Category «Legislation»

2020 State of Small Business Report

Facebook and Business Roundtable: Small and medium-sized businesses in the United States are being hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis.As part of our ongoing data collection effort with the World Bank and the OECD on the Future of Business, Facebook conducted a survey, in partnership with Small Business Roundtable, of approximately 86,000 people who owned, …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

U.S. House approves remote voting, though the tech is unclear

TechCrunch: “Congress will allow remote voting for the first time in its history, after the U.S. House approved Resolution 965 late Friday in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The measure — sponsored by Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern — authorizes proxy voting by members for renewable periods of 45 days and allows for remote participation in …

Subjects: Congress, E-Records, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Inside Trump’s coronavirus meltdown

The Financial Times – Free to Read – What went wrong in the president’s first real crisis — and what does it mean for the US?: “When the history is written of how America handled the global era’s first real pandemic, March 6 will leap out of the timeline. That was the day Donald Trump …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Congressionally Mandated Reports: Overview and Considerations for Congress

LC CRS Reports – Congressionally Mandated Reports: Overview and Considerations for Congress, May 14, 2020: “Congress frequently requires the President, departments, agencies, and other entities of the federal government to transmit reports, notifications, studies, and other information on a specified timeline. Reporting requirements may direct agency officials to notify Congress or its committees of forthcoming …

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

Here’s Who Just Voted to Let the FBI Seize Your Online Search History Without a Warrant

Gizmodo – “A bipartisan amendment that would have prohibited law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, from obtaining the web browsing and internet search histories of Americans without a warrant failed to pass in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday by a single vote. Twenty-seven Republicans and 10 Democrats voted against the amendment to H.R. 6172, …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation, Patriot Act, Privacy, Search Engines

COVID-19 and China: A Chronology of Events December 2019-January 2020

LC CRS Reports – COVID-19 and China: A Chronology of Events (December 2019-January 2020), May 12, 2020: I”n Congress, multiple bills and resolutions have been introduced related to China’s handling of a novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China,that expanded to become the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. This report provides a timeline of key …

Subjects: Congress, Government Documents, Health Care, Legislation, Medicine

The Four Men Responsible For America’s COVID-19 Test Disaster

Rolling Stone – “The White House’s inability to track the disease as it spread across the nation crippled the government’s response and led to the worst disaster this country has faced in nearly a century – Despite months of alarms that the coronavirus was lurking at our doorstep, the Trump administration failed to mount an …

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

States Are Suspending Public Records Access Due to COVID-19

The Markup – There is little precedent for such action, even in an emergency: “…Hawaii is among several jurisdictions around the country that have amended or suspended access to public records as the coronavirus spreads. Governors are taking emergency action in some states, ordering changes to public records compliance during the crisis. Other states and …

Subjects: E-Government, E-Records, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

FHFA Announces Tools to Help Renters Find Out if They are Protected from Eviction

“To help renters find out if they are protected from evictions during the COVID-19 national health emergency, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced today that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) have created online multifamily property lookup tools.  The property lookup tools allow renters to find out if the multifamily property where they reside …

Subjects: Government Documents, Housing, Legal Research, Legislation

New Search Engine for State Legislation

“BillTrack50 offers both a free and a paid service. Our genuinely free service allows citizens to search by keyword or bill number to discover and review an unlimited number of state and federal bills. Unlimited free access to bill data is fundamental to the working of our sharing tools and is fundamental to our mission. …

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

Covid Stimulus Watch

New Website Documents Accountability Track Records of CARES Act Recipients: “The 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (or CARES Act) provides hundreds of billions of dollars in assistance to large and small corporations whose operations have been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The public deserves to know which companies are receiving the assistance …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act—Tax Relief for Individuals and Businesses

Via LC – The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act—Tax Relief for Individuals and Businesses Updated April 28, 2020: “The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act—Tax Relief Congressional Research Service 1ongress has considered a number of proposals that seek to mitigate the economic effects of the Coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation