News release: “To increase public awareness about the causes of specific train accidents and to reduce the need for individuals to submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is for the first time making its investigation reports of major train accidents and other incidents available online, FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman announced today…FRA does not typically release its own report about an accident until the NTSB has issued its findings. Due to size constraints and other considerations, attachments and exhibits associated with the FRA investigation reports are not being posted online, and will continue to be available only through a FOIA request. The accident/incident reports that railroads are required by federal law to routinely file with the FRA will continue to be available online. Individuals may sign up for automatic email notification of when a new investigation report is added to the public webpage. The accident investigation webpage is here.”
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Daily Archives: April 1, 2008
Bipartisan Staff Discussion Draft on President's Proposal to Require Information Reporting on Electronic Payment Mechanism Reimbursements
News release: “Finance Committee staff today released a bipartisan discussion draft of the Presidents proposal to require information reporting by banks and other entities on reimbursements to merchants that accept electronic forms of payment, including credit and debit cards. The Finance Committee intends to use public comment to understand more about how payment reporting may… Continue Reading
Summary of Recent Developments in EPA's Drinking Water Program and Areas for Additional Focus
EPA Office of Inspector General: Summary of Recent Developments in EPA’s Drinking Water Program and Areas for Additional Focus, March 31, 2008. At a Glance PDF | Report PDF “…the drinking water program faces challenges, notably limited resources, emerging contaminants and new regulations, and system security issues. We suggest future evaluations for several areas of… Continue Reading
Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 7.4 Percent from January 2007
Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Rose 7.4 Percent from January 2007: “Trade using surface transportation between the United States and its North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partners, Canada and Mexico, was 7.4 percent higher in January 2008 than in January 2007, reaching $65.2 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of… Continue Reading
Improvements Needed to Ensure Grant Funds for U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program Are Spent More Timely
EPA Office of Inspector General: Improvements Needed to Ensure Grant Funds for U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program Are Spent More Timely. At a Glance PDF | Report PDF “From 2005 to 2007, EPA took actions to implement timeframes for Border Program projects, reduce the scope of projects, and reduce unliquidated obligations of projects. However, EPA… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: Federal Contracting, SEC Internal Controls, Federal Compensation Programs
Federal Contracting: Congressional Action Needed to Address Long-standing Problems with Reporting of Advisory and Assistance Services, GAO-08-319, March 31, 2008 Internal Control: Improvements Needed in SEC’s Accounting and Financial Reporting Process, GAO-08-461R, April 01, 2008 Federal Compensation Programs: Perspectives on Four Programs for Individuals Injured by Exposure to Harmful Substances, GAO-08-628T, April 01, 2008 Continue Reading
FTC: The Truth About Cell Phones and the Do Not Call Registry
News release: “The Federal Trade Commission today reiterated that despite the claims made in e-mails circulating on the Internet, consumers should not be concerned that their cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketers in the near future, and that it is not necessary to register cell phone numbers on the National Do Not Call… Continue Reading
Review of CBO's Activities in 2007 Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
A Review of CBO’s Activities in 2007 Under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, March 2008. “The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 19951 (UMRA) established procedures for providing information to the Congress about the effects of legislative provisions on state, local, and tribal governments and on private entities. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is required to… Continue Reading
GAO Testimony: Perspectives on Four Programs for Individuals Injured by Exposure to Harmful Substances
Federal Compensation Programs: Perspectives on Four Programs for Individuals Injured by Exposure to Harmful Substances, by Anne-Marie F. Lasowski, acting director, education, workforce, and income security issues, before a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, and the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, House… Continue Reading
The Sunshine in Litigation Act: Does Court Secrecy Undermine Public Health and Safety?
The Sunshine in Litigation Act: Does Court Secrecy Undermine Public Health and Safety? Senate Judiciary Committee, S. HRG. 110263 [248 pages, PDF]. Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights of the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, 110th Congress, 1st Session, December 11, 2007. [via FAS] Continue Reading
Cybercrime Legislation: EU Country Profiles
Cybercrime Legislation – Country profiles: “These profiles have been prepared within the framework of the Council of Europes Project on Cybercrime in view of sharing information on cybercrime legislation and assessing the current state of implementation of the Convention on Cybercrime under national legislation. They do not necessarily reflect official positions of the countries covered… Continue Reading
New Book Examines Global State Sponsored Internet Filtering Practices
BBC News: How the open net closed its doors – “Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering challenges the long-standing assumption that the internet is an unfettered space where citizens from around the world can freely communicate and mobilise. In fact, the book makes it clear that the scope, scale and sophistication… Continue Reading
