Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: June 28, 2007

IRS OIG Report – Additional Action Is Needed to Expand the Use and Improve the Administration of the Free File Program

Treasury Inspector for Tax Administration: Additional Action Is Needed to Expand the Use and Improve the Administration of the Free File Program, June 28, 2007: “The IRS can do more to evaluate and promote the use of the Free File Program. While it has taken steps to evaluate the experience of Program users, it has not collected data about taxpayers who attempted to use the Program but did not or could not complete and file their tax returns or eligible taxpayers who did not use the Program. Of the 93 million taxpayers eligible for the Program in Calendar Year 2006, only 4.2 percent (3.9 million) used it. The IRS can also improve its administration of the Program. The IRS’ oversight reviews of the Alliance members were not fully documented. Alliance members also incorrectly included the Free File Indicator on approximately 37,000 returns from taxpayers who actually paid to prepare and file their returns. The Program software also did not always accurately compute taxes due, and the Guide Me To A Company feature that helps taxpayers select a Program vendor was not always complete or accurate.”

EPA Website Helps Consumers Calculate How Individual Energy Use Contributes to Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Air Pollution

Press release: “With just a few clicks of the mouse and a ZIP code, consumers can see how their individual energy use is affecting the Earth. EPA’s Power Profiler calculates how much air pollution results from individual electricity use, the fuels used to produce that electricity and how to reduce the impact…All you need is… Continue Reading

White House Counsel Informs Judiciary Committee President Will Assert Executive Privilege

Follow up to June 13 posting, Judiciary Chairmen Leahy, Conyers Issue Subpoenas For White House Officials, Documents see these related government documents and Congressional statements issued today: Press release from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT): “As the Committee opens its Executive Business meeting today, I note that the deadline has passed for the White House and… Continue Reading

GAO Analysis of the Special Operations Command's Management of Weapon System Programs

Defense Acquisitions: An Analysis of the Special Operations Command’s Management of Weapon System Programs, GAO-07-620, June 28, 2007. “Special Operations Command’s (SOCOM) duties have greatly increased since the attacks of September 11, 2001. Today, Special Operations Forces are at work in Afghanistan and Iraq, and SOCOM has been assigned to lead U.S. efforts in the… Continue Reading

DOJ FOIA Post – Guidance on Submitting Updated Status Reports to the

“As part of the June 1, 2007 report to the President on agency progress under Executive Order 13,392, “Improving Agency Disclosure of Information,” the Attorney General recommended that agencies submit to the President’s Management Council an Updated Status Report concerning any deficiency reported by the agency in its Fiscal Year 2006 annual FOIA report. This… Continue Reading

GAO Report on Terminated Defined Benefit Pensions and Enforcement Challenges

Defined Benefit Pensions: Conflicts of Interest Involving High Risk or Terminated Plans Pose Enforcement Challenges, GAO-07-703, June 28, 2007. “To protect workers’ retirement security, the requesters asked GAO to assess: 1) What is known about conflicts of interest affecting private sector defined benefit (DB) plans? 2) What procedures does the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)… Continue Reading

FTC Issues Administrative Complaint Seeking to Block Whole Foods Market’s Acquisition of Wild Oats Markets

Press release: “The Federal Trade Commission has issued an administrative complaint challenging Whole Foods Market Inc.’s approximately $670 million acquisition of Wild Oats Markets Inc. The administrative complaint preserves the Commission’s legal option to pursue an administrative remedy following the federal district court proceeding. According to the complaint, the transaction would violate federal antitrust laws… Continue Reading

BJS Report on Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies

Press release: “There were about 1.1 million full-time state and local law enforcement employees in the U.S., including about 732,000 sworn personnel as of September 30, 2004, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. Local police departments were the largest employers, with 447,000 officers; followed by sheriffs’ offices, with 175,000; state law… Continue Reading