CRS – Defense Acquisitions: How DOD Acquires Weapon Systems and Recent Efforts to Reform the Process. Moshe Schwartz, Specialist in Defense Acquisition. January 2, 2013. “The Department of Defense (DOD) acquires goods and services from contractors, federal arsenals, and shopyards to support military operations. Acquisition is a broad term that applies to more than just the purchase of… Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Monthly Archives: June 2014
CRS Report – The Presidential Records Act
The Presidential Records Act: Background and Recent Issues for Congress. Wendy Ginsberg, Analyst in American National Government, May 30, 2014. “Presidential documents are historical resources that capture each incumbent’s conduct in presidential office. Pursuant to the Presidential Records Act ((PRA) 44 U.S.C. §§2201-2207), the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) collects most records of former Presidents and former… Continue Reading
The Number of Veterans That Use VA Health Care Services: A Fact Sheet
Follow-up to posting, Wait Times for Veterans Health Not New – see CRS – The Number of Veterans That Use VA Health Care Services: A Fact Sheet. Erin Bagalman, Analyst in Health Policy, June 3, 2014. “It’s a simple question—how many veterans use services at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)? It’s a question being asked a lot these days, and it… Continue Reading
Women Surpassed Their Pre-recession Employment Peak 9 Months Ago, Men Still Haven’t
Heidi Shierholz – Economic Policy Institute: “With the addition of 217,000 jobs in May, the U.S. labor market has now surpassed its pre-recession employment peak, a benchmark (the pre-recession employment peak) which is of zero economic interest. Given the growth in the potential labor force since December 2007, we should have added 7.0 million jobs since then, but instead… Continue Reading
EPIC v. NSA: EPIC Obtains Presidential Directive for Cybersecurity
EPIC – After almost five years, EPIC has obtained National Security Presidential Directive 54. The previously classified Presidential Directive contains the full text of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative and “establishes United States policy, strategy, guidelines, and implementation actions to secure cyberspace.” This Directive, which is the foundational legal document for all cybersecurity policies in the… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Community Development, Human Capital, Small Business Research, Fusion Energy, Maritime Critical IT Protection
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CAPITAL INITIATIVE: Status of the Program and Financial Health of Remaining Participants, GAO-14-579: Published: Jun 6, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 6, 2014. HUMAN CAPITAL: Strategies to Help Agencies Meet Their Missions in an Era of Highly Constrained Resources, GAO-14-168: Published: May 7, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 6, 2014. SMALL BUSINESS RESEARCH PROGRAMS: More Guidance and Oversight Needed to Comply with… Continue Reading
What Kids are Reading Report – 2014
“For the sixth consecutive year, the What Kids Are Reading – What Kids are Reading – the book reading habits of students in American schools report is ready to help guide students to the books their cohorts nationwide are reading most. Based on data for more than 9.8 million kids from 31,195 U.S. schools who read over 318… Continue Reading
Raising America’s Pay – Why It’s Our Central Economic Policy Challenge
Economic Policy Institute – Josh Bivens, Elise Gould, Lawrence Mishel, and Heidi Shierholz | June 4, 2014 “Our country has suffered from rising income inequality and chronically slow growth in the living standards of low- and moderate-income Americans. This disappointing living-standards growth—which was in fact caused by rising income inequality—even preceded the Great Recession. Fortunately, income inequality and middle-class living… Continue Reading
Easier Commutes and Cheaper Housing are Increasing as Main Reasons for Moving
“Among the 36 million people 1 year and over who moved between 2012 and 2013, 5 percent said the most important reason for moving was to be closer to work or for an easier commute, while another 8 percent cited the desire for cheaper housing, according to a report released today by the U.S. Census… Continue Reading
E-Mail Self Defense
“Bulk surveillance violates our fundamental rights and makes free speech risky. This guide will teach you a basic surveillance self-defense skill: email encryption. Once you’ve finished, you’ll be able to send and receive emails that are coded to make sure that a surveillance agent or thief can’t intercept your email and read it. Even if you… Continue Reading
The Evolving Scholarly Record – OCLC
The Evolving Scholarly Record – Brian Lavoie, Eric Childress, Ricky Erway, Ixchel Faniel, Constance Malpas, Jennifer Schaffner & Titia van der Werf. June 2014 “This report presents a framework to help organize and drive discussions about the evolving scholarly record. The framework provides a high-level view of the categories of material the scholarly record potentially encompasses,… Continue Reading
What Americans (Don’t) Know about Student Loan Collections
What Americans (Don’t) Know about Student Loan Collections, Basit Zafar, Zachary Bleemer, Meta Brown, and Wilbert van der Klaauw. Federal Reserve Bank of New York, June 5, 2014. “U.S. student debt has more than tripled since 2004, and at over $1 trillion is now substantially greater than both credit card and auto debt balances. There are substantial… Continue Reading
