News release: "Governments responsible for serious human rights violations have over the past year intensified attacks against human rights defenders and organizations that document abuse, Human Rights Watch said in issuing its World Report 2010. The 612-page report, the organization's 20th annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights trends in more than 90 nations and territories worldwide, reflecting the extensive investigative work carried out in 2009 by Human Rights Watch staff. The volume's introductory essay by Executive Director Kenneth Roth argues that the ability of the human rights movement to exert pressure on behalf of victims has grown enormously in recent years, and that this development has spawned a reaction from abusive governments that grew particularly intense in 2009."

February 05, 2010 - Al Qaeda and Affiliates: Historical Perspective, Global Presence, and Implications for U.S. Policy

Membership of the 111th Congress: A Profile. Jennifer E. Manning, Information Research Specialist, February 4, 2010

Metropolitan Transportation Planning, William J. Mallett, Specialist in Transportation Policy, February 3, 2010
"Federal law requires state and local governments to designate a metropolitan planning organization (MPO) in each urbanized area with a population of 50,000 or more to help plan surface transportation infrastructure and services. There are currently 381 MPOs nationwide. Despite some strengthening of their authority over the years, MPOs have generally remained subordinate to state departments of transportation (DOTs) in the planning and selecting (“programming”) of projects using federal surface transportation funds. Moreover, it can be argued that at the metropolitan level MPOs are subordinate to local governments that own and operate many elements of the transportation system, and also control land use planning and zoning."

Women in the United States Congress: 1917-2009. Jennifer E. Manning, Information Research Specialist, Colleen J. Shogan, Senior Specialist in Government and Finance, December 23, 2009.

News release: "A new study developed by TransUnion confirms that the "new" payment hierarchy -- where consumers pay their credit cards prior to their mortgages -- is continuing, with the trend occurring more readily than ever before...The percentage of consumers current on credit cards and delinquent on mortgages first surpassed the percentage of consumers current on their mortgages and delinquent on credit cards in the first quarter of 2008. This "flip" is representative of the change in the conventional wisdom around the payment hierarchy, or which debt obligations consumers would choose to pay first. The latest study, conducted on consumers that had at least one credit card and one mortgage, examined 30-day credit card and mortgage delinquency data between the second quarter of 2008 (Q2/2008) and the third quarter of 2009 (Q3/2009). Although many industry analysts believed that a reversion to the conventional payment hierarchy would ensue once we had passed through the worst of the recession -- that has not, in fact, been the case. To the contrary, this study found that the hierarchy reversal has become even more widespread, with the percentage of consumers who are delinquent on their mortgages and current on their credit cards rising to 6.6 percent in Q3/2009 (from 4.3 percent in Q1/2008). Conversely, the percentage of consumers who are delinquent on their credit cards and current on their mortgages has decreased to 3.6 percent in Q3/2009 (from 4.1 percent in Q1/2008)."

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

News release: "OECD composite leading indicators (CLIs) for December 2009 provide stronger signals of an expansionary economic outlook than last month. CLIs for the G7 economies as well as China, India, Russia and Brazil, are now all close to, or above, their long term trends. In all these countries, industrial production - the underlying reference series for the CLIs - has now reached its trough."

• Link to historical data, graphs and methodological information
  
• FAQs
  
• Glossary of Composite Leading Indicators
  
• OECD Business Cycle Analysis Database
  
• Related postings on financial system

"The Conservation Almanac covers land area conservation activity across the United States. The project grew out of the many requests The Trust for Public Land has received for data to understand the "context" for land conservation and the growing conservation finance movement. {It] is a work in progress with data updated monthly. All states contain data from 1998 to 2005. As of Jan 2010, data for the following states have been updated through 2008: Montana, Oregon, Massachusetts, Florida, and Missouri. Those states also allow users to display data and conservation activity on the interactive map. Users can visualize where conservation investments are being made, how a state's conservation activity compares with other states, and where new policy developments are taking place. For the first time, users can view county-level conservation spending."

Accessing the Reserve Components (RC), Number 1235.12, February 4, 2010: "In accordance with the authority in DoD Directive (DoDD) 5124.02 (Reference (a)) and title 10, United States Code (U.S.C.), (Reference (b)), reissues DoD Instruction (DoDI) 1235.12 (Reference (c)) to establish policy, assign responsibilities, and prescribe procedures for ordering units and individual members of the RC to active duty as an operational force to support the national defense strategy across the full spectrum of military operations, including sustained operational missions, emergent contingency operations, and service during national emergencies or in time of war."

Ballistic Missile Defense Review Report, February 2010

TIME: The Great Recession: Will Construction Workers Survive? By Kevin O'Leary: "The middle and working-classes have been hammered by the Great Recession and no industry has taken it more on the chin than construction. Nationally, unemployment fell to 9.7% in January, but in construction it jumped to 24.7% from 18.7% in October. In many regions, union officials report 30% of their members are unemployed or "riding the bench." "In the previous 14 years, I had not been out of work for more than one week," says Pat O'Connor, 57, a Connecticut carpenter. With no work since July, O'Connor says, "It is a bad dream turning into a nightmare. Is construction dead? It's just horrible right now."

"TRB’s second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2) has released a project brief that summarizes SHRP 2 Renewal project R16, which explored strategies, arrangements, techniques, and processes designed to help facilitate beneficial relationships between railroads and public agencies. The final report of the project includes eight model agreements that can be modified to meet the legal requirements and accepted contracting processes of individual agencies and railroads."

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

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

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

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

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

News release: "The United States and Canada have reached a tentative agreement on government procurement. The agreement is subject to completion of our respective domestic approval processes. This agreement has two major elements. First, it includes permanent and reciprocal commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) with respect to provincial, territorial and state procurement."

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

Monthly Budget Review, February 2010. Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for December and the Daily Treasury Statements for January. CBO Estimates a Federal Budget Deficit of $434 Billion in the First Four Months of Fiscal Year 2010.

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

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

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

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

Information on Reducing Payroll Taxes to Encourage Employment, February 3, 2010. Letter to the Robert P. Casey Jr.

News release: "The global economic recovery that is now underway will slow later this year as the impact of fiscal stimulus wanes. Financial markets remain troubled and private sector demand lags amid high unemployment, according to a new report from the World Bank. Global Economic Prospects 2010 warns that while the worst of the financial crisis may be over, the global recovery is fragile. It predicts that the fallout from the crisis will change the landscape for finance and growth over the next 10 years. Global GDP, which declined by 2.2 percent in 2009, is expected to grow 2.7 percent this year and 3.2 percent in 2011. Prospects for developing countries are for a relatively robust recovery, growing 5.2 percent this year and 5.8 percent in 2011 -- up from 1.2 percent in 2009. GDP in rich countries, which declined by 3.3 percent in 2009, is expected to increase much less quickly - by 1.8 and 2.3 percent in 2010 and 2011. World trade volumes, which fell by a staggering 14.4 percent in 2009, are projected to expand by 4.3 and 6.2 percent this year and in 2011."

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

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

• NASA: Key Management and Program Challenges, GAO-10-387T, February 03, 2010: "The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is in the midst of many changes and one of the most challenging periods in its history. The space shuttle is slated to retire this year, the International Space Station nears completion but remains underutilized, and a new means of human space flight is under development. Most recently, the administration has proposed a new direction for NASA."
• Littoral Combat Ship: Actions Needed to Improve Operating Cost Estimates and Mitigate Risks in Implementing New Concepts, GAO-10-257, February 02, 2010: "The Navy plans to spend about $28 billion to buy 55 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and at least 64 interchangeable mission packages to perform one of three missions--mine countermeasures, antisubmarine warfare, and surface warfare--in waters close to shore. The Navy has been developing two different LCS seaframes and plans to select one for production in 2010. Due to the small 78-person crew size--40 core crew, 23 for aviation detachment, and typically 15 for mission packages--the Navy is developing new concepts for personnel, training, and maintenance."

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

News release, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood: “I want to encourage owners of any recalled Toyota models to contact their local dealer and get their vehicles fixed as soon as possible. NHTSA will continue to hold Toyota’s feet to the fire to make sure that they are doing everything they have promised to make their vehicles safe. We will continue to investigate all possible causes of these safety issues.”

Hunger in America 2010 National Report, Mathematica Policy Research Inc., February 2010.

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

Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Dennis C. Blair, Director of National Intelligence, February 2, 2010

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

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

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute - Cellphone Laws: "A jurisdiction-wide ban on driving while talking on a hand-held cellphone is in place in 7 states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and the District of Columbia. Utah has named the offense careless driving. Under the Utah law, no one commits an offense when speaking on a cellphone unless they are also committing some other moving violation other than speeding."

• table shows the states that have cellphone laws / Map: hand-held bans / Map: young driver bans / Map: bus driver bans / Map: texting bans
  
• See also WSJ: A Safer Way to Text on the Road: "Vlingo essentially allows you to speak anywhere that you can type on your BlackBerry. Once installed, you operate the program by pressing and holding the convenience button on the side of the BlackBerry. This launches the recorder, and you can speak commands or series of commands to open applications, dictate messages, make notes, create calendar entries, update your Facebook status, and any other number of functions. Once you release the button, Vlingo will do whatever you've told it to do."
  
• See also related postings on driving while texting

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

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

Budget of the United States Government - FY11: Contains the budget message of the President, information about the President's budget proposals for a given fiscal year, and other budgetary publications.

• "See the White House FY 2011 Budget website for details about different departments, terminations and reductions, or to learn how the budget will affect your state.
  
• New York Times: Huge Deficits May Alter U.S. Politics and Global Power - "By President Obama’s own optimistic projections, American deficits will not return to what are widely considered sustainable levels over the next 10 years."
  
• WSJ: White House Unveils $3.8 Trillion Budget - includes charts - "Budget Crunching: A look at how the Obama administration is counting on bringing in revenue and spending it in fiscal 2010."
  
• Department Fact Sheets
  
• Fact Sheets on Key Issues
  
• State Fact Sheets
  
• Related postings on financial system

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow up to previous postings on dangers of texting while driving, this news release: "As state legislators across the United States enact laws that ban phoning and/or texting while driving, a new Highway Loss Data Institute study finds no reductions in crashes after hand-held phone bans take effect. Comparing insurance claims for crash damage in 4 US jurisdictions before and after such bans, the researchers find steady claim rates compared with nearby jurisdictions without such bans. The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) is an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety."

• Full HLDI report: Hand-held cellphone laws and collision claims frequencies
  
• Do Bans on Driver Cellphone Use make Safer Drivers?: presented by Adrian Lund, Institute president, January 29, 2010

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

"In a report released on January 28, 2010, Green Investing 2010: Policy Mechanisms to Bridge the Financing Gap, the World Economic Forum revealed that investment in clean energy has held up better than expected during the financial crisis and resulting recession, but a considerable gap still exists between current levels of investment and what is needed to begin reducing the world's carbon emissions. The report's authors, Anuradha Gurung and Max von Bismarck from the World Economic Forum, and Chris Greenwood and Michael Liebreich from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, state that "as a result of the continued financing gap, there is an urgent need for policy-makers around the world to implement measures at the regional, national and sub-national level, which will encourage investment in clean energy technology and projects. With this in mind, the report provides policy-makers with a toolkit consisting of 35 different policy mechanisms, which can be used to promote various clean energy sectors. The mechanisms can be chosen based on stage of technological development – R&D/proof of concept, demonstration and scale-up, commercial roll-out, diffusion and maturity – and also on stage of economic development."

News release: Arab States define key ICT development priorities Broadband, digital broadcasting, open source software, Arab digital content and cybersecurity are main objectives. "The Arab States Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) World Telecommunication Development Conference 2010 (WTDC-10) concluded on Tuesday, 19 January in Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic, with delegates reaching consensus on regional strategies to foster the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs)."

• Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009: Arab States - "Over the past decade, the Arab States region has made significant progress when it comes to ICT access and use. In the mobile market, a number of national operators have expanded their services to customers across and beyond the region. Mobile telephony has grown at an annual rate of 55 per cent, reaching a penetration level of 63 per cent at the end of 2008. There are now 16 Internet users per 100 inhabitants, compared to only 4 in 2003. Nevertheless, compared to other regions, Internet usage, and particular broadband access, is still rather limited and out of the reach of most people in the region, in particular those living in rural areas."
  
• See also Presentation, Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009 Arab States, Damascus, Syria, 17-19 January 2010

Psychology and Global Climate Change Addressing a Multi-faceted Phenomenon and Set of Challenges - Report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change: "The task force’s report reviews a wide range of research and practice relevant to climate change, including work in environmental and conservation psychology, studies of human responses to natural and technological disasters, efforts to encourage environmentally responsible behavior, and research on the psychosocial impacts of climate change."

News release: "Iceland (1) has claimed the top spot of the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index 2009 from Norway (3) which slipped to third position behind Finland (2). Sweden (4) completed the Nordic countries’ continued dominance of the top four. The report’s Index assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities. South Africa and Lesotho made great strides in closing their gender gaps to enter the top 10, at sixth and 10th position respectively. The Philippines (9) lost ground for the first time in four years but remains the leading Asian country in the rankings."

News release: "Expect 'tough regulation' from the Obama Administration on financial services this spring, as well as an energy package. Addressing participants in a session on “The US Legislative Agenda: A Global Perspective” at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2010, US congressmen and senators confirmed that despite bipartisan differences, there is agreement that financial regulation is imperative."

New York Times: "The nation’s main counterterrorism center is creating new teams of specialists to pursue clues of emerging terrorist plots as part of a rapid buildup that will sharply increase its analyst corps, perhaps by hundreds of people over the next year, intelligence officials said [on January 29, 2010].

"EPIC submitted comments to the FTC prior to the agency’s second privacy roundtable. EPIC warned of the ongoing privacy risks associated with cloud computing and social networking privacy, highlighting the Google cloud computing complaint and Facebook privacy complaint filed by EPIC in 2009. The comments note that the FTC has failed to take any meaningful action with respect to either complaint, demonstrating the Commission's “lack of leadership and technical expertise.” EPIC's comments also draw attention to the success of international privacy initiatives, in hopes of encouraging the FTC to take meaningful action to protect American consumers."

WSJ: "Seven years after the U.S. launched its widely hailed program to fight AIDS in the developing world, the battle is reaching a critical turning point. The growth in U.S. funding, which underwrites nearly half the world's AIDS relief, has slowed dramatically. At the same time, the number of people requiring treatment has skyrocketed...Some 33. 4 million people worldwide have HIV, and under new guidelines by the World Health Organization, the number eligible for treatment has grown to 14 million, dwarfing the 4 million in treatment currently. Another 2.7 million people become infected each year. Those who don't die first will eventually need to take antiretroviral drugs, a mixture of medications that helps the body suppress the disease and must be taken every day for life. The therapy, which doesn't cure AIDS but allows people with HIV to live normal lives, means the number of people who need drugs will continue to grow."

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

The U.S. Postal Service’s Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress, by Kevin R. Kosar, Analyst in American National Government, January 19, 2010

News release: "Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending December 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Both components of compensation--wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation) and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation)--increased the same amount, 0.5 percent.

• Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 1.5 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2009. This
  was smaller than the 2.6 percent increase for the 12-month period ending in December 2008. Wages and salaries also increased 1.5 percent for the current 12-month period, slowing from a 2.7 percent increase for the 12-month period ending in December 2008. Benefit costs rose 1.5 percent, compared with a 2.2 percent increase for the 12-month period ending December 2008.
  
• Private Industry Worker Data - Compensation costs increased 1.2 percent, the same as last quarter’s 12-month percent increase. These are the smallest percent changes published since the series began in 1979. The wage and salary series increased 1.4 percent for the current 12-month period, the same as the September 2009 12-month percent increase. These are also the smallest published percent changes since the series began in 1975. The cost of benefits increased 1.0 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2009. This is the smallest published percent change since the series began in 1979. In September 2009, benefits increased 1.1 percent. Employer costs for health benefits increased 4.4 percent for the 12-month period ending December 2009. In December 2008, the 12-month percent change was 3.5 percent."

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

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

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is aware that pregnant women, parents of young children, and others may have questions about the safety of thimerosal in vaccines against 2009 H1N1 flu. Here is some information to help you in making decisions."

News release: "Former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and former Senator Jim Talent (R-MO), chair and vice chair of the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, today released a report card indicating that the U.S. government is not taking the necessary steps to protect the country from the threats posed by WMD and terrorism. Of 17 grades, the report card includes three failing “F” grades on rapid and effective response to bioterrorism; Congressional oversight of homeland security and intelligence; and national security workforce recruitment. Fortunately, all three grades could be substantially improved by committed leadership in Congress and the Administration."

Russian Nuclear Forces 2010: "The latest overview of Russia’s nuclear forces produced by Robert Norris from NRDC and Hans M. Kristensen is now available on the website of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. We estimate that Russia currently (January 2010) deploys approximately 4,600 nuclear weapons, down from roughly 4,800 a year ago. The arsenal includes some 2,600 strategic warheads and about 2,000 warheads for nonstrategic forces. Another 7,300 weapons are thought to be in reserve or awaiting dismantlement for a total inventory of approximately 12,000 nuclear warheads. We estimate the weapons are stored at 48 permanent storage sites."

News release: "U.S. productivity weathered the recession well, growing 2.5 percent (in per hour terms) in 2009, The Conference Board reported..This blip in the prevailing downward trend in U.S. productivity was largely explained by dramatically reduced working hours that offset output decline (employment fell by 3.6 percent in 2009; hours worked per worker by 1.5 percent.) U.S. productivity growth is projected at 3 percent for 2010. European productivity growth turned negative in 2009, falling far behind the United States. Output per hour fell 1 percent in the Euro Area."

Follow up to previous postings on dangers of texting while driving, this news release: "U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced federal guidance to expressly prohibit texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses. The prohibition is effective immediately and is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Department to combat distracted driving since the Secretary convened a national summit on the issue last September."

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

Terrorist Attacks on Commercial Airlines: Federal Criminal Prohibitions. Charles Doyle, Senior Specialist in American Public Law, January 22, 2010

An Analysis of the Roadmap for America’s Future Act of 2010, as Specified by Congressman Ryan’s Staff, January 27, 2010

CRS: Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder, updated January 7, 2010

Follow up to January 25, 2010 posting, Work of Special IG For TARP Draws Increasing Attention, read Mr. Barofky's testimony today before the House Oversight Committee on The Federal Bailout Of AIG.

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

The Financial Crisis: Reform and Exit Strategies: "The financial crisis left major banks crippled by toxic assets and short of capital, while lenders became less willing to finance business and private projects. The immediate and potential impacts on the banking system and the real economy lead governments to intervene massively. These interventions helped to avoid systemic collapse and stabilise the global financial system. This book analyses the steps policy makers now have to take to devise exit strategies from bailout programmes and emergency measures. The agenda includes reform of financial governance to ensure a healthier balance between risk and reward, and restoring public confidence in financial markets. The challenges are enormous, but if governments fail to meet them, their exit strategies could lead to the next crisis."

Corn Ethanol and Wildlife - How increases in corn plantings are affecting habitat and wildlife in the Prairie Pothole Region, 01-13-2010. Rebecca Brooke, Gregory Fogel, Aviva Glaser, Elizabeth Griffin and Kristen Johnson.

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

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

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

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

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

Institute of Medicine: "Data suggest that exposure to secondhand smoke can result in heart disease in nonsmoking adults. Recently, progress has been made in reducing involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke through legislation banning smoking in workplaces, restaurants, and other public places. The effect of legislation to ban smoking and its effects on the cardiovascular health of nonsmoking adults, however, remains a question. Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects reviews available scientific literature to assess the relationship between secondhand smoke exposure and acute coronary events. The authors, experts in secondhand smoke exposure and toxicology, clinical cardiology, epidemiology, and statistics, find that there is about a 25 to 30 percent increase in the risk of coronary heart disease from exposure to secondhand smoke. Their findings agree with the 2006 Surgeon General's Report conclusion that there are increased risks of coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality among men and women exposed to secondhand smoke."

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

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

• Defense Infrastructure: DOD Needs to Take Actions to Address Challenges in Meeting Federal Renewable Energy Goals, GAO-10-104, December 18, 2009
• Emergency Preparedness: State Efforts to Plan for Medical Surge Could Benefit from Shared Guidance for Allocating Scarce Medical Resources, GAO-10-381T, January 25, 2010

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

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

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

DHS OIG-10-34 - Cargo Targeting and Examinations, January 2010.

CRS - Federal Employees: Pay and Pension Increases Since 1969, Patrick Purcell, Specialist in Income Security, January 20, 2010

CRS - Displacing Coal with Generation from Existing Natural Gas-Fired Power Plants, Stan Mark Kaplan, Specialist in Energy and Environmental Policy, January 19, 2010

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

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

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

January 15, 2010 - The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)--Responsibilities and Potential Congressional Concerns

National Corrections Reporting Program, Thomas P. Bonczar, January 21, 2010

CBO's Analysis of Scenarios for Funding the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Letter to John M. Spratt Jr., January 21, 2010

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

The Long-Term Outlook for the U.S. Navy's Fleet, Statement of Eric J. Labs, Senior Analyst for Naval Forces and Weapons The Long-Term Outlook for the U.S. Navy’s Fleet before the Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, January 20, 2010

News release: "[January 21, 2010] the Interior Department’s Inspector General office released a report concluding that the last known wild jaguar in the United States, dubbed “Macho B,” who was captured and killed last year in Arizona, had been intentionally caught by employees of the Arizona Game and Fish Department in a snare. This directly contradicts statements by the department at the time and implies criminal behavior. The government’s investigative report also found that the Arizona Game and Fish Department did not have a permit allowing it to purposefully capture a jaguar, which is a federally protected endangered species, nor a permit allowing it to incidentally capture a jaguar while conducting other activities. The state agency had said the jaguar was accidentally caught in a snare set for black bears and mountain lions."

News release: "The global ocean surface temperature was the second warmest on record for December, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. Based on records going back to 1880, the monthly NCDC analysis is part of the suite of climate services NOAA provides. Scientists also reported the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the eighth warmest on record for December. For 2009, global temperatures tied with 2006 as the fifth-warmest on record. Also, the earth’s land surface for 2009 was seventh-warmest (tied with 2003) and the ocean surface was fourth-warmest (tied with 2002 and 2004.)"

News release: "In 2009, the union membership rate--the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of a union--was 12.3 percent, essentially unchanged from 12.4 percent a year earlier, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions declined by 771,000 to 15.3 million, largely reflecting the overall drop in employment due to the recession. In 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 17.7 million union workers."

News release: "Regional and state unemployment rates were generally higher in December. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, four states registered rate decreases, and three states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the year, jobless rates increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The national unemployment rate was unchanged in December at 10.0 percent but was 2.6 percentage points higher than a year earlier...The West had the highest regional jobless rate in December, 10.7 percent. The Northeast recorded the lowest rate, 9.2 percent. The Northeast had a statistically significant rate increase over the month (+0.5 percentage point). The South had the only other significant regional rate change (+0.3 percentage point). Over the year, all four regions registered significant rate increases, the largest of which was in the West (+3.3 percentage points)."

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Review of NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Programs and Operations, Final Report No. OIG-19887, January 2010, Office of Investigations.

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

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

• Summary of GAO's Performance and Financial Information Fiscal Year 2009, GAO-10-235SP, January 21, 2010
• Financial Management: Improvements Needed in National Flood Insurance Program's Financial Controls and Oversight, GAO-10-66, December 22, 2009
• Defense Acquisitions: Managing Risk to Achieve Better Outcomes, GAO-10-374T, January 20, 2010

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

Afghanistan and Pakistan Regional Stabilization Strategy, Office of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan January 2010.

A Review of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Use of Exigent Letters and Other Informal Requests for Telephone Records, January 2010, Unclassified, Redacted.

Producer Price Index, January 20, 2010: "The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods moved up 0.2 percent in December, seasonally adjusted. This rise followed a 1.8-percent advance in November and a 0.3-percent increase in October. The index for finished goods less foods and energy was unchanged."

News release: "U.S. productivity weathered the recession well, growing 2.5 percent (in per hour terms) in 2009, The Conference Board reported today. This blip in the prevailing downward trend in U.S. productivity was largely explained by dramatically reduced working hours that offset output decline (employment fell by 3.6 percent in 2009; hours worked per worker by 1.5 percent.) U.S. productivity growth is projected at 3 percent for 2010. European productivity growth turned negative in 2009, falling far behind the United States. Output per hour fell 1 percent in the Euro Area.

News release: "Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released the Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (EWITS). This unprecedented two-and-a-half year technical study of future high-penetration wind scenarios was designed to analyze the economic, operational, and technical implications of shifting 20 percent or more of the Eastern Interconnection’s electrical load to wind energy by the year 2024."

UN Permanent Forum Origin and Development Report: State of the World's Indigenous Peoples, January 2010.

News release: "The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for the U.K. increased by 0.9 percent in November to 98.6 (2004 = 100), following gains of 1.1 percent in October and 1.0 percent in September. All seven components made positive contributions to the index.

News release: "U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will invest $12 million in total funding ($10 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) to support the development of early stage solar energy technologies. The Photovoltaic (PV) Incubator Program partners NREL with companies that have developed new solar cell technologies to help move the technologies to commercial scale manufacturing. Over the long-term, these companies could support new domestic high-tech manufacturing jobs."

• Medicaid and CHIP: Enrollment, Benefits, Expenditures, and Other Characteristics of State Premium Assistance Programs, GAO-10-258R, January 19, 2010
• Status of the Small Business Administration's Implementation of Administrative Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, GAO-10-298R, January 19, 2010
• Information Sharing: Federal Agencies Are Sharing Border and Terrorism Information with Local and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies, but Additional Efforts Are Needed, GAO-10-41, December 18, 2009
• Rural Water Infrastructure: Improved Coordination and Funding Processes Could Enhance Federal Efforts to Meet Needs in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region, GAO-10-126, December 18, 2009
• FCC Management: Improvements Needed in Communication, Decision-Making Processes, and Workforce Planning, GAO-10-79, December 17, 2009
• Medicare Advantage: CMS Assists Beneficiaries Affected by Inappropriate Marketing but Has Limited Data on Scope of Issue, GAO-10-36, December 17, 2009
• Results-Oriented Cultures: Office of Personnel Management Should Review Administrative Law Judge Program to Improve Hiring and Performance Management, GAO-10-14, January 15, 2010

The Internet's Impact on Public Health Planning: "Susannah Fox provides data on the current internet population, with a particular focus on health communication, wireless adoption, social media, and implications for public health planning."

News release: "A new joint report from the National Research Council and the National Academy of Public Administration, Choosing the Nation's Fiscal Future, offers U.S. leaders ways to address the nation's fiscal problems and confront its rapidly growing debt -- a burden that if unchecked will inevitably limit the nation's future wealth and risk a disruptive fiscal crisis that could lead to a severe recession. The report offers tax and spending options that would stabilize the debt relative to the size of the economy within a decade. The report also provides a set of simple tests to determine whether any proposed federal budget would lead to long-term fiscal stability. Delaying action for even five or 10 years will make addressing the problem more painful and costly, requiring even higher taxes or greater spending cuts, the report notes. Delay also raises the risk that the nation's creditors – especially foreign governments – will conclude that the U.S. has no plan to restore fiscal stability and will require higher interest rates or make other economic demands."

"Technological innovations are key causal agents of surprise and disruption. In the recent past, the United States military has encountered unexpected challenges in the battlefield due in part to the adversary's incorporation of technologies not traditionally associated with weaponry. Recognizing the need to broaden the scope of current technology forecasting efforts, the Office of the Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) tasked the Committee for Forecasting Future Disruptive Technologies with providing guidance and insight on how to build a persistent forecasting system to predict, analyze, and reduce the impact of the most dramatically disruptive technologies. The first of two reports, this volume analyzes existing forecasting methods and processes. It then outlines the necessary characteristics of a comprehensive forecasting system that integrates data from diverse sources to identify potentially game-changing technological innovations and facilitates informed decision making by policymakers. The committee's goal was to help the reader understand current forecasting methodologies, the nature of disruptive technologies and the characteristics of a persistent forecasting system for disruptive technology. Persistent Forecasting of Disruptive Technologies is a useful text for the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, the Intelligence community and other defense agencies across the nation."

Global Risks 2010 - A Global Risk Network Report. A World Economic Forum Report in collaboration with Citi, Marsh & McLennan Companies (MMC), Swiss Re, Wharton School Risk Center, Zurich Financial Services. January 2010.

Downcast Unemployment Forecast—Targeted Job Creation Policies Necessary to Offset Grim Projections, By Kai Filion, January 14, 2010, Economic Policy Institute Issue Brief #270

"Last week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed new legislation that would impose stricter air-quality standards for ground-level ozone concentrations. If implemented, counties and states would have up to 20 years to comply with the new regulations, which would work in tandem with other regulations, such as those on vehicle fuel economy, to reduce health risks and curb greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming trends. Ozone, a key component of smog, is known to cause lung damage, and in 2008 at the request of the EPA, the National Research Council studied the link between ozone and premature death. The resulting report, Estimating Mortality Risk Reduction and Economic Benefits from Controlling Air Pollution, indeed found sufficient evidence that even short-term exposure to ozone can cause increased risk of mortality. Another National Research Council report, Air Quality Management in the United States, recommended that EPA use an approach to target groups of pollutants instead of individual ones and that revised or new regulations also should consider how air pollution travels from state to state and across international borders."

World Health Organization: "Strong coordination of health services and supplies is needed to effectively treat thousands of people injured in the 12 January earthquake. WHO is sending medicines and supplies to treat 165 000 people for one month, plus drugs and equipment to treat 1000 people with trauma injuries. Water pumps, containers and water quality testers are being sent to help meet water demands."

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

OECD Economic Survey of Switzerland 2009

Effectiveness of Weight Management Interventions in Children - A Targeted Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [USPSTF]. This article was first published in Pediatrics in January 2010 (Pediatrics 2010;125:e396-e418.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Address: President Obama Vows to "Collect Every Dime" of Taxpayer Funds that Helped Big Banks: "In this week’s address, President Barack Obama proposed a fee on major financial firms to recoup – on behalf of American taxpayers - the $700 billion paid out in TARP, saying “we want the taxpayers’ money back, and we’re going to collect every dime.” The President’s proposal will only affect the largest financial institutions with the most debt, so it will not only help recover the TARP funds and reduce the deficit, but also crack down on some of the banking practices that led to the financial crisis."

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

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

Obama’s War Over Terror: "Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first president to take office in the Age of Terrorism. He inherited two struggles — one with Al Qaeda and its ideological allies, and another that divides his own country over issues like torture, prosecutions, security and what it means to be an American. The first has proved to be complicated and daunting. The second makes the first look easy."

Follow up to previous postings on toxicological impact of Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure, this FDA Update on Bisphenol A for Use in Food Contact Applications: January 2010

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

The Individual Alternative Minimum Tax, Economic and Budget Issue Brief, January 15, 2010

CBO - Unauthorized Appropriations and Expiring Authorizations
January 2010

• Appropriations Version
  
• House Version
  
• Senate Version

European Economy Sustainability report 2009

News release: "The shooting spree allegedly perpetrated by a self-radicalized soldier of Muslim faith has revealed shortcomings in the Defense Department’s ability to counter dangerous outside influences on the military, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. Gates disclosed this and several other key findings of a broad review he ordered after Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan allegedly killed 13 people in a Nov. 5 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. The conclusions of this preliminary assessment are due out later today. “The review concluded that [Defense Department] force-protection programs are not properly focused on internal threats such as workplace violence and self-radicalization,” Gates told Pentagon reporters. “The problem is compounded in the absence of a clear understanding of what motivates a person to become radicalized and commit violent acts.”

• Report - Protecting the Force: Lessons From Fort Hood
  
• Special Report: Tragedy at Fort Hood

Consumer Price Index - December 2009: On a seasonally adjusted basis, the December Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment. The seasonally adjusted increase in the all items index was broad based, with the indexes for food, energy, and all items less food and energy all posting modest increases. Within the latter group, a sharp rise in the index for used cars and trucks was the largest contributor to the 0.1 percent increase, while the indexes for airline fares, apparel, and lodging away from home rose as well. In contrast, the indexes for rent and owners' equivalent rent were unchanged and the index for new vehicles declined."

News release: "Today, the President announced his intention to propose a Financial Crisis Responsibility Fee that would require the largest and most highly levered Wall Street firms to pay back taxpayers for the extraordinary assistance provided so that the TARP program does not add to the deficit.

• Briefing on Commercial and Department of Defense Space System Requirements and Acquisition Practices, GAO-10-315R, January 14, 2010
• Department of Energy: Actions Needed to Develop High-Quality Cost Estimates for Construction and Environmental Cleanup Projects, GAO-10-199, January 14, 2010
• Tax Gap: Actions Needed to Address Noncompliance with S Corporation Tax Rules, GAO-10-195, December 15, 2009

Policies for Increasing Economic Growth and Employment in 2010 and 2011 - January 2010

First Public Hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Day 2, January 14, 2010. Panel 1: Current Investigations into the Financial Crisis — Federal Officials. Panel 2: Current Investigations into the Financial Crisis — State and Local Officials.

CBO's Budgetary Treatment of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, January 2010 - Background Paper

News release: "Individuals who ride public transportation can save on average $9,242 annually based on the January 11, 2010 national average gas price and the national unreserved monthly parking rate. Compared to last year at this time, the average cost per gallon of gas was $1.79 which is nearly $1 less than the current price of gas at $2.75 per gallon. This increase in cost equates to an additional $600 in savings per year for transit commuters as compared to last year’s savings amount at this same time. “The Transit Savings Report” released monthly by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) calculates the average annual and monthly savings for public transit users. The report examines how an individual in a two-person household can save money by taking public transportation and living with one less car."

News release: "The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday approved a final rule amending Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) to protect consumers who use credit cards from a number of costly practices. Credit card issuers must comply with most aspects of the rule beginning on February 22. "This rule marks an important milestone in the Federal Reserve's efforts to ensure that consumers who rely on credit cards are treated fairly," said Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth A. Duke. "The rule bans several harmful practices and requires greater transparency in the disclosure of the terms and conditions of credit card accounts."
The notices that will be published in the Federal Register are as follows.

• Federal Register notice--Regulation Z, Final Rule
  
• Federal Register notice--Regulation Z, Final Rule 2
  
• Federal Register notice--Regulation AA, Final Rule
  
• Technical Specifications Document

News release: " The Justice Department today announced separate agreements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Pace University in New York City and Reed College in Portland, Ore., regarding the use in a classroom setting of the electronic book reader, the Kindle DX, a hand-held technological device that simulates the experience of reading a book. Under the agreements reached today, the universities generally will not purchase, recommend or promote use of the Kindle DX, or any other dedicated electronic book reader, unless the devices are fully accessible to students who are blind and have low vision. The universities agree that if they use dedicated electronic book readers, they will ensure that students with vision disabilities are able to access and acquire the same materials and information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as sighted students with substantially equivalent ease of use. The agreements that the Justice Department reached with these universities extend beyond the Kindle DX to any dedicated electronic reading device."

"In the wake of the most significant financial crisis since the Great Depression, the President signed into law on May 20, 2009, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, creating the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. The Commission was established to "examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States." The 10 members of the bi-partisan Commission, prominent private citizens with significant experience in banking, market regulation, taxation, finance, economics, housing, and consumer protection, were appointed by Congress on July 15, 2009. The Chair, Phil Angelides, and Vice Chair, Bill Thomas, were selected jointly by the House and Senate Majority and Minority Leadership."

• First Public Hearing of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, Day 1, January 13, 2010. Links to PDF copies of witness statements.
  
• Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission Selected Financial Market & Economic Data, January 13, 2010
  
• WSJ: Panel Rips Wall Street Titans
  
• Related postings on financial system

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

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

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

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

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

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

National League of Cities - Research Brief on America's Cities, December 2009: "While the nation’s economy may be approaching the late stages of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, local government budget tightening and spending cuts over the next several years could well impose a significant drag on the nation’s economic recovery. Cities face layoffs, canceled contracts with small businesses and vendors, reduced services and sizable budget shortfalls for 2009 that are expected to grow much more severe and widespread from 2010 to 2012.1 With the pace of recovery still sluggish, the consequences of the recession will be playing out in America’s cities and towns, on Main Street and in the lives of families for years to come. This report provides projections about municipal budget shortfalls over the next three years and reviews city leaders’ responses to those conditions."

Executive Order will Strengthen Further Partnership Between the Federal and State and Local Governments to Better Protect Our Nation: "The President [on January 11, 2010] signed an Executive Order establishing a Council of Governors to strengthen further the partnership between the Federal Government and State Governments to protect our Nation against all types of hazards. When appointed, the Council will be reviewing such matters as involving the National Guard of the various States; homeland defense; civil support; synchronization and integration of State and Federal military activities in the United States; and other matters of mutual interest pertaining to National Guard, homeland defense, and civil support activities. The bipartisan Council will be composed of ten State Governors who will be selected by the President to serve two year terms. In selecting the Governors to the Council, the White House will solicit input from Governors and Governors’ associations. Once chosen, the Council will have no more than five members from the same party and represent the Nation as a whole."

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

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

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

News release: "In a far-reaching reversal of Bush administration policy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that it will designate critical habitat for endangered jaguars in the United States and develop a jaguar recovery plan. The Fish and Wildlife Service will propose specific areas for critical habitat designation in January 2011, according to a Federal Register announcement made public today."

UK Office for National Statistics: "The UK’s deficit on trade in goods and services was £2.9 billion in November, compared with a revised deficit of £3.1 billion in October (originally published as a deficit of £3.2 billion). The surplus on trade in services was £3.9 billion in November, unchanged compared with October. The deficit on trade in goods was £6.8 billion in November, compared with a revised deficit of £7.0 billion in October (originally published as a deficit of £7.1 billion). Exports were broadly unchanged, but imports fell by £0.2 billion. The deficit with EU countries widened to £3.8 billion in November, compared with a deficit of £3.5 billion in October. Exports rose by £0.1 billion and imports rose by £0.3 billion. The deficit with non-EU countries narrowed to £3.0 billion in November, compared with a deficit of £3.5 billion in October. Exports fell by £0.1 billion and imports fell by £0.6 billion. There was a fall in imports of consumer goods other than cars."

"As the United States slowly pulls free from a deep recession, a groundbreaking new study concludes that comprehensive immigration reform would provide just the type of boost our economy needs. The Center for American Progress and Immigration Policy Center released a joint report, Raising the Floor for American Workers: The Economic Benefits of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which shows that legalizing the roughly 12 million undocumented immigrants through comprehensive immigration reform as well as making future flows more flexible would grow the economy by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. The stark number cuts into the credibility of claims by immigration restrictionists that immigration reform during an economic recession is implausible. According to research by Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, founding director of the North American Integration and Development Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, creating a legalization process for unauthorized workers would, in the long term (10 years) yield $1.5 trillion to the U.S. gross domestic product, and in the short term (three years) generate $4.5 to $5.4 billion in additional tax revenue and consumer spending sufficient to support 750,000 to 900,000 jobs."

News release: "The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today to establish water-quality criteria for numerous endocrine-disrupting chemicals under the Clean Water Act, the first step in regulating and eliminating persistent and widespread chemicals that damage reproductive functions in wildlife and humans...Endocrine disruptors persist throughout our nation’s waters and are having profound effects on fish, wildlife, and humans. Endocrine disruptors can enter waterways via wastewater effluent and urban and agricultural runoff. Ingested drugs are excreted in varying metabolized amounts (primarily in urine and feces), and then municipal sewage treatment plants return these endocrine disruptors to our waterways as treated wastewater effluent. Endocrine disruptors can come from aquaculture, spray-drift from agriculture, livestock waste runoff from confined animal feeding operations, medicated pet excreta, or can leach from municipal landfills and septic systems."

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

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

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

Securities and Exchange Commission Litigation Release No. 21371 / January 11, 2010 - Securities and Exchange Commission v. Bank of America Corporation, Civil Action No. 09-6829 (JSR) (S.D.N.Y.): "The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it seeks to charge Bank of America with failing to disclose extraordinary financial losses at Merrill Lynch prior to a shareholder vote to approve a merger between the two companies. The SEC has asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for permission to amend its pending complaint against Bank of America to include the new charges. The agency earlier charged the bank with misleading investors about billions of dollars in bonuses that were being paid to Merrill executives. That complaint was amended in October to add a charge for Bank of America's failure to comply with certain affirmative disclosure obligations under the federal proxy rules."

Estimated Premiums for "Bronze" Coverage Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Letter to the Honorable Olympia Snowe, January 11, 2010

News release: "In the letter, Cuomo seeks detailed information regarding bonus allocations from eight of the nation’s largest financial institutions: Bank of America; Bank of New York Mellon; Citigroup; Goldman Sachs; J.P. Morgan Chase; Morgan Stanley; State Street; Wells Fargo."

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

News release: "OECD composite leading indicators (CLIs) for November 2009 provide stronger signals of recovery than in last month's assessment. Troughs in the underlying reference series - the index of industrial production - for all major seven countries, except Canada and the United Kingdom, are also visible, and the CLIs for all major seven countries have moved above their long-term trend, implying an expansionary outlook relative to trend (see also interpreting OECD CLIs). The outlook for major non member economies also continues to point to a recovery. etc."

• Download the entire news release
  
• Link to historical data, graphs and methodological information
  
• FAQs
  
• Glossary of Composite Leading Indicators
  
• OECD Business Cycle Analysis Database
  
• Related postings on financial system

Food Stamps, and Nothing Else - Food stamp programs in 30 states and the District of Columbia provided data on the number of recipients who had no other cash income in 2007 and 2009. These numbers reflect not only the economic conditions in various states, but also the extent to which food stamp recipients qualify for other safety net programs, such as welfare or unemployment compensation. Related Article - Living on Nothing but Food Stamps.

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

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

Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, Report on the Situation of Economic and Social Rights in Afghanistan - IV Qaws 1388 (November/December 2009)

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

MarketWatch: "New data this week showed China continued its ascent into economic superpower status, rising above Germany as the world's top exporter and overtaking the U.S. in domestic auto sales, according to reports. China exported $957 billion worth of goods in the first 10 months of 2009 compared with $917 billion by Germany, according a report Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal, which cited data compiled by the Geneva-based Global Trade Information Services. China's blaze to the top of the rankings can be traced to the global financial crisis, which cut more deeply into higher-value shipments that are a hallmark of Germany's economy, the report said. China also benefited by locking its currency to the sinking U.S. dollar, helping its exports to remain competitive on price, and by serving as a producer of many low-cost, recession-proof, it said."

WSJ: "The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission will require top bankers and regulators to testify under oath in the coming week when its first public hearings get under way, the panel's chairman and vice chairman said Friday. Chairman Phil Angelides, a Democrat, and Vice Chairman Bill Thomas, a Republican, said in an interview that the commission also plans to call Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to testify under oath in the months ahead...The panel, established by Congress last year, got off to a slow start due to the complications of hiring staff and opening an office. But looming hearings show the panel is shifting into action and beginning to make its weight felt among banks and regulators. But its focus isn't going to be on influencing legislation to overhaul financial-sector regulations, which has been moving through Congress as some lawmakers had envisioned. Instead, the committee is settling into the task of developing a detailed investigative report -- due in December -- on the causes of the financial crisis."

• Related postings on financial system
  
• See also NYT Op-Ed by Frank Rich - The Other Plot to Wreck America
  
• NYT - Banks Prepare for Bigger Bonuses, and Public’s Wrath

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

Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09, Allen J. Beck, Paul Guerino, Paige M. Harrison. January 7, 2009

News release: "Concluding a case that drew the largest civil penalty ever imposed on a debt collection business, the Federal Trade Commission settled with the two remaining individual defendants who allegedly misled, threatened, and harassed consumers; disclosed their debts to third parties; and deposited postdated checks early, in violation of federal law. The settlement order requires each of these senior managers to pay a civil penalty and bars them from future violations...According to the FTC’s complaint, filed by the Department of Justice on the FTC’s behalf, the defendants participated in, or controlled, the actions of debt collectors whose unlawful practices included false or deceptive threats of garnishment, arrest, and legal action; improper calls to consumers; frequent, harassing, threatening, and abusive calls; and unfair and unauthorized withdrawals from consumers’ bank accounts. The complaint also alleged that the defendants failed to adequately investigate consumer complaints or discipline collectors, and collectors who were terminated for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) often were rehired within a few months."

News release: "Nonfarm payroll employment edged down (-85,000) in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 10.0 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment fell in construction, manufacturing, and wholesale trade, while temporary help services and health care added jobs. In December, both the number of unemployed persons, at 15.3 million, and the unemployment rate, at 10.0 percent, were unchanged. At the start of the recession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons was 7.7 million, and the unemployment rate was 5.0 percent."

• WSJ - Report Raises Pressure on Obama to Focus on Jobs
  
• Related postings on financial system

News release: "The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) released an advisory today reminding institutions of supervisory expectations for sound practices to manage interest rate risk (IRR). This advisory, adopted by each of the financial regulators [1], reiterates the importance of effective corporate governance, policies and procedures, risk measuring and monitoring systems, stress testing, and internal controls related to the IRR exposures of depository institutions. It also clarifies elements of existing guidance and describes some IRR management techniques used by effective risk managers."

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

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

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

CRS: International Terrorism and Transnational Crime: Security Threats, U.S. Policy, and Considerations for Congress, January 5, 2010.

CRS Report - Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, December 30, 2009

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

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

WSJ: "Violent crime in Los Angeles hit its lowest level in more than half a century last year, one of a growing number of U.S. cities reporting its streets were remarkably safe in 2009. Washington, D.C., finished the year with 143 killings, the lowest tally in the nation's capital since 1966. San Francisco reported 45 homicides last year, its lowest in 48 years. New York, Chicago, Boston and Dallas also reported dramatic year-over-year declines in 2009 compared with 2008."

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

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

"The UK Border Agency is responsible for delivering the e-Borders programme, and we are doing so with the support of the police and HM Revenue & Customs. We are working closely with the travel industries, whose support is crucial to the programme's success. Information will be gathered on all travellers, passengers and crew entering or leaving the country by air, sea or rail. It will allow us to identify passengers who are a potential risk and alert the relevant authorities."

"Some Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for Extra Help to pay for the costs—monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescription co-payments—related to a Medicare prescription drug plan. The Extra Help is estimated to be worth an average of $3,900 per year. To qualify for the Extra Help, a person must be on Medicare, have limited income and resources, and reside in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia."

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

Health Spending Growth At A Historic Low In 2008: "In 2008, U.S. health care spending growth slowed to 4.4 percent—the slowest rate of growth over the past forty-eight years. The deceleration was broadly based for nearly all payers and health care goods and services, as growth in both price and nonprice factors slowed amid the recession. Despite the slowdown, national health spending reached $2.3 trillion, or $7,681 per person, and the health care portion of gross domestic product (GDP) grew from 15.9 percent in 2007 to 16.2 percent in 2008. These developments reflect the general pattern that larger increases in the health spending share of GDP generally occur during or just after periods of economic recession. Despite the overall slowdown in national health spending growth, increases in this spending continue to outpace growth in the resources available to pay for it.."

Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, see Presidential Report on Radiation Protection Advice: Screening of Humans for Security Purposes Using Ionizing Radiation Scanning Systems - A Report Prepared by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements: "This Presidential Report from the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) presents radiation protection advice concerning ionizing radiation-producing devices that are being evaluated for various uses in screening of humans for the purpose of security. Chief among the devices being evaluated at the present time are scanning systems that utilize x rays. This report addresses systems utilizing ionizing radiation, but also describes briefly some systems under consideration that utilize nonionizing radiation sources."

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

The Feasibility of Systemic Risk Measurement: Written Testimony for the House Financial Services Committee Hearing on Systemic Risk Regulation, Working Paper, October 2009, Andrew W. Lo [Harris & Harris Group Professor, Director, MIT Laboratory for Financial Engineering]

January 2010 Petroleum Marketing Monthly With Data for October 2009 - Jan 4, 2010: "Monthly price and volume statistics on crude oil and petroleum products at a national, regional and state level."

Quarterly Coal Report (QCR) - 3rd Quarter 2009 — Jan 5, 2010: "Provides detailed quarterly coal data for July-September 2009 and aggregated quarterly historical coal data for 2003 through 3rd Quarter 2009. This report now includes data for coke and breeze commercial sales, steam and metallurgical coal imports by Customs District, coke import and export prices, and average quality for receipts at commercial and institutional coal users. All data for 2007 are final. All data for 2008 are final, with the exception of other industrial consumption, electric power sector consumption and stocks. All data for 2009 are preliminary."

National Academy of Sciences: "The transportation sector cannot continue on its current path: The volatility of oil prices threatens the U.S. economy, the large proportion of oil importation threatens U.S. energy security, and the massive contribution of greenhouse gases threatens the environment. The development of domestic sources of alternative transportation fuels with lower greenhouse emissions is now a national imperative. Coal and biomass are in abundant supply in the United States and can be converted to liquid fuels that can be combusted in existing and future vehicles. Their abundant supply makes them attractive candidates to provide non-oil-based liquid fuels to the U.S. transportation system. However, there are important questions about the economic viability, carbon impact, and technology status of these options. Liquid Transportation Fuels from Coal and Biomass provides a snapshot of the potential costs of liquid fuels from biomass by biochemical conversion and from biomass and coal by thermochemical conversion. Policy makers, investors, leaders in industry, the transportation sector, and others with a concern for the environment, economy, and energy security will look to this book as a roadmap to independence from foreign oil. With immediate action and sustained effort, alternative liquid fuels can be available in the 2020 time frame, if or when the nation needs them."

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

The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act: Overview and Issues for Congress, Kevin R. Kosar, Analyst in American National Government, December 14, 2009

Who Regulates Whom? An Overview of U.S. Financial Supervision, Mark Jickling, Specialist in Financial Economics, Edward V. Murphy, Specialist in Financial Economics, December 14, 2009: "Federal financial regulation in the United States has evolved through a series of piecemeal responses to developments and crises in financial markets. This report provides an overview of current U.S. financial regulation: which agencies are responsible for which institutions and markets, and what kinds of authority they have."

Governor Elizabeth A. Duke At the Economic Forecast Forum, Raleigh, North Carolina, January 4, 2010 - The Economic Outlook

News release: "...the Transportation Security Administration issued new security directives to all United States and international air carriers with inbound flights to the U.S. effective January 4, 2010. The new directive includes long-term, sustainable security measures developed in consultation with law enforcement officials and our domestic and international partners. Because effective aviation security must begin beyond our borders, and as a result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners, TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the U.S. from anywhere in the world traveling from or through nations that are state sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening. The directive also increases the use of enhanced screening technologies and mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on U.S. bound international flights."

2009 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary: "Chief Justice John Roberts issued his 2009 year-end report, stating that "courts are operating soundly, and the nation's dedicated federal judges are conscientiously discharging their duties...In 2009, a total of 1,402,816 bankruptcy petitions were filed in the U.S. courts, an increase of 35% over the 1,042,806 filed in 2008. The 2009 total represents the greatest number of bankruptcy filings since 2005, when many debtors rushed to file petitions before October 17, 2005, the date on which the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) took effect."

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke At the Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association, Atlanta, Georgia, January 3, 2010 - Monetary Policy and the Housing Bubble

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

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

American Indians and the Great Recession—Economic Disparities Growing Larger, By Algernon Austin, Economic Policy Institute, December 2009

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Background and Policy Issues, Luisa Blanchfield, Specialist in International Relations, December 2, 2009

Cars and Climate: What Can EPA Do to Control Greenhouse Gases from Mobil Sources - James E. McCarthy, Specialist in Environmental Policy, December 9, 2009.

"Each week CDC analyzes information about influenza disease activity in the United States and publishes findings of key flu indicators in a report called FluView. During the week of December 20-26, 2009, certain key indicators decreased, others increased, and still others remained the same compared to the previous week. Below is a summary of the most recent key indicators.

Pew Research Center: End of Communism Cheered but Now with More Reservations - The Pulse of Europe 2009: 20 Years After the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Washington Post:

National Institute of Justice InShort report, Cell Phones Behind Bars, December 2009

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

Follow up to previous postings on H.R. 4173, David Reilly, Bloomberg News columnist, commentary.

The Homeownership Gap, Andrew Haughwout, Richard Peach, Joseph Tracy. October 30, 2009

Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports, Real Time Underlying Inflation Gauges for Monetary Policymakers, Marlene Amstad, Simon Potter, Staff Report no. 420, December 2009

New York Times: "The ammonia-treated processed meat made by Beef Products Inc. as a component for ground beef has failed testing for pathogens dozens of times -- more frequently at times that plain, untreated beef that is supposedly less safe. Related Article.

Why Are Banks Holding So Many Excess Reserves? December 2009, Volume 15, Number 8, Todd Keister and James J. McAndrews

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

Felony Sentences in State Courts, 2006 - Statistical Tables - Matthew R. Durose, Donald Farole, Sean P. Rosenmerkel, December 30, 2009

GAO report, dated September 2009: A National Strategy and Other Actions Would Strengthen TSA's Efforts to Secure Commercial Airport Perimeters and Access Controls - "Although TSA has implemented activities to assess risks to airport perimeters and access controls, such as a commercial aviation threat assessment, it has not conducted vulnerability assessments for 87 percent of the nation’s approximately 450 commercial airports or any consequence assessments. As a result, TSA has not completed a comprehensive risk assessment combining threat, vulnerability, and consequence assessments as required by the NIPP. While TSA officials said they intend to conduct a consequence assessment and additional vulnerability assessments, TSA could not provide further details, such as milestones for their completion. Conducting a comprehensive risk assessment and establishing milestones for its completion would provide additional assurance that intended actions will be implemented, provide critical information to enhance TSA’s understanding of risks to airports, and help ensure resources are allocated to the highest security priorities."

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

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

Follow up to previous postings on high speed passenger rail transport in the U.S., via New York Times: "But faster trains are critical to [Amtrak's] future. So while Amtrak got some desperately needed financing from the federal government this year, its forecasts suggest that speedier rail travel in the United States remains a daunting challenge. For the Northeast corridor alone, Amtrak estimates that it will need almost $700 million annually for the next 15 years to maintain the system and to tackle a backlog of maintenance projects and upgrades. Reducing travel times between New York and Washington to two-and-a-half hours and times between New York and Boston to three hours — goals that were established in the 1970s — will require straighter track, improvements to bridges and tunnels, increased capacity through Manhattan and newer trains, among other investments."

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

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

Executive Order - Original Classification Authority, December 29, 2009: designating specific officials to classify information originally as "Top Secret" or "Secret"

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

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

Privacy: An Overview of Federal Statutes Governing Wiretapping and Electronic Eavesdropping, December 3, 2009: "Depending on one’s perspective, wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping are either “dirty business,” essential law enforcement tools, or both. This is a very general overview of the federal statutes that proscribe wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping and of the procedures they establish for law enforcement and foreign intelligence gathering purposes. Although the specifics of state law are beyond the scope of this report, citations to related state statutory provisions have been appended. The text of pertinent federal statutes and a selected bibliography of legal materials appear as appendices as well."

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

News release: "The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) released a list of orders of administrative enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in November. No administrative hearings are scheduled. The FDIC processed a total of 51 matters in November. These included 34 cease and desist consent orders; nine civil money penalties; three prompt corrective action directives; three Section 19 orders; one order terminating an order to cease and desist; and one notice of charges and of hearing."

New York on Track for Fewest Murders on Record: "The city is on track, for the second time in three years, to have the fewest number of homicides in a 12-month period since the current record keeping system began. As of Sunday, there had been 461 murders; the record low was in 2007, when there were 496 for the entire year."

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

News release: "House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) released a report prepared by the Congressional Research Service on several issues concerning the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN). The report was requested by Chairman Conyers and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank on September 22, 2009 and is linked here: CRS Report."

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

"Mercer’s H1N1 pages are meant to provide you with access to current "information and resources to help manage the risks. Now, you can see the results of our survey - Influenza A (H1N1): How is your organization coping? - that gathered information from nearly 1000 companies to see what they are doing to plan, communicate and minimize their risk in the case of this spreading pandemic."

"Guided by Security Council resolutions 1373 (2001) and 1624 (2005), the CTC has been working to bolster the ability of United Nations Member States to prevent terrorist acts both within their borders and across regions. The CTC is assisted in its efforts by the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), which carries out the policy decisions of the Committee, conducts expert assessments of each Member State and facilitates counter-terrorism technical assistance to countries."

Green Protectionism in the European Union: How Europe’s Biofuels Policy and the Renewable Energy Directive Violate WTO Commitments, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Managing Sensitive Information: Actions Needed to Prevent Unintended Public Disclosures of U.S. Nuclear Sites and Activities, GAO-10-251, December 15, 2009: "While no single U.S. government agency or office was entirely responsible for the public disclosure of the draft declaration, all of the agencies and offices involved in preparing and publishing the draft declaration share some responsibility for its public release. We identified several points during the life cycle of the draft document where problems occurred. Specifically, we found that opportunities to improve the secure handling of the document were missed because of the absence of clear interagency guidance, different procedures across the agencies governing the handling and marking of sensitive documents, poor decision making, and a lack of training and adequate security awareness. These missed opportunities occurred between February 2008 and May 2009. Several U.S. government agencies played key roles in preparing and making important decisions regarding the publication of the draft declaration: DOE, Commerce, State, NRC, the White House (the National Security Council and Executive Clerk’s Office), the U.S. House of Representatives (Office of the Parliamentarian, Office of Security, and the Clerk’s Office), and GPO. Figure 2 is a two-page summary of key dates and events that occurred during the life cycle of the draft declaration, leading up to its inadvertent public release on May 7, 2009."
• State and Local Government Retiree Health Benefits: Liabilities Are Largely Unfunded, but Some Governments Are Taking Action, GAO-10-61, November 30, 2000: "The total unfunded OPEB liability reported in state and the largest local governments’ CAFRs exceeds $530 billion. However, as variations between studies’ totals show, totaling unfunded OPEB liabilities across governments is challenging for a number of reasons, including the way that governments disclose such data. The unfunded OPEB liabilities for states and local governments GAO reviewed varied widely in size. Most of these governments do not have any assets set aside to fund them."

Achieving Effective Acquisition of Information Technology in the Department of Defense, Committee on Improving Processes and Policies for the Acquisition and Test of Information Technologies in the Department of Defense; National Research Council, 2009.

News release: "Total shipments of goods in the United States accounted for nearly $11.7 trillion in revenue and 12.5 billion tons in 2007, according to new data released jointly by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. That is up from $8.4 trillion and 11.7 billion tons in 2002. These figures come from the 2007 Commodity Flow Survey, conducted every five years as part of the Census Bureau’s 2007 Economic Census...Trucks were used to haul approximately 71 percent of the total value of commodities shipped in 2007, representing more than $8.3 trillion and 8.8 billion tons. An estimated $436.4 billion worth of commodities, or approximately 1.9 billion tons, were shipped by rail. Other modes of transportation included air, water and pipeline."

Follow up to previous postings on Chinese drywall studies, news that the "U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that FHA-insured families experiencing problems associated with problem drywall may be eligible for assistance to help them rehabilitate their properties. In addition, HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program may also be a resource to help local communities combat the problem...FHA Type 1 Special Forbearance (noted in Mortgagee Letter 2002-17) provides relief that is not typically available under an informal forbearance or repayment plan...All related reports and findings are available online at the CSPC Drywall Information Center."

Loopholes, Tricks and End Runs: Evasions of Campaign Finance Laws, and a Model Law to Block Them, by Molly Milligan - Center for Governmental Studies

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

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

• International Space Station: Significant Challenges May Limit Onboard Research, GAO-10-9, November 25, 2009
• Medicaid: Ongoing Federal Oversight of Payments to Offset Uncompensated Hospital Care Costs Is Warranted, GAO-10-69, November 20, 2009
• Nursing Homes: Opportunities Exist to Facilitate the Use of the Temporary Management Sanction, GAO-10-37R, November 20, 2009

"Energy touches our lives in countless ways and its costs are felt when we fill up at the gas pump, pay our home heating bills, and keep businesses both large and small running. There are long-term costs as well: to the environment, as natural resources are depleted and pollution contributes to global climate change, and to national security and independence, as many of the world's current energy sources are increasingly concentrated in geopolitically unstable regions. The country's challenge is to develop an energy portfolio that addresses these concerns while still providing sufficient, affordable energy reserves for the nation. The United States has enormous resources to put behind solutions to this energy challenge; the dilemma is to identify which solutions are the right ones. Before deciding which energy technologies to develop, and on what timeline, we need to understand them better. America's Energy Future analyzes the potential of a wide range of technologies for generation, distribution, and conservation of energy. This book considers technologies to increase energy efficiency, coal-fired power generation, nuclear power, renewable energy, oil and natural gas, and alternative transportation fuels. It offers a detailed assessment of the associated impacts and projected costs of implementing each technology and categorizes them into three time frames for implementation."

News release: "The combination of near-record Arctic sea-ice loss and continued development of oil and gas in proposed polar bear critical habitat spells double trouble for Alaska’s polar bears, according to a new report issued by the National Wildlife Federation and the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. Mapping out recently proposed polar bear critical habitat relative to approved offshore oil development and recent trends in sea-ice decline, Double Trouble: Melting Arctic Sea Ice and Offshore Oil Development highlights the multiple threats facing polar bears in Alaska."

The Macroeconomic Impacts of the 9/11 Attack: Evidence from Real-Time Forecasting, Bryan W. Roberts, PhD: "Estimates of the consequences of human-made and natural disasters are crucial for informing decision making by both public and private actors. The 9/11 attack stands out as a particularly important event whose consequences need to be well understood. This study evaluates the macroeconomic impacts of the 9/11 attack on U.S. real GDP growth and the unemployment rate by examining how forecasts of these variables were revised after the attack occurred. By this approach, the immediate impact of the 9/11 attack was to reduce real GDP growth in 2001 by 0.5%, and to increase the unemployment rate by 0.11% (reduce employment by 598,000 jobs.) Results are robust to controlling for how economic forecasts typically change over the course of the forecasting horizon in normal and recession years. Impacts on 2002 outcomes are more difficult to identify. Forecasted real GDP growth in 2002 fell dramatically immediately after the 9/11 attack but then recovered fully. The recovery in the forecast could have been due to unforeseen responses that mitigated the impact of the attack, but it also could have been due to erroneous forecasting and a poor understanding of how the attack would impact the economy. The forecasted unemployment rate in 2002 rose sharply immediately after the 9/11 attack, but unlike real GDP growth, it never subsequently returned to a pre-9/11 level. Forecasters seemed to have anticipated the 2002 “jobless recovery” early in that year."

World of Work Report 2009 - The Global Jobs Crisis and Beyond, International Labour Organization (International Institute for Labour Studies) 2009

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

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

Regional and State Employment and Unemployment (Monthly), December 18, 2009: "In November, 36 states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate decreases, 8 states registered increases, and 6 states had no change. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 19 states and decreased in 31 states and the District of Columbia...Among the nine geographic divisions, the Pacific continued to report the highest jobless rate, 11.6 percent in November. The East North Central recorded the next highest rate, 11.0 percent. The West North Central registered the lowest November jobless rate, 7.2 percent, followed by the West South Central, 7.7 percent. The rate in the South Atlantic (10.0 percent) was the highest in its series."

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

News release: "Eighty-seven percent of the city's heating oil soot pollution is created by burning the dirtiest heating oils available in only one percent of all buildings in New York City, according to a new report released today by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). As a result of burning this toxic sludge (No. 4 and 6 oil)—which New York uses more than any other big city—9,000 large buildings spew out about 1,000 tons of toxic soot pollution every year. Soot pollution aggravates asthma, increases the risk of cancer, exacerbates respiratory illnesses and can cause premature death. EDF's study, The Bottom of the Barrel: How the Dirtiest Heating Oil Pollutes Our Air and Harms Our Health, shows that the city's levels of nickel—a heavy metal that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by thickening the walls of arteries—are nine times higher than other U.S. cities."

Surge Driven by Steep Jump in Immigration Filings: "As a result of an unusual flood of immigration prosecutions, the total number of federal criminal filings reached an all time high in the just ended fiscal year, according to timely Justice Department data analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). The latest data show that the number of all kinds of federal criminal prosecutions peaked at 169,612 cases in FY 2009, up nearly 9 percent from the previous year's total of 155,694 and 42 percent from five years ago when prosecutions came to only 119,492. The comparisons of the number of defendants charged with offenses are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys."

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

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

Person of the Year 2009: "The story of the year was a weak economy that could have been much, much weaker. How the mild-mannered man who runs the Federal Reserve prevented an economic catastrophe."

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

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its National Water Research Strategy to engage a broader range of researchers in meeting the challenges of protecting and improving our nation’s water resources. The strategy identifies and promotes the research needs of EPA’s national water program to potential partners."

• Correction Regarding the Longer-Term Effects of the Manager's Amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, December 20, 2009. Letter to the Honorable Harry Reid.
• Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Incorporating the Manager's Amendment. Cost estimate for the amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 3590, incorporating the effects of changes proposed in the manager's amendment released on December 19, 2009
• Related postings on health care reform

News release: "Credit risk in bank trading activities continued to decline in the third quarter of 2009, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency reported today in the OCC's Quarterly Report on Bank Trading and Derivatives Activities: Third Quarter 2009."

The Rise of China’s Auto Industry and Its Impact on the U.S. Motor Vehicle Industry, Rachel Tang, Analyst in Industrial Organization and Business, November 16, 2009

News release: "EPIC has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, urging the FTC to open an investigation into Facebook’s revised privacy settings. The EPIC complaint, signed by nine other privacy and consumer organizations, states that the "changes violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook’s own representations." EPIC cites widespread opposition from Facebook users, security experts, bloggers, and news organizations. A previous EPIC complaint to the FTC, concerning the data broker industry, produced the largest settlement in the FTC's history. For more information, see EPIC: In re Facebook and EPIC Facebook Privacy."

Federal Estate and Gift Taxes, Economic and Budget Issue Brief, December 18, 2009.

Follow up to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: Draft of Global Climate Pact, today's White House announcement: A Meaningful and Unprecedented Breakthrough Here in Copenhagen - "In a much-anticipated United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, the President arrived after nearly two weeks of work with the firm intention of seizing the opportunity to get something solid done. And as he explained in remarks at the end of the day, defying many expectations, the world will not leave empty-handed."

Follow up to previous postings on government implementation of whole body scanning technology at airports, this news: On December 17, 2009, EPIC filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice concerning the use of devices that capture images of individuals stripped naked. The Transportation Security Administration has confirmed the Whole Body Imaging machines are being used in at least one Virginia federal court by the US Marshall Service. EPIC submitted a FOIA request for information about these devices including the contracts with the manufacturer of the machines, and information about technical specifications and training materials. The Marshall Service failed to respond adequately to the request. EPIC filed suit, said that the agency had not performed a sufficient search and should disclose the documents requested."

Tracking the Nation's Bank Failures - banks, saving banks and thrifts that have failed since the beginning of 2008 - last update December 11, 2009 at which time the number was 158. Check this site for regular updates.

HHS Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report December 18, 2009: Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders --- Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006

CDC’s Ethics Program for Special Government Employees on Federal Advisory Committees (OEI-04-07-00260), December 2009.

News release: "The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), on behalf of its members, released proposed guidance today on reverse mortgage products. The guidance is designed to help financial institutions ensure that their risk management and consumer protection practices adequately address the compliance and reputation risks raised by reverse mortgage lending. The proposed guidance addresses the general features of reverse mortgage products, relevant legal requirements and consumer protection concerns raised by reverse mortgages. The proposed guidance focuses on the need for banks, thrifts and credit unions to provide clear and balanced information to consumers about the risks and benefits of these products."

"The MetroMonitor is a quarterly, interactive barometer of the health of America’s 100 largest metropolitan economies. It examines trends in metropolitan-level employment, output, and housing conditions to look “beneath the hood” of national economic statistics to portray the diverse metropolitan trajectories of recession and recovery across the country. The aim of the MetroMonitor is to enhance understanding of the particular places and industries that drive national economic trends, and to promote public- and private-sector responses to the downturn that take into account metro areas’ unique starting points for eventual recovery."

News release: "The Federal Trade Commission today sued Intel Corp., the world’s leading computer chip maker, charging that the company has illegally used its dominant market position for a decade to stifle competition and strengthen its monopoly.In its complaint, the FTC alleges that Intel has waged a systematic campaign to shut out rivals’ competing microchips by cutting off their access to the marketplace. In the process, Intel deprived consumers of choice and innovation in the microchips that comprise the computers’ central processing unit, or CPU. These chips are critical components that often are referred to as the “brains” of a computer."

News release: "Revenues for securities, commodity contracts and other financial investment activities decreased 36.1 percent in 2008, from $464 billion in 2007 to $297 billion in 2008, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The data tables, 2008 Service Annual Survey: Securities, Commodities, and other Financial Investments, provide national estimates of annual revenue and expenses for businesses with paid employees that provide financial services such as securities and commodity contracts, portfolio management and investment advice. This industry group is classified under the North American Industry Classification System as NAICS 523.
“The significant drop in revenue for activities associated with this segment of the financial sector followed closely on the heels of the recession that began in December 2007,” said Mark Wallace, chief of the Census Bureau’s Service Sector Statistics Division. “This survey shows which industries were the hardest hit and which were the more resilient.”

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

Nearly half of Detroit's workers are unemployed: "Despite an official unemployment rate of 27 percent, the real jobs problem in Detroit may be affecting half of the working-age population, thousands of whom either can't find a job or are working fewer hours than they want. Using a broader definition of unemployment, as much as 45 percent of the labor force has been affected by the downturn. And that doesn't include those who gave up the job search more than a year ago, a number that could exceed 100,000 potential workers alone."

S. 1733, Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, December 16, 2009. Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on November 5, 2009.

News release: "The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced the issuance of a consent Order to Cease and Desist against Credit Suisse AG, Zurich, Switzerland. The Order requires that Credit Suisse improve its program for compliance with U.S. economic sanctions requirements on a global basis. The Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority, the home country supervisor of Credit Suisse, has agreed to assist the Federal Reserve in the implementation and supervision of the Order. In separate, coordinated actions, the U.S. Department of Justice and the District Attorney for New York County announced the execution of deferred prosecution agreements with Credit Suisse, and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced a settlement for violations of its regulations. The settlement agreements all relate to U.S. dollar payments routed through banks in the United States that involved entities or persons subject to U.S. economic sanctions. In the settlements with the Department of Justice and the District Attorney, Credit Suisse has agreed to pay $268 million, each, to the United States and to New York, for a total of $536 million."

New York Times: "The Metropolitan Transportation Authority approved a punishing slate of service cuts on Wednesday that would amount to the most significant erosion of New York City’s transit system since its recovery from the ruinous days of the 1980s. The cuts represent some of the first concrete consequences of a fiscal crisis in New York State that until now had mostly been restricted to ominous words from politicians. The authority’s board unanimously approved the plan — which includes eliminating the W and Z subway lines, reducing service on dozens of bus routes, and phasing out free fares for students — to cope with a $400 million shortfall in state financing that emerged in the past two weeks."

• Impoundment Control Act: Use and Impact of Rescission Procedures, GAO-10-320T, December 16, 2009
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program: Case Studies Show Fraud and Abuse Allowed Ineligible Firms to Obtain Millions of Dollars in Contracts, GAO-10-306T, December 16, 2009
• Status of GAO Recommendations to the Department of Defense (Fiscal Years 2001-2008), GAO-10-211R, December 16, 2009
• Troubled Asset Relief Program: The U.S. Government Role as Shareholder in AIG, Citigroup, Chrysler, and General Motors and Preliminary Views on its Investment Management Activities, GAO-10-325T, December 16, 2009
• Veterans Health Administration: Inadequate Controls over Miscellaneous Obligations Increase Risk over Procurement Transactions, GAO-10-307T, December 16, 2009
• Formula Grants: Funding for the Largest Federal Assistance Programs Is Based on Census-Related Data and Other Factors, GAO-10-263, December 15, 2009
• Department of Homeland Security: A Comprehensive Strategy Is Still Needed to Achieve Management Integration Departmentwide, GAO-10-318T, December 15, 2009
• Department of Homeland Security: Actions Taken Toward Management Integration, but a Comprehensive Strategy Is Still Needed, GAO-10-131, November 20, 2009

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

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

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

Progress Report: The Transformation to A Clean Energy Economy, December 15, 2009: "I’m pleased to report that the administration is laying the foundation for a clean energy economy that will create a new generation of jobs, reduce dependence on oil and enhance national security. Through the Recovery Act and more effective use of programs already in existence, the administration is taking the critical steps to transform the United States into a global clean energy leader. The energy components of the Recovery Act represent the largest single investment in clean energy in American history and are leveraging private investment and fostering American innovation and ingenuity. The Recovery Act investments of $80 billion for clean energy will produce as much as $150 billion in clean energy projects.1 Existing investment programs could produce up to $90 billion in additional clean energy projects.2 These investments are designed to accelerate investment in clean energy projects and pull private investment off the sidelines. They are jumpstarting a major transformation of our energy system including unprecedented growth in the generation of renewable sources of energy, enhanced manufacturing capacity for clean energy technology, advanced vehicle and fuel technologies, and a bigger, better, smarter electric grid."

Via FAS: "The President's Memorandum of May 27, 2009 on Classified Information and Controlled Unclassified Information, directed a Task Force, led by the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General, to review the Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”) Framework established in 2008 for the management of Sensitive but Unclassified1 (“SBU”) terrorism-related information. The Task Force undertook a 90-day study of the CUI Framework, the current regimes for managing SBU information in the Executive Branch, and, by extension, the sharing of that information with our non-federal information-sharing partners. The Task Force concluded that Executive Branch performance suffers immensely from interagency inconsistency in SBU policies, frequent uncertainty in interagency settings as to exactly what policies apply to given SBU information, and the inconsistent application of similar policies across agencies. Additionally, the absence of effective training, oversight, and accountability at many agencies results in a tendency to over-protect information, greatly diminishing government transparency."

"The National Financial Capability Study established a baseline measure of the ability of Americans to manage their money, benchmarking four key indicators of financial capability and evaluating how these indicators vary with underlying demographic, behavioral, attitudinal and financial literacy characteristics...The National Survey is one of three linked surveys that comprise the National Financial Capability Study. In early 2010, the FINRA Foundation will release the other two components: a State-by-State Survey and a Military Survey."

• National Survey—Executive Summary
  
• National Survey—Full Report and Methodology
  
• Survey Questionnaire

"The National Financial Capability Challenge is a non-monetary awards program designed to increase the financial knowledge and capability of high-school aged youth across the United States. It challenges youth to take control of their financial future by learning more about personal finance, and it challenges teachers and schools to incorporate the important information and topics into their curricula. The program encourages schools to get involved in financial fitness. All teachers who sign up to participate in the Challenge will receive a "teachers' toolkit" to help them incorporate the topics into their curricula."

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

The Effects of Climate Change on U.S. Ecosystems, November 2009

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

"IEA released a new study on research, development and demonstration (RD&D) spending needs for the low-carbon technologies being targeted by the Major Economies Forum on Energy & Climate Change. The study finds that while public RD&D investments have increased recently as a result of “green” stimulus funding, government RD&D investments will need to rise 3-10 times today’s spending levels to achieve global climate change goals."

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

"Joblessness has wreaked both financial and emotional havoc on the lives of many of those out of work, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll of unemployed adults, causing major life changes, mental health issues and struggles to maintain even basic necessities in large numbers. The poll surveyed 708 unemployed adults from Dec. 5 to Dec. 10 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points. Related Article »

• The New York Times/CBS News Poll of Unemployed Adults
  
• Interactive Interactive Graphic: Unemployment's Emotional Toll
  
• Video In Their Own Words: America's Unemployed
  
• How the Poll Was Conducted
  
• Related postings on financial system

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

From the Statement: "Agreement reached to terminate loss-sharing agreement – Cancelling $1.8 billion of $7.1 billion of trust preferred securities held by the U.S. government as consideration for agreement. Citigroup will cease being a beneficiary of TARP “Exceptional Financial Assistance” beginning in 2010."

• Treasury Statement Regarding Citigroup's Intention to Repay Taxpayers
  
• See also related WSJ article and other postings on financial system

News release: "Marijuana use among American adolescents has increased gradually over the past two years (three years among 12th-graders) following years of declining use, according to the latest Monitoring the Future study, which has tracked drug use among U.S. teens since 1975...The findings summarized here will be published in the forthcoming volume: Johnston, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., Bachman, J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2010). Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings, 2009 (NIH Publication No. [yet to be assigned]). Bethesda, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse."

The Mexican-Norwegian Proposal on Climate Change Financing - The Green Fund

• Anti-Money Laundering: Improved Communication Could Enhance the Support FinCEN Provides to Law Enforcement, GAO-10-141, December 14, 2009
• U.S. Postal Service: The Program for Reassessing Work Provided to Injured Employees Is Under Way, but Actions Are Needed to Improve Program Management, GAO-10-78, December 14, 2009
• VA Construction: VA Is Working to Improve Initial Project Cost Estimates, but Should Analyze Cost and Schedule Risks, GAO-10-189, December 14, 2009
• Influenza Pandemic: Monitoring and Assessing the Status of the National Pandemic Implementation Plan Needs Improvement, GAO-10-73, November 24, 2009

Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2009 - "Presents data on crime and safety at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, and principals. A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It also provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools and school environments and responses to violence and crime at school. Data are drawn from several federally funded collections including the National Crime Victimization Survey, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, School Survey on Crime and Safety, and the Schools and Staffing Survey."

New York Times, New York Finds Extreme Crisis in Youth Prisons: "A draft report by a New York state task force, Charting a New Course: A Blueprint for Transforming Juvenile Justice in New York, shines a harsh light on the problems in the state's prisons for juvenile offenders. The problems are so acute that the state agency overseeing the prisons has asked New York’s Family Court judges not to send youths to any of them unless they are a significant risk to public safety, recommending alternatives, like therapeutic foster care."

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

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

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

• Prisoners in 2008: "Presents data on prisoners under jurisdiction of federal or state correctional authorities on December 31, 2008, collected from the National Prisoner Statistics series. This annual report compares changes in the prison population during 2008 to changes from yearend 2000 through yearend 2007. These are the only comprehensive national-level data on prison admissions and releases. Findings cover data on decreasing growth in state and federal prisons through declining admissions and increasing releases; imprisonment rates for prisoners sentenced to more than 1 year by jurisdiction; the number of males and females in prison; age, race, and gender distributions; the number of inmates in custody in state and federal prison and local jails; and custody incarceration rates. The report also includes the count for inmates held within facilities operated by and for the military, U.S. territories, Indian country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and juvenile authorities."
• Probation and Parole in the United States, 2008: "Presents the number of adults under community supervision (probation or parole) at yearend 2008 and the growth rates in these populations during the year and since 2000. The report examines factors associated with changes in the probation and parole populations, such as the number of entries and exits, the rate at which probationers and parolees exit supervision, changes in the populations within jurisdictions, and compositional changes in both populations. The bulletin also provides 2008 detailed data in appendix tables by jurisdiction, including entries and exits by type, gender, race and Hispanic origin, type of offense, supervision status, offenders (including sex offenders) tracked through a Global Positioning System (GPS), and other information."

Investing for Success Examining a Federal Capital Budget and a National Infrastructure Bank, Emilia Istrate and Robert Puentes, Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings

Via U.S. Dept. of State: Lobbying the Executive Branch: Current Practices and Options for Change, Jacob R. Straus, Analyst on the Congress, December 1, 2009

Preliminary 2009 Fatality Statistics - Law Enforcement Officer Fatality Statistics as of December 12, 2009: Gunfire - 47 deaths, 24% increase to date from 2008.

Transcript: "Over the past two years, more than seven million Americans have lost their jobs, and factories and businesses across our country have been shuttered. In one way or another, we’ve all been touched by the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression...But much of it was due to the irresponsibility of large financial institutions on Wall Street that gambled on risky loans and complex financial products, seeking short-term profits and big bonuses with little regard for long-term consequences. It was, as some have put it, risk management without the management. And their actions, in the absence of strong oversight, intensified the cycle of bubble-and-bust and led to a financial crisis that threatened to bring down the entire economy."

• Chair’s Proposed Draft Text on the Outcome of the Work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long Term Cooperative Action under the Convention, Version 11/12/09
• Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) draft texts
• WSJ - Map: CO2 by Country | Data: Emissions | Timeline
• Related postings on climate change

News release: "The House of Representatives today showed a renewed commitment to defeat cancer, passing an FY 2010 domestic appropriations bill that includes long overdue increases for cancer prevention services and helps to sustain critical research funding levels. The legislation would provide an 8.8 percent increase for cancer prevention and control programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a 2.3 percent increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including a 2.8 percent for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and a 2.7 percent increase for the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD)."

Federal Times: "The two councils that amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation published seven new rules in the Federal Register...one finalizes an interim rule encouraging food service contractors to donate “wholesome excess food to nonprofit organizations that provide assistance to food-insecure people in the United States.”

• Rail Transit: Observations on FTA's State Safety Oversight Program and Potential Change in Its Oversight Role, GAO-10-314T, December 10, 2009
• Recovery Act: States' Use of Highway and Transit Funds and Efforts to Meet the Act's Requirements, GAO-10-312T, December 10, 2009
• Recovery Act: Status of States' and Localities' Use of Funds and Efforts to Ensure Accountability, GAO-10-231, December 10, 2009
• Smithsonian Institution: Governance and Facilities Reforms Progressing, but Work Remains, GAO-10-297T, December 10, 2009
• Smithsonian Institution: Implementation of Governance Reforms is Progressing, but Work Remains, GAO-10-190R, December 10, 2009
• Transportation Worker Identification Credential: Progress Made in Enrolling Workers and Activating Credentials but Evaluation Plan Needed to Help Inform the Implementation of Card Readers, GAO-10-43, November 18, 2009
• Telecommunications: FCC Needs to Improve Oversight of Wireless Phone Service, GAO-10-34, November 10, 2009

"The government should do more to help businesses create jobs amid a continuing bleak outlook for the U.S. labor market, according to most economists in the latest Wall Street Journal survey."

Huffington Post Investigative Fund: "here's a guide to how the current bills in the House and Senate approach three major problem areas in the financial system."

News release: "The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final WaterSense single-family new homes specification today, creating the first national, voluntary, water-efficiency specification for an entire new home...EPA worked with hundreds of stakeholders over the past three years to develop this specification, which was designed to complement existing green building programs. WaterSense labeled new homes, which will be 20 percent more efficient than typical new homes, must be independently inspected and certified by an EPA licensed certification provider to meet the WaterSense criteria for water efficiency and performance.
The new homes will feature WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures, Energy Star qualified appliances (if installed), water-efficient landscaping, and hot water delivery systems that deliver hot water faster, so homeowners don’t waste water—or energy—waiting at the tap."

NIH News: "In fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza, the virus can damage cells throughout the respiratory airway, much like the viruses that caused the 1918 and 1957 influenza pandemics, report researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner. The scientists reviewed autopsy reports, hospital records and other clinical data from 34 people who died of 2009 H1N1 influenza infection between May 15 and July 9, 2009. All but two of the deaths occurred in New York City. A microscopic examination of tissues throughout the airways revealed that the virus caused damage primarily to the upper airway — the trachea and bronchial tubes — but tissue damage in the lower airway, including deep in the lungs, was present as well. Evidence of secondary bacterial infection was seen in more than half of the victim."

CDC Features - Winter Weather: "Winter storms and cold temperatures can be hazardous, but if you plan ahead, you can stay safe and healthy. Prepare your home and cars. Keep emergency kits stocked. Be ready for power outages. Wear appropriate clothing. Check on children, the elderly and pets."

• Financial Audit: Office of Financial Stability (Troubled Asset Relief Program) Fiscal Year 2009 Financial Statements, GAO-10-301, December 09, 2009
• Intellectual Property: Enhancements to Coordinating U.S. Enforcement Efforts, GAO-10-219T, December 09, 2009
• International Trade: Observations on U.S. and Foreign Countries' Export Promotion Activities, GAO-10-310T, December 09, 2009
• State Department: Challenges Facing the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, GAO-10-290T, December 09, 2009
• Surface Coal Mining: Characteristics of Mining in Mountainous Areas of Kentucky and West Virginia, GAO-10-21, December 09, 2009
• Drug Safety: FDA Has Begun Efforts to Enhance Postmarket Safety, but Additional Actions Are Needed, GAO-10-68, November 09, 2009

CBO: H.R. 4173, Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009. December 9, 2009: Cost estimate for the bill as amended and reported by the House Committee on Rules on December 8, 2009

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

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

News release: "The Congressional Oversight Panel's December oversight report, Taking Stock: What Has the Troubled Asset Relief Program Achieved?, concludes that TARP was an important part of a broader government strategy that stabilized the U.S. financial system. It is apparent after 14 months, however, that significant underlying weaknesses in the financial system remain. The Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) was the centerpiece of the federal government's multi-pronged response to the financial crisis. While it is impossible to disentangle TARP from other rescue efforts, it is clear the program played a critical role in renewing the flow of credit and preventing a more acute crisis. The Panel found that this overwhelming fiscal response, however, created an implicit guarantee for major financial institutions that distorts pricing for capital and encourages excessive risk-taking. Unwinding this guarantee poses a difficult long-term challenge."

The Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action Act of 2009, December 9, 2009

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

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

Word from the White House: Health CEOs Confirm Reform Lowers Costs

• Supporting letter: CEO Work Group on Health Reform, 12/8/09
  
• Supporting letter: David M. Cote, CEO, Honeywell, 12/7/09
  
• Related postings on health care reform

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

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

"Results from the 2009 NAEP [National Center for Education Statistics] Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) make it possible to compare the performance of students in urban districts to public school students in the nation and large cities (i.e., cities with populations of 250,000 or more). Changes in students’ performance over time can also be seen for those districts that participated in earlier assessments."

Washington Post: "The Transportation Security Administration inadvertently revealed closely guarded secrets regarding airport passenger screening practices when it posted online this spring a document as part of a contract solicitation, the agency confirmed Tuesday. The 93-page TSA operating manual details procedures for screening passengers and checked baggage and reveals technical settings used by X-ray machines and explosives detectors. It also includes pictures of identification cards used by members of Congress, CIA employees and federal air marshals, and it identifies 12 countries whose passport holders are automatically subjected to added scrutiny."

News release: "The year 2009 is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record since the beginning of instrumental climate records in 1850, according to data sources compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The global combined sea surface and land surface air temperature for 2009 (January–October) is currently estimated at 0.44°C ± 0.11°C (0.79°F ± 0.20°F) above the 1961–1990 annual average of 14.00°C/57.2°F. The current nominal ranking of 2009, which does not account for uncertainties in the annual averages, places it as the fifth-warmest year. The decade of the 2000s (2000–2009) was warmer than the decade spanning the 1990s (1990–1999), which in turn was warmer than the 1980s (1980–1989). More complete data for the remainder of the year 2009 will be analysed at the beginning of 2010 to update the current assessment. This year above-normal temperatures were recorded in most parts of the continents. Only North America (United States and Canada) experienced conditions that were cooler than average. Given the current figures, large parts of southern Asia and central Africa are likely to have the warmest year on record."

News release: "The House Financial Services Committee today [began] marking up a bill that would create a new consumer protection agency and increase regulation of a number of financial products, including credit cards, insurance, mortgages and "derivatives." Even as members of the committee consider how to prevent another economic collapse, they may have another financial issue in mind -- the industries opposing the measure have contributed $77.6 million to the 71 members of the committee since 1989, the Center for Responsive Politics has found."

Health at a Glance 2009 – OECD Indicators: "This fifth edition of Health at a Glance provides the latest comparable data on different aspects of the performance of health systems in OECD countries. It provides striking evidence of large variations across countries in the costs, activities and results of health systems. Key indicators provide information on health status, the determinants of health, health care activities and health expenditure and financing in OECD countries. This edition also contains new chapters on the health workforce and on access to care, an important policy objective in all OECD countries. The chapter on quality of care has been extended to include a set of indicators on the quality of care for chronic conditions."

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

U.S. Energy Information Administration: International Petroleum Monthly - November 2009 — Dec 7, 2009: "This report contains world petroleum production data through September 2009; and OECD country petroleum demand, imports, and stocks data through August 2009. Also included are international oil balance data for 2005-2009 and annual petroleum data series for 1970-2008."

Jobs Crisis Fact Sheet By Anna Turner, Economic Policy Institute, December 4, 2009

• "Number unemployed: 15.4 million (up from 7.5 million in December 2007)
  
• Portion of unemployed who have been jobless more than six months: 38.3%
  
• Total jobs lost during the recession: 8.0 million
  
• Jobs lost in November, 2009: 11,000
  
• Jobs needed to return to pre-recession unemployment rate: 10.9 million
  
• Number of jobseekers per job opening: 6.1
  
• Unemployment rate: 10.0%
  
• States with double-digit unemployment in October, 2009: 15
  
• Americans with no health insurance in 2008: 46.3 million

"After a thorough examination of the scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people."

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

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

Mass Shootings at Virginia Tech - Addendum to the Report of the Review Panel Presented to: Governor Timothy M. Kaine, Commonwealth of Virginia, November 2009.

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

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

Implementing the Obama Cyber Security Strategy via the ISA Social Contract Model: "The Internet Security Alliance (ISA) report aimed at taking the Obama Administration’s Cyberspace Policy Review document to the next level. The report emphasizes the need to focus on the economics of cyber security."

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

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

Monthly Budget Review December 2009 - Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for October and the Daily Treasury Statements for November

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

"The Associated Press Economic Stress Index, a monthly analysis of the economic state of more than 3,100 U.S. counties, found that manufacturing counties have outperformed the national average since March. The Stress Index calculates a score from 1 to 100 based on a county's unemployment, foreclosure and bankruptcy rates. The higher the number, the greater the county's level of economic stress."

"Greensburg GreenTown is a charitable, nonprofit organization working in Greensburg, Kansas to rebuild the t