Government Documents
May 08, 2008
* CBO Testimony on Current and Future Investment in Infrastructure

CBO Testimony on Current and Future Investment in Infrastructure
May 8, 2008: Testimony before the Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives.

  • PDF | CHARTS | WEBCAST | BLOG
  • * New GAO Reports: DHS Complex Acquisitions, Interagency Contracting, DA's Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising
    • Department of Homeland Security: Better Planning and Assessment Needed to Improve Outcomes for Complex Service Acquisitions, GAO-08-263, April 22, 2008
    • Department of Homeland Security: Better Planning and Oversight Needed to Improve Complex Service Acquisition Outcomes, GAO-08-765T, May 8, 2008
    • Human Capital: Transforming Federal Recruiting and Hiring Efforts, GAO-08-762T, May 8, 2008
    • Interagency Contracting: Need for Improved Information and Policy Implementation at the Department of State, GAO-08-578, May 8, 2008
    • Physical Infrastructure: Challenges and Investment Options for the Nation's Infrastructure, GAO-08-763T, May 8, 2008
    • Prescription Drugs: Trends in FDA's Oversight of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising, GAO-08-758T, May 8, 2008
    • Social Security Administration Field Offices: Reduced Workforce Faces Challenges as Baby Boomers Retire, GAO-08-737T, May 8, 2008
    * Committee Releases Findings From Crandall Canyon Mine Tragedy Investigation

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

    * DOD IG: Security Controls Over Joint Strike Fighter Classified Technology

    Security Controls Over Joint Strike Fighter Classified Technology, March 6, 2008, redacted: "The Joint Strike Fighter Program which cost $2.99.8 billion, as of December 31, 2006, to acquire more than 2,450 aircraft, will bring the most advanced aviation and weapons technologies into the next generation of strike fighter aircraft."

    May 07, 2008
    * Local Cost of War Breakdowns Based on President's New Funding Request

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

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

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

    * Agencies Issue Proposed Rules on Risk-Based Pricing Notices

    News release: "The Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve Board today announced proposed regulations that generally would require a creditor to provide a consumer with a risk-based pricing notice when, based in whole or in part on the consumer’s credit report, the creditor offers or provides credit to the consumer on terms less favorable than the terms it offers or provides to other consumers.

    Risk-based pricing refers to the practice of using a consumer’s credit report, which reflects his or her risk of nonpayment, in setting or adjusting the price and other terms of credit offered or extended to a particular consumer. Many creditors offer more favorable terms to consumers with better credit histories. The proposed rules would apply, with certain exceptions, to all creditors that engage in risk-based pricing. Under these rules, a risk-based pricing notice would generally be provided to the consumer after the terms of credit have been set, but before the consumer becomes contractually obligated on the credit transaction.

  • 16 C.F.R. Part 640: Fair Credit Reporting Risk-Based Pricing Regulations: Proposed Rules To Implement the Risk-Based Pricing Provisions of Section 311 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act): Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Issued By the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission
  • * Background Material and Data on the Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means, 2008

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

    * National Archives Creates Plan for Online Access to Founding Fathers Papers

    News release: "On Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein submitted a report, entitled The Founders Online, to the Committees on Appropriations of the U.S. Congress. This report is the National Archives response to concerns raised by the Committees that the complete papers of America’s Founding Fathers are not available online. The Founders Online is a plan for providing online access, within a reasonable timeframe, to researchers, students and the general public."

    * New GAO Reports: Aviation and the Environment, Employment and Training Program Grants, Human Capital
    • Aviation and the Environment: NextGen and Research and Development Are Keys to Reducing Emissions and Their Impact on Health and Climate, GAO-08-706T, May 6, 2008
    • Employment and Training Program Grants: Evaluating Impact and Enhancing Monitoring Would Improve Accountability, GAO-08-486, May 7, 2008
    • Human Capital: Corps of Engineers Needs to Update Its Workforce Planning Process to More Effectively Address Its Current and Future Workforce Needs, GAO-08-596, May 7, 2008
    * VA OIG: Healthcare Inspection Scopes of Practice for Unlicensed Physicians Engaged in Veterans Health Administration Research

    Healthcare Inspection Scopes of Practice for Unlicensed Physicians Engaged in Veterans Health Administration Research [07-01202-124], May 7, 2008.

  • "We determined in a previous inspection that certain unlicensed physicians functioned outside their scopes of practice, engaging in activities that may constitute the practice of medicine. In an effort to identify whether this problem was systemic in nature, we initiated a Combined Assessment Program (CAP) focused review, which began June 1, 2007, to evaluate whether this problem existed at additional facilities."
  • * Fact Sheet: Emergency Supplemental: Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans, and Workers

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

  • "This week the House of Representatives will consider the emergency supplemental bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and pressing domestic needs. Under consideration are $183.77 billion in outstanding requests from the President. The Democratic proposal totals $183.686 billion, just under the President’s request for appropriated dollars."
  • * U.S. International Reserve Position

    News release: "The Treasury Department today released U.S. reserve assets data for the latest week. As indicated in this table, U.S. reserve assets totaled $73,918 million as of the end of that week, compared to $74,541 million as of the end of the prior week."

    * EPA OIG Semiannual Report to Congress, October 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008

    EPA OIG Semiannual Report to Congress, October 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008 (72 pages, PDF)

    May 06, 2008
    * Boxer Opening Statement: "Perchlorate and TCE in the Nation’s Waters"

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

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

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

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

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

    * FY 2007 Costs Calculated For Incarceration, Supervision

    US Courts news release: "In fiscal year 2007, it cost $24,922 to keep someone incarcerated in a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility for 12 months, and $22,871 to keep an inmate incarcerated in a community correction center.

    For the same 12-month period ending September 30, 2007, it cost $3,621.64 for a federal offender to be supervised by probation officers.

    Those figures translate in daily costs of $68.28 for a Bureau of Prisons facility, $62.66 for a community correction center, and $9.92 for supervised release.

    For criminal defendants who had not yet been tried, the daily cost of pretrial detention services was $64.40 and the cost of supervision by pretrial services officers was $5.85."

    * CBO Monthly Budget Review, May 2008

    Monthly Budget Review, May 2008 pdf | blog. Based on the Monthly Treasury Statement for March and the Daily Treasury Statements for April.

    * New GAO Reports: Employment Verification, Natural Catastrophe Insurance, Value-Added Taxes
    • Employment Verification: Challenges Exist in Implementing a Mandatory Electronic Employment Verification System, GAO-08-729T, May 6, 2008
    • Medicare: Competitive Bidding for Medical Equipment and Supplies Could Reduce Program Payments, but Adequate Oversight Is Critical GAO-08-767T, May 6, 2008
    • Natural Catastrophe Insurance: Analysis of a Proposed Combined Federal Flood and Wind Insurance Program, GAO-08-504, April 25, 2008
    • Preliminary Observations on the Use and Oversight of U.S. Coalition Support Funds Provided to Pakistan, GAO-08-735R, May 6, 2008
    • Value-Added Taxes: Lessons Learned from Other Countries on Compliance Risks, Administrative Costs, Compliance Burden, and Transition, GAO-08-566, April 4, 2008
    * EIA: OPEC Revenues Fact Sheet and Short-Term Energy Outlook May 2008
    • OPEC Revenues Fact Sheet (05/06/2008): "This report includes estimates of OPEC net oil export revenues, based on projections from the May 2008 Short Term Energy Outlook. EIA estimates that members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) earned $674 billion in net oil export revenues in 2007, a 10 percent increase from 2006. Saudi Arabia earned the largest share of these earnings, $194 billion, representing 29 percent of total OPEC revenues. On a per-capita basis, OPEC net oil export earning reached $1,143, a 8 percent increase from 2006. Based on projections from the EIA May 2008 Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO), OPEC net oil export revenues could be $1,060 billion in 2008 and $990 billion in 2009 (please note that estimates for individual OPEC members are not available for the forecast period)."
    • Short-Term Energy Outlook May 2008 (05/06/2008): "Quarterly short-term energy projections for supply, demand, and price for the major fuels through 2009 for the U.S. International oil forecasts are included."
    * DOD Posts Documents Released to New York Times on Pentagon's Military Analyst Program

    Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff Reading Room: These documents were released to the New York Times regarding the Pentagon's Military Analyst program."

  • See the New York Times, April 20, 2008. Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand - "Retired officers have been used to shape terrorism coverage from inside the TV and radio networks," by David Barstow.
  • * FY 2009 Supplemental Protecting the Force, Equipping American Troops, Strengthening National Security

    FY 2009 Supplemental Protecting the Force, Equipping American Troops, Strengthening National Security: "[May 2, 2008] President Bush transmitted to Congress the details for the $70 billion allowance included in the FY 2009 Budget. This provides the necessary resources for ongoing military and intelligence operations for FY09, as well as diplomatic efforts and foreign assistance activities in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. It also provides resources for other international security activities that advance our national security, including urgent food aid."

    May 05, 2008
    * Biden Releases Study on China’s Rising Global Influence

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

  • CRS Study: China's Foreign Policy and "Soft Power" in South America, Asia, and Africa, April 2008 (139 pages, PDF). Report Prepared by the Congressional Research Service at the Request of Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Joseph Biden
  • * Unified Agenda, May 2008 Edition

    Unified Agenda, May 2008 Edition: "The Unified Agenda summarizes the rules and proposed rules that each Federal agency expects to issue during the next six months."

  • "Executive Order 12866 (58 FR 51735) and the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 602) require that agencies publish semiannual regulatory agendas describing regulatory actions they are developing or have recently completed. Agencies of the United States Congress are not included. The agendas are published in the Federal Register, usually during April and October each year, as part of the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The Unified Agenda has appeared in the Federal Register twice each year since 1983 and is available electronically on GPO Access from 1994 forward."
  • * Federal Agencies Release Annual Report to Congress on Scholarship Fraud

    News release: "Each year, millions of students seek help in financing their college education, and some fall prey to scholarship and financial aid scams that “guarantee” money for college in exchange for a fee. In 2000, Congress passed the College Scholarship Fraud Prevention Act to help federal agencies crack down on those scams. The Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Education (ED) have issued their annual report to Congress describing their continued efforts to combat scholarship and financial aid fraud."

    * Committee Holds Hearings on Lack of Hospital Emergency Surge Capacity

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

    * States Create Data Warehouse for Student Info From Kindergarten Onward

    Huge Databases Offer a Research Gold Mine — and Privacy Worries
    As states create warehouses of information about students, scholars see opportunities to assess the effectiveness of education..The fusion-center debate has an echo in the world of education research. Now that Congress has rejected the idea of a national "unit-record tracking" system for student data, scholars and policy analysts are tantalized by the possibility that states will beef up their own education-data centers. The most celebrated example is Florida, which began in 2001 to assemble a "data warehouse" that allows officials to track a person's progress from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond, including postcollege wages and employment, military service, incarceration, and receipt of public assistance." [The Chronicle of Higher Education. Section: The Faculty, Volume 54, Issue 35, Page A10]

    * CBO Reports: Nuclear Power's Role in Generating Electricity, Sources of Growth and Decline in Individual Income Tax Revenues Since 1994
    * Q&A With Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Director

    IEEE Spectrum Q&A With IARPA Director Lisa Porter: "We've divided the agency into three offices, and those really explain how we parse the problems intelligence research is focused on: Smart Collection, Incisive Analysis, and Safe and Secure Operations. Those three thrust areas span the space of the intelligence problem. The first, Smart Collection: we want to dramatically improve the value of our collected data. It's not enough to collect data...The second office is called Incisive Analysis, where we look at maximizing the insight we get from collections in a timely fashion. Analysts are drowning in reams and reams of data. It's called the tsunami effect—the overwhelming amount of data and information that they have to analyze. How can they go through it all fast enough to provide decision makers with analysis in time?...The third office is called Safe and Secure Operations. Here we want to counter the capabilities of our adversaries that could threaten our ability to operate effectively in the networked world. That includes the challenge of cybersecurity..."

    * DOJ IG Audit: Drug Enforcement Administration's Use of Intelligence Analysts

    The Drug Enforcement Administration's Use of Intelligence Analysts, Audit Report 08-23, May 2008 (96 pages, PDF)

  • "The gathering and use of intelligence is an important element in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) efforts to identify and disrupt illegal drug trafficking. Accurate and up-to-date intelligence is needed to assess the operations and vulnerabilities of criminal drug networks, to systematically interdict illegal contraband, and to evaluate the impact of illegal drug activities. Intelligence is also needed to identify new methods of illegal drug trafficking and to establish long-range enforcement strategies. DEA management also uses intelligence for operational decision-making, resource deployment, and policy planning. The DEA also shares information and expertise with other members of the intelligence community, as well as other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, to help identify and
    disrupt illegal drug trafficking."
  • * Rethinking Counterinsurgency: RAND Counterinsurgency Study -- Volume 5

    Rethinking Counterinsurgency: RAND Counterinsurgency Study -- Volume 5. By John Mackinlay, Alison Al-Baddawy

    • "During the period of decolonization in Asia and Africa, the United Kingdom faced more insurgent activity than any other Western power. British government officials and military forces proved proficient at defeating or controlling these rebellions. However, these uprisings were much less complex than the modern jihadist insurgency. Past insurgent movements were primarily monolithic or national in form, had very specific local goals, and derived most of their power from the local population. These limitations made past rebellions vulnerable to strong military responses. In contrast, the modern jihadist insurgency is characterized by its complex and global nature. Unlike past insurgent forms that aspired to shape national politics, the jihadist movement espouses larger thematic goals, like overthrowing the global order. The modern jihadist insurgency is also more global in terms of its popular support and operational territory. It makes far better use of communications technology and propaganda to reach the minds and hearts of global audiences. The contemporary international security environment has therefore become a frustrating place for Western powers. Despite great technological and military advances, British and U.S. counterinsurgency (COIN) operations have been slow to respond and adapt to the rise of the global jihadist insurgency. Operational failures in Iraq and Afghanistan have highlighted the need for the West to rethink and retool its current COIN strategy. After analyzing past British COIN experiences and comparing them to the evolving nature of the modern jihadist insurgency, the authors suggest a new framework for future COIN operations."
    • Paper 1 | Paper 2 | Paper 3 | Paper 4 | Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Final Report

    May 04, 2008
    * Digital Directory for 800 Telephone Companies Sparks Concern

    The Ultimate Little Black Book - One Firm Routes All Phone Calls in North America, by Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post.

  • "Sterling-based NeuStar is the carriers' digital directory for all phone calls in North America. More than 800 telephone companies have numbers in the database...NeuStar's databases are so powerful that the FBI a few years ago sought direct, unfettered access to one containing 310 million phone numbers in the United States and Canada. The telephone companies that pay NeuStar to run the database denied the FBI's request, but they did allow NeuStar to create a site where authorized law enforcement officials with court orders can obtain carrier information on telephone numbers. NeuStar is part of an evolving telecom industry that is creating caches of information attractive to the government without clear guidelines governing who may have access and under what circumstances. Its registries fall under international, U.S. government and trade association rules, including those set by the Federal Communications Commission."

  • * CDT Testimony: DHS, State Using Insecure RFID Technology

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

    * DOD OIG Report : DOD National Drug Control Program Activities

    D-2008-085 Independent Auditor's Report on the FY 2007 Performance Summary Report for DoD National Drug Control Program Activities, May 2, 2008.

  • "In FY 2007, the DoD continued to provide significant support to US and partner nation drug law enforcement agencies in the areas of training, communications support, infrastructure, intelligence, transportation, equipment, command and control, as well as detection and monitoring Additionally, the Department was committed to keeping drug use low among active duty and civilian personnel."
  • * Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol Entered into Force 3 May 2008

    News release: "The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has warmly welcomed the news that Ecuador on Thursday became the 20th country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with the result that the Convention and its Optional Protocol will now come into force one month later, on 3 May...The 50-article Convention fights discrimination in relation to a wide range of rights that are often not accorded to persons with disabilities, either deliberately or through neglect. These include the rights to education, health, work, adequate living conditions, freedom of movement, freedom from exploitation and equal recognition before the law. The Convention also addresses the need for persons with disabilities to have access to public transport, buildings and other facilities and recognizes their capacity to make decisions for themselves. Its Optional Protocol allows them to petition an international expert body."

    * Report on Competitive Sourcing Results Fiscal Year 2007

    Report on Competitive Sourcing Results Fiscal Year 2007, May 2008
    Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget: "This report discusses the use of competitive sourcing (i.e., public-private competition) in FY 2007. The report also analyzes trends over the five-year period that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has prepared annual reports on competitive sourcing activities. This report is based on data collected by executive agencies...Agencies are tracking and reviewing the actual costs incurred by their selected service providers for each performance period. To date, actual savings – i.e., baseline costs less actual costs – are approaching close to $1.9 billion. This represents a 96 percent increase in cumulative actual savings from that achieved through the end of FY 2006."

    * Charting An Average Consumer's Spending

    New York Times chart and data - All of Inflation’s Little Parts: "Each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics gathers 84,000 prices in about 200 categories — like gasoline, bananas, dresses and garbage collection — to form the Consumer Price Index, one measure of inflation. It’s among the statistics that the Federal Reserve considered when it cut interest rates on Wednesday. The categories are weighted according to an estimate of what the average American spends, as shown [in the chart]."

    May 03, 2008
    * 2007 OMB Watch Annual Report

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

  • "OMB Watch, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, was formed in 1983 to lift the veil of secrecy shrouding the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB oversees federal regulation, the budget, information collection and dissemination, proposed legislation, testimony by agencies, and much more. While OMB’s actions were having an enormous impact on agency operations
    and the pursuit of social justice, it remained largely behind the scenes – unaccountable and not well understood by the public and public interest groups. By explaining governmental processes and monitoring OMB, OMB Watch helped bring sunshine to this powerful and secretive agency."
  • * CQ: Hundreds of Laptops Missing at State Department, Audit Finds

    Jeff Stein, CQ National Security Editor - excerpt: "Hundreds of employee laptops are unaccounted for at the U.S. Department of State, which conducts delicate, often secret, diplomatic relations with foreign countries, an internal audit has found.

    As many as 400 of the unaccounted for laptops belong to the department’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, according to officials familiar with the findings.

    The program provides counterterrorism training and equipment, including laptops, to foreign police, intelligence and security forces.

    Ironically, the Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program is administered by the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), which is responsible for the security of the department’s computer networks and sensitive equipment, including laptops, among other duties. It also protects foreign diplomats during visits here.

    * SEC Investor Education Information Accompanying IRS Refund Checks to 3 Million Americans

    News release: "The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that investors awaiting their refund checks from the Internal Revenue Service will simultaneously be receiving information about a new SEC phone-based resource that can help them learn more about various investing topics and avoid investment scams.

    The SEC information card encourages recipients to "Call Now and Become a Smarter Investor" by dialing 1-866-358-6652 and choosing an investment topic best suited for them to hear helpful automated information. Topics range from "Getting Started With Investing" and "Protecting Your Nest Egg" to "How to File an Investment Complaint" and "Sales Seminars — No 'Free Lunch'."

    Recipients are additionally given the option of visiting the Internet for more SEC information on investing topics at www.investor.gov.

    May 02, 2008
    * Treasury Economic Update 5.2.08

    News release: "Today's employment report indicates that the U.S. economy continues to work through substantial challenges from the housing adjustment, high energy and food prices, and financial market conditions. The Treasury Department sent out 7.7 million economic stimulus payments to American households this week, and the payments will continue through mid-July. These payments, combined with the business investment incentives also included in the stimulus package, will provide significant support to household and business spending in the middle of the year." Assistant Secretary Phillip Swagel, May 2, 2008

  • White House Fact Sheet: Addressing Economic Pressures Affecting American Families, May 2, 2008
  • * Global Climate Change National Security Implications

    Global Climate Change National Security Implications. Edited by Dr. Carolyn Pumphrey. 454 pages, PDF. Added May 1, 2008.

  • "On March 29-31, 2007, the Strategic Studies Institute and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies conducted a colloquium on “Global Climate Change: National Security Implications” held in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. This volume is based on the proceedings of this conference. Chapter 1 addresses the growing historical awareness of the threat and outlines the science of climate-change. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on how climate change might affect human societies and the degree to which it might cause or exacerbate violence and conflict. Particular attention is paid to the implications for the security of the United States. Chapters 4 and 5 consider a variety of potential solutions, ranging from international diplomacy to the development of efficient technologies. Chapters 6 and 7 focus on the role of the U.S. Armed Forces."
  • * NIST Computer Security Division 2007 Annual Report

    "The NIST Computer Security Division...release of NIST Interagency Report (IR) 7442: Computer Security Division - 2007 Annual Report. This publication highlights the diverse research agenda that enabled the Computer Security Division to successfully respond to numerous challenges and opportunities in fulfilling its mission to provide standards and technology that protects information systems against threats to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information and services."

    * An Introductory Resource Guide to Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

    "NIST announces the release of the public draft of Special Publication 800-66 Revision 1, An Introductory Resource Guide to Implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule (Draft). This Special Publication (SP), which discusses security considerations and resources that may provide value when implementing the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule, was written to help educate readers about information security terms used in the HIPAA Security Rule and to improve understanding of the meaning of the security standards set out in the Security Rule, direct readers to helpful information in other NIST publications on individual topics the HIPAA Security Rule addresses, and aid readers in understanding the security concepts discussed in the HIPAA Security Rule. This publication does not supplement, replace, or supersede the HIPAA Security Rule itself. Comments on Draft SP 800-66 Revision 1 will be accepted through June 13, 2008."

    * Air Force Histories Show Cautious Presidents Overruling Air Force Plans for Early Use of Nuclear Weapons

    National Security Archive, April 30, 2008 - "The U.S. Air Force expected to use nuclear weapons against China during the Taiwan Strait crisis of 1958, but President Eisenhower required the Air Force to plan initially to use conventional bombs against Chinese forces if the crisis escalated, according to a previously secret Air Force history obtained from a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit and posted today by the National Security Archive. Eisenhower's instructions astounded the Air Force leadership, but according to Bernard Nalty, the author of one of the studies released today, U.S. policymakers recognized that atomic strikes had "inherent disadvantages" because of the fall-out danger in the region as well as the risk of escalation."

    May 01, 2008
    * The Administration’s Housing Strategy and Economic Update

    The Administration’s Housing Strategy and Economic Update, Neel Kashkari Phillip Swagel, Senior Advisor to the Secretary Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, Department of the Treasury, May 2, 2008.

    * 2007 Wiretap Report (For the Period January 1 Through December 31, 2007)

    US Courts: "The number of intercepted wire, oral or electronic communications — also known as wiretaps — authorized by federal and state courts in 2007 was 20 percent higher than in 2006. Courts issued 2,208 such orders in 2007, compared to 1,839 in 2006, according to The 2007 Wiretap Report.

    The complete report contains information on interceptions concluded between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2007. A summary of the authorized intercepts reported for calendar years 1997-2007 is available in Table 7."

    * DOD OIG: Security Controls Over Joint Strike Fighter Classified Technology

    Security Controls Over Joint Strike Fighter Classified Technology, March 6, 2008.

    * EPA: Significant Changes Proposed for Lead Emissions, Monitoring

    News release: "EPA proposed a significant reduction in the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead emissions May 1. The Agency proposes to move the standard from the 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air it has been since 1978 to a range of 0.10 to 0.30 micrograms per cubic meter. EPA also proposes to revise various elements of the standard to provide increased protection for children and other at-risk populations against an array of adverse health effects, most notably, effects on the developing nervous system."

    Proposed Revisions to Lead National Air Quality Standards - May 1, 2008 - The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead. The proposed revisions would significantly strengthen the lead standards. EPA will accept comments for 60 days after the publication of the proposal in the Federal Register.

    * EPA OIG Reports: Financial Statements, Tracking Compliance with Superfund Cleanup Requirements
    • 08-2-0142 Agreed-Upon Procedures on EPA's Fiscal Year 2008 First Quarter Financial Statements [Report PDF - 21pp] [At a Glance PDF] April 28, 2008
    • 08-P-0141 EPA Needs to Track Compliance with Superfund Cleanup Requirements [Report PDF - 26pp] [At a Glance PDF] April 28, 2008: "According to EPA’s Superfund information system, there were 3,397 active Superfund enforcement instruments to ensure cleanups at National Priorities List sites as of September 30, 2007. Yet, EPA does not nationally compile or track data on substantial non-compliance (SNC) with the terms or requirements of these instruments."
    * FISA Orders Up, Government Reporting on National Security Letters Begins

    EPIC: "According to the 2007 FISA report, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved 2,370 application to conduct electronic surveillance and physical searches in the United States in 2007, up from 2,176 applications approved in 2006. For the first time, the report includes information regarding the total number of requests made by the Department of Justice with National Security Letter authority for information concerning U.S. persons. in 2006, the government made approximately 12,583 NSL requests for information concerning 4,790 U.S. persons. The 2007 NSL statistics are expected later this year."

    * VA OIG: Ensuring Services for Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans

    Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General: Follow-Up Healthcare Inspection VA's Role in Ensuring Services for Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans after Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation [Report No. 08-01023-119], May 1, 2008

    "In a July 2006 report, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Healthcare Inspections (OHI) described the health status of and services provided for a group of service members and veterans who had received inpatient rehabilitative care in VA facilities for traumatic brain injury (TBI) sustained during or after tours of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. At the request of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the OIG conducted a follow-up assessment to determine the extent to which the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) maintains involvement with these same individuals to ensure that their health care needs are met...Three years after completion of initial inpatient rehabilitation for TBI, many of these patients continue to have significant disabilities. VHA and Veterans Benefits Administration support for TBI patients is extensive. While case management has improved, long-term case management is not uniformly provided for these patients, and significant needs remain unmet."

  • Related postings on Veterans of U.S. Military Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
  • * White House Fact Sheet: Leading the Fight Against Hunger

    Fact Sheet: Leading the Fight Against Hunger - "Today, President Bush called on Congress to provide an additional $770 million to support food aid and development programs. Rising prices have complicated our worldwide food assistance efforts and made it more difficult for the United States to meet its existing commitments, much less help the growing number of people who need aid. To address this problem, two weeks ago the Administration announced that about $200 million in emergency food aid would be made available through a program at the Agriculture Department called the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust. This aid, along with the additional funds requested from Congress, amounts to nearly $1 billion in new funds to bolster global food security. With other food security assistance programs already in place, the U.S. is now projected to spend nearly $5 billion in 2008 and 2009 to fight global hunger."

    * New GAO Reports: Defense Infrastructure
    • Defense Infrastructure: Planning Efforts for the Proposed Military Buildup on Guam Are in Their Initial Stages, with Many Challenges Yet to Be Addressed, GAO-08-722T, May 1, 2008
    • Economic and Other Implications of Switching from Coal to Natural Gas at the Capitol Power Plant and at Electricity-Generating Units Nationwide, GAO-08-601R, May 1, 2008
    • Higher Education: Multiple Higher Education Tax Incentives Create Opportunities for Taxpayers to Make Costly Mistakes, GAO-08-717T, May 1, 2008
    • Military Transformation: DOD Needs to Strengthen Implementation of Its Global Strike Concept and Provide a Comprehensive Investment Approach for Acquiring Needed Capabilities, GAO-08-325, April 30, 2008
    • Older Workers: Federal Agencies Face Challenges, but Have Opportunities to Hire and Retain Experienced Employees, GAO-08-630T, April 30, 2008
    • U.S. Capitol Police: Status of Efforts to Address Prior GAO Recommendations on Administrative and Management Operations, GAO-08-540T, May 1, 2008
    • Utility Regulation: Opportunities Exist to Improve Oversight, GAO-08-752T, May 1, 2008
    * Presidential Transition Guide to Federal Human Resources Management Matters

    Office of Personnel Management (Senior Executive Service) - Presidential Transition Guide to Federal Human Resources Management Matters. Topics include: Standards of Ethical Conduct, Positions and Individuals Subject to Change in a Transition, Appointments, Compensation, Questions and Answers.

    April 30, 2008
    * State Department Releases Country Reports on Terrorism 2007

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

  • Country Reports on Terrorism 2007 (html format): "U.S. law requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress, by April 30 of each year, a full and complete report on terrorism with regard to those countries and groups meeting criteria set forth in the legislation. This annual report is entitled Country Reports on Terrorism."
  • * House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

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

  • "Our government has asked many federal civilian volunteers to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan. With the current plans to develop corps of more readily deployable active and reserve civilians, agencies will need a substantial number of personnel for future stability and
    reconstruction missions, including those in a non-permissive security environment. The committee sought to understand how well the government fulfills its obligation to support and adequately compensate those who are asked to take these assignments. Are support and compensation commensurate with the risks these personnel face in combat zones?"
  • * BEA - Gross Domestic Product: First Quarter 2008

    News release: "Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008, according to advance estimates released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real GDP also increased 0.6 percent. The Bureau emphasized that the first-quarter "advance" estimates are based on source data that are incomplete or subject to further revision by the source agency. The increase in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE) for services, private inventory investment, exports of goods and services, and federal government spending that were partly offset by negative contributions from residential fixed investment and PCE for durable goods. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased."

  • Technical Note and Highlights related to this release.
  • * One Size Fits Few: Using Customer Insight to Transform Government.

    Deloitte Research Study - One Size Fits Few: Using Customer Insight to Transform Government: "This study defines the emerging discipline of “customer strategy” in the 21st century, and shows how the insights of citizens can help your agency make more informed decisions, design and deliver more successful policies and programs, and improve customer service. In line or online, consumers of government services are savvier than ever. And citizens’ attitudes toward the public leaders that represent them are, in large part, shaped by the daily encounters they have with organizations like yours."

    * Overview of State Legislation Related to Immigrants and Immigration

    National Conference of State Legislatures: "This report, Overview of State Legislation Related to Immigrants and Immigration, January - March 2008, provides a first look at introduced legislation in 2008 and presents selected examples of enacted laws relating to immigrants and refugees. This process of legislative tracking and reporting is based on a comprehensive and inclusive methodology and captures all state legislation in which immigrants – whether authorized or unauthorized, temporary migrants, aliens and refugees – are affected.

    As of March 31, 2008, at least 1,106 bills have been considered in 44 states this year. Twenty-six states have enacted 44 laws and adopted 38 resolutions or memorials.

    This level of activity is comparable to last year, when 1,169 bills and resolutions had been introduced (as of April 13, 2007). At this time last year, 18 states had enacted 57 laws related to immigrants and immigration. State legislatures had also adopted at least 19 resolutions and memorials.

    States continue to address both enforcement and integration issues related to immigrants. As in recent years, the top three areas of interest are law enforcement, employment, and identification documents."

    * GAO: Low Productivity and New Interagency Review Process Limit the Usefulness and Credibility of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System

    GAO report released April 29, 2008 - Chemical Assessments: Low Productivity and New Interagency Review Process Limit the Usefulness and Credibility of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System, GAO-08-440, March 7, 2008

    "The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) contains EPA’s scientific position on the potential human health effects of exposure to more than 540 chemicals.

  • IRIS is a critical component of EPA’s capacity to support scientifically sound environmental decisions, policies, and regulations.

    EPA’s actions since 2000 to ensure that IRIS contains current, credible risk information, to address its backlog of 70 ongoing assessments, and to respond to new OMB requirements—including increasing funding and revising the assessment process—have not enabled EPA to routinely complete credible IRIS assessments or decrease its backlog. Although in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 EPA sent 32 assessments to OMB for the first of three required external reviews, EPA finalized only 4 assessments during this period. This low level of productivity jeopardizes the viability of the IRIS database. Further, an EPA analysis indicated that many existing assessments may need to be updated, and EPA program offices and other IRIS users have requested assessments of hundreds of chemicals not yet in IRIS."

    AP: "After years of stops and starts, the GAO said, the EPA has yet to determine carcinogen risks for a number of major chemicals such as:

    • Naphthalene, a chemical used in rocket fuel as well as in manufacturing commercial products such as mothballs, dyes and insecticides.
    • Trichloroethylene, or TCE, a widely used industrial degreasing agent.
    • Perchloroethylene, or "perc," a chemical used in dry cleaning, metal degreasing and making chemical products.
    • Formaldehyde, a colorless, flammable gas used to making building materials.
    • Environmentalists say these chemicals have been widely found at military bases and Superfund sites and in soil, lakes, streams and groundwater."

  • April 29, 2008
    * 2004-06 Biennial Report on Federal government’s environmental and energy efficiency accomplishments

    News release: "Today, Earth Day 2008, the Federal Environmental Executive (FEE) released the 2004-06 Biennial Report to the President on the Federal government’s environmental and energy efficiency accomplishments. President George W. Bush called on the Federal government to lead by example in environmental stewardship, while meeting their missions in an efficient and reliable manner. In January, the President signed Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, requiring Federal Agencies to lead by example in advancing the Nation's energy security and environmental performance through effective environmental, energy, and transportation management. This order directs the Federal Environmental Executive (FEE) to prepare a biennial report highlighting Federal agency accomplishments."

    * FTC Testifies on Efforts to Protect Consumers in Subprime Mortgage Market

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

    * Treasury Launch of Financial Access Pilot

    News release: "The Treasury Department today launched a new initiative to increase financial education and bank and credit union accounts for Americans currently outside of the financial mainstream. The Community Financial Access Pilot will help selected U.S. communities provide low and moderate income people with needed access to financial services...The number of families using alternative financial service providers is estimated to be as high as 50 million...Information on the Community Financial Access Pilot is available here."

    * The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle: Over Budget, Behind Schedule, and Unreliable

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

  • The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle: Over Budget, Behind Schedule, and Unreliable, Unites States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Majority Staff April 29, 2008
  • * DOE OIG Audit: Management Controls over Defense Related High Risk Property

    Management Controls over Defense Related High Risk Property, OAS-M-08-06 April 2008: "Los Alamos and Sandia had effective administrative controls in place over the accountability of firearms, including formal inventories, adequate documentation, and proper segregation of duties. However, administrative controls over other defense related high risk property such as firearm barrels, body armor, and gas masks were not sufficient for providing accountability."

    * New GAO Reports: Global HIV/AIDS, Toxic Chemicals, Chemical Assessments
    • Global HIV/AIDS: A More Country-Based Approach Could Improve Allocation of PEPFAR Funding, GAO-08-480, April 02, 2008
    • Toxic Chemicals: EPA's New Assessment Process Will Increase Challenges EPA Faces in Evaluating and Regulating Chemicals, GAO-08-743T, April 29, 2008
    • Chemical Assessments: Low Productivity and New Interagency Review Process Limit the Usefulness and Credibility of EPA's Integrated Risk Information System, GAO-08-440, March 07, 2008
    • Defense Acquisitions: Results of Annual Assessment of DOD Weapon Programs, GAO-08-674T, April 29, 2008
    • Status of Implementation of GAO Recommendations on Evacuation of Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations and Patients and Residents of Health Care Facilities, GAO-08-544R, April 01, 2008
    • Global HIV/AIDS: Survey of PEPFAR Country Team Officials (GAO-08-534SP), an E-supplement to GAO-08-480: GAO-08-534SP, April 02, 2008
    • Defense Transportation: DOD Should Ensure that the Final Size and Mix of Airlift Force Study Plan Includes Sufficient Detail to Meet the Terms of the Law and Inform Decision Makers, GAO-08-704R, April 28, 2008
    * DHS Announces New Aviation Security and Traveler Screening Enhancements

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today improvements aimed at strengthening aviation security while decreasing the hassle factor for travelers. Among the key improvements, DHS is providing airlines more flexibility to allow passengers to check in remotely who have been unable to do so because they have a name similar to someone on a watch list. The department also unveiled the Checkpoint Evolution prototype, which begins full operation at Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) today. Each airline will now be able to create a system to verify and securely store a passenger’s date of birth to clear up watch list misidentifications. By voluntarily providing this limited biographical data to an airline and verifying that information once at the ticket counter, travelers that were previously inconvenienced on every trip will now be able to check-in online or at remote kiosks."

    * Finding the Balance: Reducing Border Costs While Strengthening Security

    "Canada and the United States enjoy a special relationship that has been built on shared values developed through the long history of family, friends, and visitors who live on both sides of the border. It facilitates the largest bilateral trading relationship in the world, with approximately $1.5 billion USD in twoway trade crossing the border on a daily basis. The benefits flowing from this relationship are significant, including approximately 7.1 million jobs in the United States and 3 million jobs in Canada."

  • Reducing Border Costs While Strengthening Security, led by the Canadian Chamber and U.S. Chamber in partnership with 43 associations.
  • April 28, 2008
    * DHS Unveils Small Vessel Security Strategy

    News release: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today a new Small Vessel Security Strategy (SVSS) designed to close security gaps and reduce risks associated with the potential exploitation of small maritime vessels. The SVSS identifies specific goals for which security efforts can achieve the greatest impact without excessive imposition upon the freedom of operation common to the nation’s waterways."

    * New E-Gov Site: fueleconomy.gov

    www.fueleconomy.gov helps consumers make informed fuel economy choices when purchasing a vehicle and helps them achieve the best fuel economy possible from the cars they own...it is maintained jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The site helps fulfill DOE and EPA’s responsibility under the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 1992 to provide accurate MPG information to consumers."

    * SIGIR - Transferring Reconstruction Projects to the Government of Iraq: Some Progress Made but Further Improvements Needed to Avoid Waste
      Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR)
    • Transferring Reconstruction Projects to the Government of Iraq: Some Progress Made but Further Improvements Needed to Avoid Waste, April 28, 2008: "U.S. agencies involved in reconstruction activities have taken steps to improve the asset transfer policies, plans, and processes, but further actions are needed to address longstanding problems that have hindered the program’s effective implementation...These deficiencies, if not adequately addressed, will place the overall U.S. investment in many capital asset projects at risk of being ineffectively and inefficiently used, and in the worst case scenario, not used at all. Such an occurrence would greatly increase existing concerns over waste related to U.S. reconstruction activities in Iraq."
    • Interim Report on Iraq Reconstruction Contract Terminations, April 28, 2008: "Although information on contract terminations is incomplete, available data show that approximately 855 Iraq reconstruction contracts–or task orders within individual contracts–have been terminated for the convenience of the U.S government or because of default on the part of the contractor. This information comes from the Iraq Reconstruction Management System (IRMS), which as of March 20, 2008, contained information on 47,321 projects."
    * Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2006, Volumes I and II

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

  • "The country reports on human rights practices contained herein were prepared by the Department of State in accordance with sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended. They also fulfill the legislative requirements of section 505(c) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The reports cover the human rights practices of all nations that are members of the United Nations and a few that are not. They are printed to assist Members of Congress in the consideration of legislation, particularly foreign assistance legislation. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations. Howard L. Berman, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs."
  • * Bureau of Justice Statistics: Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2004

    "Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2004 - Presents data collected from a representative sample of felony cases filed in the nation's 75 largest counties during May 2004. Murder cases were tracked for up to 2 years and all other cases for 1 year to provide a complete overview of the processing of felony defendants from case filing to disposition and sentencing. Data highlight the demographic characteristics of felony defendants and types of arrest charges. The report also includes in-depth information on the criminal record of felony defendants, including criminal justice status at the time of arrest and the number and type of prior arrests and convictions. It describes conditions of pretrial release (bail amounts, type of release bonds, and pretrial misconduct), adjudication outcomes (dismissal, diversion, guilty plea, trial conviction rates), and sentencing data for convicted felony defendants."

  • See also Felony Defendants in Large Urban Counties, 2004 - Statistical Tables.
  • * Senate Approves Health Privacy Bill

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

    * Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime

    News release: "Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced a new strategy in the fight against international organized crime that will address this growing threat to U.S. security and stability. The Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime (the strategy) was developed following an October 2007 International Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOC Threat Assessment) and will address the demand for a strategic, targeted and concerted U.S. response to combat the identified threats. This strategy builds on the broad foundation the Administration has developed in recent years to enhance information sharing, and to secure U.S. borders and financial systems from a variety of transnational threats."

  • Overview of the Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, April 2008
  • April 27, 2008
    * UK Phasing In Facial Recognition System for Border Entry

    UK Guardian: "Airline passengers are to be screened with facial recognition technology rather than checks by passport officers, in an attempt to improve security and ease congestion..From summer, unmanned clearance gates will be phased in to scan passengers' faces and match the image to the record on the computer chip in their biometric passports. Border security officials believe the machines can do a better job than humans of screening passports and preventing identity fraud. The pilot project will be open to UK and EU citizens holding new biometric passports."

    * CBO: PBGC Investment Strategy and Cap-and-Trade Program for Carbon Dioxide Emissions
    * Trends in County Mortality and Cross-County Mortality Disparities in the US

    The Reversal of Fortunes: Trends in County Mortality and Cross-County Mortality Disparities in the United States, Majid Ezzati, Ari B. Friedman, Sandeep C. Kulkarni, Christopher J. L. Murray. Open access via Public Library of Science, PLoS Medicine, April 2008, Vol. 5, No. 4, e66 doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050066.

    • "There was a steady increase in mortality inequality across the US counties between 1983 and 1999, resulting from stagnation or increase in mortality among the worst-off segment of the population. Female mortality increased in a large number of counties, primarily because of chronic diseases related to smoking, overweight and obesity, and high blood pressure."
    • Related posting, CBO Issue Summary, Growing Disparities in Life Expectancy, April 17, 2008

    * PriceWaterHouseCoopers 2007 Securities Litigation Study Released

    2007 Securities Litigation Study, April 2008 (77 pages, PDF): "By far, the most significant happening in 2007 was the unfolding of what has become known as the subprime crisis. Early in the year, amid a falling housing market, increasing interest rates, and a surge in foreclosures, subprime lenders began declaring bankruptcy, announcing significant losses, and/or making themselves available for sale.

    Additionally, Wall Street investment banks began to disclose losses in securities portfolios backed by subprime loans—and thus the subprime crisis was born. To date, approximately $130 billion in losses related to subprime issues have been reported by most of the major investment banks, including UBS, Goldman Sachs, and Merrill Lynch, and many subprime-related institutions have filed for bankruptcy.

    Regulators and prosecutors, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and state attorneys general, are now conducting investigations in the quest to determine the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of this debacle. In early February 2007, the plaintiffs’ bar began issuing federal class action lawsuits, and the stream of private securities litigation—against the loan originators, banks, and rating agencies involved in the secondary and securitized mortgage market—continues into 2008."

    * EU Backs Criminalizing Posting Bomb Making Instructions on Web

    European Digital Rights: "The European Ministers of Justice and Internal Affairs have agreed to make publishing bomb-making instructions on the Internet a crime...Justice and interior ministers from the EU member states backed a proposal from Commissioner Frattini to harmonise the normative acts that will make the "public provocation to commit a terrorist offence, recruitment, and training for terrorism" a crime. According to the statements of the EU officials publishing these acts on the Internet completed the European legislation in this domain. They described the Internet as "a virtual training camp for militants, used to inspire and mobilise local groups." Gilles de Kerchove, the EU anti-terrorism co-ordinator, declared that there are approx. 5,000 websites that are used to radicalise young people."

    * BTS Releases Fourth-Quarter 2007 Air Fare Data

    News release: "Average air fares in the fourth quarter of 2007 were up 4.0 percent from the fourth quarter of 2006, reaching the highest fourth-quarter level since 2001 but remaining 2.7 percent below the high set in 2000 for any October-to-December period, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported...the average domestic itinerary fare in the fourth quarter of 2007 of $331 was the highest average fare since the second quarter of 2006. The fourth-quarter 2007 average fare was up 11.3 percent from the post-9/11 fourth-quarter low of $297 in 2004. f the top 100 airports based on originating passengers, the highest fourth-quarter average fares were in Anchorage, AK; followed by Cincinnati, OH; San Francisco; Madison, WI; and Knoxville, TN. The lowest fares in the top 100 airports were at four Hawaii airports followed by Dallas Love."

  • average fares for the top 100 airports
  • * FAA Takes Steps to Ensure Proper Reporting of Operational Errors

    News release: "The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)...announced steps to strengthen the reporting system designed to classify airspace errors, in response to a report by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Inspector General (IG) that revealed the intentional misclassification of operational errors at the Dallas-Fort Worth Terminal Approach Control (TRACON)...Specifically, the IG found that management at the Dallas-Fort Worth TRACON investigated operational errors and deviations, but routinely and intentionally misclassified them as pilot errors or non-events. The report was prompted by whistleblower allegations that management was covering up operational errors and deviations." [Note: the IG report has not been posted]

    April 26, 2008
    * Request FCC TV Show Complaints Via New Public Interest Website

    "Every year the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) receives thousands of complaints about television shows. Sometimes insightful, sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying, they provide a fascinating glimpse into the psyches of our fellow TV-watching Americans.

    This web site, TV Show Complaints.org, helps you obtain copies of these complaints! It's as simple as sending an email to the FCC, and our web site will help you write one -- it will take just a few seconds of your time and is usually free."

    April 25, 2008
    * New GAO Reports: Space Acquisitions, Traffic Safety, Highways and Environment
    • Space Acquisitions: DOD Is Making Progress to Rapidly Deliver Low Cost Space Capabilities, but Challenges Remain, GAO-08-516, April 25, 2008
    • Traffic Safety: Improved Reporting and Performance Measures Would Enhance Evaluation of High-Visibility Campaigns, GAO-08-477, April 25, 2008
    • Highways and Environment: Transportation Agencies Are Acting to Involve Others in Planning and Environmental Decisions, GAO-08-512R, April 25, 2008
    * Victims Group Formed By Sentencing Commission

    News release: "The United States Sentencing Commission announced today the formation of a standing advisory group to provide the Commission insight and advice on the operation of the federal sentencing guidelines from the perspective of victims of federal crime. The initial Victims Advisory Group (“VAG”) will be composed of six members representing the spectrum of interest groups and organizations interested in victims’ issues at the federal level."

    * DNI Background Briefing with Senior U.S. Officials on Syria's Covert Nuclear Reactor and North Korea's Involvement

    Director of National Intelligence (DNI): Background Briefing with Senior U.S. Officials on Syria's Covert Nuclear Reactor and North Korea's Involvement, April 24, 2008

    * BEA: Local Area Personal Income, 2006

    "...the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released estimates of personal income at the county level for 2006 based on newly available source data. Personal income is a comprehensive measure of the income of all persons from all sources. In addition to wages and salaries it includes employer–provided health insurance, dividends and interest income, social security benefits, and other types of income...Personal income declined in 2006 in 227 counties. In all but 5 of these counties farming can account for the entire decline. The largest percentage losses in personal income were in counties in the Dakotas and Texas..."

  • Local Area Personal Income, 2006
  • April 24, 2008
    * New GAO Reports: Defense Infrastructure, Export Controls, Nanotechnology, Strategic Petroleum Reserve
    • Defense Infrastructure: Continued Management Attention Is Needed to Support Installation Facilities and Operations, GAO-08-502, April 24, 2008
    • Export Controls: State and Commerce Have Not Taken Basic Steps to Better Ensure U.S. Interests Are Protected, GAO-08-710T, April 24, 2008
    • International Boundary and Water Commission: Two Alternatives for Improving Wastewater Treatment at the United States-Mexico Border, GAO-08-595R, April 24, 2008
    • Nanotechnology: Accuracy of Data on Federally Funded Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Could Be Improved, GAO-08-709T, April 24, 2008
    • Nanotechnology: Better Guidance Is Needed to Ensure Accurate Reporting of Federal Research Focused on Environmental, Health, and Safety Risks, GAO-08-402, March 31, 2008
    • NASA: Challenges in Completing and Sustaining the International Space Station, GAO-08-581T, April 24, 2008
    • Residential Facilities: State and Federal Oversight Gaps May Increase Risk to Youth Well-Being, GAO-08-696T, April 24, 2008
    • Residential Programs: Selected Cases of Death, Abuse, and Deceptive Marketing, GAO-08-713T, April 24, 2008
    • Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Improving the Cost-Effectiveness of Filling the Reserve, GAO-08-726T, April 24, 2008
    * FCC Issues Public Notice Updating The Public and Broadcasting

    News release: "In its recent Report on Broadcast Localism and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Commission concluded that the record in the localism proceeding (MB Docket No. 04-233) revealed a substantial need for greater public understanding of broadcaster obligations, and of the procedures by which the Commission enforces those obligations. The Commission expressed its desire to better educate members of the public about the tools available to them, should they believe that their local broadcast stations are not fulfilling their service obligations. To that end, the Commission directed the Media Bureau to update “The Public and Broadcasting,” a publication that all broadcasters must maintain in their public inspection files. The Commission also stated that it would establish a contact point within the agency for public inquiries about broadcast matters. In response to these Commission directives, today, the Media Bureau has released an updated version of “The Public and Broadcasting.”2 Including links to places on the FCC’s website that offer additional relevant information as to the matters discussed, this publication provides an overview of the FCC’s regulation of broadcast radio and television licensees, describes how broadcast stations are authorized, and explains the various rules and policies relating to broadcast programming and operations with which stations must comply, including the obligation to serve their local communities. It also explains how members of the public can become involved in assessing whether local broadcast stations are complying with these requirements. The publication is also intended to make the public aware of FCC procedures and the tools at their disposal, in the event that they conclude that any of their local stations do not meet these responsibilities."

  • THE PUBLIC AND BROADCASTING: How to Get the Most Service from Your Local Station, Revised April 2008
  • April 23, 2008
    * NOAA Reports Carbon Dioxide, Methane Rise Sharply in 2007

    News release: "Last year alone global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, increased by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons. Additionally methane rose by 27 million tons after nearly a decade with little or no increase. NOAA scientists released these and other preliminary findings today as part of an annual update to the agency’s greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world."

  • The NOAA Annual Greenhouse Gas Index (AGGI), released April 23, 2008
  • * Bureau of Justice