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

Daily Archives: May 14, 2008

EPIC Report: – REAL ID Implementation Review: Few Benefits, Staggering Costs

“At a REAL ID Workshop at the Berkman Center, EPIC today released a new report on the Department of Homeland Security’s national identification proposal, the REAL ID system. “May 11, 2008 is the statutory deadline for implementation of the REAL ID system. Yet on this date, not one State is in compliance with the federal law creating a national identification system. In fact, 19 States have passed resolutions or laws rejecting the national ID program. The Department of Homeland Security has faced so many obstacles with the REAL ID system that the agency now plans an implementation deadline of 2017.” See EPIC page on National ID Cards and the REAL ID Act, and EPIC Comments on the Draft Regulations.”

Report Examining Public Health, Safety, and Security for Mass Gatherings

Committee on Homeland Security Majority Staff Report Examining: Public Health, Safety, and Security for Mass Gatherings, May 2008 (64 pages, PDF). “Mass gatherings pose special challenges in terms of management and control, especially considering their value as targets for terrorism and other crimes. The terrorist goal of attacking cities in order to kill and injure… Continue Reading

CDT: Legislation Needed to Correct Widespread Errors in use of National Security Letters

CDT Policy Post 14.5: National Security Letters: “Widespread errors in the use of National Security Letters requires legislative action, says a Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) paper released today. The documents are used by the FBI when seeking records containing sensitive personal information. Successive Inspector General reports have uncovered abuses and mistakes by the… Continue Reading

ODNI Launches New Web Site

News release: “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) today launched a redesigned Web site featuring expanded content, improved navigation tools, and a new digital subscription service. The site’s fresh content includes a Frequently Asked Questions section and a gallery of photographs suitable for use by news organizations. Both are supported by an… Continue Reading

Report: Capping Co2 Emissions, Boosting Energy Costs

H. Sterling Burnett and D. Sean Shurtleff, Capping CO2 Emissions, Boosting Energy Costs, National Center for Policy Analysis, Brief Analysis No. 617, May 13, 2008. “Bills recently introduced in Congress would control greenhouse gas emissions through cap-and-trade schemes. They would place an upper limit, or cap, on the overall level of emissions, and then distribute… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports: Medical Devices, Health Savings Accounts, U.S.-China Trade

Medical Devices: FDA Faces Challenges in Conducting Inspections of Foreign Manufacturing Establishments, GAO-08-780T, May 14, 2008 U.S. Department of Agriculture: Management of Civil Rights Efforts Continues to Be Deficient Despite Years of Attention, GAO-08-755T, May 14, 2008 Health Savings Accounts: Participation Grew, and Many HSA-Eligible Plan Enrollees Did Not Open HSAs while Individuals Who Did… Continue Reading

Fact Sheet: Emergency Supplemental – Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans and Workers

Fact Sheet: Emergency Supplemental: Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans and Workers, Prepared by the Majority Staff of the House Appropriations Committee, May 14, 2008: “Tomorrow the House of Representatives will consider the emergency supplemental bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and pressing domestic needs. Under consideration are $183.9 billion in outstanding requests from the… Continue Reading

Recent CRS Reports: Congress's Contempt Power, U.S.-French Commercial Ties, Strategic Airlift Modernization

Via Secrecy News: Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations, May 5, 2008 Second FY2008 Supplemental Appropriations for Military Operations, International Affairs, and Other Purposes, updated May 8, 2008: Director of National Intelligence Statutory Authorities: Status and Proposals, updated April 17, 2008 Congress’s Contempt Power: Law, History, Practice, and Procedure,” updated April 15, 2008 Navy LPD-17 Amphibious… Continue Reading