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Category Archives: Legislation

Davis Polk: Dodd – Frank Progress Report, July 15, 2013

Dodd-Frank Progress Report Generated using the Davis Polk Regulatory Tracker™. July 15, 2013 – “As of July 15, 2013, a total of 279 Dodd-Frank rulemaking requirement deadlines have passed. This is 70.1% of the 398 total rulemaking requirements, and 99.6% of the 280 rulemaking requirements with specified deadlines. Of these 279 passed deadlines, 172 (61.6%)… Continue Reading

Microsoft – Responding to government legal demands for customer data

Posted by Brad Smith General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft “[July 16, 2013] we have asked the Attorney General of the United States to personally take action to permit Microsoft and other companies to share publicly more complete information about how we handle national security requests for customer information. We… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – DHS, Patient Protection, Retirement Security

Department of Homeland Security Oversight and Coordination of Research and Development Efforts Could Be Strengthened, GAO-13-766T, Jul 17, 2013 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Status of CMS Efforts to Establish Federally Facilitated Health Care Exchanges and the Federal Data Services Hub, GAO-13-786T, Jul 17, 2013 Retirement Security, Challenges and Prospects for Employees of Small… Continue Reading

Civil Society Letter to United States Senate on SEC Exception Proposal

CDT: “On July 12, 2013, civil society groups submitted a letter to the United States Senate expressing concern over a proposal that would grant federal regulatory agencies authority to require web-based email service providers, cloud service providers, and other Internet companies to disclose the contents of communications or documents on behalf of their customers.” Continue Reading

Coaltion of Good Government Groups Urge US Attorney General to Release Reports on Telephone Surveillance

“[On July 8, 2013] the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), along with 22 other good-government groups, sent a letter to the US Department of Justice urging Attorney General Eric Holder to make public any reports by Inspector General Michael Horowitz regarding the collection of Americans’ telephone records under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act.… Continue Reading

Pew – The politics and demographics of food stamp recipients

Rich Morin: “Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to have received food stamps at some point in their lives—a participation gap that echoes the deep partisan divide in the U.S. House of Representatives, which on Thursday produced a farm bill that did not include funding for the food stamp program. Overall, a Pew… Continue Reading

The Economic Benefits of Fixing Our Broken Immigration System

The Economic Benefits of Fixing Our Broken Immigration System – Executive Office of the President, July 2013: “The Senate’s Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) represents the best chance that our country has had in years to modernize our immigration system. The President urges the House of Representatives to take action… Continue Reading

Agencies Issue Proposed Rule to Exempt Subset of Higher-Priced Mortgage Loans from Appraisal Requirements

News release: “Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a proposed rule that would create exemptions from certain appraisal requirements for a subset of higher-priced mortgage loans. The proposed exemptions are intended to save borrowers time and money and to promote the safety and soundness of creditors. The appraisal requirements for higher-priced mortgages were imposed… Continue Reading

EPIC Speaks to Oversight Board, Former Judge Questions FISC

“EPIC, in a prepared statement, addressed the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board regarding NSA surveillance under the Patriot Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act at day long workshop. Retired Judge James Robertson, who served on the FISA Court, told the panel that he was “stunned” by the news that the government was collecting… Continue Reading

CRS – NSA Surveillance Leaks: Background and Issues for Congress

NSA Surveillance Leaks: Background and Issues for Congress. Marshall Curtis Erwin, Analyst in Intelligence and National Security; Edward C. Liu, Legislative Attorney. July 2, 2013 “Recent attention concerning National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance pertains to unauthorized disclosures of two different intelligence collection programs. Since these programs were publicly disclosed over the course of two days… Continue Reading

Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Overview and Discussion of Proposed Revisions

CRS – Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity: Overview and Discussion of Proposed Revisions – Eric A. Fischer, Senior Specialist in Science and Technology. June 20, 2013. “For more than a decade, various experts have expressed increasing concerns about cybersecurity, in light of the growing frequency, impact, and sophistication of attacks on information systems in the… Continue Reading

Independent Counsels, Special Prosecutors, Special Counsels, and the Role of Congress

CRS – Independent Counsels, Special Prosecutors, Special Counsels, and the Role of Congress. Jack Maskell – Legislative Attorney, June 20, 2013 This report provides information on the procedure for the appointment of an “independent counsel,” a “special prosecutor,” or a “special counsel” to investigate and prosecute potential or possible violations of federal criminal law by… Continue Reading