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• Department's Implementation and Administrative Enforcement of Title VI and the Safe Streets Act

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  From the Memorandum: "On September 15, 2021, I directed the Civil Rights Division, working in partnership with the Office of Justice Programs, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and the Office on Violence Against Women, to review the implementation and administrative enforcement of Title VI and the nondiscrimination provisions of the Safe Streets Act in connection with federal financial assistance provided by the Department of Justice. Those offices prepared a thorough and thoughtful review that recommends a number of changes to strengthen the Department's enforcement of the critical nondiscrimination obligations that apply to recipients of federal financial assistance. This Memorandum summarizes the results of that review and identifies several steps the Department will take to improve our implementation and enforcement of those statutes."

  United States. Department of Justice. Office of the Associate Attorney General

  Gupta, Vanita, 1974-

  2022-06-22
• Psychology of (Dis)information: Case Studies and Implications

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  From the Abstract: "The absorption and spread of disinformation is a pervasive phenomenon across a wide variety of topics and media. Most disinformation research focuses on the source (who created it?) and the environment in which it exists (what platform/medium transmits the information?). Recognizing that disinformation primarily works in an individual person's mind, this report describes four normal, routine psychological mechanisms that are associated with the absorption and spread of disinformation. We then describe real-world case studies--focusing on activities linked to COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], and to campaigns coordinated by US adversaries including Russia, China, and Iran--to illustrate the way these mechanisms can be manipulated to aid the spread disinformation. The report concludes with multi-pronged recommendations that DOD can use to address the vulnerabilities associated with these psychological mechanisms so as prevent the spread of disinformation and protect both US servicemembers and the country."

  CNA Corporation

  McBride, Megan K.; Wolters, Heather; Haney, Kaia . . .

  2021-10
• Getting Back to Normal: Informing Renormalization of COVID-19 Risk-Minimized Activities for a 100-Bed Jail Housing Unit Using SAFER-C™, an Agent-Based Model

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  From the Abstract: "During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, US jails have faced challenges in providing safety, security, programming, and care while limiting virus transmission. Data-driven insights can help inform correctional leaders as they seek to transition to more normalized operations. We customized an agent-based model, Simulation Applications for Forecasting Effective Responses in Corrections (SAFER-C™), to simulate the operations, environment, and virus spread within a representative 100-bed housing unit, using de-identified data from District of Columbia Department of Corrections. Simulations indicated that most infections occur via staff-to-staff and inmate-to-inmate interactions, that benefits from higher facility vaccination rates are offset by the lower vaccination rates among intakes, and that resuming high-contact activities (e.g., basketball) may cause outbreaks. Simulation results aligned closely with practitioner experience. The detailed insights gained from this analysis suggest that SAFER-C™ is a valuable tool for correctional decision-makers."

  CNA Corporation

  Yang, Rebekah; Chakraborty, Reena

  2021-09
• Law Enforcement Pandemic Response Field Guide

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  From the Introduction: "The goal of this project was to serve as an extension of the previous efforts, by providing an in-depth analysis of three 21st Century Policing agencies' COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] responses, culminating in a Law Enforcement Pandemic Response Field Guide (this document), as well as a toolkit to help practitioners identify best practices. The 21st Century Policing agencies are nationally recognized for their commitment to innovation in policing--and for engaging the communities they serve. This field guide describes the lessons learned from three of those agencies regarding their adaptations and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that are of benefit to the greater policing community. Also included in this field guide and the companion toolkit are examples which other policing agencies have employed which are consistent with 21st Century policing practices."

  CNA Corporation

  Dockstader, Jessica; Woodmansee, Thomas; Felix, Tammy . . .

  2021-11
• Complementary Social Vulnerability Assessment to Support Sea Level Rise Planning in the Puget Sound Region of Washington State

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  From the Executive Summary: "Coastal communities are increasingly vulnerable to climate-driven impacts, such as sea level rise and coastal erosion. To address these risks in the Puget Sound region of Washington State, Washington Sea Grant and Coastal Geologic Services (CGS) are leading a sea level rise (SLR) vulnerability assessment for use by coastal managers, decision-makers and restoration practitioners. In support of this effort, researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) partnered with Washington Sea Grant and CGS, with support from the Puget Sound Partnership, to develop a complementary social vulnerability assessment for communities within the Puget Sound region. To assess social vulnerability, the authors applied part of NCCOS's vulnerability assessment framework through application of a regionally-modified Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) for Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) within the Puget Sound drainage basin. A principal components analysis (PCA) on 50 chosen variables was used to determine the components and variables to include in the final index. The final index included 36 variables, and resulted in seven components. Each component was named to capture the underlying essence of the statistically grouped variables, also incorporating spatial trends as appropriate."

  United States. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

  Fleming, Chloe S.; Regan, Seann D.

  2022-03
• Training Aid for the Definition of Frame or Receiver & Identification of Firearms: Overview of Final Rule 2021R-05F

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  From the Document: "Final Rule 2021R-05F was signed by the Attorney General on April 11, 2022 and was published in the Federal Register on April 26, 2022. The rule will become effective August 24, 2022, 120 days from the date it was published. [...] The Final Rule 'does': [1] Provide regulatory definitions of 'frame' and 'receiver' reflecting technological advancements and judicial developments since the regulatory definitions were originally issued; [2] Identify a single part of each weapon as a 'frame' or 'receiver;' [3] Provide specific examples and pictures of those parts of popular firearms that are classified as the 'frame' or 'receiver;' [4] Address the classification of partially complete (commonly referred to as '80%') frames or receivers that are sold, distributed, or possessed with the associated templates, jigs, molds, equipment, tools, instructions, guides. [5] Address partially complete, disassembled, or nonfunctional frames or receivers that are sold, distributed, or possessed within parts kits."

  United States. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives

  2022-05-24?
• Fighting Forced Labor: Closing Loopholes and Improving Customs Enforcement to Mandate Clean Supply Chains and Protect Workers, Hearing Before the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session, March 18, 2021

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  This is the March 18, 2021 hearing on "Fighting Forced Labor: Closing Loopholes and Improving Customs Enforcement to Mandate Clean Supply Chains and Protect Workers," held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. From the opening statement of Ron Wyden: "We understand in our country, we have a lot of economic and political muscle, and our country should use that muscle to fight for American jobs and our workers. It should also use that muscle, wherever possible, to improve the lives of powerless people around the world. It is not every day you have an opportunity to talk about accomplishing both of those goals at once. Today is one of those days, with the Finance Committee meeting to discuss stamping out forced labor, which is modern-day slavery, around the globe. Now, it is going to take hard work, even in 2021, to live up to a moral standard that says the U.S. will not profit from slave labor. And yet it still goes on in many places around the world, including in places that are part of our global supply chain. The hard work to fight forced labor is absolutely essential." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Joseph Wrona, Martina E. Vandenberg, Julia K. Hughes, and Leonardo Bonanni.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2022
• Serial No. 107-36: Benefits of Audio-Visual Technology in Addressing Racial Profiling: Hearing before the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, July 19, 2001

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  The focus of this hearing is the issue of racial profiling. Racial profiling occurs when a law enforcement officer targets someone for a traffic stop or a search or some other law enforcement action based solely on their race, their ethnicity or their gender. The hearing addresses the use of audio-visual technology and data collection to prevent racial profiling. "The use of audio-visual technology should be a strong deterrent to racial profiling. If a police officer's actions are being recorded, he or she will be much less likely to stop someone unless there's an objective reason for doing it. If a police officer does target motorists for no other reason than their race, there will be videotaped evidence to discipline him. On the other hand, if a police officer is falsely accused of violating someone's rights, there will be evidence to exonerate him.... That's not to say that audio-visual technology is the only solution to the problem. We don't want to downplay the potential contributions of data collection and other tools. Data collection can and should continue, but it's always good to be looking ahead to new and better ways to attack these problems." Statements, witnesses and submissions include those of: Viet Dinh, Rachel King, Royce West, Brian Boykin, Raymond Kelley, Chris Maloney, Robert Duncan, Charles Dunbar, Mark Finnegan, Robert Wilkins, Dan Burton, Constance Morella, Janice Schakowsky, Edolphus Towns, Bob Barr, Benjamin Gilman, Todd Platts, Chris Cannon, Henry Waxman, Major R. Owens, Eleanor Norton, Elijah Cummings, Dennis Kucinich, John Tierney, Jim Turner, Wm. Lacy Clay, and Diane Watson.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2001-07-19
• Spring Valley--Toxic Waste Contamination in the Nation's Capital: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on the District of Columbia of the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, July 27, 2001

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  In 1918, shortly after the United States entered World War I, the U.S. Army accomplished a chemical weapons testing station in upper Northwest D.C. in a neighborhood now known as Spring Valley. The Army leased the land from the American University and nine other property owners. The American University experimental station soon became the world's second largest chemical weapons facility, behind only a similar outpost in Aberdeen, MD. At its peak, 1,900 military and civilian employees worked there, and untold numbers of experimental chemical weapons were exploded over its hundreds of acres. More than 80 years later, we're still struggling to determine the precise extent of the environmental and possibly human damage caused by the Army at its American University facility. Despite several cleanup efforts and more than one declaration that the area was safe, the Army Corps of Engineers is still locating buried munitions and discovering worrisome levels of arsenic and other chemicals in the soil. Residents with serious illnesses are left wondering if prolonged exposure to these chemicals is to blame. Today's hearing will focus on many different aspects of the Spring Valley situation, but our goal is simple. We want answers, accountability and action. We want answers from the Army Corps of Engineers, from the Environmental Protection Agency, from American University, from anyone who knew or should have known of the dangerous chemicals that lay just below the Earth's surface. Statements, witnesses and submissions include those of: Benjamin Ladner, Lewis Walker, Francis Reardon, Stephen Kiefer, Raymond Fatz, Charles Fiala, Ivan Walks, Theodore Gordon, Richard Albright, Bailus Walker, Sarah Stowell Shapley, William Harrop, Edward Miller, Robert Williams, Thomas Voltaggio, Thomas Davis, Constance Morella, Eleanor Norton, Francis Reardon, Todd Platts, and Diane Watson.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2001-07-21
• EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 22 Issue 20, May 19, 2022

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  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: "May is Mental Health Awareness Month: New resources for first responders"; "NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology] competition aims to improve unmanned aircraft in indoor search and rescue scenarios"; "Summary and interactive map of 911 legislation enacted by states in 2021 now available"; "CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency]'s 2022 Hurricane Season Preparedness webinar will be held June 1"; "CISA issues Emergency Directive and releases advisory related to VMware vulnerabilities"; "Threat actors exploiting F5 BIG IP CVE-2022-1388"; "Weak security controls and practices routinely exploited for initial access"; "CISA releases analysis of FY21 Risk and Vulnerability Assessments"; "Cyber actors scrape credit card data from US business' online checkout page and maintain persistence by injecting malicious PHP [PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor] code"; and "Guidance on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea information technology workers."

  Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)

  2022-05-19
• Implementation of the National Fire Plan: Oversight Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health of the Committee on Resources, U.S. House of Representatives One Hundred Seventh Congress First Session, July 31, 2001

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  On July 31, 2001, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health of the Committee on Resources convenes to discuss and hear testimony regarding the Implementation of the National Fire Plan. Witnesses are Dale Bosworth of the Forest Service of the US Department of Agriculture, Tim Hartzell of the Office of Wildland Fire Coordination of the US Department of the Interior, Barry Hill of the Natural Resources and Environment of the US GAO, Robert Lewis, Ph.D. of the Forest Service of the US Department of Agriculture, and Ronald Wakimoto, Ph.D. of the University of Montana Forestry School. Also submitting materials is John Sexton of Ecoenergy Systems, Inc. Chairman Scott McInnis explains that "it is incumbent, it is incumbent upon us, as servants of the people, to be prepared to move immediately in an emergency situation to quell the threat or to minimize the threat." He also suggests a "Fire Czar". Ranking Minority Member Jay Inslee states that "There are decisions that can be driven by trying to preserve the ecosystem. There are decisions that need to be driven by safety of our firefighters. I hope in our discussion we will keep those separate. They are interrelated, but let us make sure that we keep them separate in our mind."

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2001-07-21
• EMR-ISAC: InfoGram, Volume 22 Issue 26, June 30, 2022

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  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: "Two NIOSH [National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health] safety notifications for respirator equipment"; "Fireworks safety for the Fourth of July and the Independence Day holiday"; "FEMA's CBRN [Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear] Office releases third edition of Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation"; "National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab offers training and technical assistance for community-oriented, constitutional policing"; "CISA [Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency] releases second version of guidance for secure migration to the cloud"; "Ship controls identified as another major attack surface"; "2022 CWE [Common Weakness Enumeration] Top 25 Most Dangerous Software Weaknesses"; "CISA releases guidance on switching to Modern Auth in Exchange Online before October 1"; "Malicious cyber actors continue to exploit Log4Shell in VMware Horizon systems"; and "NIST [National Institute for Standards and Technology]: Applying the Cybersecurity Framework for the Responsible Use of Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Services, draft open for comment."

  Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (U.S.)

  2022-06-30
• Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 3423, A Bill to Amend Title 38, United States Code, to Enact into Law Eligibility of Certain Veterans and Their Dependents for Burial in Arlington National Cemetery

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  "H.R. 3423 would amend the eligibility requirements for burial in Arlington National Cemetery to allow more reservists and their spouses to be buried there. CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing this bill would cost less than $500,000 a year, subject to the availability of appropriated funds. Because this bill would not affect direct spending or receipts, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. Under current law, only reservists who are eligible for retirement pay and have reached age 60 or who were killed while on active duty may be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. This bill would eliminate the requirement that current and retired reservists be at least 60 years old. It also would allow those killed while on active duty for training or inactive-duty training to be eligible for burial in Arlington National Cemetery. Spouses of these reservists would also be eligible. [...] This bill would also give the Secretary of the Army the authority to build a memorial to the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks in Arlington National Cemetery after consulting with the victims' families. Assuming that a memorial would be built in this location, CBO cannot estimate the eventual cost since the design and scope of the memorial are unknown at this time. [...] In recent years, monuments to other victims of terrorism and disaster have been largely funded by private groups."

  United States. Congressional Budget Office

  2001-12-18
• Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: Security Assistance Act of 2001

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  From the Summary: "The Security Assistance Act of 2001 would authorize appropriations in 2002 and 2003 for foreign military financing, international military education and training, nonproliferation, and anti-terrorism assistance programs. It would create a new debt-for-nonproliferation program with Russia and authorize appropriations in 2002 and 2003 for the cost of modifying Soviet-era and food-aid loans to Russia. The bill also would earmark spending for other security assistance and State Department programs. The Security Assistance Act of 2001 would reestablish the Special Defense Acquisition Fund as a revolving fund outside the appropriations process with a capitalization of $200 million. Finally, the bill would reappropriate $4 million for foreign military financing for Israel and authorize the sale of certain naval vessels. CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing the Security Assistance Act of 2001 would result in almost $5.9 billion in discretionary spending over the 2002-2006 period, assuming the appropriation of the authorized amounts. CBO also estimates that enacting the bill would reduce direct spending by $31 million over the 2002-2006 period. This amount includes estimated receipts from asset sales of $36 million over the 2002-2003 period. Because the Security Assistance Act of 2001 would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply. The Security Assistance Act of 2001 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments."

  United States. Congressional Budget Office

  2001-12-07
• DNI 500 Day Plan: Hearing before the U.S. House of Representatives, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management, One Hundred Tenth Congress, First Session, December 6, 2007

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  This testimony compilation is from the December 6, 2007 hearing, "DNI 500 Day Plan," before the U.S. House of Representatives, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Subcommittee on Intelligence Community Management. From Anna Eshoo's opening statement: "Thank you for this opportunity to testify on the reform efforts led by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) as developed in his 100-day and 500-day plans. I will come at these issues indirectly, by looking back to the impetus behind the intelligence reforms that gave rise to these efforts, particularly those embodied in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act and the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Let me first preview my bottom line: namely, that the organizational changes that led to the creation of the office of the DNI were undertaken without addressing the other aspects of the 9/11 Commission recommendations. The result, I fear, may leave us worse off rather than better. Instead of strengthening coordination among intelligence agencies via a single intelligence 'czar' we may be further dividing responsibility among a new Director of National Intelligence with (nominal) authority but not much staff, a Director of CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] with staff but diminished authority, and a Director of the National Counterterrorist Center with a broad but unclear mandate. Worse, we seem to be trying to centralize our efforts at the very time that the threat we are trying to meet is becoming more decentralized, dispersed, and eclectic. It is the wrong model. The DNI's 100- and 500-day plans address some of these issues, but the changes envisioned in them fail to address, and may even exacerbate, the most urgent problems as I see them." Statements submitted for the record include those of the following: Anna Eshoo, Subcommittee Chairwoman; Donald Kerr, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence; David Shedd, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Policy, Plans and Requirements; Tim Roemer, President, Center for National Policy; Robert Hutchings, Diplomat-in-Residence, Woodrow Wilson School; Suzanne Spaulding, Principal, Bingham Consulting Group; and Sam Visner, Deputy Chairman, AFCEA [Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association] Intelligence Committee.

  United States. Congress. House. Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

  2007-12-06
• H.R. 2436 - The Energy Security Act: Legislative Hearing Before the Committee on Resources, U.S. House of Representatives One Hundred Seventh Congress First Session, July 11, 2001

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  On July 11, 2001, the House of Representatives Committee on Resources convenes to discuss and hear testimony on H.R. 2436, the Energy Security Act. Witness are Richard Cohen of the Artic Slope Regional Corporation, Roger Herrera of Artic Power, Jerry Hood of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, J. Bennet Johnston of Johnston & Associates and a former Senator from Louisiana, Adam Michael Kolton of the Alaska Wilderness League, Linda Lance of the Wilderness Society, and Gale Norton, the Secretary of the US Department of the Interior. Additional material is supplied by Mayor George Ahmaogak of the North Slope Borough, Wayne Regelin of the State of Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and James Slutz of the Division of Oil and Gas of the Indians Department of Natural Resources. Chairman James Hansen explains that "the Energy Security Act was introduced in response to President Bush's call for a long-term energy policy for our nation." He worries that "the impacts of the current crisis are now beginning to be felt in places all across the country. While short-term fluctuations in energy supplies are inconvenient, if we fail to act in a responsible or a timely manner, our economy will be brought to a grinding halt." Ranking Minority Member Nick Rahall accuses the Republicans of unfair dealing with the bill with regard to ANWAR concerns. He warns against a move "to short change the American taxpayer and short thrift the environment by doling out royalty holidays to Big Oil and by providing unfettered access to drilling rigs and to environmentally sensitive Federal lands."

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2001-07-11
• Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 2884, Victims of Terrorism Tax Relief Act of 2001

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  "H.R. 2884 would provide specialized income tax treatment to individuals who die as a result of injuries or illness from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and April 19, 1995, or attacks involving anthrax between September 11, 2001, and December 31, 2001. All individuals who qualify for such treatment would receive a $10,000 minimum benefit regardless of tax liability. In addition, H.R. 2884 would reduce estate taxes for those individuals who die as a result of injuries or illnesses from such attacks. This treatment would be similar to that provided to members of the armed forces who die as the result of terrorist or military activity outside of the United States. The act would also change the taxation of certain benefits related to death or injury."

  United States. Congressional Budget Office

  2001-12-28
• Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2003-2012

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  From the Preface: "This volume is one of a series of reports on the state of the budget and the economy that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issues each year. It satisfies the requirement of section 202(e) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 for CBO to submit to the Committees on the Budget periodic reports about fiscal policy and to provide five-year baseline projections of the federal budget. In accordance with CBO's mandate to provide impartial analysis, the report contains no recommendations. The economic recession and recent laws have combined to sharply reduce the budget surpluses projected a year ago. In January 2001, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that under the laws and policies then in force, the federal government would run surpluses in fiscal years 2002 through 2011 totaling $5.6 trillion. In CBO's new projections, that cumulative surplus has fallen to $1.6 trillion--a drop of $4 trillion. For both 2002 and 2003, CBO now projects that, instead of surpluses, the total budget will show small deficits, if current policies remain the same and the economy follows the path that CBO is forecasting. In 2001, by contrast, the federal government ran a surplus of $127 billion. In CBO's new baseline, the off-budget accounts (which reflect the spending and revenues of Social Security and the Postal Service) run surpluses throughout the projection period. In the on-budget accounts, by contrast, surpluses do not reemerge until 2010."

  United States. Congressional Budget Office

  2002-01
• Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 1729, Post Terrorism Mental Health Improvement Act

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  From the Summary: "The Post Terrorism Mental Health Improvement Act would amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to engage in a number of activities to improve resources pertaining to mental health needs in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. The act would provide grants to enable state and local governments and other public entities to respond to the long-term mental health needs arising from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It also would require establishment of a mental health disaster response clearinghouse, development of coordinated response plans to respond to the mental health needs that arise from a disaster, and specialized training of mental health professionals with regard to the treatment of victims of disaster."

  United States. Congressional Budget Office

  2002-01-08
• Preventing Waste, Fraud, Abuse, and Mismanagement in Homeland Security--A GAO High-Risk List Review, Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, May 7, 2014

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  This is the May 7, 2014 hearing on "Preventing Waste, Fraud, Abuse and Mismanagement in Homeland Security--A GAO High-Risk List Review," held before the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Michael McCaul: "While the Department of Homeland Security's mission is critical, it is also critical that it keeps its finances in check, because in order to protect the homeland we must maximize every dollar spent. Almost as soon as the Department's creation, the Government Accountability Office [GAO] placed some of DHS's programs on its high-risk list, and today many remain. This list is developed every two years by the watchdogs at GAO to identify areas in the federal government that are at high risk to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement or are in most need of broad reform. It is intended to draw attention to these areas to force agency leaders to improve. Unfortunately, some of the programs identified include some of the Department's core functions such as acquisition management, financial management, information technology, human capital, and management integration, as well as multi-agency challenges such as information sharing and cybersecurity." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Michael McCaul, Alejandro Mayorkas, Gene L. Dodaro, and John Roth.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2014
• Budget Hearing-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Hearing Before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, One Hundred and Fourteenth Congress, March 18, 2015

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  This March 18, 2015 hearing titled, "Budget Hearing-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration" was held before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, and Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. The following is taken from the opening statement of Kathryn Sullivan: "The environmental intelligence and the services NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] provides are in higher demand today than ever before. The increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events means that NOAA must forecast and respond to these events with improved skill and accuracy. But the greater demand for our services goes beyond just extreme weather. Our marine transportation system must be more efficient to accommodate growing volume of commerce at our ports. NOAA provides the positioning data, tide and currents information, and nautical charts that ensure safe navigation and keeps commerce flowing. Furthermore, changes in marine ecosystems due to climate and other stressors are increasing the need for a greater number of advanced scientific assessments to sustain and promote economically viable commercial and recreational fisheries, and to ensure that threatened and endangered species are protected. NOAA's integrated response to extreme events such as droughts, hurricanes, tornadoes, and heat waves demonstrates how our agency leverages its diverse capabilities to support the nation from preparedness to response to recovery: data collected from a spectrum of platforms enables the development of environmental intelligence from science-based models to support a suite of products to provide decision support to individuals, communities, and governments. I thank you for recognizing NOAA as a key agency supporting the preparedness, response, and recovery efforts surrounding extreme events." Statements, letters, and other materials submitted for the record can be found from the following: Kathryn Sullivan.

  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations

  2015-03-18
• Investigating VA's Management of Veterans' Paper Records, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, June 15, 2016

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  This is the June 15, 2016 hearing, "Investigating VA's [United States Department of Veterans Affairs] Management of Veterans' Paper Records," held before the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. From the opening statement of Ralph Abraham: "This hearing will focus on the troubling allegation of the destruction of veterans claims documents. [...] These mistakes may ultimately cost veterans their lives. Each lost document represents a veteran who may have been injured while serving our country, and therefore may be entitled to medical care and other benefits. Veterans have the right to expect that the VA will carefully consider all the evidence, including paper documents before granting or denying a claim. A lost document may result in a denied claim, which may have serious financial and emotional costs to that veteran." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Brent Arronte, Dana Sullivan, Beth McCoy, and Brad Houston.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2017
• Flood Insurance Reform: A Taxpayer's Perspective, Hearing before the Committee on Financial Services, United States House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, First Session, June 7, 2017

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  This is the June 7, 2017 hearing on "Flood Insurance Reform: A Taxpayer's Perspective," held before the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services. From the hearing memorandum: "This hearing will examine the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and six legislative concepts to reform the program. Accordingly, witnesses will discuss how the reforms would strengthen taxpayer protections; provide greater private market access, competition, and consumer choice; enhance mitigation efforts; encourage flood mapping fairness; address consumer costs and affordability; and incorporate NFIP claims processing reforms." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Steve Ellis, Caitlin Berni, Josh Saks, Rebecca Kagan Sternhell, R.J. Lehmann.

  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Financial Services

  2017-06-07
• S. Hrg. 107-147: S. 803--E-Government Act of 2001: Hearing before the Committee on Governmental Affairs United States Senate One Hundred Seventh Congress First Session, July 11, 2001

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  S. Hrg. 107-148: The purpose of this hearing is to discuss S. 803, the E-Government Act of 2001. The purpose of S. 803 is stated as: "To enhance the management and promotion of electronic government services and processes by establishing a government services and processes by establishing a Federal Chief Information Officer within the office of management and budget, and by establishing a broad framework of measures that require using Internet-based information technology to enhance citizen access to government information and services..." In his opening statement, Senator Lieberman explained that the goal of this legislation is to "use information technology to bring about a revolution in current bureaucratic structures so that we can engage the public, restore its trust, and ultimately increase participation in the democratic process." Statements, witnesses and submissions: Joseph Lieberman, Fred Thompson, Thomas Carper, Ted Stevens, Robert Bennet, George Voinovich, Jean Carnahan, Max Cleland, Conrad Burns, Sean O'Keefe, Anne Altman, Costis Toregas, Aldona Valicenti, Greg Woods, Sharon Hogan, Barry Ingram, Patricia McGinnis, Joseph Wright, Booby Harnage, Attilla Pavlath, Marc Strassman, Robert Carlitz, Barbara Brandon, Beverly Sheppard, John Weiler, Patrice McDermott, David McClure, and Martha Gould.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2001-07-11
• FCC Overreach: Examining the Proposed Privacy Rules, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, June 14, 2016

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  This is the June 14, 2016 hearing, "FCC [Federal Communications Commission] Overreach: Examining the Proposed Privacy Rules," held before the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. From the opening statement of Greg Walden: "Today's hearing is a direct result of the FCC's premeditated efforts to supersede the Federal Trade Commission's successful, enforcement-based approach to consumer privacy with its own predetermined vision of what consumers want and how the Internet should function. The hearing title aptly sums up this approach up as an ''overreach,'' but fails to convey the scope of the damage the Commission's actions could have on consumers. The Commission shortsightedly looks at one just piece of the Internet and despite evidence to the contrary assumes that regulating it will improve privacy. The Commission shortsightedly overlooks the history of this industry and the value of innovation in ISP [internet service provider] service offerings." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Doug Brake, Jon Leibowitz, and Paul Ohm.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2016
• U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Syria: Minimizing Risks and Improving Oversight, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, July 14, 2016

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  This is the July 14, 2016 hearing on "U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Syria: Minimizing Risks and Improving Oversight," held before the Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. From the opening statement of Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: "Today's hearing is the subcommittee's fourth hearing that focuses specifically on the Syrian humanitarian crisis. It has been an issue we have been following closely since the fighting in Syria began over 5 years ago. And until the administration gets serious about developing a comprehensive plan to end the conflict, it will, unfortunately, be an issue we will continue to revisit. The numbers are truly staggering. By most estimates, there have been at least 1⁄4 million Syrians killed and possibly as much as nearly 1⁄2 million. Nearly 5 million Syrians have fled to neighboring countries like Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan. There are nearly 7 million internally displaced Syrians and more than 131⁄2 million people are in need of assistance, with about 51⁄2 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. We have convened this hearing today to see how we can maximize our efforts and limit risks when providing humanitarian assistance." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Thomas Melito and Ann Calvaresi Barr.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2016
• California Water Security: Oversight Field Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Resources, U.S. House of Representatives One Hundred Seventh Congress First Session, June 18, 30 and July 2, 2001

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  On July 2, 2001, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water and Power of the Committee on Resources convenes to discuss and hear testimony on California Water Security. Testifying are Richard Atwater of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Braithwaite Burke, Christopher Davis of the City or Norwalk, Conner Everts of the Southern California Watershed Alliance, Art Gallucci of the City Cerritos, Ronald Gastelum of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Joseph Grindstaff of the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, Steve Koffroth of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1902, Tom Levy of Coachella Valley Water District, Lawrence Libeu of Eastern Municipal Water District, Ronald Linsky of the National Water Research Institute, Darryl Miller of the West Basin Municipal Water District and Central Basin Municipal Water District, Ta'Shara Murray of the County of Los Angeles, Mark Pisano of the Southern California Association of Governments, and John Stovall of the Kern County Water Agency. Additional material submitted by Jan Breidenbach of the Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing, Martha Guzman of the United Farm Workers of America and the AFL-CIO, Richard Lambro of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Robert Reeves of AFSCME Local 1902, and Todd Spitzer of Orange County, California.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2001-07-02
• Hydroelectric Relicensing and Nuclear Energy: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventh Congress, First Session, June 27, 2001

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  On June 27, 2001, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality of the Committee on Energy and Commerce convenes to discuss and hear testimony regarding Hydroelectric Relicensing and Nuclear Energy. Testifying is a very wide array of industry, government, public interest, and policy entities. Chairman Barton explains that the hearing is important because "the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is about to be inundated with license renewal applications from many of our Nation's nuclear power plants." He asks "is the NRC ready for new applications? What laws will affect our ability to get a fair, science-based, and timely answer to those permit applications if they do come?" and suggests that they Nuclear Waste Fund off budget. Price-Anderson Act reauthorization is a topic of discussion, as well as environmental concerns. Congressman Markey from Massachusetts argues that "we must take this once-in-a-lifetime chance to set conditions that require hydro operators to modernize the way they operate their dams on our rivers. Other topics in the extensive hearing include FERC management and policy, energy policy, recommendations for relicensing in terms of time and cost effectiveness, and general changes to the nuclear power industry.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2001-06-27
• Regional Security Crisis in the Andes: Patterns of State Response

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  In this document, "Dr. Judith Gentleman, outlines some of the detail and implications of the regional security crisis in the Andes and makes recommendations for U.S. civil-military involvement in the hemispheric security arena. She argues for the United States to lead in the articulation of strategic objectives, while designing a defensible and feasible policy that critical elements in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and Japan can understand and support. She specifically argues for the U.S. military to build stronger and more cooperative security relationships within the circle of affected states around Colombia. […]Colombia is a paradigm of the failing state that has enormous implications for American foreign policy and the adaptation of U.S. air and landpower to the hemispheric threat environment. The instability, corruption, displacement of people, and violence generated by Colombia's unholy trinity of narcotics traffickers, insurgents, and paramilitaries are spilling over into virtually all of northern South America and Panama. Thus, the stability and political sovereignty of the region are being compromised. And, at the same time, progress toward achieving the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the economic integration of the Western Hemisphere by 2005 are being severely threatened."

  United States. Government Printing Office

  Gentleman, Judith A.

  2001-07
• Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 3983, Maritime Transportation Antiterrorism Act of 2002

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  From the Summary: "H.R. 3983 would establish a federal program to protect U.S. ports from terrorism. In addition, the bill would authorize the appropriation of $75 million for each of fiscal years 2003 through 2005 for grants to help port facilities implement antiterrorism efforts. Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing H.R. 3983 would cost $240 million over the 2003-2007 period and $3 million a year thereafter. Most of the funds that would be spent through 2007 would be used to implement the grant provisions of the legislation. Other than a new grant program, most of the activities mandated by the legislation are currently being carried out under the Coast Guard's existing authority. H.R. 3983 could increase federal receipts by establishing new civil penalties; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would apply to the legislation. CBO estimates, however, that any such increase would be less than $500,000 annually. H.R. 3983 contains both intergovernmental and private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). Because of uncertainties about which ports, facilities, and vessels would be affected and how certain regulations and performance standards would be implemented, CBO cannot determine whether the costs of all of the mandates contained in H.R. 3983 would exceed the thresholds established by UMRA ($58 million for intergovernmental mandates and $115 million for private-sector mandates in 2002, adjusted annually for inflation). The bill also would authorize appropriations for grants to help port facilities to implement antiterrorism efforts."

  United States. Congressional Budget Office

  2002-04-11