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Iraq: DOD Should Increase Visibility and Accountability Over Equipment Provided to Iraq's Security Forces, Statement of Jessica Farb, Director, International Affairs and Trade, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives
"In summary, our review found that DOD [Department of Defense] maintains limited visibility and accountability of ITEF-funded [Iraq Train and Equip Fund] equipment using SCIP [Security Cooperation Information Portal] from acquisition through transfer to the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Specifically, DOD is not ensuring that SCIP is consistently capturing key transportation dates of ITEF-funded equipment. While we did not independently determine the root cause for this issue, DOD officials attributed the lack of key transportation dates to potential interoperability and data reporting issues in SCIP. In addition, we found that DOD cannot fully account for ITEF-funded equipment transfers because of missing or incomplete transfer documentation. We made four recommendations to address these issues."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Farb, Jessica
2017-07-25
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Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) [July 25, 2017]
"The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is authorized by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (NFIA, Title XIII of P.L. 90-448, as amended, 42 U.S.C. §4001 et seq.), and was most recently reauthorized by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (Title II of P.L. 112-141, henceforth BW-12). Congress amended elements of BW-12, but did not extend the NFIP's authorization further in the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-89, henceforth HFIAA). The NFIP is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), through its subcomponent the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (FIMA). As of February 2017, the NFIP had 4.99 million flood insurance policies providing approximately $1.24 trillion in coverage. The program collects about $3.5 billion in annual premium revenue. Nationally, as of April 2017, about 22,249 communities in 56 states and jurisdictions participated in the NFIP. According to FEMA, the program saves the nation an estimated $1.87 billion annually in flood losses avoided because of the NFIP's building and floodplain management regulations. This report provides introductory information on key components of the NFIP, ranging from floodplain mapping to the standard flood insurance forms. This report does not provide detail on current or future legislative issues for Congress. This report will be updated as significant revisions are made to the NFIP through legislation or administrative action. CRS also has a separate report on flood insurance and other federal disaster assistance programs."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Horn, Diane P.; Brown, Jared T.
2017-07-25
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Provisions of Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act of 2017 (ORRA) [July 24, 2017]
"Per the reconciliation instructions in the budget resolution for FY2017 (S.Con.Res. 3), the House passed its reconciliation bill, H.R. 1628--the American Health Care Act (AHCA)--with amendments on May 4, 2017. The House bill was received in the Senate on June 7, 2017, and the next day the Senate majority leader had it placed on the calendar, making it available for floor consideration. The Senate Budget Committee published on its website a 'discussion draft' titled, 'The Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017' (BCRA) on June 22, 2017, and subsequently updated the discussion draft on June 26, July 13, and July 20. The Senate's draft legislation is written in the form of an amendment in the nature of a substitute, meaning that it is intended to be considered by the Senate as an amendment to H.R. 1628, as passed by the House, and that all of the House-passed language would be stricken and the language of the BCRA would be inserted in its place."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mitchell, Allison L.
2017-07-24
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Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy [July 24, 2017]
"The United States, partner countries, and the Afghan government are attempting to reverse recent gains made by the resilient Taliban-led insurgency since the December 2014 transition to a smaller international mission consisting primarily of training and advising the Afghanistan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF). The Afghan government has come under increasing domestic criticism not only for failing to prevent insurgent gains but also for its internal divisions that have spurred the establishment of new political opposition coalitions. In September 2014, the United States brokered a compromise to address a dispute over the 2014 presidential election, but a September 2016 deadline was not met for enacting election reforms and deciding whether to elevate the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) position to a prime ministership. The Afghan government has made some measurable progress in reducing corruption and implementing its budgetary and other commitments. It has adopted measures that would enable it to proceed with new parliamentary elections, but no election date has been set."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth; Thomas, Clayton (Analyst in Middle Eastern Affairs)
2017-07-24
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Iran Sanctions [July 24, 2017]
"The multilateral nuclear accord (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) provides Iran broad relief from U.S., U.N., and multilateral sanctions on Iran's civilian economic sectors. On January 16, 2016, upon the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certification that Iran had complied with the stipulated nuclear dismantlement commitments, U.S. Administration waivers of relevant sanctions laws took effect, relevant Executive Orders (E.O.s) were revoked, and corresponding U.N. and EU sanctions were lifted ('Implementation Day'). Remaining in place have been those secondary sanctions (sanctions on foreign firms) that have been imposed because of Iran's support for terrorism, its human rights abuses, its interference in specified countries in the region, and its missile and advanced conventional weapons programs, as well as sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and designated commanders, subunits, and affiliates. A general ban on U.S. trade with and investment in Iran, including regulations barring transactions between U.S. and Iranian banks, remains in place. Under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, most U.N. sanctions terminated as of Implementation Day, but some U.N. restrictions on Iran's development of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and its importation or exportation of arms remain in place for several years."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Katzman, Kenneth
2017-07-24
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Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS): OECD Tax Proposals [July 24, 2017]
"Base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) are 'tax-avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations.' For example, countries worldwide can experience reduced tax collections through various mechanisms that firms use to shift corporate profits out of higher tax jurisdictions into lower tax jurisdictions and other mechanisms that reduce interest, dividend, and royalty taxes. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has been engaged in an ongoing project to reduce BEPS. In October 2015, the OECD published its final list of 15 BEPS action items to equip governments with measures to address tax avoidance (although some updated or additional material has been provided). Some of these proposals can be (or have been) implemented in the United States and in other countries through administrative actions, and others would require legislative action. Some would require modifications of international tax treaties. U.S. multinational firms will be affected not only by actions taken by the United States but also by actions undertaken by other countries. The OECD framework was adopted by the G-20 Finance Ministers in February 2016."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gravelle, Jane
2017-07-24
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Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States [July 24, 2017]
"Carbon capture and sequestration (or storage)-known as CCS-is a process that involves capturing man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) at its source and storing it to avoid its release to the atmosphere. (CCS is sometimes referred to as CCUS-carbon capture, utilization, and storage.) CCS could reduce the amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants and other large industrial facilities. An integrated CCS system would include three main steps: [1] capturing and separating CO2 from other gases; [2] purifying, compressing, and transporting the captured CO2 to the sequestration site; and [3] injecting the CO2 in underground geological reservoirs (the process is explained more fully below in 'CCS Primer'). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has long supported research and development (R&D) on CCS within its Fossil Energy Research and Development portfolio (FER&D); however, the Trump Administration proposed to cut FER&D funding substantially in its FY2018 budget request. The Trump Administration's proposal differs from the policy trends of the previous two Administrations, which supported R&D on CCS and emphasized the development of large-scale demonstration projects-nearly first-of-their-kind ventures using technologies developed at a pilot or smaller scale that have been ramped up to commercial scale-to evaluate how CCS might be deployed commercially. The Trump Administration's proposal to curtail funding for CCS, coupled with the successful launch of one large CCS plant in January 2017 (the Petra Nova plant in Texas) and the suspension of another in June 2017 (the Kemper County Energy Facility in Mississippi), has contributed to uncertainty about the future of CCS. This report provides a summary and analysis of the current state of CCS in the United States."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Folger, Peter (Peter Franklin)
2017-07-24
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FEMA Should Disallow $2.04 Billion Approved for New Orleans Infrastructure Repairs
From the Highlights: "The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the City of New Orleans (City) and the Sewer & Water Board of New Orleans (S&W Board) $785 million to repair damages to infrastructure. FEMA approved an additional $1.25 billion to the City and the S&W Board to complete infrastructure repairs. [...] FEMA should disallow $2.04 billion--the initial award of $785 million, plus the additional $1.25 billion award."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2017-07-24
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Gulf Coast Restoration: RESTORE Act and Related Efforts [July 24, 2017]
"The Gulf of Mexico coastal region (Gulf Coast) stretches over the shoreline areas of five U.S. states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. The coastal environment has been altered over time due to changes in hydrology, loss of barrier islands and coastal wetland habitat, issues associated with low water quality, human development, and natural processes, among other things. The federal government has addressed these changes through ecosystem restoration activities in the region over the past few decades. Major restoration projects led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been implemented. Significant state and local efforts to restore the Gulf Coast have also been undertaken, in some cases in consultation with the federal government."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Ramseur, Jonathan L.; Stern, Charles V.
2017-07-24
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CBO Cost Estimate for the Russia, Iran, and North Korea Sanctions Act (G:\P\15\MISC\SANCTIONS.XML), Draft Legislation Posted to the House of Representatives Website on 7/21/2017
This CBO [Congressional Budget Office] cost estimate for the Russia, Iran, and North Korea Sanctions Act primarily consists of a table of the ten fiscal years from 2017 to 2027, and breaks out estimate revenues, estimated budget authority, estimated outlays, and estimated net budget effect by millions of dollars, by fiscal year. The table also tracks increases in revenue, increases in direct spending, and decreases in deficits over the period of time from 2017 to 2027.
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-07-24
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First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor [July 24, 2017]
"The House of Representatives follows a well-established routine on the opening day of a new Congress. The proceedings include electing and swearing in the Speaker, swearing in Members, electing and swearing in House administrative officers, and adopting rules of procedure and various administrative resolutions. Resolutions assigning some or many Members to committees may also be adopted. The House must take these actions at the beginning of each new Congress because it is not a continuing body. Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution sets a term of office for Members of the House at two years. Thus, one House ends at the conclusion of each two-year Congress, and the newly elected Representatives must constitute a new House at the beginning of a new Congress."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Schneider, Judy; Koempel, Michael L.
2017-07-24
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Comparison of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) [July 23, 2017]
"Per the reconciliation instructions in the budget resolution for FY2017 (S.Con.Res. 3), the House passed its reconciliation bill, H.R. 1628-the American Health Care Act (AHCA)-with amendments on May 4, 2017. The House bill was received in the Senate on June 7, 2017, and the next day the Senate majority leader had it placed on the calendar, making it available for floor consideration. The Senate Budget Committee published on its website a 'discussion draft' titled, 'The Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017' (BCRA) on June 22, subsequently updated the discussion draft on June 26, again on July 13, and again on July 20. The Senate's draft legislation is written in the form of an amendment in the nature of a substitute, meaning that it is intended to be considered by the Senate as an amendment to H.R. 1628, as passed by the House, but that all of the House-passed language would be stricken and the language of the BCRA would be inserted in its place."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Mach, Annie L.
2017-07-23
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FEMA Daily Operations Briefings, July 23 - 29, 2017
"This document is a compilation of all the FEMA Daily Operations Briefings from July 23 - 29, 2017. The FEMA Daily Operations Briefing provides an overview of the current emergency management situation nationwide and includes a summary of current significant events, weather activity, recent emergency declarations and projections for the coming week."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency
2017-07-23
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Cybersecurity Considerations for Institutions of Higher Education
From the Background: "The ability to securely connect to virtual systems is an important element within a safe and supportive learning environment. This is particularly the case within institutions of higher education (IHEs), where students are increasingly learning in digital formats; faculty, staff, and visitors are constantly accessing and sharing information online; and more infrastructure and facility functions are being managed online. To maintain their collaborative culture, colleges and universities house robust information technology (IT) networks and multilayered infrastructure systems with varied levels of access and connectivity. Unfortunately, this open environment has made IHEs around the world targets in 2017 cyber attacks, including WannaCry (U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team [US-CERT], May 2017) and Petya (U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team, July 2017), two ransomware attacks that reinforced the need for increased higher ed cybersecurity planning, education, and training."
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (U.S.)
2017-07-22?
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Evaluation of Department of Defense Efforts to Build Counterterrorism and Stability Operations Capacity of Foreign Military Forces with Section 1206/2282 Funding
"Our objective was to determine whether the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Train and Equip Program, created pursuant to Public Law 109-163, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, Section 1206 (2006), as amended, henceforth 'Section 1206,' effectively managed and enhanced partner-nation security-force capabilities."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2017-07-21
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 986: Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2017
"H.R. 986 would add tribes to the list of entities that are excluded from the definition of 'employer' for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act. Through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the National Labor Relations Act protects the rights of most private-sector employees to form a union and to bargain collectively. Adding tribes to the list of excluded employers would treat them similarly to state and local governments. Currently, the NLRB generally asserts jurisdiction over the commercial enterprises owned and operated by Indian tribes, even if they are located on a tribal reservation. However, the NLRB does not assert jurisdiction over tribal enterprises that carry out traditional tribal or governmental functions. Enacting H.R. 986 would not significantly affect the workload of the NLRB and thus would have no effect on the federal budget. Because enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 986 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-07-21
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 772: AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2017
"S. 772 would reauthorize the AMBER alert grant program and extend grant eligibility to Indian tribes. The AMBER alert program is a partnership among law enforcement agencies, transportation agencies, and communication providers to provide alerts on child abduction cases. Under current law, that funding is only available to states. The bill would authorize the appropriation of $10 million in 2018--$5 million for AMBER alert grants and an additional $5 million for the Department of Justice to carry out activities related to integrating state, regional, and tribal communication plans and developing new technologies to improve AMBER alert communications. Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing the bill would cost $10 million over the 2018-2022 period. In previous years no funds have been appropriated for those efforts. Enacting S. 772 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 772 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-07-21
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Congressional Budget Office Estimate for House Rules Committee Print 115-30--The Make America Secure Appropriations Act, 2018
"CBO [Congressional Budget Office] calculates that if the Make America Secure Appropriations Act, 2018, were enacted in its current form, the amount of discretionary budget authority provided in that legislation for defense programs for fiscal year 2018 would exceed its limit by approximately $65 billion and therefore would require a sequestration. However, the authority to determine whether a sequestration is required, and, if so, how to make the necessary cuts in budget authority, rests with OMB [Office of Management and Budget]."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-07-21
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Defense Transportation: DOD Has Taken Actions to Address Hazardous Material Transportation Issues but It Is Too Soon to Evaluate the Effectiveness of These Efforts, Report to Congressinal Committees
"Commercial carriers transport over 3 billion tons of HAZMAT [Hazardous Materials] in commerce in the United States each year, transporting an estimated 1 million HAZMAT shipments per day. DOD relies heavily on commercial carriers to transport HAZMAT, using them to transport about 90 percent of the department's HAZMAT shipments. DOD uses the TPS program to transport certain sensitive materials including ammunition and classified materials that follow more stringent safety and security standards. House Report 113-446 accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 directed DOD to report on the root causes of improper documentation and packaging of HAZMAT; the extent to which TPS is used for materials that could be transported using less costly means; and any needed corrective actions and a plan, with milestones, to address them. The House report also included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review DOD's report. DOD issued its report in September 2015. This report examines the extent to which DOD (1) identified the root causes of improper documentation and packaging of HAZMAT shipments and any corrective actions taken since the report's issuance and (2) reported on the department's use of TPS carriers to transport shipments that could have been safely and securely transported using less costly alternatives. GAO examined DOD's HAZMAT data and found the data it examined sufficiently reliable for the purposes of the review. DOD reviewed a draft of this report and did not have any comments."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2017-07-21
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 1029: Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2017
"H.R. 1029 would modify the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the law that regulates the distribution, sale, and use of pesticides. Under FIFRA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to evaluate the safety of new pesticides entering the market (known as pesticide registration) by conducting risk assessments and must periodically re-evaluate the health and environmental effects of pesticides (known as reregistration). The EPA charges fees to pesticide manufacturers and distributors to cover the agency's costs of performing those registration and reregistration activities. The act would extend the agency's authority to charge those fees--currently set to expire in 2018--and also would increase the total amount of fees that the agency is allowed to charge. CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that the collection of additional fees would be offset by additional spending, resulting in no significant net effect on direct spending, or spending subject to appropriation, over the 2018-2027 period. Because enacting H.R. 1029 would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues. CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1029 would not increase net direct spending or on budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. H.R. 1029 would impose intergovernmental and private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). CBO estimates that the cost of those mandates would fall below the annual thresholds for intergovernmental and private-sector mandates established in UMRA ($78 million and $156 million in 2017, respectively, adjusted annually for inflation)."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-07-21
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 793: Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act of 2017
"S. 793 would prohibit the sale, transport, possession, and purchase of shark fins and products containing shark fins. Violators of this prohibition would be subject to a civil penalty pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The bill also would allow for the lawful possession of shark fins obtained via a state, territorial, or federal license or permit if the shark fin is destroyed or discarded, used for noncommercial purposes, or used for display or research purposes by a museum, college, university, or any permitted researcher. The prohibition in the bill would not apply to Mustelus canis (smooth dogfish) or Squalus acanthias (spiny dogfish). Because S. 793 would prohibit the sale and purchase of shark fins, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that revenues from customs duties collected on imported shark fin products would decline. CBO also estimates that penalty collections resulting from violations of the bill's prohibitions would increase revenues. Therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. However, based on information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and from states that ban the possession of shark fins, CBO estimates that the net effect of those revenue changes would not be significant in any year or over the 2018-2027 period. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending. CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not significantly increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. S. 793 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-07-21
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 1447: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2017
"S. 1447 would authorize the appropriation of $100 million annually through 2022 for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide grants for projects and state programs that reduce emissions from diesel engines. The bill also would require the EPA to provide guidance to states about technical differences in vehicles, engines, equipment, and vehicle fleets. Finally, the bill would specify that any funds not claimed by states for diesel programs be reallocated for projects that retrofit vehicles. Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing S. 1447 would cost $480 million over the 2018-2022 period. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. CBO estimates that enacting S. 1447 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028. S. 1447 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
2017-07-21
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Farm Bill Programs Without a Budget Baseline Beyond FY2018 [July 21, 2017]
"The 2014 farm bill (the Agricultural Act of 2014, P.L. 113-79) provided mandatory funding for many programs. Some of these programs have a budget baseline beyond the end of the farm bill in FY2018, while others do not. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline is a projection at a particular point in time of what future federal spending on mandatory programs would be under current law. This baseline is the benchmark against which proposed changes in law are measured. This report identifies mandatory programs in the 2014 farm bill that lack a budget baseline and explains the significance of this for enacting a successor to the current farm bill."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Monke, Jim
2017-07-21
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Reform of U.S. International Taxation: Alternatives [July 21, 2017]
"The increasingly global scope of U.S. business has a variety of dimensions. In trade, the overall level of exports plus imports has risen steadily and substantially in recent decades, increasing from 16% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 1976 to 29% of GDP in 2016. Cross-border investment is growing even more dramatically. In 1976, the ratio of U.S. private assets abroad to GDP was 0.20; by year-end 2016 the ratio was 1.42."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Gravelle, Jane
2017-07-21
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H. Rept. 115-239: Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, 2018, Report Together with Minority Views, to Accompany H.R. 3355, July 21, 2017
From the Overview: "The fiscal year 2018 President's budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reflects major policy changes for how it secures the border and enforces immigration laws inside the United States. Despite these policy shifts, the objective for DHS remains the same--to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards. The fiscal year 2018 request proposes $50,794,385,000 in total discretionary funds for DHS, of which $1,906,213,000 is classified as budget function 050 (defense) funding and of which $48,888,172,000 is classified as non-defense funding, of which $6,793,000,000 is disaster relief."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2017-07-21
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MMWR: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, July 21, 2017
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 articles: "Racial and Ethnic Differences in Homicides of Adult Women and the Role of Intimate Partner Violence -- United States, 2003-2014"; "Surveillance for Silicosis Deaths Among Persons Aged 15-44 Years -- United States, 1999-2015"; "Progress Toward Measles Elimination -- Bangladesh, 2000-2016"; "Notes from the Field: Cluster of Acute Flaccid Myelitis in Five Pediatric Patients -- Maricopa County, Arizona, 2016"; "Notes from the Field: Cronobacter sakazakii Infection Associated with Feeding Extrinsically Contaminated Expressed Human Milk to a Premature Infant -- Pennsylvania, 2016"; "Notes from the Field: Hospital Contact Investigation for a Patient Who Developed a Zoster Vaccine-Related Rash -- Maryland, February 2015"; "Announcement: Community Preventive Services Task Force Recommendations for Multicomponent Interventions to Increase Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Cancer Screening"; "Erratum: Vol. 66, No. 23"; and "QuickStats: Percentage of Office-Based Primary Care Physicians Accepting New Patients, by Source of Payment Accepted -- National Electronic Health Records Survey, 2015." Notifiable Diseases and Mortality Tables from this issue can be accessed at the following link [https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index2017.html]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
2017-07-21
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 1096: Maritime Administration Authorization and Enhancement Act for Fiscal Year 2018
"S. 1096 would reauthorize programs administered by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), which operates the United States Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) and oversees the nation's merchant marine--the civilian mariners and fleet of U.S. vessels engaged primarily in waterborne commerce. The bill would provide mandatory funding for the USMMA to continue to operate in the event of a lapse of discretionary appropriations to MARAD. S. 1096 also would provide contract authority--a mandatory form of budget authority--for MARAD to pursue certain projects on the basis of agreements with nonfederal entities that commit to making future donations to the agency."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2017-07-21
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Executive Order 13806: Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States
"A healthy manufacturing and defense industrial base and resilient supply chains are essential to the economic strength and national security of the United States. The ability of the United States to maintain readiness, and to surge in response to an emergency, directly relates to the capacity, capabilities, and resiliency of our manufacturing and defense industrial base and supply chains. Modern supply chains, however, are often long and the ability of the United States to manufacture or obtain goods critical to national security could be hampered by an inability to obtain various essential components, which themselves may not be directly related to national security. Thus, the United States must maintain a manufacturing and defense industrial base and supply chains capable of manufacturing or supplying those items. The loss of more than 60,000 American factories, key companies, and almost 5 million manufacturing jobs since 2000 threatens to undermine the capacity and capabilities of United States manufacturers to meet national defense requirements and raises concerns about the health of the manufacturing and defense industrial base. The loss of additional companies, factories, or elements of supply chains could impair domestic capacity to create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore capabilities essential for national security. As the manufacturing capacity and defense industrial base of the United States have been weakened by the loss of factories and manufacturing jobs, so too have workforce skills important to national defense. This creates a need for strategic and swift action in creating education and workforce development programs and policies that support job growth in manufacturing and the defense industrial base. Strategic support for a vibrant domestic manufacturing sector, a vibrant defense industrial base, and resilient supply chains is therefore a significant national priority. A comprehensive evaluation of the defense industrial base and supply chains, with input from multiple executive departments and agencies (agencies), will provide a necessary assessment of our current strengths and weaknesses."
United States. Office of the Federal Register
Trump, Donald, 1946-
2017-07-21
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Privacy Compliance Review of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
From the Background: "On October 7, 2016, the DHS Office of lnspector General (OIG) issued report OIG-17-01, 'USSS [U.S. Secret Service] Faces Challenges Protecting Sensitive Case Management Systems and Data' that included a recommendation that the DHS Privacy Office 'conduct a systemic review with recommendations for ensuring USSS compliance with DHS privacy requirements.' The DHS Privacy Office (PRIV) launched a Privacy Compliance Review (PCR) on December 2, 2016, based on the OIG recommendation that focused on USSS privacy compliance and privacy practices dating from September 1, 2015. [...] The DHS Privacy Office recognizes USSS Privacy Office staffing shortages and significant changes in information technology systems that were underway during our review. We recognize the resources needed to implement the OIG's recommendations and support USSS Privacy Office efforts to implement those that improve their privacy posture. This report attempts to discuss the situation at the time of review, while adhering to the roles and responsibilities of a well-functioning component privacy office that understands and plans for strategic information management and technology changes. USSS senior leadership should consider the findings in this report as a call to take seriously the needs of the USSS Privacy Office, including the correct and prompt staffing, resourcing, and empowerment of it."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2017-07-21
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Nuclear Weapons Sustainment: Budget Estimates Report Contains More Information than in Prior Fiscal Years, but Transparency Can Be Improved, Report to Congressional Committees
"DOD [Department of Defense] and DOE [Department of Energy] are undertaking an extensive effort to sustain and modernize aging U.S. nuclear weapons capabilities. This effort is expected to take decades and cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Section 1043 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, as amended, requires submission of an annual report to congressional committees on DOD's and DOE's plans for related matters and includes a provision that GAO review aspects of that joint report. GAO [Government Accountability Office] has previously recommended that future joint reports provide more thorough documentation of methodologies and context for significant changes from year to year. GAO assessed the extent to which the fiscal year 2017 joint report provides (1) budget estimates that are consistent with the departments' internal funding and modernization plans and (2) complete and transparent information on the methodology used to develop the estimates. GAO analyzed the departments' internal plans and budget estimates for sustaining and modernizing the nuclear deterrent and interviewed DOD and DOE officials. GAO recommends that DOD (1) improve the completeness and transparency of future joint reports, for example by explaining how it selects nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) program elements, and (2) provide additional context in the report to identify any significant changes to the Air Force's estimates from the prior year and the reasons for such changes. DOD agreed with GAO's recommendations. GAO did not make any new recommendations to DOE."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2017-07-20
