REPORT ON ACTIVITIES FISCAL YEAR 2014 – Office of the Investor Advocate. “THE OFFICE OF THE INVESTOR ADVOCATE was established pursuant to Section 915 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), as codified under Section 4(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), 15 U.S.C. § 78d(g). Exchange Act Section… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: December 2014
Florida Passes New York to Become the Nation’s Third Most Populous State
“By adding an average of 803 new residents each day between July 1, 2013 and July 1, 2014, Florida passed New York to become the nation’s third most populous state, according to U.S. Census Bureau state population estimates released today. Florida’s population grew by 293,000 over this period, reaching 19.9 million. The population of New… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Federal Food Service Operations, DOE Improper Payment
Federal Food Service Operations: Implementation of the HHS/GSA Health and Sustainability Guidelines, GAO-15-262R: Published: Dec 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2014. Improper Payments: DOE’s Risk Assessments Should Be Strengthened, GAO-15-36: Published: Dec 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 23, 2014. Continue Reading
Exploring the Ecosystem of Third-party Security Seals
Clubbing Seals – Exploring the Ecosystem of Third-party Security Seals – Tom Van Goethem, Frank Piessens, Wouter Joosen, Nick Nikiforaki in Proceedings of the 21st ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS 2014), Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. “In the current web of distrust, malware, and server compromises, convincing an online consumer that a website is secure, can make the difference between a visitor and… Continue Reading
EPA Announces First National Regulations to Safeguard Disposal of Coal Ash
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) … announced [December 19, 2014] the first national regulations to provide for the safe disposal of coal combustion residuals (coal ash) from coal-fired power plants. The final rule establishes safeguards to protect communities from coal ash impoundment failures, like the catastrophic Kingston, Tenn., spill in 2008, and establishes safeguards to… Continue Reading
The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11
CRS – The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11, Amy Belasco, Specialist in U.S. Defense Policy and Budget. December 8, 2014. “With enactment of the FY2014 Consolidated Appropriations Act on January 1, 2014 (H.R. 3547/P.L. 113-73), Congress has approved appropriations for the past 13 years of war that total $1.6 trillion for military operations,… Continue Reading
U.S. Immigration Policy: Chart Book of Key Trends
CRS – U.S. Immigration Policy: Chart Book of Key Trends. William A. Kandel, Analyst in Immigration Policy, December 17, 2014 “This report is a chart book of selected immigration trends that touch on the main elements of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). Most policymakers agree that the main issues in CIR include increased border security and immigration enforcement, improved employment… Continue Reading
FOIA Suits Jump In 2014
“More freedom of information lawsuits were brought against the federal government in fiscal year 2014 than in any year since at least 2001, according to a new analysis of court records by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). A total of 422 Freedom of Information Act suits were filed in federal district court last year compared… Continue Reading
2013 Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll
Census – “Provides a comprehensive look at the employment of the nation’s state and local governments, as well as the federal government. It shows the number of government civilian employees and their gross payroll by governmental function. These governmental functions include, for example, elementary and secondary education, and police protection.” Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – Federal Subcontracting, Higher Education, 401(k) Plans, Government Mobile Devices
Federal Subcontracting: Further Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Pass-through Contracts, GAO-15-200: Published: Dec 22, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 22, 2014. Higher Education: Education Should Strengthen Oversight of Schools and Accreditors, GAO-15-59: Published: Dec 22, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 22, 2014. 401(K) Plans: Greater Protections Needed for Forced Transfers and Inactive Accounts, GAO-15-73: Published: Nov 21, 2014. Publicly… Continue Reading
Taxing Capital Income: Effective Marginal Tax Rates Under 2014 Law and Selected Policy Options
“The federal tax treatment of capital income affects investment incentives, both for the amounts invested and for allocations among assets. When tax rates are high, investors require higher before-tax rates of return and thus forgo investments with lower returns that they otherwise would have made. Current law produces significant variations in the taxation of capital… Continue Reading
CBO’s 2014 Long-Term Projections for Social Security
“Social Security is the federal government’s largest single program. Of the 59 million people who currently receive Social Security benefits, about 71 percent are retired workers or their spouses and children, and another 10 percent are survivors of deceased workers; all of those beneficiaries receive payments through Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI). The other 19… Continue Reading
