Communications Brakedown Blamed for Katrina Response
Wall Street Journal free feature today, Misinformation Slowed Federal Response to Katrina
Renewed Calls for Implementation of Emergency IT Telecom Infrastructure
Following up on his 2002 call for the formation of a National Emergency Technology Guard (NET Guard), on September 29, 2005 Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), together with Sen. George Allen (R-VA) sent this letter to DHS Secretary Chertoff urging his department to “fully implement NET Guard as soon as possible.” Related resources: Homeland Security Act …
Cmte. Reports on Intelligence Authorization
Courtesy of GalleryWatch.com: Committee Report to Accompany S.__, the “Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2006” (61 pages, PDF) Committee Report to Accompany S.__, as unanimously passed by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (114 pages, PDF)
CRS Report on Environmental Hurricane Recovery Issues
CRS Report, NEPA and Hurricane Response, Recovery, and Rebuilding Efforts, September 28, 2005 (12 pages, PDF)
CBO Report on Cost of Katrina Tax Relief
CBO Report for HR 3768, The Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005, Congressional Budget Office report as cleared by Congress on September 21, 2005 and signed by the President on September 23, 2005. (4 pages, PDF)
Broad Coalition Pushes to Lift Gag Order Against Librarian
ACLU press release: “The American Civil Liberties Union, the American Library Association, the Free Congress Foundation and members of Congress gathered today to urge the Justice Department to lift a gag order silencing Americans who have received demands for personal records under the Patriot Act. “John Doe,” an organization that is an ALA member and …
New Bill on Hurricane Insurance Buy-In
Legislative Text of HR__, the “Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita Flood Insurance Buy-In Act”, Introduced by Rep. Gene Taylor on September 27, 2005. (8 pages, PDF)
Report on Bush Administration Officials Returning to Private Sector
From the Center for American Progress, The Second Term Revolving Door, September 29, 2005 (11 pages, PDF) “The ‘revolving door’ between business and government has swung rapidly in President Bush’s second term. In just a few months, scores of administration officials have flocked to industry jobs, cashing in with the corporations they once regulated. Also, …
Is the National Do Not Call List Protecting Your Privacy?
From the WSJ free features today, Do-Not-Call Lists Under Fire reviews the regulatory vs. real world results of the federal Do-Not-Call Registry.
DHS IG Audit Determined FEMA Response Inadequate
From the Minority Staff of the House Government Reform Committee: “In June 2005, the Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General warned FEMA that its systems for managing the personnel and equipment dispatched to disaster sites were inadequate. Instead of remedying the problems the report identified, FEMA director Michael Brown disputed nearly all its findings.” DHS …
Customs Rulings Online Search System
“Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS is a searchable database of CBP rulings that can be retrieved based on simple or complex search characteristics using keywords and Boolean operators. CROSS has the added functionality of CROSS referencing rulings from the initial search result set with their modified, revoked or referenced counterparts. Rulings collections are separated …
International Right to Know Day
“Marking International Right to Know Day, the National Security Archive commended the Department of State for including access to government information as one factor evaluated in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Transparency and information are essential to allow people to scrutinize and debate the actions of their government, combat corruption, and promote …