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Free weekday coverage on current issues
February 06, 2007
Headlines - Pew Internet Survey Targets Political News Consumers
- U.S. Statutes at Large Vol. 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session Now Online
- Recently Released CRS Reports on Topics Including Iraq, Iran and Energy Efficiency
- Testimony on Estimating the Costs of Military Operations in Iraq
- Hearing Questions Waste, Fraud, and Abuse In Iraq Reconstruction
- TRAC Expands Data Available on convictions for Six Secialized Subjects
- Hearing on Oversight of Recent EPA Decisions
- FCC Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Estimates
- Short-Term Energy Energy Outlook February 2007
- Debate Escalates Over Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist Univ.
- Commission Submits FY 2008 Budget Request and GPRA Performance Plans to Congress
- CDT Faults Guidelines for Terror Information Sharing
- New York State CIO Issues IT Trust Model Best Practice Guidelines
 Pew Internet Survey Targets Political News Consumers , by Deborah Fallows, Senior Research Fellow: "If you ask political news consumers what they like most about their favorite platform for news, a vivid image of a typical TV, newspaper, and internet political news consumer will emerge from their own comments. All three media forms win praise from their primary fans for their convenience but the context for its definition varies."
U.S. Statutes at Large Vol. 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session Now Online Via GPO Access: U.S. Statutes at Large Volume 118, 108th Congress, 2nd Session
Recently Released CRS Reports on Topics Including Iraq, Iran and Energy Efficiency Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security, Updated February 1, 2007 Iran's Influence in Iraq, Updated February 2, 2007 Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses, Updated January 23, 2007 Congressional Authority to Limit U.S. Military Operations in Iraq, January 29, 2007 Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress, January 25, 2007
Hearing Questions Waste, Fraud, and Abuse In Iraq Reconstruction Committee on Government and Oversight Reform: "Ambassador L. Paul Bremer and Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, testified on management of U.S. funds in Iraq. Questions were raised about an audit report issued in 2005 by Mr. Bowen that concluded that more than $8.8 billion in cash was disbursed without adequate financial controls."
Documents and Links Chairman Waxman's Opening Statement Dave Oliver: Restarting the Economy in Iraq Memo to Committee Members Regarding Cash Transfers to the Coalition Provisional Authority Testimony of Ambassador L. Paul Bremer Testimony of Stuart Bowen
TRAC Expands Data Available on convictions for Six Secialized Subjects Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse announcement: "For several months, TRAC has offered on its public website very timely month-by-month reports and data tracking changes in the government's enforcement activities against white collar criminals, illegal drug peddlers, immigration violators and unlawful gun users and dealers...TRAC has greatly expanded the offerings [ Link]. For the latest available month, there are now twelve new reports containing information about both the recorded filings (prosecutions) and convictions for six specialized and revealing subjects: civil rights, environment, official corruption, organized crime, child pornography and government regulation. These free summary reports in ten subject areas -- whether in broad categories like immigration or more focused groupings like official corruption -- are processed and updated by TRAC shortly after new data are received from the Justice Department."
Hearing on Oversight of Recent EPA Decisions "This morning, February 6, 2007, ALA President Leslie Burger testified before the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), concerning the recent closure of several libraries in the Environmental and Protection Agency (EPA). Link to Burger’s full testimony. "As one recently retired EPA librarian described it," Burger said in her testimony, "the EPA libraries have been functioning like a virtual National Library on the Environment. Now that some of these regional libraries and the pesticide library are closed, key links have been removed from the chain, thus weakening the whole system...Without more detailed information about the EPA's digitization project, we cannot assess whether they are digitizing the most appropriate materials, whether there is appropriate metadata or cataloging to make sure that people can access the digitized materials, and that the technology that will be used to host the digital content and the finding software meets today's standards." Related postings on EPA library closures
FCC Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Estimates Press release: "The President has submitted a budget to Congress that proposes fiscal year 2008 funding for the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) of $313,000,000...The request would also provide funding to conduct an outreach campaign to educate consumers about the impact and benefits of the transition to Digital Television (DTV). In addition, the request would allow the Commission to combat waste, fraud, and abuse, in the Universal Service Fund; replace Mobile Digital Direction Finding (MDDF) vehicles that are used to support public safety entities (e.g., emergency responders, police, fire departments) in the resolution of harmful interference to their communications systems and strengthen management and oversight of the Commission’s financial and accounting processes." FCC Federal Budget Estimates (133 pages, PDF)
Short-Term Energy Energy Outlook February 2007 Energy Information Agency: Short-Term Energy Energy Outlook February 2007 (02/06/2007) - "Quarterly short-term energy projections for supply, demand, and price for the major fuels through 2008 for the U.S. International oil forecasts are included."
Debate Escalates Over Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist Univ. Inside Higher Ed - Broadening the Bush Library Debate: "As professors at Southern Methodist University have mobilized against the plans to build President Bush’s library there, their focus has not been the library, but a policy institute to be affiliated with it that would have as its mission promoting the Bush philosophy."
Commission Submits FY 2008 Budget Request and GPRA Performance Plans to Congress "The Commission has approved the following documents: 1) the FTC’s FY 2008 Budget Overview Statement; 2) the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Performance Plans for FY 2007 and FY 2008; and 3) the President’s Management Agenda exhibit. These documents are part of the FTC’s formal budget request that was submitted to Congress on February 5, 2007, simultaneously with the President’s submission of the FY 2008 budget for the U.S. government." FY 2008 Congressional Justification Budget Summary
CDT Faults Guidelines for Terror Information Sharing "A CDT analysis finds that privacy guidelines issued by the Bush Administration for the Information Sharing Environment are inadequate. The ISE is a potentially revolutionary system for exchanging personally identifiable information that was mandated by the intelligence reform act of 2004. Adoption of detailed guidelines to protect privacy was supposed to be a pre-condition for its development. Moving forward with the ISE without adequate guidelines jeopardizes privacy, due process and First Amendment rights. February 05, 2007." CDT Analysis: ISE Guidelines [PDF] February 05, 2007
New York State CIO Issues IT Trust Model Best Practice Guidelines New York State Office of the CIO: "Identity and Access Management (IAM) provides an effective way to protect computer-based services and data for all state and local agencies from unauthorized access. Organizational business requirements often result in the need to grant external users access to services and data or to achieve multi-organizational system interoperability. Demand has become more prevalent due to legislative mandates and increasing connectivity offered by public and private networks. Issuing the NYS Trust Model as a best practice guideline (G07-001) is the first step in establishing a long term Identity and Access Management (IAM) strategy for the state enterprise. The NYS Trust Model establishes basic standards and processes that govern how identity credentials are issued, protected and managed." NYS Trust Model Best Practice Guideline, issued January 5, 2007
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