, but Key Challenges Remain to be Addressed, GAO-11-117, January 12, 2011: "The electric industry is increasingly incorporating information technology (IT) systems into its operations as part of nationwide efforts—commonly referred to as smart grid—to improve reliability and efficiency. There is concern that if these efforts are not implemented securely, the electric grid could become more vulnerable to attacks and loss of services. To address this concern, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) provided the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with responsibilities related to coordinating the development and adoption of smart grid guidelines and standards."
    • Troubled Asset Relief Program: Status of Programs and Implementation of GAO Recommendations, GAO-11-74, January 12, 2011: "...this 60-day report provides information on (1) the condition and status of active TARP programs; (2) Treasury’s progress in implementing an effective management structure, including staffing for the Office of Financial Stability (OFS), overseeing contractors, and establishing a comprehensive system of internal control; and (3) trends in the status of key relevant economic indicators."
    * DHS Privacy Office 2010 Data Mining Report to Congress

    DHS Privacy Office 2010 Data Mining Report to Congress, December 2010

  • "This is the DHS Privacy Office’s fifth comprehensive report to Congress on DHS activities that involve data mining, and the third report pursuant to the Data Mining Reporting Act. The Homeland Security Act expressly authorizes the Department to use data mining, among other analytical tools, in furtherance of its mission. DHS exercises this authority to engage in data mining in the programs discussed in this report, all of which have been reviewed by the Chief Privacy Officer for potential impacts on privacy. The DHS Chief Privacy Officer’s authority for reviewing DHS data mining activities stems from three principal sources: the Privacy Act, the E-Government Act, and the Homeland Security Act, which states, in part, that the DHS Chief Privacy Officer is responsible for “assuring that the [Department’s] use of technologies sustains, and does not erode, privacy protections relating to the use, collection, and disclosure of personal information.” The DHS Privacy Office’s privacy compliance policies and procedures are based on the Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs), which are rooted in the tenets of the Privacy Act and memorialized in the December 2008 Privacy Policy Guidance Memorandum 2008-01, The Fair Information Practice Principles: Framework for Privacy Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS Privacy Office compliance process discussed below is designed to identify and mitigate risks to privacy that may be posed by any DHS program, project, or information technology system."
  • * Report: Protecting the Digital Economy

    "On January 10, 2011, the EastWest Institute released a report detailing the results of the First Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit: Protecting the Digital Economy, and outlining the cybersecurity initiative’s next steps as it prepares for the Second Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit in London on June 1-2. At the summit, held from May 3 to 5, 2010 in Dallas, Texas, EWI brought together over 400 technical experts, policy elites and national security officials from the Cyber40, an informal grouping of the world’s most digitally-advanced countries—among others, the United States, China, India, Russia and Estonia. Participants worked to identify problems facing crucial sectors of the Internet, such as financial services and essential government services, and forge concrete solutions to protect the world’s digital infrastructure."

    January 11, 2011
    * Final Report Issued by National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling

    Deep Water - The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling Report to the President, National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, January 2011 [Note: GPO has also published this report, here]

  • "...the disaster in the Gulf undermined public faith in the energy industry, government regulators, and even our own capability as a nation to respond to crises. It is our hope that a thorough and rigorous accounting, along with focused suggestions for reform, can begin the process of restoring confidence. There is much at stake, not only for the people directly affected in the Gulf region, but for the American people at large. The tremendous resources that exist within our outer continental shelf belong to the nation as a whole. The federal government’s authority over the shelf is accordingly plenary, based on its power as both the owner of the resources and in its regulatory capacity as sovereign to protect public health, safety, and welfare. To be allowed to drill on the outer continental shelf is a privilege to be earned, not a private right to be exercised."
  • * EIA: Short-Term Energy Outlook January 2011

    Short-Term Energy Outlook January 2011 — Jan 11, 2011: "Short-term energy projections for supply, demand, and price for the major fuels through 2012 for the U.S. International oil forecasts are included."

    * EPA Issues Guidance for Enhanced Monitoring of Hexavalent Chromium in Drinking Water

    News release: "Today, the agency...has issued guidance recommending how public water systems might enhance monitoring and sampling programs specifically for hexavalent chromium. The recommendations are in response to emerging scientific evidence that chromium-6 could pose health concerns if consumed over long periods of time...The enhanced monitoring guidance provides recommendations on where the systems should collect samples and how often they should be collected, along with analytical methods for laboratory testing. Systems that perform the enhanced monitoring will be able to better inform their consumers about any presence of chromium-6 in their drinking water, evaluate the degree to which other forms of chromium are transformed into chromium-6, and assess the degree to which existing treatment affects the levels of chromium-6 in drinking water."

    * Drupal open-source web content management system chosen for more than 500 House of Representatives sites

    Sources Sought: "The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the United States House of Representatives seeks vendors experienced with web design, development and support using Drupal, the open-source web content management system. This is a source selection process only. The CAO will not be making any contract awards during this process. The CAO has established a flexible Drupal hosting platform as the preferred web hosting environment for the House. Members, Committees, Leadership, Officers and Officials (the CAO’s customers) each manage and control a public web site. These customers have the independent authority to select the web vendor of their choice provided that vendor meets specific House requirements. In total, there are nearly 520 unique House web sites within House.gov."

    January 10, 2011
    * SEC Report on Nationally Recognized Statistical Ratings Organizations

    Report on Nationally Recognized Statistical Ratings Organizations, January 2011

  • The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) is providing this report under Section 6 of the Credit Rating Agency Reform Act of 2006 (“Rating Agency Act”). Section 6 of the Rating Agency Act requires the Commission to submit an annual report to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives that, with respect to the year to which the report relates:
    • Identifies applicants for registration as nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSROs”) under Section 15E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”);
    • Specifies the number of and actions taken on such applications; and
    • Specifies the views of the Commission on the state of competition, transparency, and conflicts of interest among NRSROs.
  • * "Comité des Sages" calls for a "New Renaissance" by bringing Europe's cultural heritage online

    News release: "The report of the Comité des Sages (high-level reflection group) on Digitisation of Europe's cultural heritage was delivered today to Neelie Kroes, European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Agenda, and Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner responsible for Education and Culture. The report urges EU Member States to step up their efforts to put online the collections held in all their libraries, archives and museums. It stresses the benefits of making Europe's culture and knowledge more easily accessible. It also points to the potential economic benefits of digitisation, including through public-private partnerships, for the development of innovative services in sectors like tourism, research and education. The report endorses the Digital Agenda's objective of strengthening Europe's digital library Europeana and suggests solutions for making works covered by copyright available online. The Comité des Sages on Digitisation comprises Maurice Lévy, Elisabeth Niggemann and Jacques de Decker (see IP/10/456). The report's recommendations will feed into the Commission's broader strategy, under the Digital Agenda for Europe, to help cultural institutions make the transition towards the digital age."

  • The New Renaissance - Report of the Comité des Sages on Digitisation - Reflection Group on Bringing Europe's Cultural Heritage Online, January 2011
  • * FHA Issues Guidance for Reverse Mortgage Borrowers and Lenders Dealing With Outstanding Property Tax and Insurance Debts

    News release: "The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today released guidance to homeowners and lenders that use the reverse mortgage or Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program and are dealing with outstanding property taxes and unpaid hazard insurance premiums. FHA’s guidance is intended to assist elderly borrowers who have neglected to pay these expenses and may face foreclosure...HUD regulations allow lenders to make tax and insurance payments on behalf of their elderly clients from the borrower’s available mortgage funds. However, once those resources are exhausted, the lender must advance funds to protect FHA’s interest and obtain reimbursement from the borrower. Over time, however, these unpaid debts and lender advances have resulted in an untenable situation that could put the FHA Insurance Fund at risk and result in foreclosure proceedings against delinquent seniors. While the guidance issued today is intended to help elderly homeowners avoid foreclosure, lenders may have no choice if these defaults are not cured."

  • "FHA’s Mortgagee Letter 2011-01 applies to all HECM loans where the lender/servicer advanced corporate funds to satisfy an unpaid property charge on behalf of the borrower. It reminds lenders that foreclosure is to be a last resort when dealing with their elderly clients. It also includes sample letters that lenders may use to make certain borrowers understand that property tax and hazard insurance are required expenses that must be paid even though the homeowner owes nothing on their mortgage loan."
  • * Library of Congress taps LII for Expertise in Legislative Information

    News release: "The US Library of Congress chose the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University (LII) to help develop new methods to preserve, analyze, organize, and present Congressional legislative information and materials digitally. The project is headed by LII Director Thomas R. Bruce. Dave Shetland, Sara Frug, and Wayne Weibel will make up the rest of the LII’s team of experts. Long-time LII collaborators Metadata Management Associates will work with LII on this important project. “This project introduces the idea of a model that reflects the life cycle of legislation–a significantly different model than the one used in traditional library materials,” says Diane Hillmann, Partner at MMA. Hillmann’s team will be joined by John Joergensen, a law librarian at Rutgers University (Camden), and Robert Richards, each well known for their work in library-based legal informatics. The work and research LII provides Library of Congress will form the foundation of the Library’s plans to improve digital access to historical and current Congressional legislative information. Important Congressional documents — bills, Presidential documents, committee reports, public laws, and the United States Code among others — will be better organized and easier to find online for scholars, researchers, and average citizens, alike. The project will significantly improve public access to Congressional materials through THOMAS — Congress’ main electronic point of access for the public, as well as the Legislative Information System (LIS) used internally by the Senate and the House of Representatives."

    January 09, 2011
    * Federal Interagency Group Issues Peer-Reviewed 'Oil Budget' Technical Documentation

    News release: "The Federal Interagency Solutions Group, established at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard and authorized under a directive from the National Incident Commander (NIC), released a peer-reviewed report that details the scientific calculations of the Deepwater Horizon BP Oil Spill “Oil Budget Calculator” response tool announced last August. The report, developed in collaboration with federal and independent scientists and following an extensive review of the initial findings, revises as necessary the estimated short-term fate of the oil discharged from the wellhead through mid-July when the well was capped. The Oil Budget Calculator’s purpose was to describe the short-term fate of the oil and to guide immediate efforts to respond to the emergency. It does not provide information about the impact of the oil, nor indicate where the oil is now. The Oil Budget Calculator uses collected or reported data, such as the amount captured at the wellhead, combined with model-projected estimates based on historical oil spill data for similar types of oil, as well as the expertise and observations of oil- and oil spill-response scientists from government agencies, academia and the energy industry."

    * EIA: Saudi Arabia Country Analysis Brief - world's largest crude oil production capacity

    Saudi Arabia Country Analysis Brief — Jan 4, 2011: "Saudi Arabia has approximately one-fifth of the world's proven oil reserves, and is the largest oil producer and exporter of total petroleum liquids in the world. The country maintains the world's largest crude oil production capacity, estimated by EIA at over 12 million bbl/d at end-2010. That year, the country produced an average of 10.2 million bbl/d of total oil (8.4 million of which was crude). For all the latest information on Saudi Arabia, please see our updated Country Analysis Brief."

    * EIA: Distribution and Production of Oil and Gas Wells by State

    Distribution and Production of Oil and Gas Wells by State — Jan 7, 2011: "Distribution tables of oil and gas wells by production rate for all wells, including marginal wells, are now available for most states for the years 1995 to 2009."

    * White House: Making Technology Neutral IT Procurement Decisions

    Via Victoria Espinel, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, this new memorandum on technology neutrality: "Each year, the U.S. Government spends almost $80 billion dollars buying information technology (IT); the software, computer equipment and network devices that help the Government run efficiently. It is important that those purchases be fair, neutral and based on an objective assessment of relevant criteria. To ensure that the agencies and the public are aware of our policy, today U.S. Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy Dan Gordon and I issued a statement to Senior Procurement Executives and Chief Information Officers reminding them to select IT based on appropriate criteria while analyzing available alternatives including proprietary, open source and mixed source technologies."

  • See also related postings via Google Wins Injunction in Cloud Computing Bid Protest Against Interior
  • * Digital Think Tank and GW University Publish first Digital IQ Index: Public Sector

    Government Technology: "A new study ranking government, nonprofit and industry trade groups for their use of social media and online strategies revealed that more than 50 percent of the organizations polled are not using these digital avenues as effectively as they could be. The first L2 Digital IQ Index: Public Sector was co-authored by digital think tank L2 and the George Washington University School of Business, and ranked 100 digitally active public-sector groups on how well they are using different technologies to their greatest ability, or how high their digital IQ is. NASA, the White House and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are respectively ranked as having the highest digital IQs. The International Civil Aviation Organization, the Universal Postal Union, and the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America (IIABA) came in last."

    * FCC Announces Open Internet Apps Challenge

    News release: "...the FCC announced a challenge to researchers and software developers to engage in research and create apps that help consumers foster, measure, and protect Internet openness. The Open Internet Challenge is part of the FCC’s efforts to empower end users to help preserve Internet openness. Details of the challenge are posted at openinternet.gov/challenge. “This challenge is about using the open Internet to protect the open Internet,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “Our goal is to foster user-developed applications that shine light on any practice that might be inconsistent with the free and open Internet. Empowering consumers with information about their own connections will promote a vibrant, innovative, world-leading broadband ecosystem.” The Open Internet Challenge seeks to encourage the development of innovative and functional applications that provide users with information about the extent to which their fixed or mobile broadband Internet services are consistent with the open Internet. These software tools could, for example, detect whether a broadband provider is interfering with DNS responses, application packet headers, or content."

  • See also: Linguists vote 'app' as word of the year
  • January 08, 2011
    * CBO: Monthly Budget Review January 2011

    Monthly Budget Review - January 2011 - Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for November and the Daily Treasury Statements for December: "The federal budget deficit was $371 billion in the first quarter of fiscal year 2011, CBO estimates, $18 billion less than the shortfall in the same period of fiscal year 2010. Revenues were 9 percent higher than they were a year ago, whereas outlays were only 3 percent higher. Later this month, CBO will issue new budget projections for fiscal year 2011 and the following 10 years."

  • Related postings on financial system
  • * GAO: DOD's 2010 Comprehensive Inventory Management Improvement Plan

    DOD's 2010 Comprehensive Inventory Management Improvement Plan Addressed Statutory Requirements, But Faces Implementation Challenges, GAO-11-240R, January 07, 2011

  • "The Department of Defense (DOD) spends billions of dollars to purchase, manage, store, track, and deliver spare parts and other supplies needed to keep military equipment ready and operating. Given the need to support ongoing U.S. military operations, DOD reported that it currently manages more than 4 million secondary inventory items valued at more than $91 billion as of September 2009. However, DOD reported that $10.3 billion (11 percent) of its secondary inventory has been designated as excess and categorized for potential reuse or disposal. According to DOD, another $15.2 billion (17 percent) of its secondary inventory exceeds the approved acquisition objective and is being retained because it was determined to be more economical to retain than to dispose of it or it might be needed in the future."
  • * HHS and EPA announce new scientific assessments and actions on fluoride

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today are announcing important steps to ensure that standards and guidelines on fluoride in drinking water continue to provide the maximum protection to the American people to support good dental health, especially in children. HHS is proposing that the recommended level of fluoride in drinking water can be set at the lowest end of the current optimal range to prevent tooth decay, and EPA is initiating review of the maximum amount of fluoride allowed in drinking water. These actions will maximize the health benefits of water fluoridation, an important tool in the prevention of tooth decay while reducing the possibility of children receiving too much fluoride. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named the fluoridation of drinking water one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century."

  • You may view a prepublication version of the proposed recommendation here. Comments regarding the EPA documents, Fluoride: Dose-Response Analysis For Non-cancer Effects and Fluoride: Exposure and Relative Source Contribution Analysis should be sent to EPA at FluorideScience@epa.gov. The documents can be found here.