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Daily Archives: February 1, 2013

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Recent Activities and Ongoing Developments

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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Recent Activities and Ongoing Developments, January 31, 2013

  • “In the wake of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, the federal government, state governments, and responsible parties faced an unprecedented challenge. An oil discharge continued for 84 days, resulting in the largest oil spill in U.S. waters—estimated at approximately 206 million gallons (4.9 million barrels)…To date, BP has paid over $10 billion to the federal government, state and local governments, and private parties for economic claims and other expenses, including response costs, related to the oil spill. BP estimates that a recently approved settlement will lead to an additional $7.8 billion in payments to private parties.
    BP and other responsible parties have agreed to civil and/or criminal settlements with the Department of Justice (DOJ). Although some are awaiting court approval, settlements from various parties, to date, total almost $6 billion. BP’s potential civil penalties under the Clean Water Act, which could be considerable, are not yet determined.”

    • Sovereign Debt in Advanced Economies: Overview and Issues for Congress

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    Sovereign Debt in Advanced Economies: Overview and Issues for Congress. Rebecca M. Nelson, Analyst in International Trade and Finance. January 31, 2013 “Sovereign debt, also called public debt or government debt, refers to debt incurred by governments. Since the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, public debt in advanced economies has increased substantially. A number of… Continue Reading

    GAO Report: FCC Needs to Strengthen Controls over Enhanced Secured Network Project

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    Federal Communications Commission Needs to Strengthen Controls over Enhanced Secured Network Project, GAO-13-155, Jan 25, 2013 “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) did not effectively implement appropriate information security controls in the initial components of the Enhanced Secured Network (ESN) project. Although FCC took steps to enhance its ability to control and monitor its network for… Continue Reading

    Congressional Redistricting and the Voting Rights Act: A Legal Overview

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    Congressional Redistricting and the Voting Rights Act: A Legal Overview – L. Paige Whitaker, Legislative Attorney, January 31, 2013 “The Constitution requires a count of the U.S. population every 10 years. Based on the census, the number of seats in the House of Representatives is reapportioned among the states. Thus, at least every 10 years,… Continue Reading

    Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements

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    Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements: Assets, Account Balances, and Rollovers, 2006–2012. January 2013 “After a slight drop during the recent recession, health savings accounts (HSAs) and health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) are showing renewed growth, the average account balance increasing over the past two years, according to new research by the nonpartisan Employee Benefit… Continue Reading

    Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 113th Congress

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    CRS – Unemployment Insurance: Legislative Issues in the 113th Congress, January 25, 2013 “The 113th Congress may face a number of issues related to currently available unemployment insurance programs: Unemployment Compensation (UC), temporary Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08), and Extended Benefits (EB). With the national unemployment rate decreasing but still high, the weekly demand for regular… Continue Reading