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June 27, 2007
Headlines - Bankruptcy Filings Drop 61 Percent in March 2007 12-Month Period
- Dispute Over Whether Vice President "has both legislative and executive function" Continues
- Pilot Project Will Post Digital Audio Court Recordings Online
- Democratic Candidates' Site Traffic Market Share and Rankings
- Committee Report on Continuing Challenge of Building the Iraqi Security Forces
- New Pew Internet Data Memo on Cyberbullying
- BJS Report on Medical Causes of Death in State Prisons, 2001-2004
- BJS Releases Report on Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006
- Public Interest Group Releases Report on Federal Government's Long-term Planning for a Hurricane on the Gulf Coast
- FTC Issues Staff Report on Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy
- Judiciary Committee Subpoenas DOJ, White House, VP and National Security Council for Domestic Surveillance Info
- EPA OIG Audit of Environmental Careers Organization Reported Outlays for Five EPA Cooperative Agreements
- National Journal's Hill People 2007 Profiles Nearly 350 Capitol Hill Aides
- The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0
 Bankruptcy Filings Drop 61 Percent in March 2007 12-Month Period : "In the 12-month period ending March 31, 2007, 695,575 bankruptcy cases were filed in federal courts, according to statistics released today by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Compared to filings in the 12-month period ending March 31, 2006, when bankruptcy cases totaled 1,794,795, this was a 61 percent drop in filings. The 12-month period ending March 31, 2006, included the surge in filings that occurred prior to the October 17, 2005, implementation date of the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA)." Table F-2 (Filing by Month) (xls) Table F (12-Month Period) (xls) Table F-2 (12-Month Period) (xls) Table F-2 (3-Month Period) (xls) Dispute Over Whether Vice President "has both legislative and executive function" Continues Follow up in the volley of statements and respective documents related to questions raised about the authority granted the National Archives over documents from the Office of the Vice President. As reported today by The Politico, "David S. Addington, Cheney's chief of staff and counsel, wrote in a three-paragraph response to [Sen. John] Kerry on Tuesday that the executive order on classified national security information does not give the archivists authority over the president or vice president." Related government documents: Oversight, Judiciary Committees Seek Gonzales' View on Cheney's Executive Status: "In a letter to Attorney General Gonzales, Oversight Chairman Waxman, Judiciary Chairman Conyers, and Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Clay ask for the Justice Department's view on whether the Office of the Vice President is part of the executive branch and thus bound by the President's executive order to protect classified information like other White House offices, such as the National Security Council.
Pilot Project Will Post Digital Audio Court Recordings Online The Third Branch: "Continuing its efforts to enhance the transparency of courtroom proceedings, the federal Judiciary is about to launch a pilot project to make digital audio recordings publicly available online. Five pilot project participants—three bankruptcy courts and two district courts—will integrate their recording and Case Management/ Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) systems to make audio files available later this summer on the Internet, the same way written files have long been available." Pilot Project Courts; U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska; U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maine; U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama; U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina Democratic Candidates' Site Traffic Market Share and Rankings "In a custom report created for ClickZ News, Hitwise measured traffic market share of the candidate sites. The measurement firm found traffic to Democratic candidate sites was top heavy, favoring Clinton's, Obama's and Edwards's sites. HillaryClinton.com garnered nearly a third of visits among Democratic candidate sites in May. BarackObama.com attracted almost 28 percent, and JohnEdwards.com drew 23 percent of visitors to Dem campaign sites last month." New Pew Internet Data Memo on Cyberbullying Press release: "The Pew Internet & American Life Project has just released a short new report that looks at online harassment and cyberbullying among online teens ages 12-17.The report finds that about one third (32%) of all teenagers who use the internet say they have been targets of a range of annoying and potentially menacing online activities - such as receiving threatening messages; having their private emails or text messages forwarded without consent; having an embarrassing picture posted without permission; or having rumors about them spread online...the full report is available here." BJS Report on Medical Causes of Death in State Prisons, 2001-2004 Press release: "The nation's state prison officials reported that 12,129 inmates died while in custody from 2001 through 2004, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. The deaths over this four-year period constituted an annual mortality rate of 250 deaths per 100,000 inmates, which was 19 percent lower than the adult mortality rate in the U.S. general population. Overall, 89 percent of all state prisoner deaths were attributed to medical conditions and 8 percent were due to suicide or homicide. The remainder of deaths were due to alcohol/drug intoxication or accidental injury (1 percent each). A definitive cause of death could not be determined for an additional 1 percent. Two-thirds of inmate deaths from medical conditions involved a problem that was present at the time of admission to prison." The report, Medical Causes of Death in State Prisons, 2001-2004 (NCJ-216340), was written by BJS policy analyst Christopher J. Mumola. BJS Releases Report on Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006 Press release: "During the 12 months that ended June 30, 2006, the nation's prison and jail populations increased by 62,037 inmates (up 2.8 percent), to total 2,245,189 inmates, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported today. State and federal inmates accounted for 70 percent of the increase. At midyear 2006, two-thirds of the nation's incarcerated population was in custody in a state or federal prison (1,479,179), and the other one-third was held in local jails (766,010)." The report, Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2006 (NCJ-217675), was written by BJS statisticians William J. Sabol, Todd D. Minton and Paige M. Harrison. Public Interest Group Releases Report on Federal Government's Long-term Planning for a Hurricane on the Gulf Coast Press release: "Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) released a new report, The Best Laid Plans: The Story of How the Government Ignored Its Own Gulf Coast Hurricane Plans, detailing the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) plan to respond to a hurricane of Katrina's magnitude and its subsequent failure to implement that plan...The Best Laid Plans is based on the 7,500 records DHS provided in response to CREW's lawsuit." Document links: The Best Laid Plans: Executive Summary The Best Laid Plans: Full Report The Best Laid Plans: Exhibits 09/01/06 DHS-Katrina-NRC More Related Documents Office of Federal Procurement Policy Memoranda, Emergency Acquisitions Guide,Enhancing Competition in Federal Acquisition, May 31, 2007 (23 pages, PDF
FTC Issues Staff Report on Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy Press release: "The Federal Trade Commission's Internet Access Task Force today issued a report, "Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy," which summarizes the Task Force's findings in the area of broadband Internet connectivity and, in particular, so-called network neutrality regulation. Based on these findings, and FTC staff's experience with the operation of myriad markets throughout the economy, the report identifies guiding principles that policy makers should consider in evaluating proposed regulations or legislation relating to broadband Internet access and network neutrality." Broadband Connectivity Competition Policy: A Federal Trade Commission Staff Report, June 2007 (170 pages, PDF) Judiciary Committee Subpoenas DOJ, White House, VP and National Security Council for Domestic Surveillance Info Press release: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), in consultation with Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), issued subpoenas Wednesday for documents relating to the authorization and legal justification for the Administration's warrantless wiretapping program. Chairman Leahy issued subpoenas to the Department of Justice, the Office of the White House, the Office of the Vice President and the National Security Council for documents relating to the Committee's inquiry into the warrantless electronic surveillance program. The subpoenas seek documents related to authorization and reauthorization of the program or programs; the legal analysis or opinions about the surveillance; orders, decisions, or opinions of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) concerning the surveillance; agreements between the Executive Branch and telecommunications or other companies regarding liability for assisting with or participating in the surveillance; and documents concerning the shutting down of an investigation of the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) relating to the surveillance." Subpoena packet for documents from the White House, sent via Fred Fielding, Esq. Subpoena packet for documents from the Office of the Vice President, sent via Shannen Coffin, Esq. Subpoena packet for documents from the Department of Justice, sent via A.G. Alberto Gonzales Subpoena packet for documents from the National Security Council, sent via Richard Klingler, Esq. Related postings on domestic surveillance program EPA OIG Audit of Environmental Careers Organization Reported Outlays for Five EPA Cooperative Agreements 2007-4-00065 The Environmental Careers Organization Reported Outlays for Five EPA Cooperative Agreements, [ Report PDF - 29 pages] [ At a Glance PDF] June 25, 2007. National Journal's Hill People 2007 Profiles Nearly 350 Capitol Hill Aides "In an effort to make top Hill staffers a little less anonymous, National Journal devotes an issue of the magazine every four years to short profiles of key aides. [Note: Link for subscribers only] This year, we feature 339 senior aides who work for congressional leaders, House and Senate committees, joint committees, and various caucuses and coalitions. Use the directory...to browse and scan all the profiles, or use our search function to jump directly to a certain staffer's profile." Free - The Hill People In Pictures The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0 The Blogging Revolution: Government in the Age of Web 2.0, David C. Wyld, Associate Professor, Southeastern Louisiana University (99 pages, PDF). Description: "Dr. Wyld examines the phenomenon of blogging in the context of the larger revolutionary forces at play in the development of the second-generation Internet, where interactivity among users is key. This is also referred to as "Web 2.0." Wyld observes that blogging is growing as a tool for promoting not only online engagement of citizens and public servants, but also offline engagement. He describes blogging activities by members of Congress, governors, city mayors, and police and fire departments in which they engage directly with the public. He also describes how blogging is used within agencies to improve internal communications and speed the flow of information. Based on the experiences of the blogoneers, Wyld develops a set of lessons learned and a checklist of best practices for public managers interested in following in their footsteps. He also examines the broader social phenomenon of online social networks and how they affect not only government but also corporate interactions with citizens and customers."
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