“The Annual Report to Congress creates a dialogue at the highest levels of government to address taxpayers’ problems, protect taxpayers’ rights, and ease taxpayers’ burden. The report identifies at least 20 of the most serious problems facing taxpayers and offers recommendations to fix them. Some of the issues, like tax reform and IRS’s need to expand… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
New GAO Reports – Medicare Part D, Air Emissions
MEDICARE PART D – CMS Has Implemented Processes to Oversee Plan Finder Pricing Accuracy and Improve Website Usability, GAO-14-143, Jan 10, 2014 AIR EMISSIONS – Status of Regulatory Activities and Permitting on Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf, GAO-14-187R, Jan 9, 2014 Continue Reading
Agencies Release Public Sections of Resolution Plans
“The Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on Friday made available the public portions of resolution plans for 116 institutions that submitted plans for the first time in December 2013, the latest group to file resolution plans with the agencies. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires that bank… Continue Reading
Report on Status of Federal Telework – Obstacles and Opportunities
Telework Obstacles and Opportunities, Prepared by: Kate Lister & Tom Harnish, CITRIX, August 2013. “Over the last several years telework has driven virtual collaboration and teleconferences which have replaced costly business travel, caused desk assignments to vanish and be replaced with “hoteling” policies, and at-home offices to replace time-consuming commutes. But, when it comes to Federal agencies, many… Continue Reading
Externalities and Taxation of Supplemental Insurance: A Study of Medicare and Medigap
Externalities and Taxation of Supplemental Insurance: A Study of Medicare and Medigap – Marika Cabral, Neale Mahoney. December 23, 2013. “Most health insurance policies use cost-sharing to reduce excess utilization. The purchase of supplemental insurance can blunt the impact of this cost-sharing, potentially increasing utilization and exerting a negative externality on the primary insurance provider. This paper estimates… Continue Reading
Proposed Assessment Methodologies for Identifying Non-Bank Non-Insurer Global Systemically Important Financial Institutions
“The Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) are publishing today for public consultation Assessment Methodologies for Identifying Non-bank Non-insurer Global Systemically Important Financial Institutions (NBNI G-SIFIs). Systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) are institutions whose distress or disorderly failure, because of their size, complexity and systemic interconnectedness, would cause significant disruption to… Continue Reading
Census – Supplemental Poverty Measure Overview
“In 2010, an Interagency Technical Working Group (which included representatives from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Census Bureau, the Economics and Statistics Administration, the Council of Economic Advisers, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and OMB) issued a series of suggestions to the Census Bureau and BLS on how to develop… Continue Reading
China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues
CRS – China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues, Shirley A. Kan, Specialist in Asian Security Affairs, January 3, 2014. “Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances U.S. security interests in reducing the role of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles as… Continue Reading
Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions
CRS – Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions, Marc Labonte, Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy, January 7, 2014. “Congress has delegated responsibility for monetary policy to the Federal Reserve (the Fed), but retains oversight responsibilities to ensure that the Fed is adhering to its statutory mandate of “maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.” It has… Continue Reading
CRS – National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations
National Security Letters in Foreign Intelligence Investigations: Legal Background, January 3, 2014: “Five statutory provisions vest government agencies responsible for certain foreign intelligence investigations (principally the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)) with authority to issue written commands comparable to administrative subpoenas. A National Security Letter (NSL) seeks customer and consumer transaction information in national security investigations from communications providers,… Continue Reading
American Bankers Association – Consumer Delinquencies Fall Significantly in Third Quarter
News release: “Consumer delinquencies declined significantly in last year’s third quarter as the economy improved and consumers better managed their finances, according to results from the American Bankers Association’s Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin. The composite ratio, which tracks delinquencies in eight closed-end installment loan categories, fell 13 basis points to 1.63 percent of all accounts in… Continue Reading
Physical Activity in U.S. Youth Aged 12–15 Years, 2012
Data from the combined National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the NHANES National Youth Fitness Survey, 2012 In 2012, about one-quarter of U.S. youth aged 12–15 years engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for at least 60 minutes daily. Basketball was the most common activity reported among active boys, followed by running, football, bike… Continue Reading
