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Guantánamo Bay: Accessing Detainee Medical Records as Part of Military Commissions' Proceedings, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Since 2002, the U.S. has operated military detention facilities at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay (NSGB) Cuba. Military commissions' proceedings were first established in 2001 to try non-U.S. citizens who aided, abetted, or conspired to commit acts of terrorism against the U.S. However, detainee defense teams have cited concerns about the completeness of detainee medical records and their timely access to them as part of military commissions' proceedings. These defense claims have been disputed by the prosecution. House Report 116-120 included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to examine the policies at NSGB related to detainee medical records and their interaction with the military commissions' process. This reports describes (1) federal law and DOD's policies and regulations governing the access to detainee medical records; (2) DOD's process for making detainee medical records available; and (3) DOD's efforts to decrease the classification of detainees' medical records within the context of military commissions' proceedings. Additionally, GAO has an ongoing review assessing the policies and procedures for providing health care to detainees and challenges associated with providing care."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Lessons from the Coronavirus Pandemic: Leveraging Biotechnology to Tackle Infectious Diseases in India
From the Summary: "The goal of this paper is to provide all stakeholders and the Indian public an overview of the role that advancements in biotechnology can play in strengthening India's public health capacity. While the pandemic offered significant opportunities to the scientific community and private players in India to develop medical countermeasures, this paper only illustrates examples that discuss strategies that were adopted to accelerate the development of diagnostics and vaccines in the country. It further elucidates the challenges, both regulatory and funding, that some stakeholders faced in introducing new diagnostics and vaccines into the market during the pandemic. The paper argues that it is important for India to adopt a systematic approach to sustain the collaborative ecosystem that was cultivated during the pandemic. It further provides a brief assessment of the policies that regulate vaccines and diagnostic kits in India and the scope of enhanced and better implementation in the future. The paper also suggests strategies to maintain a continuous flow of investment to sustain research, streamline the regulatory infrastructure to minimize ambiguities regarding product approvals, and foster multistakeholder collaboration to create a sustainable research and innovation ecosystem that can be leveraged during health emergencies in the future."
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Sharma, Shruti
2022-06
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Revisiting Status Points
From the Introduction: "Criminal history plays a pivotal role in determining an offender's sentencing range under the guidelines. Courts calculate a criminal history score for each offender by assigning one, two, or three points to any qualifying prior sentences. In addition, if the offender committed the instant federal offense while still serving a sentence in another case (for example, while on probation or parole), two more points are added. These additional points, outlined in §4A1.1(d), are commonly referred to as 'status points.' In 2005, the United States Sentencing Commission examined status points as part of a broader analysis of how well the guidelines' criminal history computation predicts recidivism. This report revisits status points with greater focus and examines their application and significance. The report begins by outlining how criminal history is calculated under the guidelines and by reviewing prior Commission research on the association between criminal history and recidivism. The report then examines how many offenders received status points in the last five fiscal years and compares them to offenders who did not receive status points. Next, the report analyzes the rearrest rates for offenders with and without status points who were released from prison or began a term of probation in 2010. Finally, the report considers how much status points contribute to the criminal history score's prediction of rearrest."
United States Sentencing Commission
Kachnowski, Vera M.; Craun, Sarah; Maass, Kevin T.
2022-06
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Re-Envisioning State Cyber Response Capabilities: The Role of Volunteers in Strengthening Our Systems
From the Overview: "There is a widely recognized shortage of skilled cybersecurity talent, especially across government, and the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic have introduced new challenges to both the security and workforce landscapes. Despite an increase of 700,000 cyber personnel in the global labor market over the past year, the demand for this talent pool continues to outpace supply. To address this widening gap in the United States, state governments are finding resourceful ways to leverage and balance the incentives that motivate this community of professionals and simultaneously bolster their security posture in a heightened threat environment. Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio are among the frontrunners in an effort to build teams of volunteers dedicated to conducting cybersecurity assessments and/or incident response activities on systems and networks within their borders. As these models mature, they are revealing the advantages of such a system for public and private sector entities, the volunteers themselves and the states' residents. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of these programs can also inform the adoption of similar solutions around the country to better confront the cyber threat."
National Governors' Association
2022-06
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Stimulus Checks: Direct Payments to Individuals During the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Document: "In 2020 and 2021, IRS and Treasury issued $931 billion in direct payments to individuals to ease financial stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some eligible Americans never received payments. We made recommendations to strengthen Treasury and IRS's outreach and communications efforts for the billions of dollars in similar tax credits IRS administers, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Communications Dependencies Case Study: Nashville 'Christmas Day' Bombing
From the Document: "In the early morning hours of December 25, 2020, residents of downtown Nashville, Tenn., began calling 911 to report the sound of gun shots. When officers arrived, they located a recreational vehicle (RV) parked in front of a commercial communications building playing a pre-recorded message for residents to evacuate the area with a countdown to an explosion. As officers began to evacuate the area, the RV exploded. The explosion caused a fire within the building, as well as flooding on the first and second floors following two water main breaks. According to a source familiar with the incident, it disrupted about 170 public safety answering points (PSAPs) in the immediate and neighboring areas, and as far as Kentucky and Alabama. Telephone, data, and internet outages were seen as far as Atlanta, Ga. [...] The response to this explosion required partnerships from local utility companies, local-level public safety agencies including PSAPs, local and federal law enforcement agencies, multiple communications service providers, local government representatives and county code enforcement, and regional healthcare facilities. [...] The impacted service provider produced much of the voice, data, and internet service in the region. The outage impacted local and regional PSAP operations, impacted hospital communications, civilian communications, and even commercial business operations."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. SAFECOM; National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators
2022-06
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Violent Victimization by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, 2017-2020
From the Document: "During the 4-year aggregate period of 2017 to 2020, the rates of violent victimization were significantly higher for persons age 16 or older who self-identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual than for those who identified as straight, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Persons who identified as lesbian or gay experienced 43.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 16 or older, more than twice the rate among persons who identified as straight (19.0 per 1,000) [...]. Violent victimization includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault. Based on 2017-20 population data from the NCVS, 1.4% of persons age 16 or older self-identified as being lesbian or gay and 0.7% identified as being bisexual. [...] The rate of violent victimization was significantly higher among bisexual persons (129.1 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 16 or older) than lesbian or gay persons (43.5 per 1,000) or persons who identified as straight (19.0 per 1,000) during 2017-20. Persons who identified as 'something else' experienced violent victimization at a higher rate (106.2 per 1,000) than lesbian or gay persons."
United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics; United States. Office of Justice Programs; United States. Department of Justice
Truman, Jennifer L.; Morgan, Rachel E.
2022-06
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Both Supply and Demand for COVID-Related Academic and Social Interventions Are Insufficient to Address the Negative Effects of the Pandemic
From the Document: "The disparate effects of the pandemic on families of different races, ethnicities, and income levels has been well documented. For instance, there were large income gaps in access to adequate technology throughout the pandemic, large racial gaps in parents' fears about COVID [coronavirus disease 2019]-related school safety and willingness to return to school in person, and gaps along racial, ethnic, and income lines in the pandemic's academic impacts on state and other assessments. Not surprisingly, given these disparities, Black parents and parents with low incomes are more likely than other parents to be concerned about their children's well-being now and are more likely to be interested in targeted academic and social interventions. Our new survey data show, however, that they are also less likely to report having access to the interventions they want."
Urban Institute
Polikoff, Morgan; Silver, Daniel
2022-06
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When it Rains, it Pours: Cyber Risk and Financial Conditions
From the Abstract: "We analyze how systemic cyber risk in the wholesale payments network relates to adverse financial conditions. We show that at the onset of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, payment activity increased, became more concentrated, and showed intraday liquidity stress. Cyber vulnerability was elevated in late February and early March 2020, with the potential impact of a cyberattack about 40 percent greater than in the remainder of 2020. Policy interventions to stabilize markets mitigated cyber vulnerability, particularly corresponding to large increases in aggregate reserves. We observe that cyber vulnerability and other financial shocks cannot be treated as uncorrelated risks and policy solutions for cyber security need to be calibrated for adverse financial conditions."
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Eisenbach, Thomas M., 1982-; Kovner, Anna; Lee, Michael Junho
2022-06
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Global Food Security: Coordination of U.S. Assistance Can Be Improved, Report to the Acting Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, House Committee on Appropriations
From the Highlights: "The number of food-insecure people has increased since 2014, and an estimated 768 million people were undernourished in 2020, according to the United Nations. The Global Food Security Act of 2016 required the President to coordinate the development and implementation of a whole-of-government global food security strategy. According to the GFSS [U.S. Government Global Food
Security Strategy], increased interagency engagement is intended to build effective coordination among agencies that contribute to global food security. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review U.S. global food security assistance. This report examines (1) U.S. agency coordination of global food security assistance at the global level and in selected countries; (2) the extent to which U.S. agencies coordinate this assistance in accordance with leading collaboration practices; and (3) U.S. agencies' management of any duplication, overlap, or fragmentation of assistance in the selected countries. GAO reviewed GFSS documents and interviewed representatives of GFSS agencies and other stakeholders, including implementing partners and host governments in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Kenya, and Niger. GAO selected these countries using criteria such as geographic diversity and high levels of U.S. food security funding. [...] GAO is making two recommendations to USAID to ensure all relevant agencies are included in planning and coordination of food security assistance and can readily access information about each other's current and planned assistance. USAID [U.S. Agency for International Development] concurred with both recommendations."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Hanford Cleanup: DOE Has Opportunities to Better Ensure Effective Startup and Sustained Low-Activity Waste Operations, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "DOE [Department of Energy] created the DFLAW [Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste] program to treat part of the least radioactive portion of the 54 million gallons of radioactive liquid waste held in 177 aging and leak-prone underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington State. DOE estimates that the DFLAW program will cost $8.3 billion when complete and begin treating waste in December 2023. DOE is currently in negotiations with the contractor on a possible contract extension for certain DFLAW facilities that may require additional work. Senate Report 116-236 accompanying S. 4049, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review the DFLAW program. Among other things, GAO's report describes the status of facilities needed to start DFLAW operations and examines the challenges DOE faces in starting and sustaining DFLAW operations. GAO reviewed agency documents and DFLAW program data from December 2020 through May 2021; analyzed DOE documents on DFLAW starting and operating challenges and risks, including DOE plans to manage them; and interviewed DOE officials. [...] GAO is making four recommendations, including that DOE ensures that existing challenges and problems in facilities, systems, and components related to DFLAW are resolved by the end of hot commissioning and the start of normal operations. DOE agreed with GAO's recommendations and stated that it is taking steps to implement them by December 31, 2022."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Los Alamos National Laboratory: Contractor Improving in Safety and Other Areas but Still Faces Challenges, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "NNSA [National Nuclear Security Administration] relies heavily on an M&O [management and operating] contractor to carry out complex and dangerous work related to nuclear weapons production at LANL [Los Alamos National Laboratory]. Following substantial operational interruptions due to safety lapses, in 2018, NNSA awarded a new contract to manage and operate LANL to Triad. NNSA made changes to the contract with the intent over 10 years to improve safety performance, realize cost savings, and achieve other benefits. NNSA is now seeking to expand plutonium pit production and other missions at LANL and, in turn, increase the laboratory's workforce. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019 includes a provision for NNSA to report on the costs and benefits of competing any new M&O contract, and for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to issue two associated reviews. This is GAO's second review on NNSA's contract with Triad (for GAO's first review, see GAO-20-292R [hyperlink]). In this review, GAO examines (1) steps Triad has taken to improve safety performance at LANL, and how NNSA and other organizations have assessed these steps; and (2) the extent to which anticipated cost savings and other benefits have been realized under the current contract thus far. GAO reviewed NNSA performance evaluations, policies, and regulations, and interviewed DOE and NNSA officials and Triad representatives."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Export Controls: Enforcement Agencies Should Better Leverage Information to Target Efforts Involving U.S. Universities, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "Over 2 million foreign students and scholars studied at U.S. universities in 2019, in many cases contributing to U.S. research. The U.S. government implements export controls to, among other things, mitigate the risk of foreign students' and scholars' obtaining controlled and sensitive information that could benefit foreign adversaries. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review agencies' efforts to address risks associated with foreign students and scholars who may seek to evade export control regulations. This report examines the extent to which agencies are assessing universities' risk of unauthorized deemed exports to prioritize outreach. GAO reviewed related laws and regulations; analyzed agency data; and interviewed agency officials in Washington, D.C., and 15 U.S. field offices. GAO based its selection of these offices on their proximity to research universities, their geographic dispersion, and other agencies' field office locations. This is a public version of a sensitive report issued in March 2022 that included additional information on (1) challenges agencies face in efforts to enforce export control regulations, particularly for deemed exports at universities, and (2) the extent to which agencies coordinate their efforts and share information. Information that agencies deemed sensitive has been removed. [...] GAO is making eight recommendations to strengthen Commerce's, DHS's, and FBI's ability to prioritize outreach to at-risk universities. All three agencies concurred with the recommendations"
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Business Systems: DOD Needs to Improve Performance Reporting and Cybersecurity and Supply Chain Planning, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "For fiscal year 2022, DOD requested approximately $38.6 billion for its unclassified IT [Information technology] investments. These investments included programs such as communications and command and control systems. They also included major IT business programs, which are intended to help the department carry out key functions, such as financial management and health care. The NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act] for FY 2019 included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to assess selected DOD IT programs annually through March 2023. GAO's objectives for this review were to (1) examine how DOD's portfolio of major IT acquisition business programs has performed; (2) determine the extent to which the department has implemented software development, cybersecurity, and supply chain risk management practices; and (3) describe actions DOD has taken to implement legislative and policy changes that could affect its IT acquisitions. To address these objectives, GAO determined that DOD's major IT business programs were the 25 that DOD reported to the federal IT Dashboard as of December 2021 (The IT Dashboard is a public website that includes information on the performance of IT investments). GAO examined DOD's planned expenditures for these programs from fiscal years 2020 through 2022, as reported in the department's FY 2022 submission to the Dashboard."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Yemen: State and DOD Need Better Information on Civilian Impacts of U.S. Military Support to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "The United Nations has characterized the conflict in Yemen as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The U.S. has long-standing security relationships with Saudi Arabia and UAE [United Arab Emirates]--two primary actors in the conflict--and has continued to provide them military support, including for operations in Yemen since 2015. Public law 116-283 calls for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review U.S. military support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. This report examines the (1) total financial value of military support provided by DOD to Saudi Arabia and UAE in fiscal years 2015-2021, (2) extent to which DOD and State have assessed the use of U.S. military support in Yemen and to which this support contributed to or reduced civilian harm, and (3) extent to which State certifications and a DOD report submitted in response to two congressional mandates were timely and complete."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Water Quality: Agencies Should Take More Actions to Manage Risks from Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "Harmful algal blooms--overgrowths of algae in water bodies--can produce toxins that harm humans and animals. These blooms are an environmental problem in all 50 states, according to EPA. Harmful algal blooms are also associated with some occurrences of hypoxia--depleted oxygen levels in a water body in which most animals cannot survive. Hypoxia can harm fisheries and disrupt ecosystems. Under the act, the interagency working group, with NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] and EPA leadership, is to maintain and enhance a national harmful algal bloom and hypoxia program, develop a comprehensive research plan and action strategy, and submit various reports to Congress. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review federal efforts to manage harmful algal bloom and hypoxia risks. This report examines, among other things, (1) working group efforts to implement a national program; (2) agencies' actions to monitor and forecast harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events; and (3) agencies' actions to help state, local, and tribal governments respond to these events."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Air Force and Navy Aviation: Actions Needed to Address Persistent Sustainment Risks, Report to the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives
From the Highlights: "The Air Force and Navy spend billions of dollars annually to maintain their aircraft. The ability of the Air Force and Navy to complete aircraft maintenance directly affects military readiness, as maintenance delays reduce the time during which aircraft are available for operations and training. House Report 116-442 included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to examine unit-level aviation maintenance. Among other things, this report assesses (1) trends in mission capability rates and related maintenance metrics for selected aircraft since fiscal year 2015 (2) the extent to which the Air Force and Navy have mitigated sustainment risks."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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U.S. Department of Defense Responsible Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Implementation Pathway
From the Executive Summary: "Advancements in AI [artificial intelligence] have demonstrated the ability to transform every sector of modem society. These impacts extend to business. finance, production, and social behaviors. As the DoD embraces Al, it remains focused on the imperative of harnessing this technology in a manner consistent with our national values, shared democratic ideals, and our military's steadfast commitment to lawful and ethical behavior. In May 2021, the Deputy Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum ('RAI [Responsible Artificial Intelligence] Memo') that established and directed the Department's holistic, integrated and disciplined approach to RAI. This RAI Memo introduced the following foundational tenets that serve as priority areas to guide the implementation of RAI across the Department: RAI Governance, Warfighter Trust, AI Product and Acquisition Lifecycle, Requirements Validation, Responsible Al Ecosystem, and Al Workforce. This resulting DoD RAI S&l [Strategy and Implementation] Pathway is organized around the six tenets and identifies lines of effort[.] [...] By leading in military ethics and Al safety. the DoD will earn the trust of our Service members, civilian personnel, and citizens. Our leadership here also encourages RAI development and use globally and strengthens our ability to solve modern defense challenges with allies and partners around the world."
United States. Department of Defense
2022-06
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CTC Sentinel [June 2022]
This June 2022 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) Sentinel features the following article: "CTC [Combating Terrorism Center at West Point]-ICT [International Institute for Counter-Terrorism] Focus on Israel: What Can We Learn from the Spring 2022 Terror Wave in Israel?" by Boaz Ganor. From the Feature Article: "This article first outlines the spate of attacks that took place in Israel in the spring of 2022. It then assesses the driving factors behind the recent wave of attacks and compares it to previous waves of terrorism in Israel. The final section focuses on the often sensationalist and unfiltered coverage of the attacks by Israeli media. Terrorism is designed to terrify, and the way these attacks were reported increased their psychological impact on the Israeli population." Other articles include: "A Trickle, Not a Flood: The Limited 2022 Far-Right Foreign Fighter Mobilization to Ukraine" by Kacper Rekawek; "External Impacts and the Extremism Question in the War in Ukraine: Considerations for Practitioners" by Don Rassler; "Undermining Democracy and Exploiting Clients: The Wagner Group's Nefarious Activities in Africa" by Christopher Faulkner; and "The Rising Threat to Central Africa: The 2021 Transformation of the Islamic State's Congolese Branch" by Tara Candland, Ryan O'Farrell, Laren Poole, and Caleb Weiss.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2022-06
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Congressional Budget Office Analysis: Wildfires
From the Document: "The average annual acreage burned by wildfires in the United States has increased over the past 30 years, affecting both federal and nonfederal lands. In this report, the Congressional Budget Office analyzes trends in wildfire activity; considers the effects of wildfires on the federal budget, the environment, people's health, and the economy; and reviews forest-management practices meant to reduce the likelihood and seriousness of fire-related disasters. These are the major findings from the analysis: [1] About 8 million acres, on average, burned each year in wildfires between 2017 and 2021, more than double the average amount from 1987 to 1991. On average, a fire on federal lands is five times the size of one on nonfederal lands. [2] Average annual federal spending on fire suppression totaled $2.5 billion (in 2020 dollars) between 2016 and 2020. Other federal fire-related spending includes disaster assistance (which totaled $5 billion of obligations for disasters declared over those five years) and some indirect costs (such as spending on health care following smoke exposure and the potential loss of revenues from federal timber sales). [3] Environmental, health-related, and economic effects of wildfires are felt most acutely in the immediate area. Smoke and air pollution from wildfires spread widely and can exacerbate many health conditions. Wildfires also tend to have negative effects on watersheds. [4] Managing forests can reduce the risk and severity of wildfires, according to research. Techniques to do so include setting prescribed fires, managing wildfires in remote areas, and mechanically thinning forests to reduce the density of vegetation and different types of fuel in a forest. The cost to implement those strategies varies by landscape and by treatment required."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2022-06
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Alternatives to Detention: ICE Needs to Better Assess Program Performance and Improve Contract Oversight, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has wide discretion to detain or release individuals of foreign nationality awaiting resolution of their immigration court proceedings, except for individuals subject to mandatory detention. The ATD [Alternatives to Detention] program, which ICE administers through a $2.2 billion contract, uses electronic monitoring and case management to help ensure that individuals enrolled comply with release conditions, such as appearing at immigration court hearings. The explanatory statement accompanying the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review the ATD program. This report examines, among other objectives, (1) what data show about participation in the ATD program, (2) the extent to which ICE has assessed ATD performance, and (3) how ICE manages and oversees the ATD contractor."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Network Infrastructure Security Guide
From the Purpose: "This document was developed in furtherance of NSA's [National Security Agency's] cybersecurity missions. This includes its responsibilities to identify and disseminate threats to National Security Systems, Department of Defense information systems, and the Defense Industrial Base, and to develop and issue cybersecurity specifications and mitigations. This information may be shared broadly to reach all appropriate stakeholders."
United States. National Security Agency
2022-06
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Cyber Insurance: Action Needed to Assess Potential Federal Response to Catastrophic Attacks, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Cyber threats to critical infrastructure represent a significant economic challenge. Although cyber incident costs are paid in part by the private cyber insurance market, growing cyber threats have created uncertainty in this evolving market. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to study cyber risks to U.S. critical infrastructure and available insurance for these risks. This report examines the extent to which (1) cyber risks for critical infrastructure exist; (2) private insurance covers catastrophic cyber losses and TRIP [Terrorism Risk Insurance Program] provides a backstop for such losses; and (3) cognizant federal agencies have assessed a potential federal response for cyberattacks."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2022-06
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Office of Servicemember Affairs Annual Report, January - December 2021
From the Executive Summary: "Since the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) began accepting consumer complaints in July 2011, servicemembers, veterans, and their families have submitted more than 250,000 complaints. [...] Inaccuracies in credit reporting and alleged debts subject to collection pose unique challenges for servicemembers, particularly with respect to how they impact servicemembers' housing, transportation, and security clearance. As our analysis of complaints illustrates, problems with medical billing practices are one of the main drivers of the servicemember complaints about consumer reporting and debt collection. That is particularly problematic given the general expectation that our armed forces will receive full coverage of their medical expenses as a core benefit of their service to our nation. Further exacerbating the risks such inaccuracies can pose, many servicemembers have complained that nationwide consumer reporting companies (NCRCs)failed to adequately respond to disputes and requests for investigation. This report outlines many of the contributing factors to these dynamics and steps that can be taken to address them. The report also provides further evidence of broader problems concerning medical billing and underlines the dangers regarding the coercive way credit reporting systems can be used to the disadvantage of consumers, especially among military families."
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
2022-06
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Demand for a Domestic Offshore Wind Energy Supply Chain
From the Errata: "This report, originally published in March 2022, has been revised in June 2022 to make several minor updates to data included in this report based on feedback from industry experts: [1] We corrected the investment cost of the Prysmian cable facility to $200 million in Table 1. It was previously listed as $900 million, which is the value of the awarded cable contracts for the factory. [2] We updated the specifications for the New Jersey Wind Port in Table 9 with new input from the port designers. This change indicates that wind turbine installation vessels will be capable of accessing the port, which is also reflected in Table 10. [3] We updated the channel depth for the Port of Seattle in Table 11 to above 30 meters, indicating that there are no navigation channel depth limitations for floating wind installation out of this port. [4] We consolidated several types of support vessels in Table 17 and provided a rough estimate of the number of vessels that may be required per project. We also reclassified CTVs [crew transfer vessels], heavy lift vessels, and anchor handling tug supply vessels from a low risk to a moderate risk to the 30 GW [gigawatt] target."
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U.S.)
Shields, Matt; Marsh, Ruth; Stefek, Jeremy . . .
2022-06
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Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021
From the Document: "'Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021' provides the most recent national indicators on school crime and safety. The information presented in this report serves as a reference for policymakers and practitioners so that they can develop effective programs and policies aimed at violence and school crime prevention. [...] This report covers a variety of topics on school crime and safety. It first examines different types of student victimization, including violent deaths and school shootings, nonfatal criminal victimization, and bullying victimization. Then, the report presents data on measures of school conditions--such as discipline problems, gangs, hate-related speech, possession of weapons, and use and availability of illegal drugs--as well as data that reflect student perceptions about their personal safety at school. This report wraps up the discussion on crime and safety issues at the elementary and secondary level by examining the percentages of teachers who reported having been threatened or attacked by their students."
National Center for Education Statistics; United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Irwin, Véronique; Wang, Ke; Cui, Jiashan . . .
2022-06
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COVID-19's Effects on U.S. Immigration and Immigrant Communities, Two Years on
From the Executive Summary: "The first U.S. policy response to the novel coronavirus was to impose restrictions on travel from the initial affected countries. As COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] spread around the world, the U.S. government layered on new immigration-related restrictions on inbound travel, entry at the border, and visa issuance. As new variants of the virus emerged, this trend continued: The U.S. response to the detection of the Omicron variant in late 2021 was to impose new restrictions on immigration and travel from certain southern African nations. In addition to influencing immigration and border policies, the pandemic has had important and disparate impacts on immigrant communities in the United States. The first large community outbreak of the virus occurred in the heavily immigrant neighborhoods of Queens, New York. Immigrant 'essential workers' were hailed as early heroes of the pandemic; as many Americans retreated to their homes, large numbers of workers, immigrants included, had to report to work to keep health care, the food industry, and other vital parts of the economy going. Outbreaks of COVID-19 among immigrant workers in meat processing plants in Spring and Summer 2020 drove home the disproportionate risks of continuing such work during a pandemic."
Migration Policy Institute
Gelatt, Julia; Chishti, Muzaffar
2022-06
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Was Pandemic Fiscal Relief Effective Fiscal Stimulus? Evidence from Aid to State and Local Governments
From the Abstract: "We use an instrumental-variables estimator reliant on variation in congressional representation to analyze the effects of federal aid to state and local governments across all four major pieces of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] response legislation. Through September 2021, we estimate that the federal government allocated $855,000 for each state or local government job-year preserved. Our baseline confidence interval allows us to rule out estimates of less than $433,000. Our estimates of effects on aggregate income and output are centered on zero and imply modest if any spillover effects onto the broader economy. We discuss aspects of the pandemic context, which include the surprising resilience of state and local tax revenues as well as of broader macroeconomic conditions, that may underlie the small employment and stimulative impacts we estimate in comparison with previous research."
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
Clemens, Jeffrey; Hoxie, Philip; Veuger, Stan
2022-06
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Wildland Urban Interface: A Look at Issues and Resolutions: A Report of Recommendations for Elected Officials, Policymakers and All Levels of Government, Tribal and Response Agencies
From the Executive Summary: "'Wildland Urban Interface: A Look at Issues and Resolutions' [was developed] to stimulate action by raising awareness of the crisis that our nation faces related to wildfire in the WUI [wildland urban interface] and lay out a unified, strategic approach to risk reduction at the national, state, regional and local levels. In developing this report, a cross-functional group of stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs) from across the nation convened to identify 33 challenges within 13 key WUI issues and develop recommendations to address each challenge. In total, 112 recommendations are presented. These recommendations address challenges in firefighter health and safety, public health and safety, evacuations, forest and rangeland health and resiliency, climate change, community planning and resiliency, infrastructure and utilities, communication strategy and engagement operations, socioeconomic impacts, recovery, emerging technology, data use and modeling, and risk management in wildland fire. The recommendations should be pursued together, forming a system of strategies that require urgent, sustained and actionable implementations. These recommendations are not quick fixes, but solutions for the long term. Leadership on and commitment to the implementation of these recommendations results in a safer America."
United States. Federal Emergency Management Agency; United States Fire Administration
Karels, Jim
2022-06
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Biden's Border Crisis: Examining Policies That Encourage Illegal Migration
From the Introduction: "The illegal migration crisis at the U.S. southern border presents a grave security threat to the United States and a humanitarian catastrophe for the vulnerable people involved. Illegal migration to the United States has reached astronomical levels since the Biden Administration entered office in January 2021. The sheer number of illegal migrants, combined with the evolving tactics that transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) employ to smuggle and traffic individuals, presents an untenable security and humanitarian situation. Weak U.S. border security and enforcement of immigration laws undermines U.S. efforts to improve the rule of law and humanitarian conditions in the region, takes a mental and physical toll on U.S. law enforcement personnel, and challenges their ability to defend our nation's borders. The prevailing conditions benefit dangerous criminals and expose vulnerable populations to unspeakable dangers and abuse. The Biden Administration's failure to secure our nation's borders is worsening this crisis. Further, it undermines efforts to address inadequate law enforcement as well as asylum processing policies and capabilities in Mexico and the northern Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. This report puts forward concrete ideas to: [1] Establish effective migration controls in the United States; [2] Strengthen border security and migration management capacities in the region; and [3] Target TCOs smuggling and trafficking migrants."
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations
2022-06
