Category «Legislation»

Newly-Insured Californians Report Easier Access to Care Than Uninsured

“Low-income California adults who gained insurance coverage in 2014 had an easier time accessing health care than those who were uninsured and increased financial protection from medical bills, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) report. The report, funded by the Blue Shield of California Foundation and based on findings from the California sample …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Health Care, Legislation

Clean Water Rule Protects Streams and Wetlands Critical to Public Health, Communities, and Economy

“In an historic step for the protection of clean water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army finalized the Clean Water Rule today to clearly protect from pollution and degradation the streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation’s water resources. The rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Economy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

New GAO Reports – International Space Station, Sequestration

International Space Station: Measurable Performance Targets and Documentation Needed to Better Assess Management of National Laboratory, GAO-15-397: Published: Apr 27, 2015. Publicly Released: May 27, 2015: “The U.S. has spent almost $43 billion to develop, assemble, and operate the ISS over the past two decades. The NASA Authorization Act of 2010 required NASA to enter …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Legislation, Transportation

The Library of Congress: Web Archive Collections

Web Archive Collections – Researcher Access to Publicly Available Web Archive Collections is here The following is a list of all web archive collections developed by or in partnership with the Library of Congress. These are in various stages of production. U.S. Election Web Archives U.S. Congressional/Legislative Web Archives Law Library Web Archives Single Sites …

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

US DOJ IG Report – Review of the FBI’s Use of Section 215 Orders

FBI’s Use of Section 215 Orders: Assessment of Progress in Implementing Recommendations and Examination of Use in 2007 through 2009, Oversight and Review Division Report 15-05. May 2015. Redacted. “The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced today the release of a public version of its most recent report examining the …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Defense, E-Government, E-Records, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries, Patriot Act, Privacy

Landmark Open Data Legislation to be Introduced

Data Transparency Coalition – “Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and a bipartisan group of cosponsors will introduce the Financial Transparency Act of 2015 at a press conference tomorrow at 2 pm in room 2226 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Supporters of open data and the public are welcome to attend. Issa’s office issued a media advisory late Monday evening confirming he …

Subjects: Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

CRS – Tracking Federal Funds: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources

Tracking Federal Funds: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources. Merete F. Gerli, Information Research Specialist. May 13, 2015. “Finding data on federal grants and contracts awarded to states and congressional districts, local governments, nonprofit organizations, contractors, and other eligible entities may present challenges. The official website, USAspending.gov, at http://www.usaspending.gov, collects data on grants, loans, insurance, assistance, …

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

New GAO Reports – Airport Finance, Domestic Food Assistance, Federal Employees Compensation, Older Adults, Surface Ships

Airport Finance: Information on Funding Sources and Planned Capital Development, GAO-15-306: Published: Apr 28, 2015. Publicly Released: May 20, 2015. Army Force Structure: Observations about Aviation Restructuring and Other Relevant Force Structure Challenges, D10389: May 20, 2015 Contingent Workforce: Size, Characteristics, Earnings, and Benefits, GAO-15-168R: Published: Apr 20, 2015. Publicly Released: May 20, 2015. Domestic …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Economy, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents, Health Care, Legislation, Transportation

New on LLRX – IBM’s Watson is Now Data Mining TED Talks to Extract New Forms of Knowledge

Via LLRX.com – IBM’s Watson is Now Data Mining TED Talks to Extract New Forms of Knowledge – Alan Rothman’s commentary offers actionable information about a new technology from IBM called Watson that is a powerful tool for researchers whose work engages data mining, knowledge management and competitive intelligence. Rothman attended a recent presentation that …

Subjects: Internet, Knowledge Management, Legislation, Marketing

UK government rewrites law to permit GCHQ hacking

Privacy International – May 15, 2015: The Government has quietly ushered through legislation amending the anti-hacking laws to exempt GCHQ from prosecution. Privacy International and other parties were notified of this just hours prior to a hearing of their claim against GCHQ’s illegal hacking operations in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. In its legal filings, sent …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy

Appropriations for LC and CRS – no public access to CRS reports

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2016 – spotlight on LIBRARY OF CONGRESS [via FAS]: “The Committee recommends $591,431,000 for the operations of  the Library of Congress. This is $33,071,000 below the budget  request and is $510,000 above the current level. In addition to  the appropriation, the Committee recommends offsetting  collections of $42,127,000. Established by Congress in …

Subjects: Congress, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

EFF Case Analysis: Appeals Court Rules NSA Phone Records Dragnet is Illegal

Andrew Crocker – “We now have the first decision from a court of appeals on the NSA’s mass surveillance program involving bulk collection of telephone records under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, and it’s a doozy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued an opinion in ACLU v. Clapper holding that …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, E-Government, E-Mail, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy