CBO: “The proposal by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform would make several changes to the current federal employee retirement program. Specifically, the legislation would increase the percentage of salary that federal employees in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are required to pay towards their retirement… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
2011 global food policy report – International Food Policy Research Institute
“The 2011 Global Food Policy Report is a new annual International Food Policy Research Institute publication that provides a comprehensive, research-based analysis of major food policy challenges at the global, regional, national, and local levels. It highlights important developments and events in food policy that occurred in 2011, discusses lessons learned, offers policy recommendations, presents… Continue Reading
BLS – Employment Characteristics of Families Summary
BLS: “In 2011, 11.5 percent of families included an unemployed person, falling from a peak of 12.4 percent in 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Of the nation’s 78.4 million families, 79.8 percent had at least one employed member in 2011…The number of families with at least one member unemployed decreased from… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Checked Baggage Screening, Federal Employees' Compensation Act
Checked Baggage Screening – TSA Has Deployed Optimal Systems at the Majority of TSA-Regulated Airports, but Could Strengthen Cost Estimates, GAO-12-266, Apr 27, 2012 Federal Employees’ Compensation Act – Status of Previously Identified Management Challenges, GAO-12-508R, Mar 21, 2012 Continue Reading
FCC Adopts Rules to Help Consumers Identify and Prevent Cramming
News release: “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took steps to protect Americans from difficult-to-detect fraudulent charges on their landline phone bills. The new rules combat cramming, the illegal placement of unauthorized charges on a consumers monthly phone bill. The Commission also asked for comment on additional ways consumers can protect themselves against this troubling activity.… Continue Reading
Testimony – Federal Support for State and Local Governments Through the Tax Code
Federal Support for State and Local Governments Through the Tax Code – Frank Sammartino – Assistant Director for Tax Analysis Before the Committee on Finance United State Senate, April 25, 2012 “The federal government provides financial support to state and local governments in a variety of ways. The largest amount comes to state and local… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Economic Development, FEMA, Federal Protective Service, Financial Literacy, Nuclear Security Enterprise, Private Health Insurance
Economic Development – Community Development Financial Institutions and New Markets Tax Credit Programs in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Areas – GAO-12-547R, Apr 26, 2012 Federal Emergency Management Agency – Workforce Planning and Training Could Be Enhanced by Incorporating Strategic Management Principles, GAO-12-487, Apr 26, 2012 Federal Protective Service, Better Data on Facility Jurisdictions Needed to Enhance… Continue Reading
New Internet Security Report Highlights Vulernability of HTTPS Websites
Computer World: “Ninety percent of the Internet’s top 200,000 HTTPS-enabled websites are vulnerable to known types of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) attack, according to a report released Thursday by the Trustworthy Internet Movement (TIM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to solving Internet security, privacy and reliability problems. The report is based on data from a new… Continue Reading
Pew Presentation – News in a networked world
“At the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Italy, Lee Rainie will discuss the Projects latest findings about how people use the internet, smartphones, and social media tools to get news, share news, and create news. He will describe how the very definition of news is expanding in the age of me media. He will discuss… Continue Reading
Study – The Evolution of Treasury Cash Management during the Financial Crisis
“A new study from the New York Fed, The Evolution of Treasury Cash Management during the Financial Crisis, reveals how the U.S. Treasury altered its cash management practices during the 2008-09 financial crisis to facilitate the Federal Reserves expansion of credit to banks, primary dealers, and foreign central banks. Author Paul Santoro argues that this… Continue Reading
CRS – Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis
Requiring Individuals to Obtain Health Insurance: A Constitutional Analysis, April 6, 2012 “As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), P.L. 111-148, as amended, Congress enacted a minimum coverage provision, which compels certain individuals to have a minimum level of health insurance (i.e., an individual mandate). Individuals who fail to do so… Continue Reading
UK Study – ICO report finds many people becoming a 'soft touch' for online fraudsters
News release: “The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is urging consumers to take better care of their data, following an investigation into the trade in used hard drives. The ICO has published new guidance to help individuals securely delete personal information from their old devices. An investigation by the ICO found that one in ten second-hand… Continue Reading
