Day archives: January 16th, 2014

The Effect of Fundamental Housing Policy Reforms on Program Participation

The Effect of Fundamental Housing Policy Reforms on Program Participation, Edgar O. Olsen, University of Virginia – Department of Economics. January 14, 2014 “This paper estimates the effects of alternative reforms of the current system of low-income housing assistance on the number of people of various types who would receive assistance. The reforms are designed to eliminate the …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Housing

Report to Government on Massive Theft of Credit Card Data From Retail Customers

KAPTOXA POS Report Overview – “iSIGHT Partners, working with the U.S. Secret Service, has determined that a new piece of malicious software, KAPTOXA (Kar-Toe-Sha), has potentially infected a large number of retail information systems. This software can find, store, and then transmit sensitive information such as credit card and PIN numbers. These findings are part of a …

Subjects: Cybercrime, ID Theft, Internet, Legal Research

Guardian – NSA collects millions of text messages daily in ‘untargeted’ global sweep

James Ball – UK Guardian: “The National Security Agency has collected almost 200 million text messages a day from across the globe, using them to extract data including location, contact networks and credit card details, according to top-secret documents. The untargeted collection and storage of SMS messages – including their contacts – is revealed in a …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, E-Government, Government Documents, Patriot Act, Privacy

Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests

CRS – Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests. Jim Nichol, Coordinator, Specialist in Russian and Eurasian Affairs, January 9, 2014. “After the Soviet Union’s collapse, the United States sought a cooperative relationship with Moscow and supplied almost $19 billion in aid for Russia from FY1992 through FY2010 to encourage democracy and market reforms and in particular to prevent …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Defense, Economy, Free Speech, Government Documents

CRS – Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations

Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations. Jeremy M. Sharp, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, January 10, 2014. “This report provides an overview of the key issues for Congress related to Egypt and information on U.S. foreign aid to Egypt. The United States has provided significant military and economic assistance to Egypt since the late 1970s. U.S. policy makers have routinely justified aid …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

Oil and Chemical Spills: Federal Emergency Response Framework

CRS – Oil and Chemical Spills: Federal Emergency Response Framework. David M. Bearden, Specialist in Environmental Policy. Jonathan L. Ramseur, Specialist in Environmental Policy, January 13, 2014. “Thousands of oil and chemical spills of varying size and magnitude occur in the United States each year. A recent spill of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol into the Elk River in early January 2014 in and near …

Subjects: Congress, Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents

Presidential Policy Directive – United States Conventional Arms Transfer Policy

PRESIDENTIAL POLICY DIRECTIVE/PPD-27. SUBJECT: United States Conventional Arms Transfer Policy: “Conventional weapons have continued to play a decisive role in armed conflict in the early 21st century and will remain legitimate instruments for the defense and security policy of responsible nations for the foreseeable future. In the hands of hostile or irresponsible state and non-state actors, …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information

CRS – Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information, M. Maureen Murphy, Legislative Attorney, January 9, 2014 “One of the functions transferred to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) under P.L. 111-203, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), is authority to issue regulations and take enforcement actions under the two major federal statutes that specify conditions under …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

New GAO Reports: Federal-Highway Aids, Medicare, Property and Casualty Insurance, Public Transit

FEDERAL-HIGHWAY AIDS – Federal Highway Administration Could Further Mitigate Locally Administered Project Risks, GAO-14-113, Jan 16, 2014 MEDICARE – Continuous Insurance before Enrollment Associated with Better Health and Lower Program Spending, GAO-14-53, Dec 17, 2013 PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE – Effects of the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2010, GAO-14-136, Jan 16, 2014 PUBLIC TRANSIT – Challenges Funding, Investing in …

Subjects: Government Documents, Health Care, Legislation, Medicine, Transportation