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July 25, 2007
Headlines - National Task Force Releases New Tools to Protect Cultural Heritage
- Chairman Waxman Asks About White House Counsel's Knowledge of Potential Presidential Records Act Violations
- EPA OIG Audit of Projected Pollutant Reductions Resulting from Enforcement Actions and Settlements
- Pew Internet Project's First Major Report on Online Video
- New GAO Reports: FDA, IG, Medicaid, SBA, NASA Supplier Base
- Latest Federal Reserve Board Beige Book
- Commission Urges Improvements to Servicemembers' Care
- House Judiciary Reports Contempt Citations to the House of Representatives
- U.S. Nuclear Weapons Strategy Delivered To Congress
- America's Top Digital Counties Ranked
- Government Wide Assessment of Citizen Service Activities Survey
- Electronic Records Management and Digital Preservation: Protecting the Knowledge Assets of the State Government Enterprise
 National Task Force Releases New Tools to Protect Cultural Heritage : "A new collection of handy tools designed especially for libraries, archives, museums, historic sites, and historic preservation and arts organizations has been released by the Heritage Emergency National Task Force. The tools are the result of the Task Force's "Lessons Applied" initiative to develop practical applications for the lessons from Hurricane Katrina, such as helping cultural institutions apply for disaster aid and developing relationships with emergency responders...The new tools are available as free downloads." See Lessons Applied: Katrina and Cultural Heritage. Chairman Waxman Asks About White House Counsel's Knowledge of Potential Presidential Records Act Violations Press release: "In two separate letters, Chairman Waxman asks when the White House Counsel's office learned about White House officials' use of nongovernmental e-mail accounts for official purposes, and what steps, if any, it took to preserve these records and prevent violations of the Presidential Records Act. A staff report issued by the committee's majority staff in June found that the White House Counsel's office under Alberto Gonzales may have known about officials' use of these accounts as early as 2001 and done nothing to prevent continued use of the accounts for official business. Chairman Waxman asks Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Fred F. Fielding, the current White House Counsel, for information and documents." Letter to Fred Fielding Letter to Attorney General Gonzalez Related postings on investigations into U.S. Attorney firings EPA OIG Audit of Projected Pollutant Reductions Resulting from Enforcement Actions and Settlements 2007-B-00002 Assessment of EPA's Projected Pollutant Reductions Resulting from Enforcement Actions and Settlements, [ Report PDF - 44 pages] [ At a Glance PDF] July 24, 2007. Pew Internet Project's First Major Report on Online Video Press release: "The growing adoption of broadband combined with a dramatic push by content providers to promote online video has helped to pave the way for mainstream audiences to embrace online video viewing. Fifty-seven percent of online adults have used the internet to watch or download video, and 19% do so on a typical day. Three-quarters of broadband users (74%) who enjoy high-speed connections at both home and work watch or download video online." Online Video: 57% of internet users have watched videos online and most of them share what they find with others, July 25, 2007 New GAO Reports: FDA, IG, Medicaid, SBA, NASA Supplier Base Compact of Free Association: Implementation Activities Have Progressed, but the Marshall Islands Faces Challenges to Achieving Long-Term Compact Goals, GAO-07-1125T, July 25, 2007 Environmental Justice: Measurable Benchmarks Needed to Gauge EPA Progress in Correcting Past Problems, GAO-07-1140T, July 25, 2007 Food and Drug Administration: Methodologies for Identifying and Allocating Costs of Reviewing Medical Device Applications Are Consistent with Federal Cost Accounting Standards, and Staffing Levels for Reviews Have Generally Increased in Recent Years, GAO-07-882R, June 25, 2007 Inspectors General: Opportunities to Enhance Independence and Accountability, GAO-07-1089T, July 11, 2007 Long-Term Fiscal Challenge: Additional Transparency and Controls Are Needed, GAO-07-1144T, July 25, 2007 Medicaid: States Reported That Citizenship Documentation Requirement Resulted in Enrollment Declines for Eligible Citizens and Posed Administrative Burdens, GAO-07-889, June 28, 2007 NASA Supplier Base: Challenges Exist in Transitioning from the Space Shuttle Program to the Next Generation of Human Space Flight Systems, GAO-07-940, July 25, 2007 Property Management: Lack of Accountability and Weak Internal Controls Leave NASA Equipment Vulnerable to Loss, Theft, and Misuse, GAO-07-432, June 25, 2007 Small Business Administration: Response to the Gulf Coast Hurricanes Highlights Need for Enhanced Disaster Preparedness, GAO-07-1124T, July 25, 2007 Latest Federal Reserve Board Beige Book Press release, July 25, 2007: "Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Banks indicated that economic activity continued to expand in June and early July. New York, Richmond, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and San Francisco described the pace of growth as "moderate" while Cleveland and Chicago saw it as "modest." Philadelphia noted that economic conditions improved. Kansas City said the regional economy continued to grow but at a moderating pace, and Dallas characterized its economy as strong but said it decelerated. Boston and Atlanta described business contacts' reports as "varied" or "mixed." Federal Reserve Board, Beige Book, Full Report, July 25, 2007 Federal Reserve Board, Beige Book, Summary, July 25, 2007 Commission Urges Improvements to Servicemembers' Care Press release: A commission tasked to fix problems with wounded servicemembers' care today presented a 29-page proposal to President Bush that suggests overhauling the disability-rating system and urges more attention be paid to returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffering from brain injuries. In the wake of reports that servicemembers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here were receiving sub-par treatment, President Bush created the bi-partisan panel in March, citing a "moral obligation" to provide the best possible care to men and women in uniform...The final commission report, including reports from subcommittees and survey findings, will be made available to the public by July 31..." Final Report Draft, July 24, 2007: The President's Commission on Care For America's Returning Wounded Warriors House Judiciary Reports Contempt Citations to the House of Representatives Press release: "Today, the House Judiciary Committee sent a report and resolution to the House of Representatives finding former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in statutory contempt of Congress for failing to respond to the Committee's subpoenas in the U.S. Attorney investigation. The report passed by a vote of 22-17...The full House of Representatives is now required to vote on a contempt resolution before the matter is sent to the District of Columbia's U.S. Attorney for action. The full text of Conyers' letter to Fielding and the Committee's report is here (12 pages, PDF)." Related postings on investigations into U.S. Attorney firings U.S. Nuclear Weapons Strategy Delivered To Congress Press release: "On Friday, 20 July 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates joined with the Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to submit to Congress a three-page statement on U.S. national security and nuclear weapons, entitled Maintaining Deterrence in the 21st Century." America's Top Digital Counties Ranked Press release: "The Center for Digital Government has completed 2007's evaluation of America's most digital county governments. This year's Digital Counties Survey found many counties using information technology in increasingly innovative ways and improving service to their citizens...2007's Winners are: 500,000 or more population: 1st: Montgomery County, Maryland 250,000-499,999 population: 1st: Richland County, South Carolina 150,000-249,999 population: 1st: Frederick County, Maryland Less than 150,000 population: 1st: Charles County, Maryland(tie) 1st: Nevada County, California (tie)" Government Wide Assessment of Citizen Service Activities Survey DotGov Buzz: "In a report released July 2, Government-Wide Assessment of Citizen Service Activities, USA Services reveals the results of a survey launched in 2006 to find out how and where federal agencies interact with citizens and to analyze the day-to-day issues agencies face in providing service to citizens...More than 200 offices in 35 federal departments and agencies participated in the survey of citizen service activities in federal agencies." Electronic Records Management and Digital Preservation: Protecting the Knowledge Assets of the State Government Enterprise Electronic Records Management and Digital Preservation: Protecting the Knowledge Assets of the State Government Enterprise, PART II: Economic, Legal, and Organizational Issues, July 2007 "NASCIO continues its series on electronic records management and digital preservation with Part II which focuses on economic, legal, and organizational issues and recommended actions for State CIOs. Part II builds on the theme that the state CIO and the state enterprise architect will need to view electronic records management and digital preservation as disciplines that comprise an enterprise architecture domain. Partnering with the state's archivists, librarians, and records managers to fully leverage their expertise will help ensure the state's knowledge assets are managed for value with a long term view. eDiscovery and offshoring present significant challenges to the state enterprise. CIOs will need to build their awareness of these subject areas and author necessary compliance and risk management strategies." Electronic Records Management and Digital Preservation: Protecting the Knowledge Assets of the State Government Enterprise, PART I: Background, Principles and Action for State CIOs, May 2007
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