CRS Legal Sidebar –Mask Mandate: Does the Federal Aviation Administration Have Authority to Require Masks on Flights?, February 8, 2021: “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautions that although air circulation and filtration systems in passenger aircraft help reduce the spread of most viruses, sitting within six feet of others on flights may… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Congress
COVID-19 Vaccine Doses: Selected Data Sources on Allocation, Distribution, and Administration
CRS Insight – COVID-19 Vaccine Doses: Selected Data Sources on Allocation, Distribution, and Administration – February 8, 2021: “The selected sources below can help congressional staff track the progress of the U.S. COVID-19 vaccination campaign at the national, state, and local levels. Sources were selected for having commonly cited and frequently requested data. This is… Continue Reading
The Federal Reserve’s Response to COVID-19: Policy Issues
CRS report – The Federal Reserve’s Response to COVID-19: Policy Issues, Updated February 8, 2021: “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused widespread disruptions to the economy. The Federal Reserve (Fed) took multiple policy actions in response to the crisis, and Congress took the unprecedented step of providing up to $500 billion to the… Continue Reading
National Court Reporter and Captioning Week February 8-15
National Court Reporters Association – “These videos explore the world of stenography. Get a firsthand look at the venues in which captioners and court reporters work.” [h/t Karen Blair] How do they do it? Quick & dirty explainer, real-world video example Wikipedia Why does it matter? Comparison of automatic speech recognition vs. human stenographer why stenographers… Continue Reading
The Insurrection Bar to Office: Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment
CRS Legal Sidebar – The Insurrection Bar to Office: Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, January 29, 2021: “In the aftermath of the events of January 6 in and around the Capitol, there have been calls for accountability for those who participated, as well as leaders who may have helped instigate it. The breach of… Continue Reading
GameStop-Related Market Volatility: Policy Issues
CRS Insight – GameStop-Related Market Volatility: Policy Issues, February 3, 2021: “Video game chain GameStop triggered a market frenzy inearly2021when its stock price rapidly increased from around $18 to well over $400in intraday trading. The developments soon spread to some other stocks and markets.The episode raises several policy issues, including social media’s influence over investment… Continue Reading
Know Your COVID Mortgage Forbearance Rights
Lifehacker: “A new CFPB report says that some mortgage lenders have failed to follow the law on mortgage forbearance during COVID. Lenders have misled borrowers about their rights, imposed unauthorized penalties, and wrongfully evicted tenants. Here’s what you need to know, and how to report an unscrupulous lender. Know your rights as a borrower –… Continue Reading
Federal Individual Income Tax Terms: An Explanation
CRS Report – Federal Individual Income Tax Terms: An Explanation, Updated February 4, 2021: “This report describes the terms most commonly used when discussing the federal individual income tax. Most of these tax terms are explained in the order that they occur in the process of determining one’s income tax on the Form 1040. Total… Continue Reading
Accountability 2021 – Restoring accountability in the federal government
Open the Government – 40 Advocacy Organizations & Experts Release Accountability 2021 Reform Agenda for Biden Administration – “The Accountability 2021 effort recognizes that the President has the power to create a government that is both responsive to and representative of the public—and demands that whoever sits in the Oval Office take steps to do… Continue Reading
As U.S. Capitol investigators use facial recognition, it begs the question: Who owns our faces?
Via LLRX – As U.S. Capitol investigators use facial recognition, it begs the question: Who owns our faces? – In the age of Big Tech, we need to grapple with what expectations we can and should have about who has access to our faces. The recent riot at the U.S. Capitol has put the question… Continue Reading
Stimulus check details keep changing. Here are the top things to know today
CNET: “Talks around stimulus checks are heating up this month: The House of Representatives is preparing to work on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-relief proposal, and Democrats are looking to use a legislative tool called budget reconciliation to potentially speed up passage of the bill. However, a group of 10 Senate Republicans (PDF) is also ready… Continue Reading
E&C Committee Leaders Investigate COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation Online
“Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Health Subcommittee Chairwoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Diana DeGette (D-CO), Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle (D-PA), and Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) demanded answers from Facebook, Twitter, and Google today as part of their ongoing investigation… Continue Reading
