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• COVID-19: Germany Rethinks Civil Protection

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  From the Document: "The public perception in Germany is that the German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) was sidelined during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. An example of that perception is an article in the German news magazine 'Der Spiegel' with the title 'the forgotten office' '(Das vergessene Amt)', published in May 2020. The pandemic is among the most severe challenges with which Germany has been confronted in recent times. One would assume that a national authority responsible for civil protection and disaster assistance would play an important role in managing such a challenge, given that the BBK possesses the relevant expertise. However, organizational limitations hindered it from engaging more actively in pandemic crisis management. [...] In order to be better prepared for the next crisis, societies can learn from the pandemic. Germany and its civil protection system provides a helpful example in this respect."

  ETH Zurich. Center for Security Studies (CSS)

  Scharte, Benjamin

  2021-07
• COVID-19: Continued Attention Needed to Enhance Federal Preparedness, Response, Service Delivery, and Program Integrity, Report to Congressional Committees

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  From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "As of mid-June 2021, the U.S. had about 33.4 million reported cases of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and about 593,000 reported deaths, according to CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. The country also continues to experience serious economic repercussions from the pandemic. Six relief laws, including the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] Act, had been enacted as of May 31, 2021, to address the public health and economic threats posed by COVID-19. As of May 31, 2021, of the $4.7 trillion appropriated by these six laws for COVID-19 relief--including about $1.6 trillion appropriated by ARPA, which was enacted in March 2021-- the federal government had obligated a total of $3.5 trillion and had expended $3.0 trillion, as reported by federal agencies. The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to report on its ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines the federal government's continued efforts to respond to, and recover from, the COVID-19 pandemic."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-07
• COVID-19: VA Should Assess Its Oversight of Infection Prevention and Control in Community Living Centers, Report to Congressional Addressees

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  From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "Close to 8,000 veterans per day received nursing home care provided by VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] in CLCs [Community Living Centers] in fiscal year 2020. COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] has posed significant risks to nursing home residents and staff, as residents are often in frail health, and residents and staff have close daily contact with each other. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision that GAO monitor the federal response to the pandemic. This report describes, among other objectives, guidance and training VA has issued to help CLCs respond to the pandemic and examines VA's oversight of infection prevention and control in CLCs during the pandemic. GAO analyzed documents, including guidance, training-related materials, and CLC self-assessments of their infection prevention and control practices. GAO also interviewed VA officials and CLC staff, the latter from five facilities selected based on factors such as having been cited for infection prevention and control deficiencies prior to the pandemic."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-07
• U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America

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  From the Introduction: "Persistent instability and insecurity in Central America have gone on for too long. Poverty and economic inequality, pervasive crime and corruption, and political leaders' drift toward authoritarian rule have stunted economic growth and diverted critical resources from healthcare and education, robbing citizens of hope and spurring migration. The worsening impacts of climate change, manifesting as prolonged periods of drought and devastating storms, have exacerbated these conditions and undermine U.S. and international interests. All of these factors contribute to irregular migration, and none of them can ultimately be addressed without honest and inclusive democratic governance that is responsive to the needs of citizens in the region. The Root Causes Strategy, directed by the President in Executive Order 14010, focuses on a coordinated, place-based approach to improve the underlying causes that push Central Americans to migrate, and that 'take(s) into account, as appropriate, the views of bilateral, multilateral, and private sector partners, as well as civil society.' This Strategy lays out a framework to use the policy, resources, and diplomacy of the United States, and to leverage the expertise and resources of a broad group of public and private stakeholders, to build hope for citizens in the region that the life they desire can be found at home. The U.S. government consulted with a wide range of stakeholders to inform this Strategy, including governments in the region, Members of Congress and their staff, international organizations, civil society organizations, labor unions, and the private sector. Consultations will continue throughout implementation."

  National Security Council (U.S.)

  2021-07
• COVID-19 Contracting: Contractor Paid Leave Reimbursements Could Provide Lessons Learned for Future Emergency Responses, Report to Congressional Addressees

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  From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "In March 2020, Congress passed the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act, which provides over $2 trillion in emergency assistance for those affected by COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. Section 3610 of the CARES Act enables agencies, at their discretion, to reimburse contractors for paid leave provided to their employees and subcontractors who are unable to access work sites due to facility closures or other restrictions, and whose duties cannot be performed remotely during the pandemic. The CARES Act also includes a provision for GAO to review federal contracting pursuant to authorities provided in the Act. In September 2020, GAO found that agencies had not made much use of section 3610 authority as of July 2020, and expectations of future use varied. This report (1) examines how selected federal agencies have used section 3610 authority and (2) presents selected contractors' perspectives on COVID-19 paid leave reimbursement. GAO reviewed guidance and data and interviewed cognizant officials from four agencies with contract obligations greater than $10 billion in fiscal year 2019."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-07
• Child Welfare: Pandemic Posed Challenges, but Also Created Opportunities for Agencies to Enhance Future Operations, Report to Congressional Committees

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  From the Highlights: "The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised concerns about the welfare of children and disruptions to child welfare services. This work was conducted as part of GAO's [Government Accountability Office's] COVID-19 monitoring and oversight responsibilities under the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act. It examines (1) challenges child welfare agencies reported as a result of the pandemic; (2) actions these agencies reported taking to respond to challenges, including using the additional funds and other supports provided by HHS; and (3) practices agencies reported they may continue based on what they learned during the pandemic. GAO interviewed and gathered information from officials at HHS [Health and Human Services]; five state and 10 local child welfare agencies in California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas, selected for factors such as high numbers of children in foster care and confirmed COVID-19 cases; and eight national organizations with child welfare expertise. GAO also reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations, and HHS guidance; analyzed reports states submitted to HHS in July 2020 about their plans for using CARES Act funds; and conducted a survey between December 2020 and February 2021 of child welfare administrators in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (referred to as states)."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-07
• Solidarity in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Has the World Worked Together to Tackle the Coronavirus?

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  From the Introduction: "The impact of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has severely challenged governments, health systems and economies, and has devastated millions of lives and livelihoods all over the world. [...] This research paper examines how - and whether - the world has demonstrated solidarity in tackling a global crisis of this scale and magnitude. How well have governments worked together to combat a common global threat? How well have they fostered solidarity in their own populations to stimulate an effective response to the disease? What lessons can be learned?"

  Chatham House/Royal Institute of International Affairs

  Rahman-Shepherd, Afifah; Clift, Charles; Ross, Emma . . .

  2021-07
• Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Communication with Applicants and Address Fraud Risks, Report to Congressional Addressees

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  From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "Between March 2020 and February 2021, SBA [Small Business Administration] provided about 3.8 million low-interest EIDL [Economic Injury Disaster Loan] loans and 5.8 million grants (called advances) totaling $224 billion to help small businesses adversely affected by COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. Borrowers can use these low-interest loans and advances to pay for operating and other expenses. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO to monitor funds provided for the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines, among other objectives, the characteristics of program applicants and recipients; the challenges EIDL applicants experienced and the extent to which SBA has addressed them; and the steps SBA has taken to address risks of fraud and provision of funds to ineligible applicants. GAO reviewed documents from SBA, an EIDL contractor, and two of its subcontractors. In addition, GAO analyzed loan application data, conducted five discussion groups with applicants, and interviewed staff from SBA, six Small Business Development Centers, and six business associations. GAO also analyzed socioeconomic, demographic, and geographic data on EIDL program participants."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-07
• Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA): A Summary of the Act and Its Major Requirements [Updated July 1, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "This report provides a summary of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) and its major programs and regulatory requirements. It reviews revisions to the act since its enactment in 1974, including the drinking water security provisions added to SDWA by the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-188), and provisions to further reduce lead in plumbing materials and drinking water (P.L. 111-380, P.L. 113-64, and P.L. 114- 322). It also identifies changes made to the act in P.L. 114-45, regarding algal toxins in public water supplies; the Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act (P.L. 114-98); the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act (P.L. 114-322); and America's Water Infrastructure Act (AWIA; P.L. 115-270), which constituted the most comprehensive revisions to SDWA since 1996. It also discusses SDWA-related provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 (P.L. 116-92) regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Tiemann, Mary; Humphreys, Elena H.

  2021-07-01
• Countering Violent Extremism: DHS Can Further Enhance Its Strategic Planning and Data Governance Efforts, Report to Congressional Requesters

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  From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "Data collected through the Extremist Crime Database show that there were 81 fatal violent extremist attacks in the United States from 2010 through 2020, resulting in 240 deaths. Since 2010, DHS has developed strategic initiatives that address targeted violence and terrorism prevention, which include efforts to counter violent extremism, among other things. GAO was asked to review DHS's longer-term efforts to prevent terrorism and targeted violence. This report examines the extent to which (1) DHS's 2019 strategy to address targeted violence and terrorism prevention includes key elements of a comprehensive strategy, and (2) DHS has developed a data governance framework to help implement its strategy. GAO reviewed DHS documentation and compared DHS's strategy to identified elements of a comprehensive strategy, and compared DHS's efforts to develop a data governance framework to federal requirements for implementing data governance."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-07
• Reimagining Manufacturing for Pandemic Preparedness: Non-Paper on Public Private Partnerships for the High-Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response

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  From the Summary: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic illuminated longstanding challenges in our global ability to respond to pandemic threats, including a global biopharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem unprepared for crisis response. The lack of manufacturing capacity for vaccines and therapeutics poses a public health risk to the world and prevents new medicines from reaching patients as fast as possible. As the global community looks to prevent, prepare for, and respond to future pandemics, it must commit to a new future for biopharmaceutical manufacturing that reimagines how medicines are made. A sustainable ecosystem for biopharmaceutical manufacturing requires new manufacturing technologies and flexible, distributed production systems that can respond to diverse disease threats at speed and at scale. Public-private partnerships play a vital role in bringing together the innovation, infrastructure, and human capital that make this new ecosystem possible. This non-paper outlines how biopharmaceutical manufacturing must be enhanced and ways the public and private sector can partner to build flexible, multi-modality manufacturing capacity, invest in novel technologies, and advance manufacturing science."

  National Resilience, Inc.; G20 High-Level Independent Panel (HLIP)

  2021-07
• U.S. Department of Justice Climate Action Plan

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  From the Executive Summary: "[1] DOJ [United States Department of Justice] commits to the following five priority adaptation actions: -- Incorporate climate adaptation and resilience concepts, principles, and guidelines into real property actions -- Revisit and update DOJ's vulnerability assessment of its most mission-critical supplies and services -- Comprehensively consider environmental justice in DOJ's climate adaptation efforts -- Complete a study to determine the potential for electrification of DOJ's vehicle fleet -- Incorporate climate adaptation considerations into DOJ's strategic planning and risk profile processes [2] DOJ has identified the following five climate-related vulnerabilities, for which it has established initial adaptation actions: -- Continued availability of workforce -- Continued operation of mission-critical facilities -- Supply chain disruptions -- Limited knowledge and understanding of climate adaptation concepts and best practices for enhancing adaptive capacity -- Need to enhance systematic and formalized internal processes and guidance [3] To enhance climate literacy across DOJ's management workforce, DOJ will: -- Enhance climate literacy among Department-wide staff, with a focus on senior management personnel -- Broadly disseminate outreach materials and training content among Department personnel [4] To ensure climate-ready sites and facilities, DOJ will work to establish processes to more systematically ensure that adaptation criteria and requirements are properly integrated into management functions and decision points for the procurement for design, construction, operations, and maintenance of DOJ facilities. [5] To ensure a climate-ready supply of products and services, DOJ will work to establish processes to more systematically ensure that adaptation criteria and requirements are properly integrated into the acquisition of mission-critical supplies and services."

  United States. Department of Justice

  2021-07
• Toward a Global Pathogen Early Warning System: Building on the Landscape of Biosurveillance Today

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  From the Executive Summary: "Over the past several decades, the world's ability to detect, track, and analyze disease threats has improved considerably. Driven by damaging viral outbreaks that quickly spread around the globe, the World Health Organization's 2005 update to the International Health Regulations set a vision of increasing every nation's capacity for early detection and alerting of emerging outbreaks. Today, the international community has developed new data-sharing systems, analytical methods, and other tools that can help spot emerging infectious diseases faster than ever before. [...] This report aims to contribute to our understanding of the current landscape in pathogen early warning and biosurveillance, an oft-used term referring to a broad range of approaches to collecting and analyzing disease-related information. It highlights examples of this landscape in action today, including where a strong early warning foundation exists. It also identifies gaps and challenges stemming from current fragmentation and lack of interoperability (e.g., different systems don't always connect, and the data within them are often not easily combined)."

  Council on Strategic Risks; Janne E. Nolan Center on Strategic Weapons

  Beaver, Bill; Bajema, Natasha; Parthemore, Christine

  2021-07
• Climate Adaptation Actions for Urban Forests and Human Health

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  From the Abstract: "This report includes the Urban Forest Climate and Health Adaptation Menu, which presents information and ideas for optimizing the climate and human health outcomes of urban forestry projects and provides professionals who are working at the intersection of climate, public health, and urban forestry with resources to support climate adaptation planning and activities. Notably, it 'does not' provide specific recommendations or guidance for any particular place; rather, it offers a range of action opportunities at different scales that can be incorporated into either comprehensive or specific climate adaptation initiatives. The Menu can be used with an existing, tested adaptation process to help managers consider climate risks and explore the benefits and drawbacks of potential adaptation actions within the context of a particular situation or project. It also can be useful for generating productive discussions about community needs and values to guide planning, education and outreach, research, or changes in policy or infrastructure within communities."

  United States. Forest Service

  Janowiak, Maria K.; Brandt, Leslie (Leslie Alyson); Wolf, Kathleen L. . . .

  2021-07
• Carrying Equity in COVID-19 Vaccination Forward: Guidance Informed by Communities of Color

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  From the Executive Summary: "Seven months into the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] vaccination campaign in the United States, nearly 50% of the American population has been vaccinated. [...] In the coming months, the country will face a series of vaccination challenges including serving groups with persistently low vaccine uptake (due to, for example, low/no access, vaccine hesitancy, or a combination of factors), expanding COVID-19 vaccination to children (particularly those whose parents may be less willing to vaccinate their children than to get vaccinated themselves), and orchestrating a potential booster dose campaign (with its own hesitancy issues). As the COVID-19 vaccination campaign continues, lessons from the vaccine rollout to date can help provide direction moving forward. One challenge that deserves closer attention and more refined solutions is the campaign's limited success at delivering vaccines to low-income persons and communities of color. During the pandemic, these populations have experienced significant physical, financial, and psychological harms at a disproportionate rate. [...] This report provides specific guidance on adapting COVID-19 vaccination efforts to achieve greater vaccine coverage in underserved populations and, through this, to develop sustainable, locally appropriate mechanisms to advance equity in health. In the first half of the report, we outline findings from local, ethnographic research conducted within Black and Hispanic/Latino communities in Alabama, California, Idaho, Maryland, and Virginia. [...] In the second half of this report, we present the policy and practice implications of the local research."

  Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Center for Health Security; Texas State University. Department of Anthropology; CommuniVax

  Brunson, Emily K.; Schoch-Spana, Monica; Carnes, Mary . . .

  2021-07
• Staring Death in the Face: The Financial Impact of Corporate Exposure to Prior Disasters

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  From the Document: "We examine how firms' exposure to prior disastrous events can influence their stock market footprint during the coronavirus crisis. While others have drawn comparisons between past pandemics and Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], we argue that such comparisons are skewed due to the unprecedented reach and consequences of the latter. To better model the structural shock caused by Covid-19 in the USA, we look at the 9/11 terrorist attacks and specifically examine how firms based in New York City back then reacted to the associated financial turmoil. While 9/11 and Covid-19 are categorically different events, their short-term impacts on the stock market, and on New York exchanges in particular, are surprisingly similar. We find firms that financially 'survived' 9/11 also managed to do better - or suffer less - by about 7% in terms of stock returns during Covid-19, compared to control firms that were not exposed to 9/11. In a sense, we show that companies' prior exposure to 9/11 partly 'immunized' them against the consequences of a similarly destabilizing event, albeit two decades later. Interestingly, the trading volume of exposed firms increased due to market buying pressures. Our analysis is robust to various financial proxies, alternative definitions of control firms and varying estimation windows."

  John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  Kemal Tosun, Onur; Eshraghi, Arman; Muradoglu, Gulnur

  2021-07-01?
• Fact Sheet: The Biden-Harris Administration Acts to Address the Growing Wildfire Threat

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  From the Webpage: "In preparation for this wildfire season, the Biden Administration has convened a series of meetings on wildfire preparedness and prevention efforts to determine what more can be done to prepare for and prevent wildfires. [...] Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris will meet with Governors from Western states, Cabinet officials and private sector partners to discuss specific actions the public and private sector are each taking to strengthen prevention, preparedness, mitigation, and response efforts - and to protect communities across our country from wildfires and their devastating impacts. During today's meeting, the President will direct a number of actions, in close coordination with State and local governments and the private sector, to ensure the Federal Government can most effectively protect public safety and deliver assistance to our people in times of urgent need. The President will also highlight the need to invest in wildfire prevention and risk mitigation efforts, including the nearly $50 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework."

  United States. White House Office

  2021-06-30
• Department of Veterans Affairs FY2021 Appropriations [Updated June 30, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers numerous programs that provide benefits and services to eligible veterans and their families. These benefits include medical care; disability compensation and pensions; education; vocational rehabilitation and employment services; assistance to homeless veterans; home loan guarantees; administration of life insurance, as well as traumatic injury protection insurance for servicemembers; and death benefits that cover burial expenses. President Trump submitted his budget proposal for FY2021 on February 10, 2020. The President's budget requested $240.2billion for VA. This amount included$135.4 billion in mandatory benefits funding and $104.8 billion in discretionary funding. When compared with the FY2020-enacted amount for the VA of $237.5 billion--which includes regular appropriations provided by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94), and supplemental funding provided by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (P.L. 116-136)--this was an increase of $2.752 billion. In addition, the budget request included an advance appropriation request of $239.5 billion for FY2022 to fund the seven advance appropriations accounts: compensation and pensions, readjustment benefits, insurance and indemnities, medical services, medical community care, medical support and compliance, and medical facilities."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Panangala, Sidath Viranga; Sussman, Jared S.; Salazar, Heather M.

  2021-06-30
• Annual Report 2021: Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

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  From the Executive Summary: "The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) 2021 Annual Report covers calendar year 2020, as well as key developments in early 2021, and contains: [1] An overview of the CIS Ombudsman's mission and services; [2] A review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programmatic and policy challenges during this reporting period; and [3] A detailed discussion of pervasive problems, recommendations, and best practices in the administration of our immigration laws."

  United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman

  2021-06-30
• Washington - Northwest Regional Aviation: Protecting the Puget Sound

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  From the Summary: "The Seattle Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) established Northwest Regional Aviation (NWRA)--an aviation consortium that protects the Puget Sound area from terrorism and responds to large-scale disasters. The NWRA saved 12 survivors during the first three hours of the Snohomish County mudslide on March 22, 2014."

  United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency

  2021-06-29
• Inadequate Oversight of Contractors' Personal Identity Verification Cards Puts Veterans' Sensitive Information and Facility Security at Risk

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  From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this review to determine whether Veterans Health Administration (VHA) contracting officers complied with mandates to ensure contractors account for and return their personnel's personal identity verification (PIV) cards as required, such as at the end of a contract or employment. A PIV card is a federally issued credential that is used by authorized individuals to gain access to federal facilities and information systems commensurate with the cardholder's security level and allows for multifactor authentication. The Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) establishes that it is the contracting officer's responsibility to ensure that all identification issued to contractor employees, including PIV cards, is returned. The VHA procurement manual embraces this principle by establishing that contracting officers shall ensure the contractor provides a list of PIV cards issued and returns all PIV cards to the issuing office. Unreturned PIV cards increase risks for unauthorized access to VA facilities and information systems. This poses a threat to property and to veterans, visitors, VA staff, and contractors. It also creates opportunities for individuals to compromise veterans' personal data, which could result in identity theft for personal profit and medical identity theft to access treatment, medications, or other gains."

  United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General

  2021-06-29
• Resources for Grantseekers [Updated June 29, 2021]

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  From the Summary: "Federal grants are intended to meet goals authorized by Congress and often target community needs. Federal grants are not guaranteed benefits or entitlements to individuals. Most federal grant funds go to state and local governments, which in turn may award funds as sub-awards to local entities, such as nonprofit organizations. Because of this, contacting federal departments and agencies, state-level grants administering agencies (SAAs), or both to discuss grant opportunities is likely to be an important step for many grantseekers. However, due to limited purposes of grants and competition for available funding, grantseekers seeking government aid might need to search for funding options other than grants. For instance, individuals may be eligible for other kinds of benefits or assistance. Small businesses and students may be eligible for loans. [...] This report provides a brief introduction to the grant process, describes key sources of information on government and private funding, and outlines eligibility for federal grants. This report also includes some sources for information on writing grant proposals."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Kreiser, Maria

  2021-06-29
• H. Rept. 117-76: Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2021, Report Together with Dissenting Views, to Accompany H.R. 3291, June 29, 2021

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  From the Purpose and Summary: "H.R. 3291, the 'Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2021', includes provisions to improve our nation's drinking water infrastructure, increase the safety of our drinking water, and make water service more affordable."

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2021-06-29
• Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: Summary of Estimated Budgetary Effects of Rules Committee Prints 117-8 and 117-9, H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act Including Manager's Amendment (Defazio 161, Version 1)

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  This is a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate which contains four summary tables. From the Document: "H.R. 3684 [INVEST in America Act, Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America Act] would provide budget authority over the 2022-2026 period for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to continue operating programs funded from the Highway Trust Fund. The bill also would authorize the appropriation of funds for rail programs and certain other transportation programs administered by DOT and other federal agencies."

  United States. Congressional Budget Office

  2021-06-28
• Inspection Procedures for the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard

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  From the Purpose: "The purpose of this Direction is to provide guidelines and establish uniform inspection and enforcement procedures for the (COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] emergency temporary standard, hereafter referred to as the ETS."

  United States. Occupational Safety and Health Administration

  2021-06-28
• Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Transportation [June 25, 2021]

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  From the Document: "The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on the overall status of the Department of Transportation's (DOT) implementation of GAO's [Government Accountability Office] recommendations and to call your personal attention to areas where open recommendations should be given high priority. In November 2020, we reported that on a government-wide basis, 77 percent of our recommendations made 4 years ago were implemented. DOT's recommendation implementation rate was 77 percent. As of April 2021, DOT had 178 open recommendations. Fully implementing these open recommendations could significantly improve agency operations."

  United States. Government Accountability Office

  2021-06-25
• DHS Budget Request Analysis: Fy2022 [June 25, 2021]

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  From the Introduction: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the third largest agency in the federal government in terms of personnel. The appropriations bill that funds it--providing almost $72 billion in FY2021--is the seventh largest of the 12 annual funding measures developed by the appropriations committees, and is the only appropriations bill that funds a single agency in its entirety and nothing else. This report provides an overview of the FY2022 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security. It provides a component-level overview of the appropriations sought in the FY2022 budget request, and puts the requested appropriations in context with the FY2021 requested and enacted level of appropriations, while noting some of the factors behind the larger changes from those baselines."

  Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

  Painter, William L.

  2021-06-25
• MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, June 25, 2021

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  The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series is prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [It] is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. This issue of MMWR contains the following: "HIV Testing Trends Among Persons with Commercial Insurance or Medicaid -- United States, 2014-2019"; "Need for Contraceptive Services Among Women of Reproductive Age -- 45 Jurisdictions, United States, 2017-2019"; "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Surveillance and Investigations in Workplaces -- Seattle & King County, Washington, June 15-November 15, 2020"; "COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage Among Adults -- United States, December 14, 2020-May 22, 2021"; "COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage and Intent Among Adults Aged 18-39 Years -- United States, March-May 2021"; and "'QuickStats': Percentage of Adults Who Did Not Get Needed Dental Care Because of Cost in the Past 12 Months, by Age Group and Sex - National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2019." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2021.html].

  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

  2021-06-25
• Deficiencies in Emergency Preparedness for Veterans Health Administration Telemental Health Care at VA Clinic Locations Prior to the Pandemic

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  From the Executive Summary: "The VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review of emergency preparedness, as of November 1, 2019, for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) outpatient telemental health care in a VA patient-clinic location as a response to steadily expanding telehealth care over the last decade in an increasingly virtual and technology-driven environment. Telehealth is a technology-based, virtual mode of health care used 'to provide clinical care in circumstances where distance separates those receiving services and those providing services.' Telehealth delivery of mental health care is referred to as telemental health. This review included telemental health care in VA clinics, excluding home and non-VA locations. [...] After the World Health Organization's declaration of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic in March 2020, VHA planned to leverage telehealth services in lieu of certain face to-face care to ensure safety of veterans and staff. Patient visits shifted away from in-person clinic care as often as possible to telehealth including 'in-home virtual care visits.' This report discusses emergency procedures specific to the provision of telemental health care to patients located within a VA setting."

  United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Office of Inspector General

  2021-06-24
• City of San Antonio Community Emergency Preparedness Committee Report: A Response to the February 2021 Winter Storm

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  From the Introduction: "In early February 2021, millions of people in Texas were affected by extreme winter weather that came with the arrival of Winter Storm Uri . Several days of unusually low temperatures, ranging within single digits across the state , combined with snowfall and ice, resulted in, among other things, calls from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to shed electric power by initiating rolling power outages on Monday, February 15, 2021 . This severe weather left millions of people across the state, and hundreds of thousands of people in San Antonio, without power for several days in freezing temperatures. [...] The primary purpose of this investigation is to understand (1) what caused the problems that resulted in interruptions to utility services, leading to severe community impacts under dangerous winter weather conditions, (2) why were the communications to the community during the winter weather event so ineffective and inefficient, and (3) what City and Utility leadership can do to better prepare and respond to future significant emergency events with changing conditions and cascading impacts."

  San Antonio (Tex.)

  2021-06-24