Category «Legislation»

State Legislature Online Tech Landscape

A comparison of legislature and SaaS websites shows stark differences:  “An analysis of 54 state legislature websites shows that the technology they utilize trails industry standards significantly. A majority, 35 (65%), are programmed in ASP.NET and running on IIS servers – both, usually paired, are Microsoft technologies. This differs greatly from standards seen in leading …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Microsoft

GAO Report – Facial Recognition Technology

Facial Recognition Technology: Commercial Uses, Privacy Issues, and Applicable Federal Law, GAO-15-621: Published: Jul 30, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2015. “Facial recognition technology can be used in numerous consumer and business applications, but the extent of its current use in commercial settings is not fully known. The technology is commonly used in software that …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Privacy

Across Racial Lines, More Say Nation Needs to Make Changes to Achieve Racial Equality

Pew Report – “Over the past year, there has been a substantial rise in the share of Americans — across racial and ethnic groups — who say the country needs to continue making changes to give blacks equal rights with whites, and a growing number of Americans view racism as a big problem in society. …

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

Commentary – The ADA at 25: Important Gains, but Gaps Remain

Follow up to previous posting – Americans with Disabilities Act – 25th Anniversary – via Knowledge@Wharton – “But the gains are less than desired in employment opportunities for people with disabilities, according to Frieden. “The ADA wasn’t intended to be an affirmative action law, so I am not surprised that companies haven’t been as aggressive …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

The Next Great Copyright Office

Simmons, Joshua L., The Next Great Copyright Office (July 22, 2015). Landslide, July/August 2015, at 22. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2634535 “While Congress considers whether to update U.S. copyright law through the House of Representatives’ copyright review hearings, there appears to be a growing consensus that it is time to modernize the Copyright Office. …

Subjects: Congress, Copyright, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

New Features Added to Congress.gov

Robert Brammer, July 29, 2015 – LC Blog: “Since the unveiling of Congress.gov in September of 2012, we have been constantly adding new features with each release, and many of the features in this release are based directly on your feedback. Accessibility – We want to make Congress.gov more accessible, and our new feature, “Listen,” …

Subjects: E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

GAO Reports – BLM, Central America, DATA Act, International Trade, IRS Case Selection, Managing for Results, Motor Carrier Cases, Affordable Care Act

Bureau of Land Management: Improvements Needed in Internal Controls over Mining Law Administration Program Funds, GAO-15-562: Published: Jul 23, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2015. Central America: Improved Evaluation Efforts Could Enhance Agency Programs to Reduce Unaccompanied Child Migration, GAO-15-707: Published: Jul 29, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 29, 2015. DATA Act: Progress Made in Initial …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Energy, Government Documents, Health Care, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Transportation

Statement by the ODNI on Retention of Data Collected Under Section 215 of USA PATRIOT Act

July 27, 2015: “On June 29, 2015, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court approved the Government’s application to resume the Section 215 bulk telephony metadata program pursuant to the USA FREEDOM Act’s 180-day transition provision. As part of our effort to transition to the new authority, we have evaluated whether NSA should maintain access to the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, E-Government, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy

Wireless carjackers can exploit vulnerabilities in cars, trucks, SUVs

Wired: “[Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek’s] full arsenal includes functions that at lower speeds fully kill the engine, abruptly engage the brakes, or disable them altogether. The most disturbing maneuver came when they cut the Jeep’s brakes, leaving me frantically pumping the pedal as the 2-ton SUV slid uncontrollably into a ditch. The researchers say …

Subjects: Congress, Internet, Legislation, Privacy, Transportation, Wireless Web

Improving Program Management in the Federal Government

A White Paper by a Panel of the National Academy of Public Administration sponsored by the Project Management Institute July 2015 Improving. Program Management in the Federal Government. PANEL – Peter Marshall, Chair; Dan Chenok; Joseph Wholey. “…The recent high-profile failure of the Healthcare.gov launch is just one example from a long list of troubled …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legislation

GAO Reports – DOD Business Systems Modernization, Insider Threats, Patient Protection, Senate Public Records, Space Launch System

DOD Business Systems Modernization: Additional Action Needed to Achieve Intended Outcomes, GAO-15-627: Published: Jul 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 16, 2015. Insider Threats: DOD Should Improve Information Sharing and Oversight to Protect U.S. Installations, GAO-15-543: Published: Jul 16, 2015. Publicly Released: Jul 16, 2015. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Observations on 18 Undercover Tests …

Subjects: Congress, Cybercrime, Cybersecurity, Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Legislation, Transportation

CRS Report – Women in Combat, Issues for Congress

Women in Combat: Issues for Congress, Kristy N. Kamarck, Analyst in Military Manpower. July 14, 2015. “Over the past two decades of conflict, women have served with valor and continue to serve on combat aircraft, naval vessels, and in support of ground combat operations. The expansion of roles for women in the armed forces has …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation