Follow up to March 19, 2009 – New Attorney General Guidelines on FOIA Released – CJR: “In a bit of Congressional commemoration, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and John Cornyn, his Texan Republican colleague, have introduced S. 612, new legislation that would require any new b(3) exemptions to specifically reference the Freedom of Information… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: March 2009
White House Releases Fiscal Responsibility Summit Report
“[March 20, 2009], the Administration is released the Fiscal Responsibility Summit Report that the President announced during the final session of the Summit on February 23. The Summit was convened so that the President could solicit ideas and discuss solutions to our long-term fiscal imbalance with a broad array of national leadersfrom both political parties,… Continue Reading
U.S. Regional Population Losses Linked to High Unemployment
“High unemployment rates are not just creating a drag on the U.S. economy, but are also linked to lagging population growth in economically distressed areas, according to a [Population Reference Bureau] PRB analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 2007 and 2008, the population in distressed countiesareas with unemployment rates of 6 percent… Continue Reading
Secretary Salazar Unveils New Energy for America Plan
“In testimony before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar detailed President Obama’s New Energy for America Plan that will create a clean energy-based economy that promotes investment and innovation here at home, generating millions of new jobs. It will ensure energy security by reducing our dependence on foreign… Continue Reading
Sunshine Week 2009 Survey Of State Government Information Online
Sunshine Week 2009 Survey of State Govt. Info. Online, Published: March 14, 2009, Last Updated: March 18, 2009 “The Sunshine Week 2009 Survey of State Government Information online found that while more and more government records are being posted online, some of the most important information is being left offline. And in some cases governments… Continue Reading
FTC Tells U.S. Civil Rights Commission About Efforts to Protect Consumers from Unfair Mortgage Lending Practices
News release: “In a statement presented today to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, the Federal Trade Commission described its efforts to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, and discriminatory practices in the mortgage lending market…To help consumers protect themselves, the statement noted, the FTC engages in extensive consumer education, in English and Spanish, about… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports: FOIA, Seafood Fraud
Freedom of Information Act: DHS Has Taken Steps to Enhance Its Program, but Opportunities Exist to Improve Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness, GAO-09-260, March 20, 2009: “DHS has taken steps to enhance its FOIA program. DHS developed an improvement plan that focused on eliminating its backlog of overdue requests, implementing enhanced training requirements, and deploying more advanced… Continue Reading
State of the Birds Report 2009
“Birds are a priceless part of Americas heritage. They are beautiful, they are economically importantand they reflect the health of our environment. This State of the Birds report reveals troubling declines of bird populations during the past 40 yearsa warning signal of the failing health of our ecosystems. At the same time, we see heartening… Continue Reading
Postal Service Continues Aggressive Steps to Cut Costs
News release: “With no signs of economic recovery in sight, the U.S. Postal Service is taking bold actions in response to its ongoing financial crisis. Today the Postal Service announced it would be closing six of its 80 district offices, eliminating positions across the country and offering another early retirement opportunity. These actions are expected… Continue Reading
A Preliminary Analysis of the President's Budget and an Update of CBO's Budget and Economic Outlook
Congressional Budget Office, A Preliminary Analysis of the President’s Budget and an Update of CBO’s Budget and Economic Outlook, March 2009 “Largely as a result of the enactment of recent legislation and the continuing turmoil in financial markets, CBOs baseline projections of the deficit have risen by more than $400 billion in both 2009 and… Continue Reading
Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments
“The CIA publishes and updates the online directory of Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments regularly. The directory is intended to be used primarily as a reference aid and includes as many governments of the world as is considered practical, some of them not officially recognized by the United States. Governments are… Continue Reading
In Climate Change Debate, Organizations Go Green in More Ways Than One
National Institute on Money in State Politics: “As the climate change debate heats up in the states, those with a keen interest in the issue have turned up the pressure to make sure their voices are heard in the lawmaking process. Between 2003 and 2007, energy-related companies contributed $151 million to state-level politics; chambers of… Continue Reading
