Category «Congress»

Senate Intelligence Committee Releases Declassified Bipartisan Report on Benghazi Terrorist Attacks

“The Senate Intelligence Committee today issued a declassified report on the September 11-12, 2012, terrorist attacks against U.S. personnel at the Temporary Mission Facility and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya. The committee found the attacks were preventable, based on extensive intelligence reporting on the terrorist activity in Libya—to include prior threats and attacks against Western targets—and given …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents

Rising Costs and Delays in Construction of New DHS Headquarters

Reality Check Needed: Rising Costs and Delays in Construction of New DHS Headquarters at St. Elizabeths. U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, January 2014, Prepared by Majority Staff of the Committee on Homeland Security. “Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, released a…report examines the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Economy, Government Documents

E-Government Information and Public Access – Impact of the government shutdown

Via LLRX – E-Government Information and Public Access: Online electronic government information and the impact of the government shutdown on public access Crystal Vicente’s paper focuses on the impact of the dramatic termination of e-government access during the October 2013 federal funding gap that resulted in a shutdown of government processes. As she documents, the public’s access …

Subjects: Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Libraries

Report on Wasteful Spending by the Federal Government

Wastebook 2013, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) – “U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), ranking member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today released his annual oversight report “Wastebook 2013” highlighting 100 examples of wasteful and low-priority spending totaling nearly $30 billion. “Had Congress, in particular, been focused on doing its job of setting priorities and cutting …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management

Paper – The Shooting Cycle – A Study of Mass Shootings in America

The Shooting Cycle – Josh Blackman, South Texas College of Law; Shelby Baird, Yale University, January 5, 2014. Connecticut Law Review, Vol 46, 2014. “The pattern is a painfully familiar one. A gunman opens fire in a public place, killing many innocent victims. After this tragedy, support for gun control surges. With a closing window for reform, politicians and activists quickly …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Office of the Taxpayer Advocate 2013 Annual Report to Congress

“The Annual Report to Congress creates a dialogue at the highest levels of government to address taxpayers’ problems, protect taxpayers’ rights, and ease taxpayers’ burden. The report identifies at least 20 of the most serious problems facing taxpayers and offers recommendations to fix them. Some of the issues, like tax reform and IRS’s need to expand …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues

CRS – China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues, Shirley A. Kan, Specialist in Asian Security Affairs, January 3, 2014. “Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances U.S. security interests in reducing the role of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles as …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions

CRS – Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions, Marc Labonte, Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy, January 7, 2014. “Congress has delegated responsibility for monetary policy to the Federal Reserve (the Fed), but retains oversight responsibilities to ensure that the Fed is adhering to its statutory mandate of “maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.” It has …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

National Health Spending In 2012 Marks Fourth Year of Low Growth

“In 2012 U.S. health care spending increased 3.7 percent to reach $2.8 trillion, or $8,915 per person, the fourth consecutive year of slow growth. The share of the economy devoted to health spending decreased from 17.3 percent in 2011 to 17.2 percent in 2012, as the Gross Domestic Product increased nearly one percentage point faster …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Medicine

Consumer Privacy Framework Needs to Reflect Changes in Technology and the Marketplace

INFORMATION RESELLERS: Consumer Privacy Framework Needs to Reflect Changes in Technology and the Marketplace, GAO-14-251T, Dec 18, 2013 “No overarching federal privacy law governs the collection and sale of personal information among private-sector companies, including information resellers. Instead, laws tailored to specific purposes, situations, or entities govern the use, sharing, and protection of personal information. For example, …

Subjects: Congress, E-Commerce, E-Records, Health Care, Internet, Legislation, Privacy

State Profiles: How Will the Uninsured Fare Under the Affordable Care Act?

Kaiser Family Foundation searchable database: “The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) has the potential to extend coverage to many of the 47 million nonelderly uninsured people nationwide. Learn how the ACA could expand coverage to the uninsured in your state.”

Subjects: Congress, Health Care, Legislation

U.S.-Mexico Water Sharing: Background and Recent Developments

CRS – U.S.-Mexico Water Sharing: Background and Recent Developments. Nicole T. Carter, Specialist in Natural Resources Policy; Clare Ribando Seelke, Specialist in Latin American Affairs; Daniel T. Shedd, Legislative Attorney. November 19, 2013. “This report is a primer on U.S. and Mexican water-sharing topics. It focuses on surface water quantity sharing and recent developments, including drought conditions. Due to Mexico’s recent below-target deliveries of Rio Grande …

Subjects: Congress, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

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