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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 8, 2022
The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly (MMWR) is a government published scientific periodical series offering public health information. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "County-Level Social Vulnerability and Emergency Department Visits for Firearm Injuries -- 10 U.S. Jurisdictions, January 1, 2018-December 31, 2021"; "Factors Associated with Severe Outcomes Among Immunocompromised Adults Hospitalized for COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] -- COVID-NET, 10 States, March 2020-February 2022"; "'Erratum': Vol. 71, No. 22"; and "'QuickStats': Age-Adjusted Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Met the 2018 Federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Both Muscle-Strengthening and Aerobic Physical Activity, by Urbanization Level -- National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2022.html].
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2022-07-08
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Medication Abortion: A Changing Legal Landscape [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "Following the Supreme Court's recent decision in 'Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization,' [hyperlink] questions have been raised about continued access to medication abortion [hyperlink], a pregnancy termination method involving the use of prescription drugs regulated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [hyperlink] (FD&C Act). Recent attention [hyperlink] has centered on the availability of these drugs, as the drugs' availability may allow those residing in areas with few or no abortion providers to have access to an elective abortion. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the distribution of mifepristone [hyperlink] (sold under the brand name Mifeprex), and the agency's current policies allow the drug to be prescribed via telehealth and sent to patients through the mail under specified conditions. At the same time, state legislatures have taken steps to regulate access to medication abortion, including, since the Court's decision in 'Dobbs,' proposing specific bans [hyperlink] on medication abortion drugs under particular circumstances. Prior to 'Dobbs,' such restrictions may have been subject to legal challenge based on the Court's abortion decisions in 'Roe v. Wade' and 'Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey,' as well as other cases that recognized a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. Now that the Court's majority opinion in 'Dobbs' has overruled 'Roe' and 'Casey,' a state's ability to restrict or prohibit access to these drugs may solely depend on the interplay between state and federal law. This Legal Sidebar explores federal regulations of medication abortion drugs under the FD&C Act, state efforts to regulate access to medication abortion and issues regarding federal preemption, and considerations for Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shimabukuro, Jon O.; Staman, Jennifer A.
2022-07-08
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Redefining 'Waters of the United States' (WOTUS): Recent Developments [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Summary: "Congress established the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act (CWA), to restore and protect the quality of the nation's surface waters. The CWA protects 'navigable waters,' defined in the statute as 'waters of the United States, including the territorial seas.' The CWA does not further define the term 'waters of the United States' (WOTUS), which determines which waters are federally regulated. Thus, in implementing the CWA, the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--the two agencies that administer the statute--have defined the term in regulations. However, Congress's intent as to the meaning of WOTUS has been debated and litigated for more than four decades. For much of the past several decades, regulations promulgated by the Corps and EPA in the 1980s have been in effect. The agencies supplemented these regulations with guidance developed in 2003 and 2008 in response to two Supreme Court rulings--'Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,' in 2001, and 'Rapanos v. United States,' in 2006--which interpreted the CWA's scope more narrowly than the Corps and EPA had done previously in regulations and guidance, but also created uncertainty about the intended scope of waters protected by the CWA. The Corps and EPA acknowledged that their guidance did not provide the public or agency staff with the information needed to ensure timely, predictable, and consistent jurisdictional determinations. Diverse stakeholders requested a formal rulemaking to revise existing regulations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gatz, Laura; Bowers, Kate R.
2022-07-08
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Trade-Related Agencies: FY2022 Appropriations, Commerce, Science, Justice and Related Agencies (CJS) [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Summary: "This report provides an overview of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget request and appropriations for the International Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), and the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). These three trade-related agencies are funded through the annual Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations. This report also reviews these trade agencies' programs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hammond, Keigh E.; Villarreal, M. Angeles
2022-07-08
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Department of Energy Funding for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Programs [July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program, led by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) addresses the development of applications that use hydrogen in place of today's fuels and technologies that provide modern energy services. DOE programs also consider hydrogen as an established chemical feedstock, for example, in petroleum refining. The DOE programs include over 400 projects of research and development (R&D), systems integration, demonstrations, and initial deployment activities performed by universities, national laboratories, and industry. These programs cover the hydrogen energy value chain starting with producing the hydrogen from diverse feedstocks; transporting and storing it; and finally using it in various applications. A future 'hydrogen economy' using hydrogen as an energy carrier and fuel could offer an alternative to today's economy with its prevalent combustion of fossil fuels. Initially thought of as a new technology for personal mobility services (e.g., cars) and high-value applications such as provision of electric power during space flight, hydrogen now is receiving attention for industrial processes, heavy vehicles, forklifts, portable power, and buffering and balancing of electric power."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Offutt, Martin C.
2022-07-08
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The CASES Act: Implementation and Issues for Congress [July 8, 2022]
From the Document: The CASES [Creating Advanced Streamlined Electronic Services for Constituents] Act is intended to modernize and simplify what has been an inconsistent and variable process of obtaining an individual's written consent for information disclosure. The act would enable constituents to provide electronic authorization to additional parties, such as Members of Congress and their offices, to resolve constituent inquiries, compared to the current range of requirements for verbal or email authorizations, or 'wet' signatures. The Creating Advanced Streamlined Electronic Services for Constituents Act of 2019, or the CASES Act (P.L. [Public Law] 116-50), is designed to improve access to, and the efficiency of, government services and agencies for constituents by updating the casework process for an increasingly digital environment. Processing casework information often requires the disclosure of the constituent's individually identifiable information to a congressional office, and is subject to disclosure restrictions under the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. [United States Code] 552a). Generally, the Privacy Act prohibits disclosure of individually identifiable information by federal agencies to third parties, including congressional offices, without written consent."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Stuessy, Meghan M.; Petersen, R. Eric
2022-07-08
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Abortion, Data Privacy, and Law Enforcement Access: A Legal Overview [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "In light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in 'Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization' [hyperlink], some Members of Congress [hyperlink] and commentators [hyperlink] have expressed concerns that law enforcement officials may seek to collect abortion-related personal data for prosecutions in states that have criminalized abortions. In Dobbs, the Court overruled 'Roe v. Wade' [hyperlink] and held that the U.S. Constitution does not grant individuals a right to an abortion. States now have much more discretion to criminalize abortion. Moreover, in the years before the Dobbs decision, 13 states [hyperlink] passed 'trigger laws' that were set to prohibit abortion, either automatically or following action by a state official, if the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Various types of personal data--such as health records, financial records, geolocation information, and electronic communications--might shed light on an individual's abortion decision, and law enforcement could seek such information, either directly from the entity collecting the data or from another entity to whom the data has been shared or sold [hyperlink]. Federal law may affect law enforcement's ability to collect this information. [...] This Legal Sidebar provides a high-level survey of the relevant constitutional and statutory law on this topic, and it concludes with considerations for Congress and links to other relevant CRS [Congressional Research Service] products."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Linebaugh, Chris D.
2022-07-08
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Congressional Authority to Regulate Abortion [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its opinion in 'Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization' [hyperlink], which overruled 'Roe v. Wade' [hyperlink] and 'Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey' [hyperlink] and held that there is no constitutional right to abortion. [...] 'Dobbs' has generated heightened interest [hyperlink] in federal abortion legislation, and raises [hyperlink] important issues about the scope of congressional power to regulate abortion under the Constitution. This Sidebar begins with an overview of Congress's constitutional authority to enact legislation and some limits on those powers. It then discusses in more detail three enumerated powers potentially relevant to legislative efforts to expand or restrict access to abortion--the Commerce Clause [hyperlink], the Spending Clause [hyperlink], and section 5 [hyperlink] of the Fourteenth Amendment--and the constitutional limits of those powers."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Hickey, Kevin J.; Novak, Whitney K.
2022-07-08
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Election Administration: Federal Grant Funding for States and Localities [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Introduction: "States and localities have primary responsibility for administering elections in the United States, but Congress has tools it can use to support or shape their efforts if it chooses to do so. One of those tools is funding. Congress can use its power to provide--and set conditions on--funding to encourage or help states and localities to adopt, reject, implement, or maintain election administration policies or practices. Congress has used or proposed using funding to engage with election administration issues in various ways. It has directed federal agencies to use some of their funding to support state and local elections work, for example, and authorized more general grant programs that have been used to fund elections-related projects. Members have also introduced bills that would condition eligibility for certain federal funds on adopting or rejecting election administration policies. Perhaps the most direct way in which Congress has used funding is by establishing and funding state and local grant programs specifically for election administration-related purposes. This report focuses on those types of grant programs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shanton, Karen L.
2022-07-08
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Elections Grant Programs: Authorizations and Appropriations [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "Congress first authorized major federal grant programs for elections in the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA; P.L. [Public Law] 107-252). HAVA was enacted in response to issues with the conduct of the 2000 elections. Like previous federal elections statutes, it set requirements for the administration of federal elections. Unlike previous elections statutes, it also provided for grant programs to help states meet those requirements and identify and implement other improvements to election administration. [...] This In Focus provides an overview of the elections-specific grant programs Congress has established and funded to date. It also briefly discusses non-elections-specific grant programs that have been used to support elections-related activities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shanton, Karen L.
2022-07-08
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Election Security: Federal Funding for Securing Election Systems [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "State and local systems were targeted as part of efforts to interfere with the 2016 elections, according to the U.S. intelligence community. Reports of those activities highlighted the potential for threats to the technologies, facilities, and processes used to administer elections. Congress has responded to such threats, in part, by providing and proposing funding to help secure elections. This In Focus offers an overview of federal funding for securing election systems. It starts with some background on potential threats to state and local election systems and then summarizes the funding Congress has provided and proposed to help secure those systems."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shanton, Karen L.
2022-07-08
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Election Security: States' Spending of FY2018 and FY2020 HAVA Payments [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "Congress has provided funding in response to efforts to interfere with U.S. elections. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. [Public Law] 115-141) included $380 million for payments to the 50 states, the District of Columbia (DC), American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA; 52 U.S.C. §§20901-21145), for example, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-93) and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103) provided $425 million and $75 million, respectively, for HAVA payments to those jurisdictions and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shanton, Karen L.
2022-07-08
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Elections Grant Programs: Policy Options [Updated July 8, 2022]
From the Document: "Recent congressional activity on elections issues has often taken the form of grant programs or funding. Congress responded to foreign interference in the 2016 elections and the effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on administration of the 2020 elections, in part, with funding for a grant program established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA; P.L. [Public Law] 107-252). Multiple bills introduced in the 117th Congress--from the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103) to the Freedom to Vote Act (S. 2747) to the Protecting the Right to Organized, Transparent Elections through a Constitutionally Trustworthy Electoral College (PROTECT Electoral College) Act (H.R. 4789/S. 519)--have funded or would authorize, fund, or set conditions for elections grant programs. This In Focus explores some issues that may be of interest to Members who are considering offering, supporting, opposing, or amending proposals to authorize, fund, or set conditions for elections grant programs. It starts by summarizing some general arguments for and against federal elections grant programs then introduces some considerations that might be relevant for development or evaluation of particular programs or proposals."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Shanton, Karen L.
2022-07-08
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Management Advisory: The DoD's Use of Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 Funds
From the Document: "We determined that as of June 2, 2022, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer, DoD, (OUSD[C]/CFO) has implemented procedures for DoD Components to follow in reporting through Advancing Analytics (Advana) the execution of the $6.5 billion in funds appropriated to the DoD to provide assistance to Ukraine. OUSD(C)/CFO personal implemented processes to help ensure DoD Components are reporting, through their respective accounting systems, the transactions supporting the assistance the DoD is providing to Ukraine. However, the DoD's use of systems that are not able to directly feed into Advana could limit the transparency of the execution of the Ukraine supplemental funds."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2022-07-08
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Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine [July 8, 2022]
From the Fact Sheet: "The United States has now committed $2.2 billion of security assistance to Ukraine in the last three weeks as we support their fight to defend their democracy. In total, the United States has committed approximately $8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. On July 8, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $400 million. This is the fifteenth drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021."
United States. Department of Defense
2022-07-08
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Briefing: Ventilation: A Briefing on Recent Scientific Literature Focused on the Effects of Ventilation on SARS-CoV-2 Spread [presentation]
From How to Use This Briefing: "This briefing is intended to provide timely information about SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] vaccines, variants of concern, and ventilation to LAMs [libraries, archives, and museums] and their stakeholders. Due to the evolving nature of scientific research on these topics, the information provided here is not intended to be comprehensive or final. As such, this briefing should be used in conjunction with other timely resources to ensure decision-making reflects the latest scientific understanding. Continual re-evaluation of SARSCoV-2 policies is highly recommended as new scientific discoveries are published."
OCLC; Institute of Museum and Library Services (U.S.); Battelle Memorial Institute
2022-07-07
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Defense Industrial Base: DOD Should Take Actions to Strengthen Its Risk Mitigation Approach, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "A healthy defense industrial base that provides the capacity and capability to produce advanced weapon systems is critical to maintaining U.S. national security objectives. The U.S. industrial base currently consists of over 200,000 companies. Mitigating risks--such as reliance on foreign and single-source suppliers--is essential for DOD to avoid supply disruptions and ensure that the industrial base can meet current and future needs. Since 2017, the White House has issued executive orders directing DOD and other agencies to assess risks to the defense industrial base and high priority supply chains such as semiconductors. Congress also directed DOD to develop an analytical framework for mitigating risks and included a provision for GAO to review DOD's efforts. This report assesses (1) DOD's strategy for mitigating industrial base risks, and (2) the extent to which DOD is monitoring and reporting on its progress in mitigating risks. GAO analyzed DOD policies and reports and interviewed DOD officials. [...] GAO is making six recommendations, including that DOD develop a consolidated and comprehensive strategy to mitigate industrial base risks; develop and use enterprise-wide performance measures to monitor the aggregate effectiveness of its efforts; and report on its progress in mitigating risks. DOD generally concurred with the recommendations and identified some actions to address them."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-07-07
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EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 22 Issue 27, July 7, 2022
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center's (EMR-ISAC) InfoGram is a weekly publication of information concerning the protection of critical infrastructures relevant to members of the Emergency Services Sector. This issue includes the following articles: "USFA [United States Fire Administration] releases Pandemic Response Listening Sessions report"; "DHS [Department of Homeland Security ] S&T [Science and Technology Directorate] releases assessment report on portable radio repeaters for indoor and subterranean environments"; "NEMSIS [National Emergency Medical Services Information System] data from nearly 49 million EMS [emergency medical services ] activations in 2021 now available for research"; "CISA's [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's] ChemLock training helps mitigate chemical security risks"; "CISA, FBI and Treasury release advisory on North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors use of Maui ransomware"; "CISA announces Post-Quantum Cryptography Initiative"; "CISA Alert (AA22-181A) - #StopRansomware: MedusaLocker"; "On-demand webinar: State of GovTech - How the Cloud Supports the Hybrid Government Workforce"; and "Cyberattacks against law enforcement are on the rise."
Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)
2022-07-07
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Women in Congress, 1917-2022: Service Dates and Committee Assignments by Member, and Lists by State and Congress [Updated July 7, 2022]
From the Summary: "In total 399 women have been elected or appointed to Congress, 259 Democrats and 140 Republicans. [...] This report includes brief biographical information, committee assignments, dates of service, district information, and listings by Congress and state, and (for Representatives) congressional districts of the 399 women who have been elected or appointed to Congress. It will be updated when there are relevant changes in the makeup of Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Manning, Jennifer E.; Brudnick, Ida A.
2022-07-07
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Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview [Updated July 7, 2022]
From the Summary: "As of July 6, 2022, 151 women are serving in the 117th Congress. There are 127 women serving in the House (including 3 Delegates and the Resident Commissioner), 92 Democrats and 35 Republicans. There are 24 women in the Senate, 16 Democrats and 8 Republicans. [...] This report includes historical information, including the number of women in Congress over time; means of entry to Congress; comparisons to international and state legislatures; records for tenure; firsts for women in Congress; women in leadership; tallies of African American, Asian Pacific American, Hispanic, and American Indian women in Congress; and a brief overview of research questions related to the role and impact of women in Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Manning, Jennifer E.; Brudnick, Ida A.
2022-07-07
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Information Access for Congressional Advisory Commissions [July 7, 2022]
From the Summary: "Advisory commissions assist Congress with the development of public policy. Congressional advisory commissions are formal groups, usually composed of policy experts, that provide independent advice, recommend potential changes in public policy, and study or investigate a particular problem or event. Congressional advisory commissions can also commemorate an individual, group, or event. An advisory commission often completes its work by delivering written findings and recommendations to Congress. Advisory commissions can help develop policy recommendations on a myriad of policy areas, especially those that cut across the jurisdictions of multiple congressional committees. To accomplish its mission, a congressional advisory commission must have access to information to help it evaluate the policy sphere, develop potential recommendations, and report to Congress. To aid advisory commissions' work, laws creating congressional advisory commissions have traditionally provided several tools to help commissions gain access to necessary information. This report examines the most commonly provided information-gathering tools. These tools fall into three categories. First, commissions are provided certain statutory authorities. These commonly include the ability to hold hearings, contracting authority, and the ability to obtain information from government agencies. Occasionally, commissions are provided subpoena authority. Second, commissions often include subject-matter experts as commissioners and are provided the authority to hire staff to help meet their statutory mandate. Third, commissions use publicly available documents and the cooperation of interested individuals and parties to help gather information."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Straus, Jacob R.; Wolanin, Tyler L.
2022-07-07
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Geoengineering: Ocean Iron Fertilization [July 7, 2022]
From the Summary: "Congress has shown growing interest in and support for geoengineering techniques as a means to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. 'Geoengineering' is a field of study that involves large-scale technological interventions to manipulate the processes that affect Earth's climate, generally with the aim of countering climate change. Geoengineering techniques that stimulate or amplify natural processes that remove CO2 from the atmosphere (e.g., afforestation, ocean fertilization) may be of particular interest to Congress, due to the relatively low cost of research, development, and deployment of these techniques compared with geoengineering techniques that rely on novel or industrial-scale technologies. For example, CO2 is transferred into the deep ocean via the physical process of overturning circulation and the biological process known as the 'biological pump.' Ocean iron fertilization (OIF), an ocean-based geoengineering technique, aims to increase the rate of atmospheric CO2 transfer to the deep ocean by stimulating the biological pump through the addition of iron (a key nutrient) to the surface of the ocean. Modeling studies indicate that OIF has the potential to remove CO2 from the atmosphere for hundreds to thousands of years."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Keating-Bitonti, Caitlin
2022-07-07
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Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): In Brief [July 7, 2022]
From the Introduction: "Within the last year, multiple commercial airlines have announced sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) purchase agreements. Airlines report they are purchasing SAF, in part, to 'address the climate crisis' and to comply with international standards that would reduce the aviation sector's carbon footprint. SAF--in short, sustainable fuel (e.g., advanced biofuel) used for aircraft--production is limited. As such, airlines and others have requested federal assistance to spur SAF development and adoption. Both Congress and the Executive Branch have taken action to support SAF. Legislation pertaining to SAF (e.g., S. 4038, S. 2263, and S. 1608) has been introduced in the 117th Congress. In addition, the Build Back Better Act as passed by the House (BBBA; H.R. 5376) would establish a SAF tax credit, among other things. [...] This report discusses SAF--what it is, potential challenges and opportunities for adoption, production and cost, stakeholder positions, selected legislation that would support SAF including tax incentives, and other issues for Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bracmort, Kelsi; Sherlock, Molly F.
2022-07-07
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Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Funding
From the Highlights: "On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, enacted as Public Law 116-136 (the 'CARES Act') in response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. The CARES Act authorized up to $10 billion in funding for the U.S. Postal Service from the U.S. Treasury (Treasury), should the Postal Service determine that it would be unable to fund operating expenses due to the pandemic. In December 2020, Congress amended the CARES Act, stipulating that the Postal Service would not need to repay the funding. In January 2021, the Postal Service and Treasury signed an agreement regarding CARES Act funding allowing the Postal Service to request up to $10 billion from Treasury for pandemic-related operating expenses. The Postal Service submitted five advance requests to Treasury from March through July 2021, totaling $10 billion. [...] Our objective was to assess the Postal Service's justification for and use of funds received under the CARES Act, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, and associated disclosure requirements."
United States Postal Service. Office of Inspector General
2022-07-07
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Fingerprinting and Employment Eligibility Verification Delays Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic May Increase Taxpayer Data Exposure Risks
From the Document: "This audit was initiated because new IRS [Internal Revenue Service] employees hired during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have had their fingerprinting or employment eligibility verification delayed in accordance with newly established hiring policies. However, prolonged delays could increase the exposure of taxpayer data to potential bad actors. The overall objective of this review was to determine whether temporary personnel hiring practices during the COVID-19 pandemic presented potential security risks by assessing the effectiveness of fingerprinting and hiring activities, including inspection of employment eligibility documents."
United States. Office of the Inspector General for Tax Administration
2022-07-07
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 7900, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023
From the Bill Summary: "H.R.7900 would authorize appropriations totaling $840.2 billion for fiscal year 2023. Nearly all of that amount, $838.8 billion, would be specifically authorized for the military functions of the Department of Defense (DoD) and for the atomic energy defense activities of the Department of Energy. CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that appropriation of the authorized amounts would result in outlays of $810.1 billion over the 2023-2027 period. In addition, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 7900 would have insignificant effects on direct spending and revenues over the 2023-2032 period. One section affecting military lodging, effective 11 years after enactment, would increase direct spending by more than $5 billion in the 10-year period beginning in 2033."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-07-06
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 5914, Empowering States to Protect Seniors from Bad Actors Act
From the Document: "H.R. 5914 would authorize the appropriation of $10 million for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028 for the Securities and Exchange Commission to provide grants to states to identify, investigate, and prosecute cases involving financial fraud against senior citizens. Grant funds also could be used for technology and equipment purchases, education, and planning. Based on spending patterns for a similar grant program, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5914 would cost $38 million over the 2023-2027 period and $22 million after 2027, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-07-06
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Joint Cybersecurity Advisory: North Korean State-Sponsored Cyber Actors Use Maui Ransomware to Target the Healthcare and Public Health Sector
From the Summary: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) are releasing this joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) to provide information on Maui ransomware, which has been used by North Korean state-sponsored cyber actors since at least May 2021 to target Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector [hyperlink] organizations. This joint CSA provides information--including tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise (IOCs)--on Maui ransomware obtained from FBI incident response activities and industry analysis of a Maui sample. The FBI, CISA, and Treasury urge HPH Sector organizations as well as other critical infrastructure organizations to apply the recommendations in the Mitigations section of this CSA to reduce the likelihood of compromise from ransomware operations."
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency; United States. Department of the Treasury
2022-07-06
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Office of Intelligence and Analysis Needs to Improve Its Open Source Intelligence Reporting
From the Highlights: "The Department of Homeland Security must be prepared to respond to potential threats to the United States. To identify and mitigate threats, I&A [The Office of Intelligence and Analysis] shares intelligence and analysis with decision makers. We conducted this audit to determine the extent to which I&A has an effective process for collecting, managing, and protecting OSINT [open source intelligence] for operational and intelligence purposes."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2022-07-06
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Estimated Number of COVID-19 Infections, Hospitalizations, and Deaths Prevented Among Vaccinated Persons in the US, December 2020 to September 2021
From the Key Points: "How many SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] infections and COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]-associated hospitalizations and deaths have been prevented among vaccinated persons by the US COVID-19 vaccination program? [...] In this modeling study, COVID-19 vaccination was estimated to prevent 27 million SARS-CoV-2 infections, 1.6 million COVID-19- associated hospitalizations, and 235 000 COVID-19-associated deaths among vaccinated persons 18 years or older from December 1, 2020, to September 30, 2021. By September 30, 2021, vaccination prevented an estimated 52% of expected infections, 56% of expected hospitalizations, and 58% of expected deaths. [...] The US COVID-19 vaccination program was estimated to prevent substantial morbidity and mortality through direct protection of vaccinated individuals."
JAMA Network
Steele, Molly K.; Couture, Alexia; Reed, Carrie . . .
2022-07-06
