Category «Legislation»

What is “Section 230,” and why do many lawmakers want to repeal it?

CBS News: “Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act helped create the modern internet. Now the regulation is at the center of a high-stakes political battle that could reshape how we use social media, mobile apps and the open web. President Donald Trump and some Republicans in Congress have pushed to repeal the law, while …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Social Media

COVID-19: Potential Implications for International Security Environment—Overview of Issues and Further Reading for Congress

CRS report via LC. COVID-19: Potential Implications for International Security Environment—Overview of Issues and Further Reading for Congress, Updated December 30, 2020: “Some observers argue the COVID-19 pandemic could be a world-changing event with potentially profound and long-lasting implications for the international security environment and the U.S. role in the world. Other observers are more …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Cybersecurity, Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Congress.gov New, Tip, and Top 20 in 2020

In Custodia Legis – “Earlier this month, Margaret shared the enhancements to the Congress.gov Help Center and additional Congresses added to our Bound Congressional Record collection. One of the behind-the-scenes items that we worked on for the latest release was to prepare Congress.gov for the new 117th Congress. We also have been working to make …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Search Engines

GPO To Close Brick and Mortar Bookstore in Washington DC

“The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) will permanently close its brick-and-mortar bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW in Washington, DC on January 4, 2021. After lengthy consideration, GPO, in consultation with the Joint Committee on Printing and its congressional oversight committees, determined that the bookstore is no longer financially viable due to changes in …

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

What Restaurants and Maps Can Tell us About Billions of Dollars of Covid-19 Relief Funds

bellingcat: “In the wake of the first wave of coronavirus and subsequent lockdowns in early 2020, governments around the world scrambled funds to support furloughed workers and keep businesses afloat. These programs distributed a huge amount of money and succeeded in many of their goals. Not only that, they did so in rapid time. However, …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legislation

LC – New “Past Presentations” Webpage in Legal Research Institute

In Custodia Legis – [December 15, 2020] marks the last webinar of 2020 for the Law Library, but don’t fear! We have created a new webpage so that you will be able to enjoy a selection of our past presentations again and again! We have expanded our previous “webinar archive” to include many of our …

Subjects: Congress, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Search Engines

Global Value Chains: Overview and Issues for Congress

CRS report via LC – Global Value Chains: Overview and Issues for Congress, December 16, 2020: “…Despite the growing presence of [Global value chains] GVCs in the global economy, recent events have highlighted the potential risks and vulnerabilities of GVCs, particularly those that are concentrated in a particular region or reliant on a single supplier. …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending

CRS report via LC – Resources for Tracking Federal COVID-19 Spending, Updated December 16, 2020: “Congress has responded to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with supplemental appropriations measures providing relief and assistance to individuals and families, state and local governments, businesses, health care providers, and other entities. For more information, see CRS Report R46474, …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

“Court Packing”: Legislative Control over the Size of the Supreme Court

CRS Legal Sidebar Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress – “Court Packing”: Legislative Control over the Size of the Supreme Court, December 14, 2020: “In the past year, legal commentators, policymakers, and the national press have devoted significant attention to proposals to increase the size of the Supreme Court, sometimes colloquially called“court packing.” Many …

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

Archive, Historians, CREW Sue White House, Seek to Preserve Presidential Records During the Transition

National Security Archive – “The National Security Archive, the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, the American Historical Association, and the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington today filed suit against President Donald Trump in his official capacity, seeking to enforce the Presidential Records Act and prevent any destruction of records during the …

Subjects: Censorship, Congress, Courts, E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation