H. Sterling Burnett and D. Sean Shurtleff, Capping CO2 Emissions, Boosting Energy Costs, National Center for Policy Analysis, Brief Analysis No. 617, May 13, 2008.

H.R. 3548: Plain Language in Government Communications Act of 2008 - To enhance citizen access to Government information and services by establishing plain language as the standard style for Government documents issued to the public, and for other purposes. [UsabilityNews.com via Darlene Fichter]

"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."

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

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."

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

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

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

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

News release: "On April 22, 2008, Secretary Spellings announced proposed regulations to strengthen and clarify No Child Left Behind. The proposed regulations focus on improved accountability and transparency, uniform and disaggregated graduation rates, and improved parental notification for supplemental educational services and public school choice. Below are documents that were released at the announcement.

• Fact sheets - Accountability, assessments and transparency; Public school choice and supplemental educational services
  
• Proposed Regulations for Title I: Summary PDF | Detailed summary PDF |Federal Register notice inviting comments

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

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

"Consistent with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), as amended by the Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007, and Executive Order 13392, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has undertaken and completed a review of its public FOIA regulations that govern certain aspects of its processing of FOIA requests. As a result of this review, the Agency proposes to revise its FOIA regulations to more clearly reflect the current CIA organizational structure, record system configuration, and FOIA policies and practices and to eliminate ambiguous, redundant and obsolete regulatory provisions. As required by the FOIA, the Agency is providing an opportunity for interested persons to submit comments on these proposed regulations." [Federal Register: April 17, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 75)] [Proposed Rules][Page 20882-20884]

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

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

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

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

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

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

News release: "The Commission has issued a staff report highlighting the challenges of consumer protection in the face of emerging and evolving technologies in the next ten years. The report summarizes the proceedings of the FTC’s three-day public hearings, “Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade,” and which will inform its consumer protection efforts in the next decade. TThe report explains the FTC will work to prevent Internet fraud by using its new powers under the U.S. SAFE WEB Act to coordinate and cooperate more closely with foreign consumer protection officials, ensure that consumer-producers who engage in activities to market and advertise products for consideration do so within the confines of laws prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or practices in trade, and develop new strategies and to harness the power of technology to deliver timely and effective consumer education messages."

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

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

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

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

Department of Justice Office of Inspector General: A Review of the FBI’s Use of National Security Letters: Assessment of Corrective Actions and Examination of NSL Usage in 2006, March 2008, Unclassified, (187 pages, PDF)

Department of Justice Office of Inspector General: A Review of the FBI’s Use of Section 215 Orders for Business Records in 2006, March 2008, Unclassified (99 pages, PDF)

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

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

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

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

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


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

House Concurrent Resolution on the Budget - FY09: H. CON. RES. 312 accompanied by House Report 110-543. Revising the cong. budget for the U.S. Gov't for FY08, establishing the cong. budget for the U.S. Gov't for FY09, and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2010 - 2013.

National Marine Sanctuary Program Protects Certain Resources, But Further Actions Could Increase Protection - Inspection: IPE-18591, February 2008 (72 pages, PDF)

Center for Democracy and Technology: "For five years, the E-Government Act has promoted improvements in the federal government's use of information technology. The Act has improved the public's access to government information resources as well as creating protections for personal information. The 2002 Act expired in 2007, and a 2007 E-Government Reauthorization Act (S. 2321) passed out of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee and should be sent to the Senate floor soon."

"The C-SPAN Congressional Chronicle is an index to the C-SPAN video recordings of the House and Senate floor proceedings. The video recordings are matched with the text of the Congressional Record as soon as the Record is available. It only includes members who appeared on the floor to deliver or insert their remarks. The text included here is what the member submitted. Each appearance has a video link where users can watch and listen to the actual remarks."

Hearing on Cracked Justice – Addressing the Unfairness in Cocaine Sentencing, House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, February 26, 2008.

News release: "A bi-partisan group of Senators from the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee led by U.S. Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Bill Nelson (D-Florida) and the Committee’s Ranking Member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), introduced today bi-partisan legislation aimed at ending the deceptive practice known as phishing. The Anti-Phishing Consumer Protection Act of 2008 would prohibit phishing – the deceptive solicitation of a consumer’s personal information through the use of emails, instant messages, and misleading websites that trick recipients into divulging their information for the purpose of identity theft. The legislation would also prohibit related abuses, such as the practice of using fraudulent or misleading domain names, by defining them as deceptive practices under the FTC Act."

Statement of FCC Commissioner Copps in Response to the D.C. Circuit's Decision Vacating the FCC's Denial and Dismissal of the Gulf Coast Migratory Birds Petition: "For years, I have been disappointed with the FCC’s failure to get serious about its environmental responsibilities. Now the D.C. Circuit has affirmed something this agency should have acknowledged a long time ago: that the National Environmental Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act require the FCC to take a hard look at the effects of communications towers on migratory birds."

• "In the wake of the staggering recall of 143 million pounds of beef—the largest in the nation's history by far—The Humane Society of the United States is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Congress to take immediate steps to strengthen federal humane handling procedures and to enact more stringent laws to prevent a recurrence of the gross abuses documented at a southern California slaughter plant...The HSUS also called on USDA to change its policy and prohibit the slaughter of all—not just some—downed cows. As well, the organization is asserting that this case further underscores the need for Congress to enact pending farm animal welfare legislation -- the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act and the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act – with no further delay. The beef recall came in response to The Humane Society of the United States' investigation documenting crippled cows being tormented at a Southern California slaughter plant. The abuse occurred even though USDA had a number of inspectors at the slaughter plant."

National Wildlife Federation: "For thirty years the federal Clean Water Act broadly protected waters in the nation and across the Southwest. It sought, with a great deal of success, to safeguard important waters from pollution and destruction. Historically, it applied to waters from the Rio Grande to playa lakes. However, now the protections of the Act are being whittled away. Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions, Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (2001) and Rapanos v. United States (2006), have placed protections of many of the nation’s waters, such as intermittent and ephemeral streams and so-called “isolated” wetlands, in doubt. While these Supreme Court decisions have not overturned any of the current regulations that broadly protect waters, they have created significant legal
confusion over the scope of the Act’s protections....the Southwest has a disproportionate number of waters that are at-risk of losing federal protection because of agency guidance. In all Southwest states, the percentage of streams that are at risk because they do not flow year round is much higher than the national average, which is already an alarming 59 percent of all stream miles. For instance, in Arizona approximately 96 percent of streams are at risk of losing federal protections. Similarly, many of the region’s most important wetlands are either geographically “isolated” or associated with streams that may no longer be protected. In conjunction with state laws that often provide little or no protection for these at-risk resources, a prolonged drought affecting much of the region, and climate change impacts add unprecedented stress to waters in the area, making the threat to waters in the Southwest more severe than it has been in a generation."

Fact Sheet: Examples of How the Economic Growth Act of 2008 [H.R. 5109] will Benefit Americans, February 13, 2008

Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate for H.R. 5140, Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, February 11, 2008: "H.R. 5140 would provide a tax rebate to individual tax filers who satisfy specific income requirements and special depreciation allowances to businesses. In addition, the act would raise the loan limit for the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA’s) single-family program. The Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimate that H.R. 5140 would:

• Decrease revenues by $114 billion in 2008 and by a net amount of $82 billion over the 2008-2018 period; and


• Increase direct spending by $38 billion in 2008 and $42 billion over the 2008-2009 period.

Press release: "The California State Senate passed a bill Friday that would allow prosecution for identity theft cases in the county where the victim resides. State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, co-authored Senate Bill 612 and praised fellow senators Friday for voting 40-0 in favor of the legislation. Current law permits prosecution in the county where the theft occurred, or where the information was illegally used, even when both locations are hundreds of miles from the victim’s home, according to Simitian’s office." Simitian also sponsored Senate Bill 364, that passed by a vote of 30-7.

CDT: "The Senate yesterday gave final congressional approval to legislation making "Do Not Call" listings permanent. Without the legislation, consumers' phone numbers would have been automatically removed from the FTC controlled list after five years. CDT applauds the decision to eliminate the list's current expiration policy, which would require consumers who want to remain on the list to sign up again every five years. The bill, H.R. 3541, has already passed the House and is likely to be enacted into law soon."

"A joint project of the Center for Democracy & Technology and the Progress & Freedom Foundation tracks more than 30 pieces of federal legislation that seek to protect children online, some of which pose serious threats to free speech. The reports released today summarize and categorize child online safety bills introduced in the 110th Congress, analyze free speech implications of key bills, and provide recommendations to Congress on how it can promote child online safety without impinging on First Amendment rights. February 06, 2008."

News.com: "Real ID's scope is surprisingly broad. Jurors could potentially be denied entrance to federal courthouses. So could prospective students visiting the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis or the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Tours of federal buildings such as the Pentagon and the Treasury Department could be affected, as could public hearings, conferences, and even concerts. And some Americans could be denied entrance to the U.S. Capitol building, the iconic heart of the nation's democracy...Starting May 11, unless your home state agrees to comply with the federal Real ID Act or unless it asks for an extension, you might have trouble getting into federal buildings. Click a state [interactive map include in this article] to see what that state has told us about whether or not its ID cards will meet Real ID requirements."

The Threat Posed By Inflated Statutory Damages, Comments on the January 25, 2008 Meeting Hosted by the Copyright Office: "The PRO IP Act (H.R. 4279) proposes to weaken the long-established “one work” rule, which today imposes a measure of certainty on how copyright statutory damages are calculated. Under current law, a copyright plaintiff may seek up to $150,000 per work infringed. In the case of compilations, the one work rule recognizes that the compilation is being marketed as one work, although it may in fact consist of multiple components. Section 104 of the PRO IP Act seeks to undo a central underpinning of statutory damages: ensuring that the damages award for infringement of a compilation does not result in catastrophic multiple awards through a separate award for each component of that compilation. For example, current law authorizes a statutory damages award of up to $150,000 for a single infringement of a magazine containing 100 photos, or a software application containing 100 modules. The proposed changes in Section 104 would allow a plaintiff to claim up to $15 million for the same act of infringement."

REAL ID: What Should Congress Do Now? - CDT Analysis of the REAL ID Act and the Department of Homeland Security’s Final Regulations, February 1, 2008.

Technological Change and the Growth of Health Care Spending, January 2008 pdf charts

"The Nation's Investment in Cancer Research: A Plan and Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2008 reports on both strategic priorities and implementation progress in work by the National Cancer Institute to reduce the burden of cancer on the lives of all Americans. Through one's own personal experience or relationships with family, friends, and others in our communities, most of us have been touched by cancer. Because those journeys through illness and health are continually impacted by biomedical discoveries and groundbreaking tools, this document can be valuable to many audiences. The NCI is mandated by The National Cancer Act of 1971 (Public Law 92-218) to prepare and submit its annual budget and plan directly to the President of the United States for review and transmittal to Congress."

Committee on Energy and Commerce and its Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, Climate Change Legislation Design White Paper: Competitiveness Concerns/Engaging Developing Countries, January 31, 2008: "This White Paper discusses potential domestic legislative provisions that could encourage developing countries to curb their emissions of greenhouse gases."

Follow up to postings on the economic stimulus package:

• JCX-13-08 (January 30, 2008) Estimated Budget Effects Of The "Economic Stimulus Act Of 2008," As Ordered Reported By The Committee On Finance And Scheduled For Consideration On The Senate Floor On January 30, 2008


• JCX-12-08 (January 30, 2008) Estimated Budget Effects Of The Chairman's Modification To The "Economic Stimulus Act Of 2008," Scheduled For Markup By The Committee On Finance On January 30, 2008


• JCX-11-08 (January 30, 200) Description Of The Chairman's Modification To The Provisions Of The "Economic Stimulus Act Of 2008"


• Inside the JCT Revenue Estimating Process (Rev. January 30, 2008), A presentation by the Chief of Staff of the Joint Committee On Taxation, Edward Kleinbard, to the New York State Bar Association on January 29, 2008.


• JCX-10-08 (January 29, 2008) Distributional Effects Of A Proposal To Provide Tax Credits For Individual Taxpayers As Contained In The "Economic Stimulus Act Of 2008," Scheduled For Markup By The Committee On Finance On January 30, 2008


• JCX-9-08 (January 29, 2008) Estimated Budget Effects Of The "Economic Stimulus Act Of 2008," Scheduled For Markup By The Committee On Finance On January 30, 2008


• JCX-8-08 (January 28, 2008) Description Of The "Economic Stimulus Act Of 2008"


• JCX-7-08 (January 28, 2008) Distributional Effects Of A Proposal To Provide Tax Credits For Individual Taxpayers As Contained In H.R. 5140, The "Recovery Rebates And Economic Stimulus For The American People Act Of 2008"

EPIC: "In a report that will appear in IEEE Security & Privacy, leading experts in computer security warn that legislation now under consideration in the Senate could make the United States vulnerable to attack. The paper Risking Communications security: Potential hazards of the Protect America Act warns that warrantless wiretapping creates creates serious security risks, including "danger of exploitation of the system by unauthorized users, danger of criminal misuse by trusted insiders, and danger of misuse by government agents."

Annual Superfund Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 2007, January 2008

• H.R. 5140, the Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008 (bill text)
• Technical Explanation of the Revenue Provisions of H.R. 5140, the "Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008"
• Summary of Tax Provisions
• Caculation of Recovery Rebate
• Recovery Rebates
Permanent Link

Joint Economic Committee press release: "Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Vice Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, today released a report showing that worsening economic conditions will increase demand for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicaid, and called on colleagues in Congress to vote next Wednesday to override the President’s veto of H.R. 3963, legislation that would bring health coverage to approximately ten million children over the next five years."

January 2008 - Part 2 of The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Analysis of Senate Bill S. 1766 in the 110th Congress, the Low Carbon Economy Act of 2007. The Low Carbon Economy Act of 2007 (S.1766) is designed to reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the production and use of energy. Part 2 of the request from Senators Bingaman and Specter was to analyze the economic impacts of S.1766.

CRS Report - Higher Education Act Reauthorization in the 110th Congress: A Comparison of Major Proposals, December 13, 2007.

Follow up to previous posting on listing the polar bear as a threatened species, this January 18, 2008 press release: "Select Committee Chairman Rep. Edward Markey...sent a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne reinforcing the message that the Secretary should postpone the pending oil lease sale on the critical habitat of the polar bear while he is still considering the status of the bear under the Endangered Species Act. In addition to today’s letter, Chairman Markey held a committee hearing yesterday questioning the wisdom of putting oil extraction ahead of species extinction, introduced legislation requiring that the decisions be made in the proper order, and sent a letter directing numerous questions to the Interior Department concerning how these decisions are being made."

Press release: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) introduced the Caging Prohibition Act of 2008. Voter caging is a practice by which mail is sent to a registered voter’s address and, if the mail is returned as “undeliverable” or if it is delivered and the voter does not respond, his or her registration is challenged in order to suppress voter turnout. This may occur even if the voter has simply moved across a college campus or to another location on a military base, or simply does not respond to what one might assume is junk mail. It is estimated that the practice has resulted in tens of thousands of voters - often soldiers, college students and low-income families - being purged from the rolls."

Press release: "The Federal Trade Commission today issued a report entitled Accounting for Laws that Apply Differently to the United States Postal Service and its Private Competitors, which fulfills its requirement under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA).

The report identifies and quantifies – to the extent possible – the Postal Service’s economic burdens and advantages that exist due to its status as a federal government entity, as well as those benefits resulting from its postal and mailbox monopolies. The report also examines the net economic effect of the relevant laws governing the Postal Service and its private competitors, concluding that the USPS’s burdens and benefits both create marketplace distortions: legal constraints increase the USPS’s costs, disadvantaging it as a competitor; implicit subsidies that the USPS enjoys partially mask the USPS’s higher costs from consumers, creating incentives for consumers to purchase more competitive mail products from the USPS than they otherwise would. The report further explores ways that the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) or Congress may be able to minimize or eliminate such distortions."

Press release, January 11, 2009: "One of the biggest concerns we’ve had for the last several years, one we continue to have at the Department of Homeland Security, is how do we promote a secure form of identification across America? And Congress has spoken to this by passing the REAL ID Act several years ago, which provides that we have the obligation to set uniform security standards for the issuance of state driver’s licenses. When we went back and investigated the 9/11 attacks, one of the things which we found, and which the 9/11 Commission found, was that all but one of the hijackers carried a government-issued identification form – mostly driver’s licenses. And this government-issued ID helped the hijackers board airplanes, or remain in the country illegally. That’s why the 9/11 Commission recommended that we enhance the security of our driver’s licenses as a counterterrorism measure. And that’s why Congress set higher standards for driver’s licenses in the REAL ID Act. That’s also why the American people overwhelmingly support more security for driver’s licenses."

Follow up to December 27, 2007 posting Mandate for Public Access to NIH-Funded Research Now Law, see this press release: "The Association of American Publishers [January 3, 2008] criticized a controversial new NIH research publication policy that was enacted as part of the omnibus appropriations package for 2008, and reaffirmed that journal publishers who have opposed the policy will continue to pursue their concerns with Congress regarding the policy’s negative impact on science publishing and the protection of related intellectual property rights. Publishers will also urge NIH to conduct a rulemaking proceeding, with opportunity for public comment, before implementing the new policy."

"The American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2007 report tracks progress on key tobacco control policies at the state and federal level and assigns grades to tobacco control laws and regulations enacted as of January 1, 2008. This report is a call to action for national and state elected officials: Meet the challenge and enact strong tobacco control laws so that everyone in the United States can breathe easier."

"For the first time in well over a decade, Congress has enacted amendments to the Freedom of Information Act. No changes to the Act’s nine exemptions were made. Rather, the amendments address a range of procedural issues impacting FOIA administration, including the codification of several provisions of Executive Order 13,392, “Improving Agency Disclosure of Information.” Entitled the “Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007,” or the “OPEN Government Act of 2007,” the bill was signed into law by the President on Monday, December 31, 2007. The amendments consist of ten substantive sections, each of which is summarized and discussed below. The complete text of the OPEN Government Act of 2007."

Active Legislation 110th Congress (2007-2008), Updated January 4, 2008. Includes Popular Titles and Subjects, Agency Authorizations, Program Authorizations, Appropriations and Budget for Fiscal Year 2008, 110th Congress, 1st Session, Popular Reports, Public Laws, 110th Congress (selected).

California Air Resources Board Technical Assessment, January 2, 2008: Comparison of Greenhouse Gas Reductions Under the CAFE Standards and ARB Regulations Adopted Pursuant To AB1493.

White House press release: "On Monday, December 31, 2007, the President signed into law: S. 2488, the "Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National Government Act of 2007," which amends the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by: (1) establishing a definition of "a representative of the news media;" (2) directing that required attorney fees be paid from an agency's own appropriation rather than from the Judgment Fund; (3) prohibiting an agency from assessing certain fees if it fails to comply with FOIA deadlines; and (4) establishing an Office of Government Information Services in the National Archives and Records Administration to review agency compliance with FOIA."

Alliance for Taxpayer Access: "President Bush has signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007 (H.R. 2764), which includes a provision directing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide the public with open online access to findings from its funded research. This is the first time the U.S. government has mandated public access to research funded by a major agency. The provision directs the NIH to change its existing Public Access Policy, implemented as a voluntary measure in 2005, so that participation is required for agency-funded investigators. Researchers will now be required to deposit electronic copies of their peer-reviewed manuscripts into the National Library of Medicine’s online archive, PubMed Central. Full texts of the articles will be publicly available and searchable online in PubMed Central no later than 12 months after publication in a journal."

US-China Business Council: 110th Congress, First Session, Legislation Related to China, as of December 20, 2007 (14 pages, PDF).

H.R. 6 - "An Act to move the United States toward greater energy independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels, to protect consumers, to increase the efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles, to promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options, and to improve the energy performance of the Federal Government, and for other purposes"..."phases out the 125-year-old bulb in the next four to 12 years in favor of a new generation of energy-efficient lights that will cost consumers more but return their investment in a few months." [USA Today]

Side-by-Side Comparison of Climate Change Provisions in Omnibus Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress, updated December 14, 2007.

White House: "S. 888, the Genocide Accountability Act of 2007, which expands criminal liability for participation in acts of genocide committed outside of the United States to persons not covered by current criminal law..."

The National Security Archive: "The House of Representatives at 5:18 pm today unanimously passed the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reform bill (S. 2488) that passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 14. The bill aims to fix some of the most persistent problems in the FOIA system, including excessive delay, lack of responsiveness, and litigation gamesmanship by federal agencies. Following today’s approval by the House, the OPEN Government Act will be sent to the President's desk for approval...The new law would mandate tracking numbers for FOIA requests that take longer than 10 days to process to ensure they will no longer fall through the cracks, require agencies to report more accurately to Congress and the public on their FOIA programs, create a new ombuds office at the National Archives to mediate conflicts between agencies and requesters, clarify the purpose of FOIA to encourage dissemination of government information, and provide incentives to agencies to avoid litigation and processing delays."

Congressional Budget Office, Research on Comparative Effectiveness of Medical Treatments: Issues and Options for an Expanded Federal Role, December 2007