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News release: “The Federal Trade Commission has issued a report to Congress examining how the agency has used the expanded law enforcement authority Congress provided in the U.S. SAFE WEB Act to protect American consumers since the Act was signed into law on December 22, 2006. The SAFE WEB Act authorizes the FTC to share …
Via U.S. Dept. of State: Lobbying the Executive Branch: Current Practices and Options for Change, Jacob R. Straus, Analyst on the Congress, December 1, 2009 “This report outlines the development of registration requirements for lobbyists engaging executive branch officials since 1995. It also summarizes steps taken by the Obama Administration to limit and monitor lobbying …
CBO: H.R. 4173, Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009. December 9, 2009: Cost estimate for the bill as amended and reported by the House Committee on Rules on December 8, 2009 H.R. 4173, Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009
News release: “The Congressional Oversight Panel’s December oversight report, Taking Stock: What Has the Troubled Asset Relief Program Achieved?, concludes that TARP was an important part of a broader government strategy that stabilized the U.S. financial system. It is apparent after 14 months, however, that significant underlying weaknesses in the financial system remain. The Troubled …
The Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action Act of 2009, December 9, 2009 Why is the Bipartisan Fiscal Task Force Needed?: Long-term projections show an unsustainable imbalance between government spending and revenues. Gross debt is likely to exceed 100 percent of GDP within the next few years, nearing levels not seen since the end …
“The Congressional Directory is the official directory of the U.S. Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP). Published since 1888, the Congressional Directory presents short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, and additional data, such as committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, …
Washington Post: “The Transportation Security Administration inadvertently revealed closely guarded secrets regarding airport passenger screening practices when it posted online this spring a document as part of a contract solicitation, the agency confirmed Tuesday. The 93-page TSA operating manual details procedures for screening passengers and checked baggage and reveals technical settings used by X-ray machines …
“On June 3, 2009 Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested the Statement of Disbursements (SOD) be published online, as part of her continued commitment to increase governmental transparency and accountability. Since 1964 Congress has been required by law to publish the SOD, which is a quarterly public report of all receipts and expenditures for Members of Congress, …
Follow up to previous postings on health care reform, today’s news release: “U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) released the following statement today regarding a new report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) that shows that 60 percent of health care spending in the U.S. ($1.35 trillion out of $2.24 trillion) is controlled by …
The Use of Agricultural Offsets to Reduce Greenhouse Gases, December 3, 2009. Testimony before the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research, Committee on Agriculture, U.S. House of Representatives. “Offsets used as a part of a cap-and-trade program for greenhouse-gas emissions have the potential to reduce the cost of meeting the cap by substituting cheaper …
News release: “Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., reacted Wednesday to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found that large foreign ports have been unable to scan anywhere near 100 percent of freight passing through those ports, as Congress has required. GAO found that …
The Market Structure of the Health Insurance Industry, D. Andrew Austin – Analyst in Economic Policy, Thomas L. Hungerford – Specialist in Public Finance. November 17, 2009 “Congress is now considering several proposals to reform the U.S. health care system and address the twin challenges of constraining rapid growth of health care costs and expanding …
