States United Democracy Center, Democracy Foward, Law Forward report – A Democracy Crisis In The Making: June 2023 Edition: Key Takeaways: 38 states are considering 185 bills that would make it easier to overturn the will of the voters — and harder for trusted election officials to do their jobs. At least eight states have… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
How AI could take over elections and undermine democracy
Archon Fung, Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government, Harvard Kennedy School and Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law and Leadership, Harvard University – The Conversation: “…Imagine that soon, political technologists develop a machine called Clogger – a political campaign in a black box. Clogger relentlessly pursues just one objective: to maximize the chances that its candidate –… Continue Reading
Short Supply – The Health and National Security Risks of Drug Shortages
U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs – Majority Staff Report, Short Supply – The Health and National Security Risks of Drug Shortages – March 2023: “Shortages of critical medications continue to rise—including drugs used in hospital emergency rooms and to treat cancer, prescription medications, and even common over-the-counter treatments like children’s cold… Continue Reading
Is That Climate Change? The Science of Extreme Event Attribution
CRS, Is That Climate Change? The Science of Extreme Event Attribution. June 1, 2023: “Climate change attribution is the study of whether, or to what degree, human influence may have contributed to extreme climate or weather events. Scientists can now estimate whether human activities have influenced extreme weather or climate events and changed how likely… Continue Reading
Regulating AI
Gizmodo: “What Would AI Regulation Look Like? How could Congress corral artificial intelligence? Erect guardrails, ensure accountability, and address monopolistic power. A new federal agency to regulate AI sounds helpful but could become unduly influenced by the tech industry. Instead, Congress can legislate accountability. Instead of licensing companies to release advanced AI technologies, the government… Continue Reading
Congressional Research Service Syndication Feed
Disruptive Library Technology Jester; “One of the hidden gems of the Library of Congress is the Congressional Research Service (CRS). With a staff of about 600 researchers, analysts, and writers, the CRS provides “policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation.” It is kind of… Continue Reading
From Ethics to Law: Why, When, and How to Regulate AI
Chesterman, Simon, From Ethics to Law: Why, When, and How to Regulate AI (April 29, 2023). Forthcoming in The Handbook of the Ethics of AI edited by David J. Gunkel (Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd.), NUS Law Working Paper No. 2023/014, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4432941 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4432941 “The past decade has seen a proliferation of guides,… Continue Reading
Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law
CRS Legal Sidebar, Generative Artificial Intelligence and Copyright Law, Updated May 11, 2023: “Recent innovations in artificial intelligence (AI) are raising new questions about how copyright law principles such as authorship, infringement, and fair use will apply to content created or used by AI. So-called “generative AI” computer programs—such as Open AI’s DALL-E 2 and… Continue Reading
A Failure of Supervision: Bank Failures and The San Francisco Federal Reserve
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Hearing – May 23, 2023 – A Failure of Supervision: Bank Failures and The San Francisco Federal Reserve Jeremy Newell, Senior Fellow – Bank Policy Institute & Founder and Principal, Newell Law Office, PLLC – Document Michael E. Clements, Director – Financial Markets and Community Investment, U.S. Government Accountability… Continue Reading
Social Security Series Part 1: The Dilemma
GAO-23-106667. Social Security Series Part 1: Published: May 18, 2023. “Since 2010, the fund that SSA uses to pay benefits to retirees has been paying out more money than it has been receiving in taxes. At the current rate, the fund’s trustees estimate that it will exhaust its reserves in 2033 and be unable to… Continue Reading
Digital Privacy Legislation is Civil Rights Legislation
EFF: “Our personal data and the ways private companies harvest and monetize it plays an increasingly powerful role in modern life. Corporate databases are vast, interconnected, and opaque. The movement and use of our data is difficult to understand, let alone trace. Yet companies use it to reach inferences about us, leading to lost employment,… Continue Reading
Wyden Responds to Harlan Crow, Re Gifts to Clarence Thomas
Follow up to previous posting – Wyden Statement on Harlan Crow Stonewalling Committee Inquiry, May 17, 2023 – Wyden Responds to Harlan Crow, Restates Questions on Gifts to Clarence Thomas. “New Letter to Crow’s Attorney Outlines Committee Jurisdiction and Extensive Legislative and Investigative History on Gift and Estate Taxes and Billionaire Tax Compliance Senate Finance… Continue Reading
