News release: "The Federal Trade Commission plans to study the experiences of identity theft victims by conducting a survey of consumers who contacted the FTC after they were victimized. The proposed survey will examine the remedies available to victims under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACT Act). Among other things, the FACT Act gave consumers the right to place fraud alerts on their credit files if they are, or suspect they may become, victims of identity theft; block information on their credit reports that resulted from identity theft; and obtain copies of their credit reports free of charge. The survey will seek information from identity theft victims who contacted the FTC between January 1 and May 30, 2008, and will inquire about their experiences when they contacted one or more credit reporting agencies and when they sought to use their FACT Act rights. The survey results will help guide the FTC’s efforts to enforce the law and educate consumers and the consumer reporting industry about their rights and duties."

2008 US Election Trends: "See what Americans are searching for on politics. Use the Search Queries Map to view search trends from the 2008 election by location. Track the most searched elections-related terms below, and find out which candidates are hot in different cities. Find out how other Americans stay politically engaged online...Use the Candidate Search Queries map to see which cities are searching more for Obama or McCain, and the News by Candidate tool on the trends page to see the latest headlines on each of the presidential contenders."

Defense Acquisitions: A Knowledge-Based Funding Approach Could Improve Major Weapon System Program Outcomes, GAO-08-619, July 02, 2008

News release: "The Department of Justice today announced the final guidelines for Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The Guidelines provide necessary tools for states, the District of Columbia, territories and certain federally recognized Indian tribes to incorporate SORNA minimum requirements into their sex offender registration and notification programs...Today's final guidelines provide direction and assistance to all jurisdictions in their efforts to meet the minimum standards of the Adam Walsh Act. Since the enactment of the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act in 1994, all states, the District of Columbia and two territories currently have some form of a sex offender registration and notification program. On July 27, 2006, President Bush signed into law the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act which dramatically enhanced the effectiveness of current programs by establishing a new comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification throughout the United States."

• Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) site.
  
• National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification

News release: "The impact of surging oil and food prices is being felt globally but is most acute for import-dependent poor and middle-income countries confronted by balance of payments problems, higher inflation, and worsening poverty, a new IMF study warns.

Analyzing the macroeconomic policy challenges arising from the price surges, the study argues that many governments will have to adjust policies in response to the price shock while the international community will need to do its share to address this global problem.

News release: "Some 55% of all adult Americans now have a high-speed internet connection at home, according to a May 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The percentage of Americans with broadband at home has grown from 47% in early 2007 and 42% in early 2005. Among individuals who use the internet at home, 79% have a high-speed connection while 15% use dialup.

The 17% growth rate from 2007 to 2008 represents is comparable to the 12% growth rate recorded in the 2006 to 2007 timeframe. However, several groups exhibited little or no growth in broadband adoption at home from 2007 to 2008.

E-Discovery Update: Precision, Accuracy, and Relevance - Conrad J. Jacoby discusses the challenges and ramifications inherent in an evironment where litigants have increasingly come to rely on computerized search queries rather than free-form document review to identify potentially relevant documents. — Published June 30, 2008

• Depot Maintenance: DOD's Report to Congress on Its Public-Private Partnerships at Its Centers of Industrial and Technical Excellence (CITEs) Is Not Complete and Additional Information Would Be Useful, GAO-08-902R, July 01, 2008
• Internal Revenue Service: Status of GAO Financial Audit and Related Financial Management Report Recommendations, GAO-08-693, July 02, 2008
• Medicaid Home and Community-Based Waivers: CMS Should Encourage States to Conduct Mortality Reviews for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities, GAO-08-529, May 23, 2008

• OIG-08-67 - Transportation Security Administration Single Source (Noncompetitive) Procurements (PDF, 29 pages) New 07/01/2008
• OIG-08-66 - TSA's Administration and Coordination of Mass Transit Security Programs (PDF, 71 pages) New 07/01/2008
• OIG-08-65 - Targeting of Cargo Containers 2008: Review of CBP's Cargo Enforcement Reporting and Tracking System (PDF, 11 pages) New 07/01/2008
• OIG-08-64 - Additional Controls Can Enhance the Security of the Automated Commercial Environment System (Redacted) (PDF, 30 pages) New 07/01/2008
• OIG-08-63 - Review of DHS Component Plans of Action and Milestones for Fnancial System Security (PDF, 27 pages) New 07/01/2008
• OIG-08-59 - Technical Security Evaluation of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Activities at the Chet Holified Federal Building (Redacted) (PDF, 31 pages) New 07/01/2008
• OIG-08-52 - ICE Policies Related to Detainee Deaths and the Oversight of Immigration Detntion Facilities (PDF, 60 pages) New 07/01/2008

"On July 1, the Work Group issued Import Safety – Action Plan Update which outlines steps taken by the federal government, private sector and international partners to bolster import safety.

• Press Release
  
• Fact Sheet

News release: "The Securities and Exchange Commission today published for public comment proposed rule changes to make the limits and purposes of credit ratings clear to investors and ensure that the role assigned to ratings in SEC rules is consistent with the objectives of having investors make an independent judgment of credit risks."

The proposing releases comprising this third set of rule proposals have been posted to the SEC Web site:

• http://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2008/34-58070.pdf
• http://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2008/33-8940.pdf
• http://www.sec.gov/rules/proposed/2008/ic-28327.pdf

Mastering Finance in Government - Transforming the government enterprise through better financial management, Published June 23, 2008; 40 pages; A Deloitte Research Public Sector study.

• June 26, 2008 - Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies: FY2009 Appropriations
• June 25, 2008 - Veterans Benefits: An Overview
• June 23, 2008 - International Drug Control Policy
• June 23, 2008 - Iran's Nuclear Program: Status
• June 23, 2008 - Possible Federal Revenue from Oil Development of ANWR and Nearby Areas
• June 20, 2008 - Wind Power in the United States: Technology, Economic, and Policy Issues

Criminal Justice Degree Guides: "The Top 100 Law and Lawyer Blogs Law blogs, also known as blawgs, are plentiful these days. In fact, there are probably thousands to choose from and more appear each week. For that reason, it may be difficult for you to narrow down which ones are worth a regular read. Whether you are a lawyer, law student or merely interested in the subject, we’ve attempted to cut through the chaff and provide you with what we regard as the top 100 law and lawyer blogs listed below. It was very difficult to choose only 100 blogs from the myriad of successful law blogs. In an effort to remain fair, you will find a variety of subjects covered with the following blogs. Not only are high-profile general law blogs included, niche blawgs are also offered for your consideration. Since it would be impossible to rank them according to importance, they are categorized according to subject and then alphabetized."

News release: "After more than a year of intensive study, the U.S. Copyright Office issued its report on whether to maintain, modify or eliminate Sections 111, 119 and 122 of the Copyright Act. It will serve as the basis for discussion for possible changes to the statutory licenses. Section 109 of the Satellite Home Viewer Extension and Reauthorization Act (SHVERA) of 2004 requires the Copyright Office to examine and compare the statutory licensing systems for the cable and satellite television industries under Sections 111, 119 and 122 of the Copyright Act and recommend any necessary legislative changes no later than June 30, 2008."