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Daily Archives: October 29, 2014

New GAO Reports – Chemical Assessments, USDA Contracting

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  • CHEMICAL ASSESSMENTS: Agencies Coordinate Activities, but Additional Action Could Enhance Efforts, GAO-14-763: Published: Sep 29, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2014: “The chemical toxicity assessment activities at these five federal agencies are fragmented and overlapping, but GAO did not find evidence that these activities are duplicative. Their activities are fragmented because they address the same broad area of national need—providing information on the toxicity of chemicals. The five agencies’ activities overlap because some of them have similar goals—such as identifying the extent to which a chemical may cause cancer—or some target similar beneficiaries—such as the general public. GAO did not find evidence of duplication, however, because the agencies did not engage in the same activities or provide the same services to the same beneficiaries.”
  • USDA CONTRACTING: Further Actions Needed to Strengthen Oversight of Contracts for Professional Services, GAO-14-819: Published: Sep 29, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 29, 2014: “USDA obligated nearly $1.8 billion for professional service contracts in fiscal years 2009 through 2013. OMB has raised concerns about such contracts, reporting that agencies are twice as likely to use higher-risk contract types when buying such services as when buying other services or goods.”

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement – October 2014

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“Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in September suggests that economic activity is expanding at a moderate pace. Labor market conditions improved somewhat further, with solid job gains and a lower unemployment rate. On balance, a range of labor market indicators suggests that underutilization of labor resources is gradually diminishing. Household spending… Continue Reading

Governors’ Salaries 2014

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“The Council of State Governments has been collecting data on governors’ salaries for The Book of the States since 1937. The average governor’s salary has grown more slowly in recent years than in the past, with a number of states cutting their chief executive’s pay during and after the Great Recession. Governors’ salaries in 2014 range… Continue Reading

Fisheries of the United States 2013

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“In its annual report, Fisheries of the United States 2013, released today, NOAA Fisheries announced that U.S. fishermen landed 9.9 billion pounds of fish and shellfish, an increase of 245 million pounds from 2012. Valued at $5.5 billion, these landings represent an increase of $388 million from 2012. “Commercial and recreational fishing are important contributors… Continue Reading

Business R&D Performance in the United States Tops $300 Billion in 2012

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National Science Foundation – Raymond M. Wolfe: “Companies spent $302 billion on research and development performed in the United States during 2012, 2.8% more than the $294 billion spent during 2011 (table 1). Funding from the companies’ own sources was $239 billion during 2011 and $247 billion during 2012, a 3.6% increase; funding from other sources was… Continue Reading

Pew Report Finds Military Checking Account Practices Need Improvement

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Checks and Balances, Stars and Stripes, Banking practices at financial institutions serving the military, October 28, 2014 “Service members, like all consumers, need access to concise, easy-to-understand documents that lay out the key terms, conditions, and fees associated with their checking accounts. Clarity and transparency are especially important for Americans and their families serving in the military,… Continue Reading

Pew Report – Cyber Attacks Likely to Increase

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Cyber Attacks Likely to Increase BY LEE RAINIE, JANNA ANDERSON AND JENNIFER CONNOLLY “The Internet has become so integral to economic and national life that government, business, and individual users are targets for ever-more frequent and threatening attacks. In the 10 years since the Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center first asked experts… Continue Reading

California Data Breach Report

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Kamala D. Harris, Attorney General, California Department of Justice, October 2014 “California is the birthplace of the digital revolution that has transformed nearly every aspect of the world in which we live. Yet even as technological innovation and advances bring us greater convenience, efficiency, and productivity, they are also generating new vulnerabilities. The Internet has created a… Continue Reading

Red Cross presentation: Sandy and Isaac Lessons Learned

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The Red Cross’ Secret Disaster, by Justin Elliott and Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, and Laura Sullivan, NPR. October 29, 2014. “In 2012, two massive storms pounded the United States, leaving hundreds of thousands of people homeless, hungry or without power for days and weeks. Americans did what they so often do after disasters. They sent hundreds of millions of dollars to… Continue Reading