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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [website]
This record is the official website of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is a program of the U.S. National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "The mission of the NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability to understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease."
National Institutes of Health (U.S.)
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Medicaid and CHIP: Opportunities Exist to Improve U.S. Insular Area Demographic Data That Could Be Used to Help Determine Federal Funding
"The five largest insular areas of the United States--American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands--receive federal funding through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), joint federal-state programs that finance health care for certain low-income individuals. These programs are administered and funded differently in the insular areas when compared to the states. For example, while states must extend Medicaid eligibility to certain individuals whose incomes are at or below a percentage of the federal poverty level (FPL), the insular areas are not required to cover this population. In addition, under both Medicaid and CHIP, the federal government matches state or local government spending. However, federal law establishes the federal matching rate for expenditures by the insular areas at the lowest rate available to states, while matching rates for the states are determined each year based on a formula that takes into account variations in percapita income in each state. Furthermore, federal Medicaid spending in the insular areas is subject to an annual limit that does not apply to the states."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2009-06-30
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Secretary Napolitano Announces Full Deployment of Radiation Scanning Technology to the Northern Border Ahead of Schedule [November 5, 2009]
"Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the final deployment of non-intrusive scanning equipment to detect radiation emanating from materials used in nuclear devices at all Northern border land ports of entry--a major security milestone completed two months ahead of schedule that reflects Secretary Napolitano's ongoing commitment to strong, layered security at the U.S.-Canada border. 'Securing our Northern border while facilitating legitimate travel and trade requires a strategic combination of technology, personnel and infrastructure,' said Secretary Napolitano. 'This technology enhances our capability to guard against terrorism and criminal threats while expediting border crossings for lawful trade and travel.'"
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Press Office
2009-11-05
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Global War on Terrorism: DOD Needs to More Accurately Capture and Report the Costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Report to Congressional Committees
"Since September 11, 2001, Congress has provided about $808 billion to the Department of Defense (DOD) for the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) in addition to funding in DOD's base budget. Prior GAO reports have found DOD's reported GWOT cost data unreliable and found problems with transparency over certain costs. In response, DOD has made several changes to its cost-reporting procedures. Congress has shown interest in increasing the transparency of DOD's cost reporting and funding requests for GWOT. Under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative, GAO assessed (1) DOD's progress in improving the accuracy and reliability of its GWOT cost reporting, and (2) DOD's methodology for reporting GWOT costs by contingency operation."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2009-03
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Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group Holds Inaugural Stakeholder Forum in New Orleans [November 4, 2009]
"The Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group held the first of five planned stakeholder forums today in New Orleans. The Working Group, co-chaired by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and comprised of the Secretaries and Administrators of approximately 20 departments and agencies, will provide President Obama with recommendations on how to improve long-term disaster recovery with a particular focus on catastrophic disasters. 'We have made great progress rebuilding the Gulf Coast since January--cutting through red tape, expediting public assistance and reinvigorating relationships with state and local governments and the private sector,' said Secretary Napolitano. 'I look forward to working with Secretary Donovan and our partners across the federal government to build on this progress and find new ways to strengthen our disaster recovery programs.'"
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Press Office
2009-11-04
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Readout of Secretary Napolitano's Remarks at the London School of Economics [November 4, 2009]
"Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today delivered remarks to students at the London School of Economics--highlighting the global security issues the international community faces and stressing the shared responsibility to develop innovative responses to these threats. 'In an increasingly networked world, our efforts to combat threats of terrorism rely more than ever on close collaboration with our partners across the globe,' said Secretary Napolitano. 'We are looking to a new generation of security professionals for innovative security strategies to confront a continually evolving array of threats.'"
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Press Office
2009-11-04
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Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General: CBP Needs To Improve the Monitoring of the Cash Collection Process
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security states the following about the contents of this report: "We audited the design and implementation of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's internal controls related to the cash collection process. Specifically, we reviewed U.S. Customs and Border Protection's policies, procedures, and processes for receipting, storing, transporting, recording, and depositing cash collections. […] This report contains three recommendations aimed at improving the monitoring of the cash collection process. The Acting Director, Office of Policy and Planning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection concurred with two, and partially concurred with one recommendation. We have incorporated Customs and Border protection's response to our recommendations in Appendix B."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2009-09
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Department of Homeland Security, Office on Inspector General: Review of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Expenditure Plan
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states the following about the content of this report: "We reviewed the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's expenditure plan as part of our oversight responsibilities to monitor the use of funds provided to the Department of Homeland Security under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The Recovery Act provided $20 million to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to procure and deploy tactical communications equipment and radios. The Recovery Act also requires that the recipients of Recovery Act funds develop an expenditure plan for the use of the funds. Our objective was to determine whether the plan is practical, thorough, and consistent with prudent management principles, such as risk mitigation and management control strategies."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2009-09
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Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General: Evaluation of DHS' Information Security Program for Fiscal Year 2009 (Redacted)
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states the following in regards to this report: "We reviewed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS') information security program and practices to comply with the requirements of the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-347, Sections 301-305). In evaluating DHS' progress in implementing its agency-wide information security program, we reviewed the department's Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M), as well as its certification and accreditation (C&A) processes. We also performed an evaluation of the department's privacy program. Fieldwork was performed at both the program and component levels. The department continues to improve and strengthen its security program. During the past year, DHS developed and implemented the fiscal year (FY) 2009 information security performance plan to enhance its security program, focusing on areas that the department would like to improve upon throughout the year. […] We are making eight recommendations to the Chief Information Officer and Chief Privacy Officer. The department concurred with all of our recommendations and has already begun to take actions to implement them. The department's response is summarized and evaluated in the body of this report and included, in its entirety, as Appendix B."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2009-09
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Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General: Review of Department of Homeland Security's Expenditure Plan: Department Headquarters Consolidation (Letter Report)
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states the following in regards to this "Letter Report" published by Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General: "We reviewed the expenditure plan for the Department of Homeland Security headquarters consolidation as part of our oversight responsibilities to monitor the use of funds provided to the department under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). The Recovery Act provided $200 million Department of Homeland Security toward the ongoing consolidation of the department's headquarters at the St. Elizabeths site. The Recovery Act requires that the recipients of Recovery Act funds develop an expenditure plan for the use of the funds. […] The department generally developed a practical and comprehensive plan to spend its $200 million in Recovery Act funds for the consolidation of its headquarters at the St. Elizabeths site. The department also designed its plan to meet Recovery Act goals. As planned, the department transferred $198.9 in Recovery Act funds to GSA and will use the remaining $1.1 million for site security and construction monitoring. However, the department and GSA do not have a formal interagency agreement to ensure oversight of the Recovery Act funds. In addition, potential issues related to future funding, access, and litigation could delay the implementation of the headquarters consolidation project."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2009-09
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Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General: Effectiveness of the Department of Homeland Security Traveler Redress Inquiry Program (REDACTED)
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states the following in regards to this "Redacted" report: "The Department of Homeland Security's Traveler Redress Inquiry Program is a multiagency effort designed to provide fair and timely redress, or remedy, to travelers who have difficulties with federal government screening and border crossing processes. We evaluated the program's effectiveness in response to a request from U.S. Representative Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. Our objectives were to determine whether the Traveler Redress Inquiry Program is (1) collecting, processing, and safeguarding information as intended; (2) processing responses to individual requests in a timely manner; and (3) accelerating the refinement and correction of erroneous screening information, and contributing to screening process improvements. […] In response to our report, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed plans and taken action that, once fully implemented, will reduce a number of the deficiencies we identified. Although the department concurred with most of our recommendations, a number of its proposed plans focus on solutions that will take more than a year to develop, rather than near-term corrective actions consistent with the pressing nature of the underlying issues. The department concurred with 20 recommendations, concurred in part with 1 recommendation, and did not concur with 3 recommendations."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2009-09
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Defense Production Act: Agencies Lack Policies and Guidance for Use of Key Authorities, Report to Congressional Requesters
"Congress enacted the Defense Production Act of 1950 (DPA) to ensure the availability of industrial resources to meet defense needs. Amendments to the Act allow its use for energy supply, emergency preparedness, and critical infrastructure protection and require agencies to report on foreign offsets, which are incentives to foreign governments to purchase U.S. goods and services. Only Titles I, III, and VII remain in effect. In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Congress directed GAO to review recent agency efforts to implement the DPA. This report examines the extent to which agencies use DPA authorities and assesses agencies' response to reporting requirements on the economic impact of foreign offsets. GAO's work is based on a review of policies and guidance for the use of DPA authorities, instances in which agencies have exercised the authorities, and the analysis used in required reports on foreign offsets. GAO's three recommendations are that agencies develop and implement a priorities and allocations system, consider ratings in advance of emergencies, and that Commerce update regulations to better assess the economic effect of offsets. USDA concurred, while other agencies provided only technical comments. HHS and DOT indicated that they plan to implement our recommendations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2008-06
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Wildlife Strikes to Civil Aircraft in the United States 1990-2008
"The dramatic 'forced landing' of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River on 15 January 2009 after Canada geese were ingested in both engines on the Airbus 320 (National Transportation Safety Board 2009, Marra et al. 2009) dramatically demonstrated to the public at large that bird strikes are a serious aviation safety issue. Historically, this annual report was based on information from a portion of the available data fields contained in the National Wildlife Strike Database (i.e., annual reports from 1994-current). These reports provided summary information on the nature of wildlife strikes in a format that was found useful by the aviation industry. However, the National Wildlife Strike Database was made available by the FAA to the public on April 24, 2009 and interested parties now have the opportunity to query and examine the data independently. It is important to note that wildlife strike reporting is currently voluntary and un-even. Analyses of the database can produce dissimilar comparisons that involve subject matter such as airports and airlines. Future editions of this annual report will explore additional data summaries that involve all fields contained within the National Wildlife Strike Database. There continues to be a need for increased and more detailed reporting of information concerning wildlife strikes. Reported strikes have gradually increased each year since 1990 yet only 44% have provided information on the type of bird struck and only 28% of the reports identified the birds to species level."
United States. Federal Aviation Administration; United States. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Dolbeer, Richard A.; Wright, Sandra E.; Weller, John
2009-09
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Dragon's Claws: the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) as a Weapon of Strategic Influence
From the thesis abstract: "A maritime threat scenario, analytical models, and simulations are used to measure risk to a port given various levels of resource and intelligence. The scenario starts with intelligence that a large commercial ship arriving to a Pacific Coast Port within a 96-hour window poses a security risk. Intelligence further limits the set of threat ships to a subset of all traffic entering a specific port. A limited number of Maritime Operational Threat Response (MOTR) forces are available to detect, classify, and intercept the threat ship before it reaches port. In the first scenario, all ships are boarded before entering port, and impact is measured by delay of ships into port. In the other scenarios, intercept ships are routed to suspect ships and risk measured by the fraction of suspect ships that proceed to port unboarded because of lack of MOTR and surveillance assets. The results show current Coast Guard force structure is not sufficient to protect the Pacific Coast Ports against unspecific security threats without additional assets from the MOTR stakeholders or increased intelligence to limit the target set."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Martin, James Kennedy
2009-03
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Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General: The United States Coast Guard's Program for Identifying High Interest Vessels
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states the following in regards to the content of this report: "In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, the U.S. Coast Guard established the High Interest Vessel Program as part of a larger, multifaceted effort to improve its ability to identify and respond to vessels, cargoes, and crews that might pose security risks to the United States. The purpose of our review was to determine whether improvements can be made to the application and oversight of the risk-based scoring matrix used by Coast Guard Sectors to identify high interest vessels that could pose security risks to the United States. […] We made three recommendations to the Coast Guard to improve the application and oversight of the scoring matrix process for identifying high risk vessels. In response to our report, the Coast Guard concurred with our recommendations. We have incorporated the Coast Guard's response to our recommendations in Appendix B."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2009-09
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Readout of Secretary Napolitano's Visit to New Orleans [October 16, 2009]
"Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday joined President Obama, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley in New Orleans to see Hurricanes Katrina and Rita recovery efforts firsthand--her third visit to the Gulf Coast since January."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Press Office
2009-10-16
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President Obama Announces $3.4 Billion Investment to Spur Transition to Smart Energy Grid [October 27, 2009]
"Speaking at Florida Power and Light's (FPL) DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, President Barack Obama today [October 27, 2009] announced the largest single energy grid modernization investment in U.S. history, funding a broad range of technologies that will spur the nation's transition to a smarter, stronger, more efficient and reliable electric system. The end result will promote energy-saving choices for consumers, increase efficiency, and foster the growth of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. The $3.4 billion in Smart Grid Investment Grant awards are part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, and will be matched by industry funding for a total public-private investment worth over $8 billion. Applicants state that the projects will create tens of thousands of jobs, and consumers in 49 states will benefit from these investments in a stronger, more reliable grid." The announcement also includes some of the aspects of the investment and their expected effect.
United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary
2009-10-27
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Statement by the President on the Anniversary of the Attack on the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon [October 23, 2009]
"We pay tribute on this day [October 23, 2009] to the courage and sacrifice of those whose lives were lost in the Beirut attack, as well as their families and loved ones. We also wish to honor the brave service of all members of the United States military who are protecting Americans and promoting freedom and security around the world, as well as those international peacekeepers who serve in harm's way."
United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary
2009-10-23
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Statements by DHS Secretary Napolitano and HUD Secretary Donovan on Today's Disaster Recovery Stakeholder Forum in New York [November 10, 2009]
"The Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group today held its second of five planned stakeholder forums in New York, designed to encourage stakeholders to provide direct input and ideas for disaster recovery. The Working Group - co-chaired by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan - is a high-level, strategic initiative that will recommend future improvements and help inform and develop a National Disaster Recovery Framework to provide operational guidance for recovery organizations."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Press Office
2009-11-10
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Sentinel Audit V: Status of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Case Management System
"The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is performing audits of the Sentinel project at the request of the FBI Director and congressional appropriations and oversight committees. This audit is the fifth in a series of audits that the OIG has conducted to evaluate the FBI's progress in developing and implementing Sentinel. In our fourth audit, we reported that the FBI resolved most of the concerns we had identified in our first three Sentinel audits. However, in our fourth audit we identified the following areas that we believed warranted continued monitoring: identification of the data that will be stored in Sentinel, the data collection process, identification of the paper forms that will be replaced with electronic forms, and identification of the statistics that will be stored in Sentinel and how those statistics will be collected. The objectives of this current audit, the fifth in our ongoing review of Sentinel's progress, were to: evaluate the FBI's implementation of Phase 2 of the Sentinel project, including the project's cost, schedule, and performance; and assess the FBI's progress in resolving concerns identified in the OIG's previous Sentinel audits. Future OIG audits will continue to examine the progress of Sentinel over its remaining phases and assess whether Sentinel's cost, schedule, performance, and technical benchmarks are being met."
United States. Department of Justice. Office of the Inspector General
2009-11
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President Obama Announces New Small Business Lending Initiatives [October 21, 2009]
"President Barack Obama will visit a small business in Maryland this afternoon [October 21, 2009] where he will announce new lending initiatives to shore up lending for America's small businesses. Since the financial crisis began, small businesses have faced a perfect storm: the pulling back of lending by banks, deterioration in the value of real estate that they often rely on for collateral and weakened sales. The Obama Administration is committed to using all of our available tools to help small businesses access capital, create jobs and support a durable economic recovery."
United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary
2009-10-21
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Sensitive Security Information (SSI): Designation, Markings, and Control: Resource Document for Transit Agencies
"This guidance document addresses sensitive security information (SSI) for transit agencies. SSI is information about security, operations, facilities, or other assets or capital projects whose disclosure would be detrimental to the security of transit employees or customers. By law, transit agencies are required to categorize and protect SSI. Protecting SSI means restricting its distribution and controlling access to it. By law, SSI is not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) or state 'Sunshine Laws.' It is also not available under discovery in civil litigation, and it is not required to be part of the record in a federal rulemaking. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has based the guidance in this document on the regulations in 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 15 and 1520. Its purpose is to help transit agencies prevent the unauthorized disclosure or dissemination of SSI while preserving the public's 'right to know' about transit systems and operations. Transit agencies can use this guidance as a resource in developing policies and procedures for identifying, marking, and handling SSI in order to control access to it. To the extent practical, agencies should integrate the designation, marking, and handling of SSI into their existing security procedures."
United States. Federal Transit Administration
2009-03
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Prepared Remarks by Secretary Napolitano on Immigration Reform at the Center for American Progress [November 13, 2009]
This Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Press Release presents Secretary Janet Napolitano's prepared remarks on "Immigration Reform" given at the Center for American Progress in Washington D.C. In her speech, the Secretary focused on how DHS is working to reform the immigration system: "Like the Administration's other priorities, when it comes to immigration, we are addressing a status quo that is simply unacceptable. Everybody recognizes that our current system isn't working and that our immigration laws need to change. America's businesses, workers, and faith-based organizations are calling for reform. Law enforcement and government at every level are asking for reform. And at the Department of Homeland Security, we need reform to do our job of enforcing the law and keeping our country secure. Over the past ten months, we've worked to improve immigration enforcement and border security within the current legal framework. But the more work we do, the more it becomes clear that the laws themselves need to be reformed. Let me be clear: when I talk about 'immigration reform,' I'm referring to what I call the 'three-legged stool' that includes a commitment to serious and effective enforcement, improved legal flows for families and workers, and a firm but fair way to deal with those who are already here. That's the way that this problem has to be solved, because we need all three aspects to build a successful system. This approach has at its heart the conviction that we must demand responsibility and accountability from everyone involved in the system: immigrants, employers and government. And that begins with fair, reliable enforcement."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Press Office
2009-11-13
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Recovery Through Retrofit
"Making American homes and buildings more energy efficient presents an unprecedented opportunity for communities throughout the country. The Recovery Through Retrofit Report builds on investments made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) to expand the home energy efficiency and retrofit market. Home retrofits can potentially help people earn money, as home retrofit workers, while also helping them save money, by lowering their utility bills. By encouraging nationwide weatherization of homes, workers of all skill levels will be trained, engaged, and will participate in ramping up a national home retrofit market. There are almost 130 million homes in this country. Combined, they generate more than 20 percent of our nation's carbon dioxide emissions, making them a significant contributor to global climate change. Existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce home energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually by the year 2020. Furthermore, home energy efficiency retrofits have the potential to reduce home energy bills by $21 billion annually, paying for themselves over time. By implementing Recovery Through Retrofit's recommendations, the Federal Government will lay the groundwork for a self-sustaining home energy efficiency retrofit industry. This Report provides a roadmap of how the Federal Government can use existing authorities and funds to unlock private capital and mobilize our communities."
United States. Executive Office of the President; United States. Office of the Vice President
2009-10
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President Obama and Local Residents Discuss Rebuilding and Recovery in New Orleans [October 15, 2009]
On his sixth trip to New Orleans since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, President Barack Obama today [October 15, 2009] visited the Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School and held a town hall event to hear directly from the people of Louisiana. President Obama discussed both the progress made in the region and the challenges that remain. In his first public event in New Orleans, President Obama also spent time answering questions from everyday people. Underscoring his strong commitment to Gulf Coast rebuilding and recovery, members of President Obama's Administration including Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley each participated in events throughout the community to review recovery progress."
United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary
2009-10-15
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Statement by the Press Secretary on H.R. 3663 [October 13, 2009]
On "October, 13, 2009, the President signed into law: H.R. 3663, which delays from October 1, 2009, to January 1, 2010, the requirement for pharmacies that supply durable medical equipment under Medicare to meet certain accreditation requirements."
United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary
2009-10-13
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Mobile Forensic Reference Materials: A Methodology and Reification
"This report concerns the theoretical and practical issues with automatically populating mobile devices with reference test data for use as reference materials in validation of forensic tools. It describes an application and data set developed to populate identity modules and highlights subtleties involved in the process. Intriguing results attained by recent versions of commonly-used forensic tools when used to recover the populated data are also discussed. The results indicate that reference materials can be used to identify a variety of inaccuracies that exist in present-day forensic tools."
National Institute of Standards and Technology (U.S.)
Jansen, Wayne A.; Delaitre, Aurelien
2009-10
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Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General: Improvements to Internal Controls for FEMA's Individuals and Households Program Registration Process (Redacted)
The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security states the following about the contents of this publication: "This report addresses the strengths and weaknesses of internal controls to the registration process for individual and housing assistance provided to disaster victims, which are managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Processing Service Centers. […]The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made significant improvements to the Individuals and Households Program (IHP) disaster assistance registration approval process, but more could be done to better utilize the additional information FEMA is obtaining from outside sources. For the 2008 disasters we examined, FEMA has been obtaining information to validate assertions concerning (1) identity, (2) occupancy, and (3) ownership made by all IHP registrants. FEMA also established a standard policy that will authorize IHP payments only after an inspector meets with the IHP registrant, inspects the damaged property, reviews documentation provided by the registrant, and provides a report to FEMA."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2009-09
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Investigations and Prosecutions in States Authorizing the Medical Use of Marijuana
"This memorandum provides clarification and guidance to federal prosecutors in States that have enacted laws authorizing the medical use of marijuana. These laws vary in their substantive provisions and in the extent of state regulatory oversight, both among the enacting States and among local jurisdictions within those States. Rather than developing different guidelines for every possible variant of state and local law, this memorandum provides uniform guidance to focus federal investigations and prosecutions in these States on core federal enforcement priorities."
United States. Department of Justice
2009-10-19
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Clock Is Ticking: A Progress Report on America's Preparedness to Prevent Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism
The U.S. Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism has published this progress report on WMD preparedness in the U.S. as a follow-up to its 2008 report entitled 'World at Risk'. This new report suggests that the U.S. has still not prepared itself enough for the threat of a WMD attack in the country. "The United States is failing to address its most urgent threat-biological proliferation and terrorism-concluded a report issued today by the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. The Commission also felt the Obama Administration has given appropriate high-level attention to the nuclear threat but noted the challenges loom large. The Commission cited a range of missteps on biosecurity that lead to its conclusion: No senior-level advocate for biosecurity in the Administration, attempted funding 'raids' on two critical biopreparedness programs, and lack of appropriate disease surveillance. […] The Commission found greater progress in regard to the nuclear threat, noting that 2010 is a critical year for global security and the international nuclear nonproliferation regime. President Barack Obama has made a series of significant speeches related to nuclear nonproliferation, endorsing the thrust of the Commission's recommendations. However, real action is still to come, not only from the United States but also the world community."
Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism (U.S.)
2009-10-21
