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Daily Archives: January 23, 2011

CBO: Spending and Funding for Highways

Spending and Funding for Highways, Economic and Budget Issue Brief, January 20, 2011

  • “The nation’s network of highways plays a vital role in the U.S. economy; private commercial activity and people’s daily lives depend on that transportation infrastructure. In 2007, the public sector spent $146 billion to build, operate, and maintain highways in the United States. About three-quarters of that total was provided by state and local governments. One-quarter was provided by the federal government, primarily through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The initial authorization for that law has expired; as the Congress considers the future role of the federal government in providing highway infrastructure, it faces three important questions: how to structure decision making about highway projects, how much money to spend on highways, and how to pay for that spending.”
  • CBO – Analysis of Federal Civilian and Military Compensation

    Analysis of Federal Civilian and Military Compensation, January 20, 2011 Letter to the Honorable Steny H. Hoyer “The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was asked to compare federal civilian and military compensation. Total compensation can be divided into three components:cash compensation (including pay, cash allowances, and bonuses); noncash benefits (such as subsidized health insurance and child… Continue Reading

    New Report – Domestic Intelligence: New Powers, New Risks

    Domestic Intelligence: New Powers, New Risks [released 01/18/11], by Emily Berman – Counsel in the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice “Successful domestic counterterrorism policy is vital to keep the homeland safe. In this effort, policymakers must resist the oft-exhibited tendency to overreact to the threats we face. This overreaction,… Continue Reading

    FBI Releases Bank Crime Statistics for Third Quarter of 2010

    News release: “During the third quarter of 2010, there were 1,325 reported violations of the Federal Bank Robbery and Incidental Crimes Statute, an increase from the 1,212 reported violations in the same quarter of 2009. According to statistics released today by the FBI, there were 1,310 robberies, 13 burglaries, two larcenies and six extortions of… Continue Reading

    Brennan Center – Citizens United One Year Later

    “Jan. 21, 2011 marks the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Citizens United, the ruling that loosened restrictions on corporate and union campaign spending. Despite wide bipartisan support for reform, corporate, securities and election laws across the country remain largely unchanged to this day. Public financing – vigorously pushed in the wake… Continue Reading

    Proposed National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences

    NYT – Federal Research Center Will Help Develop Medicines: “The Obama administration has become so concerned about the slowing pace of new drugs coming out of the pharmaceutical industry that officials have decided to start a billion-dollar government drug development center to help create medicines.” FAQ – Proposed National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences: “Why… Continue Reading

    Federal Government Cybersecurity Progress: Obama Administration Report Card 2009 – Present

    National Security Cyberspace Institute – Federal Government Cybersecurity Progress: Obama Administration Report Card 2009-Present What follows is an “Obama Administration Report Card,” whereby we have awarded grades for progress against a number of the recommendations contained in the 60-Day Review, or “Hathaway Report” as it is commonly called. The Hathaway Report contained recommendations broken down… Continue Reading

    Writing Reform: A Guide to Drafting State & Local Campaign Finance Laws (2010 Revised Edition)

    Writing Reform: A Guide to Drafting State & Local Campaign Finance Laws (2010 Revised Edition), by Ciara Torres-Spelliscy “The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law has designed this manual for people who want to draft campaign finance reform legislation that is both appropriate for their community and sensitive to constitutional… Continue Reading