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START/Nuclear Reductions Briefing Book, December 2009, Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation The landmark 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) provided a legally binding basis for substantial, verified reductions in the U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arsenals. START codified the end of the Cold War nuclear competition, reduced real and immediate dangers associated with the …
News release: “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced its proposal under the Clean Water Act to significantly restrict or prohibit mountain top mining at the Spruce No. 1 surface mine in Logan County, W. Va. Spruce No.1 mine is one of the largest mountaintop removal operations ever proposed in Central Appalachia. The project …
Follow up to previous postings on health care reform, this relevant data: “The $938 billion health care reform legislation finalized by Congress [signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010] is financed primarily through net cuts to Medicare and an increased Medicare tax on high-income taxpayers, according to the Tax Foundation. The Medicare spending cuts …
Federal Register, March 31, 2010: Drug Enforcement Administration – 21 CFR Parts 1300, 1304, 1306, 1311 [Docket No. DEA-218I] – RIN 1117-AA61 – Electronic Prescriptions for Controlled Substances “The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is revising its regulations to provide practitioners with the option of writing prescriptions for controlled substances electronically. The regulations will also permit …
Costs and Policy Options for Federal Student Loan Programs, March 2010 “The federal government helps students finance higher education through two major loan programsone that guarantees loans made by private lenders and one that makes loans directly to borrowers. The two programs offer similar types of loans on similar terms to borrowers, but they differ …
Public Divided Over State, Local Laws Banning Handguns – Since 2008, Increased Support for Gun Rights, March 23, 2010 “The public is divided over whether state and local governments should be able to pass laws banning the sale and possession of handguns. The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the next few months on …
Federal Climate Change Programs: Funding History and Policy Issues, March 2010 “In recent years, the federal government has allocated several billion dollars annually for projects to expand the understanding of climate change or to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions. Most of that spending is done by the Department of Energy (DOE) and …
ASCE & American Society of Civil Engineers Special Report – The Infrastructure Crisis, by Robert L. Reid “The collapse last summer of the Minneapolis bridge that carried Interstate 35W over the Mississippi trained a spotlight on a long-standing national problem: how years of neglect, underfunding, and a lack of leadership and vision allowed Americas infrastructure …
News release and data charts: “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac completed more than 73,300 permanent mortgage loan modifications through January under the Administrations Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). The Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP, also increased, as the percentage of total monthly refinance volume increased to nearly 12.7 of all refinancings in January. The …
News release: “The nations state and local government employee retirement systems totaled $3.2 trillion in holdings and assets in 2008, a loss of $178.8 billion, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. These data come from the 2008 State and Local Government Employee Retirement Systems Survey, which provides an annual look at …
Refinements to Existing Administration Programs Designed to Help Unemployed, Underwater Borrowers While Helping Administration Meet its Goals: “…as part of its ongoing commitment to continuously improve housing relief efforts, the Administration announced adjustments to the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) and to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) programs. These program adjustments will better assist responsible …
Resource page: “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has formed a task force to develop recommendations for making useful and understandable information about FDA activities and decision making more readily available to the public in a timely manner and in a user-friendly format. The Task Force is seeking public opinion on how to make the …
