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Category Archives: Congress

Free PACER advocates say $2B estimate for new online system is not accurate

FedScoop: “Building a new online system that will make federal court records free to the public will cost far less than a rumored $2 billion, according to former government technologists and IT experts. In a letter sent Tuesday to the Judicial Conference of the United States, representatives from the Free Law Project — a nonprofit… Continue Reading

Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Deployment

CRS report via LC – Legal Issues in COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Deployment, Updated November 25, 2020 – “Private companies, universities, and governmental entities are working to develop a vaccine for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccines are biological products regulated under the Public Health Service Act and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C… Continue Reading

Consumer Bureau to Decide Who Owns Your Financial Data

DC Report: What Should Banks, Fintechs Be Allowed to Do With All that They Know About You? – “A federal agency is gearing up to make wide-ranging policy changes on consumers’ access to their financial data. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is looking to implement the area of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform… Continue Reading

Foreign Legal Gazettes Database

“On December 8 at 2pm ET, the Law Library of Congress will host a webinar to demonstrate how to use our new Foreign Legal Gazettes Database to explore the Law Library’s vast collection of foreign legal gazettes. The Law Library has been collecting foreign legal gazettes since the mid-19th century. We are one of the… Continue Reading

State Elections 2020

National Conference of State Legislatures – State Elections 2020 – “Voters in 44 states chose nearly 6,000 state legislators on Nov. 3, although votes are still being counted. Click on the partisan control, statewide ballot measures and election administration tabs below for postelection analysis Postelection Partisan Legislative Control  Map is being updated as results are… Continue Reading

#Protect2020 Rumor vs. Reality

Chris Krebs, the DHS Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was fired by President Trump on November 17, 2020. His agency’s website, “RumorControl – Mis- and Disinformation can undermine public confidence in the electoral process, as well as in our democracy,” is still online but may not continue. “This webpage is for people with… Continue Reading

Why Two Decades of Pandemic Planning Failed

Medium – The Cicero Institute: “At the commencement of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the United States government flailed and then failed in its attempt to respond to the crisis. Americans couldn’t help but ask why the government didn’t have a plan for this situation, a situation that was not only predictable, but which many scientists… Continue Reading

Federal Regulators Increase Focus on Patient Risks From Electronic Health Records

Pew -“As part of a federal program to routinely publish data on the capabilities of electronic health record (EHR) systems, the government recently finalized a component that will help collect information from doctors, nurses, and other clinicians about the effects of these technologies on patient safety. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information… Continue Reading

How Do Presidential Transitions Normally Work?

LifeHacker: “The White House has seen a peaceful transitions of power between outgoing and incoming presidential administrations throughout history, regardless of any volatility gripping the nation. Passing the baton of executive power to a new presidential administration has been a hallmark of this country’s democracy; the White House is where presidential tenants temporarily reside, not… Continue Reading

Mehlman Castagnetti – America Decided – America’s Divided

PowerPoint – America Decided – America’s Divided – MAIN TAKEAWAYS “Voters wanted more competent but also more moderate leadership:  Trump lost for failing to manage COVID competently & excessive chaos / division  • House Democrats lost where voters feared overly-aggressive Progressivism Our nation remains narrowly & deeply divided: • Senate & House nearly tied, key… Continue Reading

Bills, Resolutions, Nominations,and Treaties: Characteristics and Examples of Use

CRS report via LC: Bills, Resolutions, Nominations,and Treaties: Characteristics and Examples of Use – November 16, 2020. “In each chamber of Congress, four forms of legislative measures may be introduced (or, in the case of resolutions, submitted) and acted on: bills, joint resolutions, concurrent resolutions, and resolutions of one house (“simple resolutions”). In addition, under… Continue Reading

Visualizing How Voting has Changed Between the 2016 and 2020 U.S. Presidential Elections

Center for Data Innovation: “Reuters has created a series of visualizations that show how county-level votes (where at least 95 percent of expected votes have been counted) have changed between the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the 2020 U.S. presidential election. One visualization shows that counties with large numbers of Hispanic voters, which have historically… Continue Reading