GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as oil and gas royalties, Check 21 Act, and export controls with China. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• 2010 Census: Census Bureau Needs Procedures for Estimating the Response Rate and Selecting for Testing Methods to Increase Response Rate. GAO-08-1012, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1012
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081012high.pdf
• Check 21 Act: Most Consumers Have Accepted and Banks Are Progressing Toward Full Adoption of Check Truncation. GAO-09-8, October 28.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-8
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d098high.pdf
• Combating Nuclear Smuggling: DHS's Phase 3 Test Report on Advanced Portal Monitors Does Not Fully Disclose the Limitations of the Test Results. GAO-08-979, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-979
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08979high.pdf
• Defense Critical Infrastructure: Developing Training Standards and an Awareness of Existing Expertise Would Help DOD Assure the Availability of Critical Infrastructure. GAO-09-42, October 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-42
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0942high.pdf
• Defense Health Care: Additional Efforts Needed to Ensure Compliance with Personality Disorder Separation Requirements. GAO-09-31, October 31.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-31
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0931high.pdf
• Export Controls: Challenges with Commerce's Validated End-User Program May Limit Its Ability to Ensure That Semiconductor Equipment Exported to China Is Used as Intended. GAO-08-1095, September 25.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1095
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081095high.pdf
• Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Initiative: Further Progress Is Needed in Developing a Risk-Based Monitoring Approach to Help HHS Improve Program Oversight. GAO-08-1002, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1002
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081002high.pdf
• USA Patriot Act: Better Interagency Coordination and Implementing Guidance for Section 311 Could Improve U.S. Anti-Money Laundering Efforts. GAO-08-1058, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1058
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081058high.pdf

Related Products

• Check 21 Act: Questions for Consumers about Check 21 Act (GAO-09-9SP, October 2008), an E-supplement to GAO-09-8, October 28. [Internet only]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-9SP

Correspondence

• Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Coverage: Federal Oversight of Reported Price Concessions Data. GAO-08-1074R, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1074R
• Oil and Gas Royalties: MMS's Oversight of Its Royalty-in-Kind Program Can Be Improved through Additional Use of Production Verification Data and Enhanced Reporting of Financial Benefits and Costs. GAO-08-942R, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-942R
  
• Status of GSA's Implementation of Selected Green Building Provisions of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. GAO-09-111R, October 31.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-111R

Bush Administration Makes Last Attempts to Deregulate

In its waning months in office, the Bush Administration is making attempts to finalize deregulations that could weaken consumer protections and the environment. In today's Washington Post you can read about these final regulatory changes.

The Post reports that the "new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo." About 90 new regulations are under consideration, and the article states that nine of them could impact the economy "because they impose costs or promote societal benefits that exceed $100 million annually." The Post also notes that this large number of last-minute regulations would still be fewer than the number of regulations Bill Clinton approved at the end of his presidency.

You can keep track of the status of federal regulations through the Federal Register, which is keyword-searchable and freely available online via GPO Access. You can also check the latest press releases of specific federal agencies mentioned in the article, such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Environmental Protection Agency.

If you'd like to learn more about the process through which federal regulations are proposed, published, and made available to the public, see our guide to Regulations.

Health Insurers Discriminate Among Sexes

Yesterday the New York Times reported that new findings reveal a large gender disparity in health insurance costs. The article reports that according to new data from insurance companies and online brokers, women pay much more than men of the same age for individual insurance policies that offer identical coverage. Women still pay more than men for insurance even when their policy doesn't cover maternity costs. Some insurers justify this extra expense by explaining that women tend to visit medical offices more regularly than men.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission prohibits employers from charging higher premiums to women than to men for the same benefits, even if women as a class are more expensive. A handful of states, such Maine, Montana and New York, have also prohibited sex-based rates in the individual insurance market. This page from the EEOC discusses sex-based discrimination as it pertains to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

For more government resources on this topic, see our guide to Health and Medical Information.

CRS reports, a day late

Sorry about the delay in posting. Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week only brings us a number of CRS reports on influenza, Iraq, the Navy, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS and Secrecy News:

• Status of a Senator Who Has Been Indicted for or Convicted of a Felony
• Transatlantic Regulatory Cooperation: Background and Analysis
• Would an Influenza Pandemic Qualify as a Major Disaster Under the Stafford Act?
• The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11
• The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act: Implementation and Proposed Amendments
• Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 2000-2007
• Child Welfare: The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
• China's Space Program: Options for U.S.-China Cooperation
• Coast Guard Deepwater Program: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
• Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress
• DOD Leases of Foreign-Built Ships: Background for Congress
• Energy Tax Policy: History and Current Issues
• EPA's Final Health and Safety Standard for Yucca Mountain
• Extending NASA's Exemption from the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act
• Federal Research and Development Funding at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Financial Turmoil: Comparing the Troubled Asset Relief Program to the Federal Reserve's Response
• FY2009 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Policy Issues
• Haiti: Legislative Responses to the Food Crisis and Related Development Challenges
• Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-War Governance
• Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Import Terminals: Siting, Safety and Regulation
• Maritime Security: Potential Terrorist Attacks and Protection Priorities
• Measuring and Monitoring Carbon in the Agricultural and Forestry Sectors
• Military Aircraft, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Program: Background and Issues for Congress
• Millennium Challenge Account: Implementation of a New U.S. Foreign Aid Initiative
• Minerals Price Increases and Volatility: Causes and Consequences
• Moldova: Background and U.S. Policy
• NATO Enlargement: Albania, Croatia, and Possible Future Candidates
• The 2008 Farm Bill: Major Provisions and Legislative Action
• The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act's Insurance for Troubled Assets
• The Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Program: Scope, Authorities, and Implementation
• The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress
• The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: History, Funding, and Current Issues
• The U.S. Secret Service: An Examination and Analysis of Its Evolving Missions
• U. S. Nuclear Cooperation With India: Issues for Congress
• United States Fire Administration: An Overview
• Zimbabwe: 2008 Elections and Implications for U.S. Policy
• U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians
• U.S.-China Counter-Terrorism Cooperation: Issues for U.S. Policy
• Unauthorized Alien Students, Higher Education, and In-State Tuition Rates: A Legal Analysis
• Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Background and Issues
• Navy Nuclear-Powered Surface Ships: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress
• Navy CVNX Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress
• Social Security: The Cost-of-Living Adjustment in January 2002

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Government Websites Adopt Social Networking

We already knew that presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama had Twitter sites where they were keeping supporters updated on their campaigns. But it was recently brought to our attention that numerous U.S. government agencies and departments are maintaining Twitter pages featuring "tweets" with the latest news on their governmental goings-on.

In fact, there's actually a U.S. Government Twitter Fan Wiki that contains an alphabetical list of government agencies as well as links to their Twitter sites. Via Twitter, you can now keep up with the latest happenings at such disparate government departments as the U.S. Army, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our Congress is even using Twitter to keep Web 2.0-savvy Americans apprised of the latest votes in the Senate.

And government agencies have embraced other online social networking tools. NASA EDGE now has Facebook and MySpace pages as well as a blog. Argonne National Laboratory offers a NEOS Wiki, which it describes as "the ubiquitous online source for optimization."

Are you hoping that we've created a research guide on the government's use of social networking technology? Well, to be honest, this phenomenon is so novel that we haven't even thought to create subject guides about government blogs, wikis, and "tweets." But perhaps this is the new, hip, user-friendly form of government intelligence. Or an alternative to telecommunications. Let us know what you think.

GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as enhancing social security number safety, environmental enforcement, and drug safety. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Drug Safety: Better Data Management and More Inspections Are Needed to Strengthen FDA's Foreign Drug Inspection Program. GAO-08-970, September 22.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-970
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08970high.pdf
• Small Business Administration: Opportunities Exist to Build on Leadership's Efforts to Improve Agency Performance and Employee Morale. GAO-08-995, September 24.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-995
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08995high.pdf
• U.S. Department of Agriculture: Recommendations and Options to Address Management Deficiencies in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. GAO-09-62, October 22.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-62
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0962high.pdf
• VA Health Care: Improved Staffing Methods and Greater Availability of Alternatate and Flexible Work Schedules Could Enhance the Recruitment and Retention of Inpatient Nurses. GAO-09-17, October 24.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-17
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0917high.pdf

Related Products

• Environmental Enforcement: EPA Needs to Improve the Accuracy and Transparency of Measures Used to Report on Program Effectiveness. GAO-08-1111R, September 18.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1111R
• Responses to Questions for the Record; September 2008 Hearing on the Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status and Issues. GAO-09-130R, October 20.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-130R
• Social Security Numbers: Transfers and Sales of Public Records That May Contain Social Security Numbers (GAO-08-1004SP, September 2008), an E-supplement to GAO-08-1009R, September 19. [Internet only]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1004SP

Correspondence

• Federal Energy Management: Agencies Are Acquiring Alternative Fuel Vehicles but Face Challenges in Meeting Other Fleet Objectives. GAO-09-75R, October 22.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-75R
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0975rhigh.pdf
• Social Security Numbers Are Widely Available in Bulk and Online Records, but Changes to Enhance Security Are Occurring. GAO-08-1009R, September 19.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1009R
• VA National Initiatives and Local Programs that Address Education and Support for Families of Returning Veterans. GAO-09-22R, October 22.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-22R

"Old" and "New" Europe Divided Over Greenhouse Gas Cuts

Yesterday, an Associated Press article in the Seattle Times reported that countries representing "old" and "new" Europe are at odds over European Union (EU) deadlines for laws that would cut greenhouse gas emissions. Most governments within the EU want to proceed with a December timetable for legislation mandating a 20 percent reduction in emissions by 2020, because they contend "that will send a strong signal to the U.S., China and other big industrial states to embrace a new global deal on reducing emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012."

Eight former Soviet bloc countries--Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia--feel that the EU's proposed timetable would have a far greater economic impact on them than it would on western European countries, which would not have to "play catch-up to compensate for decades of ruinous communist economic policies," the article states. Eastern European cities still must deal with environmental obstacles such as communist-era rubber-dye factories, pollutant-emitting lead smelters, and inefficient power plants as well as impoverished citizens for whom climate change is a low priority.

To find primary EU resources about global warming targets, see the websites for the European Environment Agency and the European Parliament. If you're still not finding the information you need, check out our guides to European Union Resources and Climate Change.

Government Awarded Small Biz Contracts to Large Firms, Post Finds

The Washington Post reported today that U.S. government agencies, most noticeably the Defense and Homeland Security departments, made at least $5 billion worth of errors in recent reports of contracts they offered to small businesses. The Post analyzed a sample of the $89 billion in contracts the agencies classified as small-business awards in order to meet a congressional mandate to award 23 percent of all government work to small firms. The article mentions that large firms such as Lockheed Martin and Dell Computer were incorrectly counted as "small businesses" on contracts.

The Post notes that businesses contracting with the government are tracked in the Federal Procurement Data System database, which is maintained by the General Services Administration. The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides U.S. government contracting assistance and reports annually on agencies' performance. Calvin Jenkins, the SBA's deputy associate administrator for government contracting, is quoted in the article, and the SBA website features his October 5 commentary on SBA data improvement. The Post states that SBA plans to issue a report today, although the SBA website did not contain any such report as of this blog post.

Need more resources on government contracts and procurement? See our guide to Federal Business Opportunities.

Justice Dept. Files Antitrust Suit Against Meatpacker

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against beef packer JBS S.A. in an attempt to stop its proposed acquisition of National Beef Packing Company LLC. Brazil-based JBS operates beef-packing plants in Texas, Nebraska, and Greeley, Colorado. You can read an article about the lawsuit in today's Greeley Tribune. The Justice Department's official press release on the lawsuit can be found on its website.

The attorneys general of 13 states--Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming--have joined the Justice Department in the lawsuit. You can access the Colorado Attorney General's website here. You can find the websites of additional states' attorneys general by going to the Council of State Governments website.

For additional resources on antitrust issues, see our guides on Consumer Information and Business.

CRS reports this week

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week only brings us a number of CRS reports on mortgage backed securities, NATO, Navy, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS and Secrecy News:

• U.S. Nuclear Cooperation With India: Issues for Congress
• Iraq’s Debt Relief: Procedure and Potential Implications for International Debt Relief
• NATO Enlargement: Albania, Croatia, and Possible Future Candidates
• Navy DDG-1000 Destroyer Program: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
• Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress
• Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler Aircraft: Background and Issues for Congress
  
• Direct Overt U.S. Aid, Export Assistance and Military Reimbursements to Pakistan, FY2002-FY2009
• Economic Development Assistance for Communities Affected by Employment Changes Due to Military Base Closures
• Financial Turmoil: Comparing the Troubled Asset Relief Program to the Federal Reserve’s Response
• Administering Green Programs in Congress: Issues and Options
• U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians
• Auction Basics: Background for Assessing Proposed Treasury Purchases of MortgageBacked Securities
• Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities
• Federal Personnel: Conversion of Employees from Appointed (Noncareer) Positions to Career Positions in the Executive Branch
• Potential Offset Supply in a Cap-and-Trade Program

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Global Warming Increases Spread of Waterborne Pathogens

Scientists are almost positive that global warming will lead to worldwide increases in the spread of waterborne pathogens, the Washington Post reported today in this article. The Post references scientific studies indicating that global warming will lead to heavier rainfall, resulting in sewage overflows and tainted drinking water, and increased lake and ocean temperatures will allow bacteria, parasites, and algal blooms to multiply. Other problematic results of climate change will be fish and shellfish contamination as well as the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

The article cites a 2007 report of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which indicates that global warming will lead to heavier rainfalls. You can find a PDF of the full report on IPCC's website. The Post article also references an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-commissioned study showing a correlation between heavy rainfall and waterborne disease outbreaks. You can read about the study in the article The Association Between Extreme Precipitation and Waterborne Disease Outbreaks in the United States, 1948-1994, which was published by the American Public Health Association. Also take a look at this report on the issue by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you need more information on this topic, check out our guide on water resources, which features links to U.S. and global resources on water supply, treatment, quality, and other relevant topics.

Fun with Environmental Resources

We have been discussing lots of economic crisis materials and while there is bound to be all sorts of economic indicators this week and probably even some stock market jumps, but I thought today we could talk about the environment.

There are a couple new resources that have come out in the last few weeks from the United Nations that I wanted to bring to your attention. The first is one of the new titles from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Global Glacier Changes. UNEP produces many publications and while sometimes they are only available for purchase, many of them are available freely online. These online versions often also include dynamic links to additional resources on the topic.

The second resource is the World Database on Protected Areas, a new database on all the protected areas in the world (depending on the provision of data this may be a designation on the local, national, or international level). You can find maps, documentation and much more. For those of you who love to download data this site lets you do that easily and lets you play with it in tools like Google Earth.

Still want more environmental resources? Check out the library's guide.

GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as indoor mold, effects of gas temperature at the pump, and risk-based capitol. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Biosafety Laboratories: Perimeter Security Assessment of the Nation's Five BSL-4 Laboratories. GAO-08-1092, September 17.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1092
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081092high.pdf
• Indoor Mold: Better Coordination of Research on Health Effects and More Consistent Guidance Would Improve Federal Efforts. GAO-08-980, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-980
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08980high.pdf
• Information Technology: SSA Has Taken Key Steps for Managing Its Investments, but Needs to Strengthen Oversight and Fully Define Policies and Procedures. GAO-08-1020, September 12.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1020
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081020high.pdf
• Nonprofit Hospitals: Variation in Standards and Guidance Limits Comparison of How Hospitals Meet Community Benefit Requirements. GAO-08-880, September 12.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-880
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08880high.pdf
• Risk-Based Capital: New Basel II Rules Reduced Certain Competitive Concerns, but Bank Regulators Should Address Remaining Uncertainties. GAO-08-953, September 12.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-953
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08953high.pdf

Related Products

• Indoor Mold: Ongoing and Recently Completed Federal Research Activities (GAO-08-984SP, September 2008), an E-supplement to GAO-08-980. GAO-08-984SP, September 30. [Internet only]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-984SP/
• Motor Fuels: Stakeholder Views on Compensating for the Effects of Gasoline Temperature on Volume at the Pump. GAO-08-1114, September 25.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1114
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081114high.pdf
• Management: DOD Can Establish More Guidance for Biometrics Collection and Explore Broader Data Sharing. GAO-09-49, October 15.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-49
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0949high.pdf

Correspondence

• Multiple Agencies Provide Assistance to Service-disabled Veterans or Entrepreneurs, but Specific Needs Are Difficult to Identify and Coordination Is Weak. GAO-09-11R, October 15.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-11R

Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week only brings us a number of CRS reports on presidential succession, Iraq, federal workforce, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS and Secrecy News:

• Supreme Court Appellate Jurisdiction Over Military Court Cases
• Presidential Succession: Perspectives, Contemporary Analysis, and 110th Congress Proposed Legislation
• Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations
• Homeland Security Department: FY2009 Appropriations
• The Global Nuclear Detection Architecture: Issues for Congress
• Operation Iraqi Freedom: Strategies, Approaches, Results, and Issues for Congress
• Afghanistan: Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
• Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests
• Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding
• Clean Water Act: Legislation Concerning Discharges from Recreational Boats
• Cuba: Issues for the 110th Congress
• Federal Railroad Safety Programs: Selected Issues in Proposed Reauthorization Legislation
• Food and Agricultural Imports from China
• Gasoline Prices: New Legislation and Proposals
• Generalized System of Preferences: Background and Renewal Debate
• Health and Safety Concerns Over U.S. Imports of Chinese Products: An Overview
• Honduran-U.S. Relations
• International Population Assistance and Family Planning Programs: Issues for Congress
• Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses
• Iran's Influence in Iraq
• Iraq: Post-Saddam National Elections
• Kenya: The December 2007 Elections and the Challenges Ahead
• National Flood Insurance Program: Treasury Borrowing in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
• National Security Strategy: Legislative Mandates, Execution to Date, and Considerations for Congress
• Net Neutrality: Background and Issues
• Oil Industry Financial Performance and the Windfall Profits Tax
• Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990
• The Federal Workforce: Characteristics and Trends
• The Kurds in Post-Saddam Iraq
• The U.S. Trade Deficit, The Dollar, and The Price of Oil
• Tsunami Detection and Warnings for the United States
• Visa Waiver Program

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as green affordable housing, leveraged buyouts of U.S. companies by private equity funds, and the FDA's role in food labeling . If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Department of Defense: A Departmentwide Framework to Identify and Report Gaps in the Defense Supplier Base Is Needed. GAO-09-5, October 7.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-5
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d095high.pdf
  
• FDA Advisory Committees: Process for Recruiting Members and Evaluating Potential Conflicts of Interest. GAO-08-640, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-640
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08640high.pdf
• Food Labeling: FDA Needs to Better Leverage Resources, Improve Oversight, and Effectively Use Available Data to Help Consumers Select Healthy Foods. GAO-08-597, September 9.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-597
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08597high.pdf
• Green Affordable Housing: HUD Has Made Progress in Promoting Green Building, but Expanding Efforts Could Help Reduce Energy Costs and Benefit Tenants. GAO-09-46, October 7.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-46
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0946high.pdf
• Highway Safety: Foresight Issues Challenge DOT's Efforts to Assess and Respond to New Technology-Based Trends. GAO-09-56, October 3.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-56
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0956high.pdf
• Information Technology: Management Improvements Needed on the Department of Homeland Security's Next Generation Information Sharing System. GAO-09-40, October 8.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-40
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0940high.pdf
• Private Equity: Recent Growth in Leveraged Buyouts Exposed Risks That Warrant Continued Attention. GAO-08-885, September 9.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-885
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08885high.pdf
• Sovereign Wealth Funds: Publicly Available Data on Sizes and Investments for Some Funds Are Limited. GAO-08-946, September 9.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-946
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08946high.pdf
• Veterans' Disability Benefits: Better Accountability and Access Would Improve the Benefits Delivery at Discharge Program. GAO-08-901, September 9.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-901
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08901high.pdf

United Nations Yearbook

For anyone who has been in an United Nations Depository (like CU-Boulder), you have probably seen the rows of red books, with UN Yearbook stamped on the spine. If you have been doing research on the actions of the members of the UN or particular resolutions it is probable that you have even used these books with their tiny type. Well, now you don't need to be in the library to use these wonderful resource, the United Nations has digitized them from 1946-2005. (Note: 2005 is the most recent edition, it takes 3-4 years to write one of these volumes.)

The United Nations Yearbook online lets you search across all the yearbooks or just one. You can also browse the volumes. You will find in here the work done by various countries to modify resolutions before the United Nations. Want to know who voted which way? You can find it here. When researching the UN and how it works this is one of the best source of information.

Interested in more UN resources? Check out the library's guide.

Voter Rolls Possibly Purged Illegally, NYT Reports

The New York Times has reviewed state records and Social Security data, and it reports that "tens of thousands of eligible voters in at least six swing states have been removed from the rolls or have been blocked from registering in ways that appear to violate federal law." You can read the report here.

The Times findings have been presented to the Social Security Administration, which has notified the Department of Justice about the problem and has sent letters to Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Nevada, North Carolina, and Ohio election officials, asking them to make sure that they are not violating federal law. The Social Security Administration's press release is available on its website. The times article also mentions that Colorado, Louisiana, and Michigan could be purging their voter rolls illegally.

The Times article reports that in their efforts to comply with the Help America Vote Act of 2002, states have been removing names that should no longer be on their voter rolls. Some states are violating federal law by purging voter names from their rolls within 90 days of a federal election or by improperly using the Social Security database to check voter registration applications. Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, is quoted in the Times article as saying that these voter law violations could create "extremely serious problems."

Need more resources about this issue? See our subject guide on Elections and Voting.

Judge Orders Uighurs' Release from Guantanamo

On October 7 a federal judge ordered that 17 Chinese Muslims (known as Uighurs) detained at the Guantanamo Bay military prison be released into the United States by Friday, the Washington Post reported. You can read U.S. District Judge Ricardo M. Urbina's court opinion here. It was the first time a U.S. judge ordered a Guantanamo Bay prisoner to be released as well as the first instance in which a foreign national held at Guantanamo has been ordered transferred to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing the ruling. Yesterday it issued a press release contending that Judge Urbina's ruling "presents serious national security and separation of powers concerns and raises unprecedented legal issues."

If you need more resources on the subject, see our subject guides on Crime and Justice and Terrorism.

From the Congressional Research Service this week

Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a research agency of Congress and writes reports at Congress's request. These short reports (usually 10-40 pages long) cover recent topics of concern. This week only brings us a number of CRS reports on economic issues, national security, government employees, and much more. While these reports are in the public domain there is no central database available to the public. To get a copy of a CRS report you can request it from your Senator or Representative. This list is compiled from CRS reports discovered by OpenCRS:

• Brazil-U.S. Relations
• Taiwan: Recent Developments and U.S. Policy Choices
• China's Economic Conditions
• Colombia: Issues for Congress
• Nuclear Weapons: The Reliable Replacement Warhead Program
• China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities -- Background and Issues for Congress
• Older Workers: Employment and Retirement Trends
• Submission of the President's Budget in Transition Years
• A Joint Committee on Intelligence: Proposals and Options from the 9/11 Commission and Others
• Executive Branch Reorganization and Management Initiatives: A Brief Overview
• Outer Continental Shelf Leasing: Side-by-Side Comparison of Five Legislative Proposals
• Japan's Political Turmoil in 2008: Background and Implications for the United States
• Libya: Background and U.S. Relations
• Energy Tax Policy: History and Current Issues
• Peacekeeping and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on Civilian Capabilities
• Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues
• Royalty Relief for U.S. Deepwater Oil and Gas Leases
• The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: History, Perspectives, and Issues
• Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Background and Issues
• Russia-Georgia Conflict in South Ossetia: Context and Implications for U.S. Interests
• Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects
• Do Not Mail Initiatives and Their Potential Effects: Possible Issues for Congress
• Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview
• Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations
• The U.S. Financial Crisis: Lessons From Japan
• The U.S. Financial Crisis: Lessons From Chile
• Economic Stimulus Proposals for 2008: An Analysis
• The U.S. Financial Crisis: Lessons From Sweden
• Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment
• Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response: The SAFER Grant Program
• Nuclear Weapons: Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
• Safe Drinking Water Act: Selected Regulatory and Legislative Issues
• Taiwan-U.S. Relations: Recent Developments and Their Policy Implications
• The Resolution Trust Corporation: Historical Analysis
• U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Rising Oil Prices
• Air Pollution from Ships: MARPOL Annex VI and Other Control Options
• Bisphenol A (BPA) in Plastics and Possible Human Health Effects
• Boumediene v. Bush: Guantanamo Detainees' Right to Habeas Corpus
• District of Columbia v. Heller: The Supreme Court and the Second Amendment
• Federal Deductibility of State and Local Taxes
• Federal Government Debt Collection: An Overview of the Treasury Offset and Federal Payment Levy Programs
• Federal Liability for Hurricane Katrina-Related Flood Damage
• Financial Market Intervention
• Guantanamo Detainees: Habeas Corpus Challenges in Federal Court
• Instability in Chad
• Israel: Background and Relations with the United States
• Navy Role in Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) -- Background and Issues for Congress
• Pay-for-Performance: The National Security Personnel System
• Reforming the Regulation of Government-Sponsored Enterprises in the 110th Congress
• Sovereign Wealth Funds: Background and Policy Issues for Congress
• Tax Expenditures and the Federal Budget
• Tax Issues Relating to Charitable Contributions and Organizations
• Tax-Exempt Section 501(c)(3) Hospitals: Community Benefit Standard and Schedule H
• The Defense Base Act (DBA): The Federally Mandated Workers' Compensation System for Overseas Government Contractors
• Topics in Aging: Income and Poverty Among Older Americans in 2007
• United States Military Casualty Statistics: Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom
• Vulnerability of Concentrated Critical Infrastructure: Background and Policy Options

Interested in historical CRS reports? If you are here at the Boulder campus, check out the LexisNexis Congressional database, which has reports back to 1916.

Not on campus, but still want access to additional reports? The library has a guide linking to various additional sources of CRS reports.

Conflict Intensifies in Somalia

In the last week, American news media have focused heavily on the topic of financial markets. But while stock markets are plunging, many in the world are facing much greater immediate hardship. On Monday the BBC reported on the conflict that has been plaguing Somalia for the last several years. The article states that "the new situation has an intensity of street shelling and military atrocities that even this veteran war city [Somalia's capital, Mogadishu] has never seen before."

The conflict pits the Ethiopian-backed Somali government and Islamist and nationalist warlords against one another. The BBC article reports that the United States supports Ethiopian troops and contends that the Islamist warlords are connected with Al Quaeda. Mogadishu's population has dwindled as about 500,000 have fled to refugee camps. The fighting in Somalia has enabled piracy to flourish in the Gulf of Aden, through which more than 30% of the world's oil travels, according to a related BBC article.

Yesterday's BBC article also mentions that the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is trying to restore peace in this war-torn country. In August the UN Security Council released a press release renewing its authorization of AMISOM.

For more information on the country of Somalia, see our country guide. Our subject guide on Emergencies, Conflicts, and Disasters provides links to some helpful governmental and nongovernmental resources on political conflicts.

Today's Last Day to Register to Vote

This is the last day to register to vote here in Colorado. If you want to register or make sure you are registered, check these sites out:

• Colorado Voter Registration Application You will need to know the fax, location, etc. to send this in, which is your County Clerk. You county clerk can be found online.
  
• Verify your registration If you aren't 100% sure you are registered, why not check on this site.

Still want more info? Check out the library's elections and voting guide.

GAO Releases This Week

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is often called the investigative arm of Congress. This week they investigated a variety of issues, such as pandemic influenza, space acquisitions, climate change, and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you would like to know more about the GAO, check out the library's guide.

Reports

• Aviation Safety: FAA Has Taken Steps to Determine That It Has Made Correct Medical Certification Decisions. GAO-08-997, September 17.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-997
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08997high.pdf
• Climate Change: Federal Actions Will Greatly Affect the Viability of Carbon Capture and Storage As a Key Mitigation Option. GAO-08-1080, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1080
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081080high.pdf
• Coastal Zone Management: Measuring Program's Effectiveness Continues to Be a Challenge. GAO-08-1045, September 12.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1045
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081045high.pdf
  
• Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Contracts and Contractor Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. GAO-09-19, October 1.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-19
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d0919high.pdf
• Defense Management: DOD Needs to Establish Clear Goals and Objectives, Guidance, and a Designated Budget to Manage Its Biometrics Activities. GAO-08-1065, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1065
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081065high.pdf
• Federal Energy Management: Addressing Challenges through Better Plans and Clarifying the Greenhouse Gas Emission Measure Will Help Meet Long-term Goals for Buildings. GAO-08-977, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-977
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08977high.pdf
• Financial Management: Persistent Financial Management Systems Issues Remain for Many CFO Act Agencies. GAO-08-1018, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1018
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081018high.pdf
  
• Health-Care-Associated Infections in Hospitals: An Overview of State Reporting Programs and Individual Hospital Initiatives to Reduce Certain Infections. GAO-08-808, September 5.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-808
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08808high.pdf
• Influenza Pandemic: HHS Needs to Continue Its Actions and Finalize Guidance for Pharmaceutical Interventions. GAO-08-671, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-671
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08671high.pdf
• Lobbying Disclosure: Observations on Lobbyists' Compliance with New Disclosure Requirements. GAO-08-1099, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1099
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081099high.pdf
• Military Operations: DOD Needs to Address Contract Oversight and Quality Assurance Issues for Contracts Used to Support Contingency Operations. GAO-08-1087, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1087
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081087high.pdf
  
• NASA: Agency Faces Challenges Defining Scope and Costs of Space Shuttle Transition and Retirement. GAO-08-1096, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1096
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081096high.pdf
• Nuclear Waste: Action Needed to Improve Accountability and Management of DOE's Major Cleanup Projects. GAO-08-1081, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1081
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081081high.pdf
• Space Acquisitions: DOD's Goals for Resolving Space Based Infrared System Software Problems Are Ambitious. GAO-08-1073, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1073
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081073high.pdf
• Tax Gap: Actions That Could Improve Rental Real Estate Reporting Compliance. GAO-08-956, August 28.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-956
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08956high.pdf
• USAID Acquisition and Assistance: Actions Needed to Develop and Implement a Strategic Workforce Plan. GAO-08-1059, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1059
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081059high.pdf
  

Reposted Products

• Homeland Security: DHS Risk-Based Grant Methodology Is Reasonable, But Current Version's Measure of Vulnerability is Limited. GAO-08-852, June 27. [File revised to reflect changes in note on page 10 and graphic on page 18.]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-852
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08852high.pdf
• U.S. Asylum System: Agencies Have Taken Actions to Help Ensure Quality in the Asylum Adjudication Process, but Challenges Remain. GAO-08-935, September 25. [File revised to correct several figures that initially had incorrect information or did not correspond to the appropriate figure title.]
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-935
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d08935high.pdf
  

Correspondences

• EPA's Execution of Its Fiscal Year 2007 New Budget Authority for the Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Program in the Regional Offices. GAO-08-1109R, September 26.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1109R
• Export Promotion: The Export-Import Bank's Financing of Dual-Use Exports. GAO-08-1182R, September 30.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1182R
  
• Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan and Iraq. GAO-09-86R, October 1.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-86R

Testimonies

• Defense Acquisitions: Fundamental Changes Are Needed to Improve Weapon Program Outcomes, by Michael J. Sullivan, director, acquisition and sourcing management, before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services, and International Security, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. GAO-08-1159T, September 25.
  http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-08-1159T
  Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d081159thigh.pdf

Wyoming Seeks to Protect Gray Wolves

The Los Angeles Times has reported that although Wyoming spent nearly a decade protesting the federal government's efforts to reintroduce gray wolves to the region, and the animals were eventually removed from the endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now attempting to relist the gray wolf. You can read the article here. See the FWS's press release about the wolf's reinstatement.

The FWS's website contains various documents illustrating the changing status of the gray wolf. In early 2004 the agency described steps necessary for delisting the gray wolf. In 2006 it issued this press release announcing that the wolf would remain on the endangered species list. This year FWS issued this 33-page report about the status, distribution, and management of wolves in Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.

For additional resources on endangered species, see our guide on endangered species.

Senate Passes Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

All major and minor newspapers are reporting that the Senate passed its revision of H.R. 1424, the economic stabilization/bailout/stimulus that failed in the House last Friday. Numerous pundits are writing opinion pieces on the issue while countless citizens are weighing in with their own comments to newspaper articles (1,126 comments on the Washington Post's article alone). But if you're eager to read a copy of the actual bill as it was passed by the Senate, you can find it on GPO Access (along with countless other government documents, all of which are available for free from the U.S. Government Printing Office).

You can also trace the bill's voyage through Congress by searching in THOMAS, another useful website brought to you by the Library of Congress. To offer feedback to your state's senator or advise your House representative on how to vote on the bill Friday, check out the official websites of the Senate and House. On the Senate's website you can also read the roll call votes for and against the bill.

If you're still not finding the congressional information you need, take a look at our subject guide on Congress and Legislation.

Baseball, Author Signings, and much more

I could talk about the possibility of the bill on the economy bailout/stimulus, etc., but it has been a long week of economic news. If you must have more go to the Senate Banking Committee, I am going to have fun at the Library of Congress.

Did you know that Roger Maris hit his 61st homerun on this day in 1961? A feat that held until 1998, when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa passed it within days of each other. You can learn this and more other exciting baseball trivia in the Library of Congress's Today in History. You can also find links to pictures, newspaper articles and much more.

The Library of Congress also hosted the 2008 Book Festival this weekend where authors came and talked about and signed their books. You can view podcasts from this event and others on the web site.

Finally, to close out our tour, why not run over to myLOC? This new site lets us those of us who live far away from DC explore the exhibitions, building and resources from the comfort of our own computers.

If you still need more non-economic news, why not check out the library's Historic Documents and Exhibits page.