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By Sabrina I. Pacifici - bespacific@earthlink.net
Free weekday coverage on current issues
July 02, 2007
Headlines - DHS OIG Report on FEMA Laptop Computer Security
- Commentary Marks 41st Anniversary of Enactment of Freedom of Information Act
- Court Orders OSHA To Release Toxic Exposure Database
- CBO Report on Evaluating Military Compensation
- DOT Withholds Documents on Greenhouse Gas Emmissions from Oversight Committee
- EFSA and FDA Strengthen Cooperation in Food Safety Science
- DOD OIG Report on Air Force Network-Centric Solutions Contract
- DOJ OIG Report on ATF Investigation of Gun Shows
- Court Denies Libby's Request to Delay Prison Sentence and President Grants Him Clemency
- GAO Releases Reports on Federal Housing Administration, Military Operations, South Florida Ecosystem
- Social Security Number Protection Act of 2007
 Commentary Marks 41st Anniversary of Enactment of Freedom of Information Act : "How one modest but stubborn congressman overcame the many entrenched obstacles to win the American people access to information about the activities of their government," by Michael R. Lemov. Court Orders OSHA To Release Toxic Exposure Database Press release: "The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has wrongfully withheld data documenting years of toxic exposures to workers and its own inspectors, according to a federal court ruling posted today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, the world's largest compendium of measurements of occupational exposures to toxic substances - more than 2 million analyses conducted during some 75,000 OSHA workplace inspections since 1979 - should now be available to researchers and policymakers. Each year, an estimated 40,000 U.S. workers die prematurely because of exposures to toxic substances on the job." U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, decision by Judge Mary Cooper, Finkel v. Department of Labor, June 29, 2007 (28 pages, PDF) Fact sheet summarizing key points in this case Backgrounder on Dr. Adam Finkel forcing OSHA to admit beryllium exposure of its own inspectors Original FOIA request filed by Dr. Finkel CBO Report on Evaluating Military Compensation Evaluating Military Compensation, June 2007: "This CBO study - prepared at the request of the ranking members of the Senate Budget Committee - offers an overview of military compensation, particularly of active-duty enlisted personnel." (44 pages, PDF) DOT Withholds Documents on Greenhouse Gas Emmissions from Oversight Committee Press release: "In response to Rep. Waxman's request, the Department of Transportation provided limited documents and e-mails related to its lobbying of Members of Congress to oppose efforts by California and other states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. In the correspondence providing the documents, DOT states that it intends to withhold 53 responsive documents from the Committee." Documents and Links: Response from Department of Transportation Enclosed Documents (71 pages, PDF, redacted)
EFSA and FDA Strengthen Cooperation in Food Safety Science Press release: "The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today signed the first U.S./European agreement in the area of assessing food safety risk. This is the first formal international cooperation agreement EFSA has signed and the first formal step in cooperation between the two bodies." "The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the keystone of European Union (EU) risk assessment regarding food and feed safety. In close collaboration with national authorities and in open consultation with its stakeholders, EFSA provides independent scientific advice and clear communication on existing and emerging risks." DOD OIG Report on Air Force Network-Centric Solutions Contract D-2007-106 Air Force Network-Centric Solutions Contract (4MB) (Project D2006-D000AS-0211.000), PDF and Summary. Court Denies Libby's Request to Delay Prison Sentence and President Grants Him Clemency Follow up to previous postings on Plame CIA leak case, news today that the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has unanimously denied I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's request to delay his prison sentence. Grant of Executive Clemency, July 2, 2007 and Statement by the President On Executive Clemency for Lewis LibbySpecial Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's Statement on Libby [via National Review]: "...Although the President's decision eliminates Mr. Libby's sentence of imprisonment, Mr. Libby remains convicted by a jury of serious felonies, and we will continue to seek to preserve those convictions through the appeals process." Related government documents and articles on executive clemency: The Political Roots of Executive Clemency, Andrew B. Whitford, University of Georgia - Department of Public Administration and Policy, Holanna L. Ochs, University of Kansas - Department of Political Science, 2006 Presidential Clemency Actions by Administration: 1945 to 2001 (DOJ) Criminal Justice Resources - Clemency Law, by Ken Strutin, Published on May 29, 2007, LLRX.com Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (e-CFR) - [e-CFR Data is current as of June 28, 2007] TITLE 28--Judicial Administration, Chapter I--Department of Justice - PART 1--Executive Clemency Rules Governing Petitions for Executive Clemency, United States Department of Justice CNN Political Ticker, Libby commutation: Washington responds Editor and Publisher: Editorials Hit Libby's Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card
GAO Releases Reports on Federal Housing Administration, Military Operations, South Florida Ecosystem The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released the following reports and correspondence: Reports Federal Housing Administration: Decline in the Agency's Market Share Was Associated with Product and Process Developments of Other Mortgage Market Participants. GAO-07-645, June 29, 2007 Federal Housing Administration: Modernization Proposals Would Have Program and Budget Implications and Require Continued Improvements in Risk Management. GAO-07-708, June 29, 2007 Military Operations: Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Stability Operations Approach and Enhance Interagency Planning. GAO-07-549, May 31, 2007 South Florida Ecosystem: Restoration Is Moving Forward but Is Facing Significant Delays, Implementation Challenges, and Rising Costs. GAO-07-520, May 31, 2007
Correspondence Information on Port Security in the Caribbean Basin. GAO-07-804R, June 29. 2007 Presentation By The Comptroller General "How Key National Indicators Can Improve Policymaking and Strengthen Democracy" by David M. Walker, comptroller general of the United States, before OECD's Second World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge, and Policy, in Istanbul, Turkey. GAO-07-1069CG, June 26, 2007. [Text]
Social Security Number Protection Act of 2007 S. 1691: "To amend title 18, United States Code, to restrict the public display on the Internet of all or any portion of social security account numbers by State and local governments, and for other purposes. This Act may be cited as the Social Security Number Online Protection Act of 2007...(3) In most jurisdictions throughout the United States, State and local law requires that certain public documents, such as business filings, property records, and birth and marriage certificates, be made available to the general public. These documents may contain an individual's social security account number. An increasing number of official records repositories, such as repositories maintained by a Secretary of State's office or a local clerk's office, are storing such records on the Internet. In a report issued in November 2004, the Government Accountability Office estimated that between 15 and 28 percent of counties display records containing social security account numbers on the Internet, potentially affecting millions of individuals. Due to a patchwork of practices and regulations, the risk of exposure of social security account numbers through the Internet is highly variable across States and localities. While online availability of public records improves access, it also increases the risk that social security account numbers will be widely displayed and misused."
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