CRS – Federal Deficits, Growing Debt, and the Economy in the Wake of COVID-19, March 23, 2021: “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a swift and deep economic downturn from which the country has yet to fully recover. In response to COVID-19, the federal government enacted expansionary fiscal policy to provide relief and stimulus… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Legislation
Credit Report Errors on the Rise
NBCMiami – “CARES Act Unintentionally Leads to an Increase in Credit Report Mistakes – Credit reports errors are quite common. In fact, a study found that one in four people has at least one error on their report, which Consumer Reports money reporter Octavio Blanco says can lead to problems. “The worst thing that you… Continue Reading
What’s new in Congress.gov? Spring 2021 Edition
In Custodia Legis by Andrew Weber: “Most of our Congress.gov posts focus on the enhancements which are part of our three week sprint cycles by which we release new material and upgrades to Congress.gov. However, sometimes I like to take a longer look back at the work we have done and provide a bigger snapshot… Continue Reading
Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act
H. R. 1019 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a credit for the purchase of certain new electric bicycles. The E-BIKE Act was introduced on 2/11/2021 – “In the case of an individual, there shall be allowed as a credit against the tax imposed by this subtitle for any taxable… Continue Reading
Small group plays big role in pushing vaccine skepticism, Facebook study finds
Washington Post: “Facebook is conducting a vast behind-the-scenes study of doubts expressed by U.S. users about vaccines, a major project that attempts to probe and teach software to identify the medical attitudes of millions of Americans, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The research is a large-scale attempt to understand the spread of… Continue Reading
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, March 14, 2021
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, March 14, 2021 – Privacy and security issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on the increasingly… Continue Reading
The Digital Divide: What Is It, Where Is It, and Federal Assistance Programs
CRS – The Digital Divide: What Is It, Where Is It, and Federal Assistance Programs, March 09, 2021: “As the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began to unfold, many federal, local, and state governments, in addition to large and small businesses, implemented remote working or distance learning options to help abate the spread of the… Continue Reading
Cancellation, Culture, and Copyright
Ordinary Times – “…This problem was explored in-depth by Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz in their book The End of Ownership. I don’t need to know how many books you have on your Kindle or iPad to tell you that you own none of them. Suppose a DMCA takedown notice is sent regarding an allegedly… Continue Reading
Want to borrow that e-book from the library? Sorry, Amazon won’t let you.
Washington Post – “…Librarians have been no match for the beast. When authors sign up with a publisher, it decides how to distribute their work. With other big publishers, selling e-books and audiobooks to libraries is part of the mix — that’s why you’re able to digitally check out bestsellers like Barack Obama’s “A Promised… Continue Reading
Everything to know about the third stimulus check: Timeline, IRS calculations and more
CNET – “A third stimulus check for up to $1,400 per person could become real this week, as Congress works to finish up the final COVID-19 relief package and get to the President Joe Biden to sign in the coming days. While there’s an outside chance details on the new stimulus payment could change before the… Continue Reading
America, Your Privacy Settings Are All Wrong
The New York Times Editorial Board – Using an opt-in approach will help curb the excesses of Big Tech. “Despite what corporations profess, much of this personal data is used not to improve products themselves, but to make those products more attractive to advertisers. One straightforward solution is to let people opt in to data… Continue Reading
Levin, Senator Jack Reed Introduce Legislation to Modernize Library Infrastructure
Rep. Andy Levin: “[On March 3, 2021], Congressman Andy Levin (D-MI) teamed up with Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) to introduce the House companion of S.127, the Build America’s Libraries Act, which provides long-term improvements to library facilities and updates library infrastructure, prioritizing libraries in predominantly low-income and underserved communities. The Build America’s Libraries Act authorizes… Continue Reading
