Category «Legislation»

United States Placed on Global Rights Watch List for Attacks on Civic Freedoms

“The United States of America (USA) remains on the CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist following sustained attacks on civic freedoms. In the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second term, authorities have escalated suppression of protesters through military deployments, targeted journalists, criminalised dissent, and undermined civil society through legislative and financial restrictions. Freedoms guaranteed in the …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Legal Research, Legislation

Trump Administration Greenlights Proselytizing in the Federal Workplace

TMP Morning Memo: “Under a memo issued by the Office of Personnel Management yesterday, federal workers are permitted to talk to their co-workers about their religion, including engaging a colleague “in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs.” They are also allowed to engage in …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Government Documents, Legislation

The Internet Archive is now an official hub for government documents

Internet Archive Blogs – July 24, 2025. “Announced today, the Internet Archive has been designated as a federal depository library by Senator Alex Padilla. The designation was made via letter to Scott Matheson, Superintendent of Documents at the U.S. Government Publishing Office. Senator Padilla explained the designation in a statement to KQED: “The Archive’s digital-first …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

When does the One Big Beautiful Bill take effect?

USAFacts – Effectiveness dates for new, existing and ending programs and policies.

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Education, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Legal Research, Legislation

AI Nudifiers continue to reach millions and make millions

The Indicator: “Over the past two years, websites that use AI to turn any photo into a nude have been targeted by platform moderation, legal action, and regulation. While some AI nudifiers have been shut down, the ecosystem as a whole had adapted and proven remarkably resilient. Just last week, a Save the Children survey …

Subjects: AI, E-Records, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Legislation

Libraries Pay More for E-Books. Some States Want to Change That

Follow up to Unlawful Orders: How Libraries Became the Front Line in the Fight for Democracy – See also The New York Times / no paywall – Proposed legislation would pressure publishers to adjust borrowing limits and find other ways to widen access. “It’s hard to imagine a library that doesn’t carry “Fahrenheit 451.” But …

Subjects: Copyright, Digital Rights, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

New Warren Report and Bill Exposes Potential Trump Corruption, Bribery Through Presidential Library Donations

“Warren analysis reveals at least half a billion dollars in monetary contributions, gifts, in-kind donations flowing into Trump Presidential Library. Donations come while Trump makes critical decisions that may impact donors; raises serious concerns about bribery, influence-peddling. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) released a new Report (PDF) exposing how companies, special interests, and foreign governments …

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

Should We Politicize the Texas Flood? Absolutely

Paul Krugman: “Whenever natural disaster — like the flash flood that just killed large numbers of people, many of them children, in Texas — strikes, we can count on a quick response from officials, both federal and state, who arguably could or should have done something to avert or minimize the disaster. Namely, there will …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, Environmental Law, Legislation

U.S. funding cuts threaten academic science jobs at all levels

Science: “…The federal government has paused or terminated billions of dollars of grants, proposed slashing research funding by more than 40% for key research agencies in the next fiscal year, and tried—so far without success—to cut overhead payments to universities. Numbers released in May by the National Science Foundation (NSF) indicate that if Congress approves …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Education, Health Care, Legislation, Medicine

Reporting on Texas Flood

Texas floods shine spotlight on Trump’s weather and disaster cuts. Texas floods kill at least 104, including 27 from Camp Mystic, as search for missing continue…Meanwhile, the Trump administration has also indicated that it wants to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which helps respond after disasters. Coast Guard swimmer on first rescue mission helps save …

Subjects: Climate Change, Congress, E-Government, Education, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation

Democracy in the Balance: Public Attitudes in a Shifting Political Landscape

“In an era when “democracy” is invoked on campaign trails, cable news, and in everyday conversation—its meaning remains elusive and its political value uncertain. Many Democrats are grappling with a critical question: Is talking about democracy a winning message—or just an abstraction voters tune out? GSG [Global Strategy Group] set out to answer this question. …

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

House Bill Would Lay Waste to Congress’s Watchdogs and Information Experts

First Branch Forecast – “The House of Representatives is poised to inflict catastrophic damage on its own institutional capacity. Today, the House Appropriations Committee released its proposed funding levels for the Legislative Branch, which would slash the Government Accountability Office’s budget by 50 percent and the Library of Congress by 12 percent from FY 2024 …

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

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