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Daily Archives: December 23, 2015

FAA Issues Fact Sheet on State and Local UAS Laws

December 17, 2015 – “The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) new fact sheet on state and local regulation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) provides information for states and municipalities considering laws or regulations addressing UAS use. The document outlines FAA’s safety reasons for federal oversight of aviation and airspace, and explains federal responsibility in this area. The fact sheet provides examples of state and local laws affecting UAS for which consultation with the FAA is recommended, such as restrictions on flight altitude or flight paths, regulation of the navigable airspace, and mandating UAS-specific equipment or training.  The fact sheet also gives examples of UAS laws likely to fall within state and local government authority, such as requirements for police to obtain a warrant prior to using UAS for surveillance; prohibitions on the use of UAS for voyeurism; exclusions on using UAS for hunting or fishing, or harassing individuals engaged in those activities; and prohibitions on attaching firearms or other weapons to a UAS.”

CBO – H.R. 2843, TSA PreCheck Expansion Act

CBO Cost Estimate – “H.R. 2843 would require the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to undertake efforts to expand enrollment in the PreCheck program. Through that program, air travelers voluntarily apply to be prescreened using biographic and biometric information to determine whether they qualify for expedited screening at airport security checkpoints. The act would direct TSA… Continue Reading

Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions: Third Quarter 2015

Quarterly Survey of Public Pensions: Third Quarter 2015, December 23, 2015. Release Number: CB15-TPS.11 – “The survey provides national summary data on the revenues, expenditures and composition of assets of the largest defined benefit public employee pension systems for state and local governments. This report produces three tables: Tables 1 and 3 include data on… Continue Reading

GAO Report – DOD Civilian and Contractor Workforces

Civilian and Contractor Workforces: Complete Information Needed to Assess DOD’s Progress for Reductions and Associated Savings, GAO-16-172: Published: Dec 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2015. “The Department of Defense’s (DOD) September 2014 and February 2015 reports did not fully address most statutory requirements identified in section 955 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)… Continue Reading

11 Exceptional Legal Tech White Papers from 2015

LexisNexis Business of Law Blog: “White papers are a place for deep thinking – deep thinking that is data-driven.  Combine that data with innumerable client engagements, from small law firms to large – and from corporate legal departments to legal services bureaus – and we’re able to chronicle insights for the market in neatly packaged… Continue Reading

Amazon owns the e-commerce market and soon the delivery of products too?

Via ReCode – “Macquarie estimates that Amazon accounts for half of all sales growth in U.S. e-commerce, meaning online retailers not named Amazon are battling for around 50 cents of every new $1 spent online. As if that weren’t enough, Amazon also accounts for about a quarter of every new $1 of growth in all… Continue Reading