Constitution: government and the state Books

Book SynopsisChapter 1 assesses (1) the status of the Army''s near- and long-term modernisation efforts; and (2) the extent to which the Army has applied. Chapter 2 addresses the Army''s progress in: (1) establishing Army Futures Command, and (2) developing its near-term and long-term modernisation strategies. Chapter 3 reports on Army readiness, skills shortages, equipment maintenance and modernisation, acquisition, training, force structure. Chapter 4 assesses the extent to which the Air Force (1) had aircraft maintainer staffing gaps, (2) experienced attrition of maintainers and took steps to help retain maintainers, and (3) met its annual technical school completion rate goals for maintainers. Chapter 5 describes (1) how DOD currently facilitates public access to proceedings; (2) challenges the public faces in gaining access to or obtaining information on proceedings; and (3) what is known about potential options to address public access challenges, including any related trade-offs.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the Congressional Research Service on National Defense during the month of April.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of May, grouped according to the topic: Government Operations.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of May, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Health Care Retirement Security Tax Policy and Administration

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Book SynopsisWhistleblowing is "the act of reporting waste, fraud, abuse and corruption in a lawful manner to those who can correct the wrongdoing." Safeguarding confidentiality to the maximum extent possible is essential for encouraging whistleblowers to report wrongdoing without fear of reprisal. This book discusses the practices and programs that protect whistleblowers.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of May, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Agriculture Energy Science and Technology Space

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Book SynopsisThe Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made limited progress toward addressing information technology (IT) system modernization challenges. Chapter 1 begins by examining IT because it is so important to everything VA does. From delivering timely care to veterans, to ensuring that medical records follow the patient, to making benefit decisions accurately, modern IT systems are essential. Chapter 2 summarizes key results and recommendations for the VA IT systems modernization efforts, FITARA implementation, and cybersecurity efforts. VA provides health care services to almost 9 million veterans and their families and relies on its health information system-VistA-to do so. Chapter 3 summarizes preliminary observations regarding costs incurred for the system and related activities during the last 3 fiscal years; key components that comprise VistA and are to be replaced; and actions VA has taken to prepare for its transition to the Cerner system. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 included provisions that VA and DOD jointly develop and implement electronic health record systems or capabilities and accelerate the exchange of health care information. The act also required that these systems be compliant with applicable interoperability standards as reported in chapter 4. Chapter 5 determined VA''s efforts to modernize VistA, including key contractors, contract costs, and expected contractor activities and VA''s current plans for modernizing VistA and the progress that has been achieved to date. Chapter 6 summarizes VA''s history of efforts to modernize VistA, including past use of contractors, and the department''s recent effort to acquire a commercial electronic health record system to replace VistA. In September 2014, GAO reported on the Department of Veterans Affairs'' (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (Family Caregiver Program) and found that the program office had limitations with its information technology (IT) system-the Caregiver Application Tracker (CAT). Chapter 7 examines how VHA is implementing the Family Caregiver Program.

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Book SynopsisThere are 14 U.S. territories, or possessions, five of which are inhabited: Puerto Rico (PR), Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), American Samoa (AS), and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). These inhabited territories, like U.S. states in some cases, borrow through financial markets. For each U.S. territory, Chapter 1 updates trends in public debt, its composition, and drivers; trends in revenue and its composition, and overall financial condition; and what is known about the ability to repay public debt. Each of these inhabited territories has a local tax system with features that help determine each territory's local public finances. Chapter 2 summarizes U.S. tax policy related to the territories, including a general discussion of how federal taxes apply to territorial residents and how federal law affects the different territorial tax systems in similar or different ways. When the ICA was enacted in 1940, Congress determined that it would be problematically costly for the SEC to travel to and inspect investment companies located beyond the continental United States in U.S. territories, such as, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As a result, mutual funds organized in those locales were exempted from the ICA and were not required to register with the SEC. As reported in Chapter 3, several legislative proposals would change this territorial exemption from the ICA. Participation in Medicaid is voluntary, though all states, the District of Columbia (DC), and the territories (i.e., American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands [CNMI], Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) choose to participate. The territories operate Medicaid programs under rules that differ from those applicable to the 50 states and DC. These rules are discussed in chapter 4. Chapter 5 describes the factors that contributed to Puerto Rico's financial condition and levels of debt and federal actions that could address these factors. Small businesses play an important role in the U.S. and Puerto Rican economies. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 99 percent (about 44,000) of the businesses in Puerto Rico are small. Chapter 6 examined trends in small business contracting and the use of SBA programs in Puerto Rico that provide contracting preferences to small businesses and stakeholder views on any challenges that small businesses in Puerto Rico face in obtaining federal contracting opportunities. The United States took control of the Northern Mariana Islands from Japan during the latter part of World War II. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands' (CNMI) inflation-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) has grown each year since 2012, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Chapter 7 discusses recent trends in the CNMI economy and preliminary observations about the number of approved CW-1 permits and characteristics of permit holders, drawn from GAO's ongoing work. The 1976 covenant defining the political relationship between the CNMI and the United States exempted the CNMI-a U.S. territory north of Guam-from certain federal immigration laws. Chapter 8 discusses DHS's implementation of selected CNRA provisions regarding foreign workers, among others, in the CNMI and its discretionary parole authority under the INA as applied in the CNMI. GAO In September 2017, two major hurricanes-Irma and Maria-struck the USVI, causing billions of dollars in damage to its infrastructure, housing, and economy. Chapter 9 describes the status of FEMA's Public Assistance program funding provided to the USVI in response to the 2017 hurricanes as of October 1, 2018, and the USVI's transition to implementing the Public Assistance alternative procedures in the territory. Chapter 10 provides an overview of economic and fiscal conditions in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI).Table of ContentsPrefaceU.S. Territories: Public Debt Outlook -- 2019 UpdateTax Policy and U.S. Territories: Overview and Issues for CongressLegislation to Lift the Investment Company Act Exemption for Funds Based in U.S. TerritoriesMedicaid Funding for the TerritoriesPuerto Rico: Factors Contributing to the Debt Crisis and Potential Federal Actions to Address ThemPuerto Rico: Information on Trends and Challenges to Small Business Federal ContractingCommonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Recent Economic Trends and Preliminary Observations on Workforce Data (Statement of David Gootnick)Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: DHS Implementation of U.S. Immigration Laws (Statement of David Gootnick)U.S. Virgin Islands Recovery: Status of FEMA Public Assistance Funding and ImplementationEconomic and Fiscal Conditions in the U.S. Virgin IslandsIndex.

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Book SynopsisThis book reviews VA benefits and services. The information included pertains to all members of the armed forces, including members of the National Guard and Reserve Components. Chapter 1 contains information on eligibility, how to apply for benefits, key links and resources, and all the details about VA benefits. Chapter 2 describes employment assistance programs offered by several federal agencies to assist veterans in their transition from the military to the civilian labor force and examines, in greater detail, the SBA''s veteran business development programs, the SBA''s efforts to assist veterans'' access to capital and the SBA''s veteran contracting programs. Chapter 3 discusses three types of housing assistance - the loan guaranty program, direct loan programs, and Specially Adapted Housing program - their origins, how they operate, and how they are funded. Chapter 4 reports on the revisions to the loan guaranty program. As reported in chapter 5, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment for veterans (VR&E) is an entitlement program that provides job training and other employment-related services to veterans with service-connected disabilities. Chapter 7 surveys the legal issues surrounding the treatment of veterans'' benefits in bankruptcy.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of June, grouped according to the topic: Homeland Security.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of June, grouped according to the topic: National Defense.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of May, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Agriculture Environment

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of May, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Education Space

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of May, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Government Operations International Affairs

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Agriculture and Food Business Regulation and Consumer Protection Transportation

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Health Care Government Operations Telecommunications

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Government Operations Health Care Homeland Security

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Homeland Security Information Security National Defense

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Financial Markets and Institutions; Government Operations; National Defense.Table of ContentsFinancial Markets and Institutions; Financial Technology: Agencies Should Provide Clarification on Lenders' Use of Alternative Data Government Operations; Federal Construction: Army Corps of Engineers and GSA Need to Improve Data on Contract Changes; Federal Rulemaking: Selected Agencies Should Clearly Communicate Practices Associated with Identity Information in the Public Comment Process National Defense; Defense Logistics Agency: Small Businesses Participate in Reverse Engineering of Spare Parts; Depot Maintenance: DOD Should Adopt a Metric That Provides Quality Information on Funded Unfinished Work.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Education; Employment; Transportation.Table of ContentsEDUCATION -- Federal Student Loans: Education Needs to Verify Borrowers Information for Income-Driven Repayment Plans; K-12 Education: Certain Groups of Students Attend Alternative Schools in Greater Proportions Than They Do Other Schools. EMPLOYMENT -- Human Capital: Improving Federal Recruiting and Hiring Efforts. TRANSPORTATION -- Positive Train Control: As Implementation Progresses, Focus Turns to the Complexities of Achieving System Interoperability; Rail Transit: Federal Transit Administration Could Improve Information on Estimating Project Costs.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Equal Opportunity; Natural Resources and Environment.Table of ContentsEQUAL OPPORTUNITY -- Equal Employment Opportunity: DHS Could Better Address Challenges to Ensuring EEO in Its Workforce. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT -- Chemical Innovation: Technologies for Making Products and Processes More Sustainable; EPA Advisory Committees: Improvements Needed for the Member Appointment Process; Water Resources Projects: Army Corps of Engineers Can Further Enhance Acceleration of Feasibility Studies.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a comprehensive compilation of all reports, testimony, correspondence and other publications issued by the GAO (Government Accountability Office) during the month of July, grouped according to topics. This book is focused on the following topics: Homeland Security; International Affairs; Government Operations.Table of ContentsHOMELAND SECURITY -- Emergency Management: FEMAs Disaster Recovery Efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; Disaster Assistance: FEMA Has Taken Steps toward Better Supporting Individuals Who Are Older or Have Disabilities. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS -- Foreign Assistance: Federal Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines Incorporate Most but Not All Leading Practices; Nuclear Security: The International Atomic Energy Agency Could Improve Priority Setting, Performance Measures, and Funding Stabilization. GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS -- Compacts of Free Association: Trust Funds for Micronesia and the Marshall Islands Are Unlikely to Fully Replace Expiring U.S. Annual Grant Assistance.

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Book SynopsisCongress's contempt power is the means by which Congress responds to certain acts that in its view obstruct the legislative process. Chapter 1 examines the source of the contempt power, reviews the historical development of the early case law, outlines the statutory and common law basis for Congress's contempt power, and analyzes the procedures associated with inherent contempt, criminal contempt, and the civil enforcement of subpoenas. It also includes a detailed discussion of two recent information access disputes that led to the approval of contempt citations in the House against then-White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, as well as Attorney General Eric Holder. Congress gathers much of the information necessary to oversee the implementation of existing laws or to evaluate whether new laws are necessary from the executive branch. While executive branch officials comply with most congressional requests for information, there are times when the executive branch chooses to resist disclosure. When Congress finds an inquiry blocked by the withholding of information by the executive branch, or where the traditional process of negotiation and accommodation is inappropriate or unavailing, a subpoena-either for testimony or documents-may be used to compel compliance with congressional demands as reported in chapter2. As reported in chapter 3, the Committee on the Judiciary (''the Committee'') is currently engaged in an investigation into alleged obstruction of justice, public corruption, and other abuses of power by President Donald Trump, his associates, and members of his Administration. Few provisions in the U.S. Constitution grant the President an authority as free from legislative constraint as the Pardon Clause. While the pardon power has been wielded in numerous instances throughout American history, there is limited case law interpreting it. This lack of judicial guidance has beget various unsettled legal questions concerning the pardon power's scope and breadth. For instance, whether the President may issue a self-pardon has been the subject of conflicting views and debate as discussed in chapter 4. Chapter 5 examines the broad constitutional authority of Congress to establish and shape the federal bureaucracy. Congress may use its Article I lawmaking powers to create federal agencies and individual offices within those agencies, design agencies' basic structures and operations, and prescribe, subject to certain constitutional limitations, how those holding agency offices are appointed and removed. Congress also may enumerate the powers, duties, and functions to be exercised by agencies, as well as directly counteract, through later legislation, certain agency actions implementing delegated authority. The Trump Administration has recently questioned the legal validity of numerous investigative demands made by House committees. These objections have been based on various grounds, but two specific arguments will be addressed in chapter 6. First, the President and other Administration officials have contended that certain committee demands lack a valid "legislative purpose" and therefore do not fall within Congress's investigative authority. Second, the President has made a more generalized claim that his advisers cannot be made to testify before Congress, even in the face of a committee subpoena. House Democrats have introduced a resolution that, if approved by the House, would formally "censure and condemn" President Trump for disparaging comments on immigration issues he allegedly made during a meeting with Members of Congress. Chapter 7 will discuss examples of congressional censure of the President before addressing its constitutional validity. Under the U.S. Constitution, the House of Representatives has the power to formally charge a federal officer with wrongdoing, a process known as impeachment. The House impeachment process generally proceeds in three phases: (1) initiation of the impeachment process; (2) Judiciary Committee investigation, hearings, and markup of articles of impeachment; and (3) full House consideration of the articles of impeachment. Chapter 8 provides an overview of the procedures and should not be treated or cited as an authority on congressional proceedings.Table of ContentsPrefaceCongresss Contempt Power and the Enforcement of Congressional Subpoenas: Law, History, Practice, and ProcedureCongressional Subpoenas: Enforcing Executive Branch ComplianceResolution Recommending That The House Of Representatives Find William P. Barr, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, In Contempt Of Congress For Refusal To Comply With A Subpoena Duly Issued By The Committee On The JudiciaryCan the President Pardon Contempt of Court? Probably Yes.Congresss Authority to Influence and Control Executive Branch AgenciesLegislative Purpose and Adviser Immunity in Congressional InvestigationsThe Constitutionality of Censuring the PresidentThe Impeachment Process in the House of RepresentativesIndex.

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Book SynopsisAn independent establishment of the executive branch, U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is required to provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to the public. While USPS is to be self-sustaining, it lost about $78 billion from fiscal years 2007 through 2019 due primarily to declining mail volume, increased employee compensation and benefit costs, and increased unfunded liabilities and debt. To address these challenges, USPS has taken a variety of actions such as providing increased self-service options and reducing facility hours. This book looks at the current actions needed for sustainability, nonpostal offerings and same day delivery.

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Book SynopsisChapter 1 examines the Trump administration's care for unaccompanied children in government custody and the impact of administration policies on the health and wellbeing of children. Chapter 2 describes failures in HHS's processes to ensure the safety of children in the care of the federal government and safeguard $32,125,779 in taxpayer funds. The Office of Refugee Resettlement's (ORR) grant announcements solicit care providers for unaccompanied children. Chapter 3 examines (1) how ORR considers state licensing issues and past performance in its review of grant applications; (2) state licensing agencies' oversight of ORR grantees, and how ORR and states share information; and (3) how ORR addresses grantee noncompliance. Legislation on unauthorized childhood arrivals dates to 2001. Most measures on unauthorized childhood arrivals that have seen legislative action have proposed mechanisms for eligible individuals to become lawful permanent residents (LPRs), typically through a two-stage process. Chapter 4 considers House and Senate measures on unauthorized childhood arrivals that have seen legislative action, focusing in particular on legislation considered in the 115th and 116th Congresses. It also discusses the related Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative and DACA-related data.Table of ContentsPreface; Protecting Unaccompanied Children: The Ongoing Impacts of the Trump Administrations Cruel Policies; Oversight of HHS Shelter Grants for Unaccompanied Alien Children; Unaccompanied Children: Actions Needed to Improve Grant Application Reviews and Oversight of Care Facilities; Unauthorized Childhood Arrivals, DACA, and Related Legislation; Index.

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Book SynopsisThe new millennium has been ushered in by an astonishing sequence of events in the US: the Florida election with a new president who actually lost the popular vote. A Senate divided exactly 50/50 and a House in turmoil as well. The importance of Congress in such a period of turbulence cannot be overstated. This outstanding new book brings clarity to the organisation and functioning of the Congress of the US.

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Book SynopsisThe Senate''s procedures are determined not only by its standing rules, but also by its standing orders, published precedents, committee rules, and informal practices. Constitutional mandates and rule-making statutes also impose procedural requirements on the Senate, and rules of Senate party conferences can sometimes affect committee and floor action. Parliamentary reference sources set forth the text of these authorities or provide information about how and when they govern different parliamentary situations. This book discusses the coverage, format, and availability of three types of Senate parliamentary reference sources: official sources such as the Senate Manual and Riddick''s Senate Procedure; publications of committees and offices of the Senate; and rules of party conferences. The book also reviews some key principles of Senate parliamentary procedure that bear on appropriate use of these sources. Summaries and appendices provide citations to print and electronic versions, and list related Congressional Research Service (CRS) products. The Senate sets forth its chief procedural authorities in the Senate Manual, a new edition of which appears periodically as a Senate Document and is distributed to Senators'' and committee offices. Among these authorities, the Senate also publishes its Standing Rules as a separate document, and the Constitution is available in an annotated edition prepared by CRS. The Manual also contains more specialised authorities, such as permanent standing orders, rules for impeachment trials, and a manual of procedures related to House-Senate conferences. Other Senate procedural authorities include Riddick''s Senate Procedure, last published in 1992 but with online updates, which offers a topically ordered digest of precedents interpreting Senate procedures and standard forms for procedural action. The Senate also often regulates itself through orders entered by unanimous consent, either as standing orders or for the consideration of individual measures; these can often most readily be found in the Congressional Record. Some statutes contain "rule-making" provisions that act as procedural authorities, though no Senate source compiles all of them. Each committee adopts its own written rules, which are published in the Record and compiled, in each Congress, in Authority and Rules of Senate Committees, a print of the Committee on Rules and Administration. Other Senate committee prints, which provide supporting information on elements of Senate procedure, include Budget Process Law Annotated, the Senate Cloture Rule, and Treaties and Other International Agreements. The parliamentarians in both chambers have prepared concise summary documents on procedure in the legislative process. In the Senate, currently only the Republican Conference appears to have adopted written rules.

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Book SynopsisThis year marks the 10th anniversary of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Congressional oversight of rulemaking using the CRA can be an important and useful tool for monitoring the regulatory process and balancing and accommodating the concerns of American citizens and businesses with the effects of federal agencies'' rules. This statement provides an overview of the purpose and provisions of CRA; GAO''s role and activities in fulfilling its responsibilities under the Act; and trends on CRA within the broader context of developments in presidential and congressional oversight of federal agencies'' rulemaking.

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Book SynopsisThe ''''state secrets privilege'''' is a common law rule of evidence that the Federal Government can invoke to prevent materials from being publicly disclosed in civil court proceedings, if the Government establishes that such disclosure would harm the Nation. In the early 1970s, Congress considered including a state secrets provision in the Federal Rules of Evidence, but it ultimately decided not to include any privileges. Although numerous laws govern the handling of classified documents and other information that may implicate state secrets in specific contexts, the state secrets privilege has never been codified in statute

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Book SynopsisThis book explores today''s wireless technologies which are essential in supporting Federal agency missions crucial to the nation and enabling commercial and non-Federal public safety operations that support economic growth and safeguard lives and property. As changing government missions increase demands for mobility and agility, and private sector uses continue to expand, the spectrum''s role as a critical asset intensifies. To ensure that United States'' spectrum policy for the 21st Century continues to harness fully the power of the airwaves to meet Federal mission requirements and to enhance prosperity, President George W. Bush established the Spectrum Policy Initiative (Presidential Initiative) in 2003. As this book discusses, the goal is a U.S. spectrum policy for the 21st Century that will foster economic growth, ensure our national and homeland security, maintain U.S. global leadership in communications technology and services and satisfy other vital U.S. needs in areas such as public safety, scientific research, Federal transportation infrastructure, and law enforcement.

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Book SynopsisThis book explores the history of the Senate''s role in choosing members of the cabinet in a new presidential administration. While some drafters of the Constitution believed the Senate''s role would be minimal, others said the Senate would play a large role. The role the Senate has played in the nomination process has depended, in part, upon the relationship between the President and the Senate. Nonetheless, while there have been many controversies over nominations, the vast majority of nominees eventually make it through the process and are confirmed. The Senate has also developed or adapted practices to deal with the confirmation process, none of which are explicitly contain in the Senate rules, but all of which have been adhered to and recognised by the chamber at one time or another. This book consists of public domain documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

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Book SynopsisThe State of the Union address is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year. Formerly known as the "Annual Message", the State of the Union address originates in the Constitution. As part of the system of checks and balances, Article II, Section 3, clause 1 mandates that the President "shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." In recent decades, the President has expanded his State of the Union audience, addressing the speech to both the nation and Members of Congress. This book discusses the tradition, function, and policy implications of the State of the Union address. It also discusses special order speeches and other forms of non-legislative debate in the house; one-minute speeches; morning hour debates; and the constitutional background and recent developments of the speech or debate clause.

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Book SynopsisThe federal government is the largest buyer of goods and services in the world, and executive branch agencies, particularly the Department of Defense, make most of these purchases. Many (although not all) acquisitions by executive branch agencies are subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which can make FAR a topic of interest to members and committees of Congress and their staff. In particular, members, committees, and staff may find themselves (1) considering or drafting legislation that would amend FAR to save money, promote transparency, or further other public policies; (2) conducting oversight of executive agencies'' performance in procuring goods and services; and (3) responding to questions from constituents regarding executive branch procurement activities. This book provides background and analyses of FAR and the standards and policies for federal acquisition workforce training.

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Book SynopsisSmart disclosure involves providing consumers access to data in user friendly electronic formats, in order to fuel the creation of products and tools that benefit consumers, including tools that will help them make important marketplace decisions. While the Federal Government has promoted access to data for consumers for some time, the growth of the Internet as both a centre of commerce and a source of information has made more effective and interactive data access possible. Smart disclosure has received increasing attention in recent years as a distinct policy approach that draws on digital technology, and the approach has begun to gain significant momentum. Agencies across the Federal Government have begun to use smart disclosure in a variety of areas, including health, education, energy, finance, public safety, and more. Smart disclosure empowers consumers to make better-informed decisions when facing complex marketplace choices. Whether consumers are searching for colleges, health insurance, credit cards, airline flights, or energy providers, it can be difficult for consumers to identify the product or service that best suits a particular need. In some cases, the effort required to sift through all of the available information is so large that consumers default to decision making based on inadequate information. As a result, they may overpay, miss out on a product better suited to their needs, or be surprised by fees. This book summarises the Federal Government''s efforts in the smart disclosure domain. It also provides recommendations for expanding the use of smart disclosure and promoting effective smart disclosure policies across the Federal Government.

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Book SynopsisFederal agencies (excluding the U.S. Postal Service) spend about $3 billion annually to acquire, operate, and maintain about 450,000 civilian and non-tactical military vehicles. Agencies may lease or buy vehicles from GSA, which also issues requirements and guidance on fleet management. In recent years, Congress and the President have raised concerns about the size and cost of federal agencies'' fleets. In 2011, the President directed agencies to determine their optimal fleet inventories and set targets for achieving these inventories by 2015 with the goal of a more cost-effective fleet. This book discusses the notion of adopting leading practices and how they could improve management of federal vehicle fleets; overall increase in number of vehicle masts that some agencies decreased their fleets; and strategies needed to address aging delivery fleet.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the most recent developments, analysis and research concerning taxation in the United States. Topics discussed in this compilation include the potential federal tax implications of United States v. Windsor; effects of a carbon tax on the economy and the environment; the distribution of major tax expenditures in the individual income tax system; corporate income tax; and appraised values on tax returns.

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Book SynopsisThe Constitution empowers, and the Copyright Act conveys, a system of exclusive rights for authors, for the benefit of their livelihoods, the livelihoods of other actors in the chain of commerce, and the overall public good. To protect and promote these rights, the law has always included a corresponding set of enforcement provisions allowing copyright owners to redress the unauthorised use of their works. While infringement is nothing new when it comes to the world of creative works, there is no question that it has proliferated with the ascendance of digital culture and the unprecedented desire for content. Today it is not only easy to make unauthorized copies, but to do so at virtually no cost, much to the detriment of authors and the market for their works. This book discusses the remedies for small copyright claims provided by the Graphic Artists Guild, the Association of American Publishers, and American photographic artists.

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Book SynopsisFederal law bars aliens residing without authorisation in the United States from most federal benefits; however, there is a widely held perception that many unauthorised aliens obtain such benefits. The degree to which unauthorised resident aliens should be accorded certain rights and privileges as a result of their residence in the United States, along with the duties owed by such aliens given their presence, remains the subject of debate in Congress. This book focuses on the policy and legislative debate surrounding unauthorised aliens'' access to federal benefits.

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Book SynopsisCongress regularly authorizes and requires administrative agencies to implement and enforce regulatory programs. As such, agencies routinely make decisions about when to promulgate regulations and when to enforce statutory requirements against parties who violate the law. During the 113th Congress, the Obama Administration announced that certain federal agencies would not enforce specific aspects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for a period of time in order to allow the public to further prepare for proper compliance with the law in the future. This has led to numerous questions regarding how courts treat administrative delays of regulatory programs. When can a suit be brought to force the agency to apply the law? It is important to distinguish between two distinct types of agency delays: (1) delays resulting from when an agency fails to meet a statutory deadline for promulgating rules or completing particular adjudications, and (2) affirmative decisions to withhold enforcement of a provision of law on the public at large. This book discusses the general legal principles applied in determining whether administrative delays are reviewable in court in these two different contexts and then address whether the procedures outlined in the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) are applicable to these delays.

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Book SynopsisChild welfare services are intended to prevent the abuse or neglect of children; ensure that children have safe, permanent homes; and promote the well-being of children and their families. As the U.S. Constitution has been interpreted, states bear the primary responsibility for ensuring the welfare of children and their families. At the state level, the child welfare "system" consists of public child protection and child welfare workers, private child welfare and social service workers, state and local judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel. These representatives of various state and local entities assume interrelated roles while carrying out child welfare activities, including investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect; providing services to families to ensure children''s safety in the home; removing children from their homes when that is necessary for their safety; supervising and administering payments for children placed in foster care; ensuring regular case review and permanency planning for children in foster care; helping children leave foster care to permanent families via reunification with parents or, when that is not possible, via adoption or legal guardianship; offering post-permanency services and supports; and helping older children in foster care, and youth who leave care without placement in a permanent family, to transition successfully to adulthood. This book begins with a review of federal appropriations activity in FY2015 as it relates to child welfare programs, including the effect of the automatic spending cuts, known as sequestration. The book provides a short description of each federal child welfare program, including its purpose and recent funding levels. In addition, funds appropriated for the PSSF program support grants to state or tribal highest courts under the Court Improvement Program; grants to regional partnerships to improve the outcomes of children affected by their Child Welfare: Funding for Services Under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act Congressional Research Service 3 parents'' substance abuse; grants to states and territories for monthly caseworker visits of children in foster care; and program-related research, evaluation, training, or technical assistance are also discussed in this book.

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Book SynopsisThe U.S. Treasury market is the deepest and most liquid government securities market in the world. It plays a critical and unique role in the global economy, serving as the primary means of financing the U.S. federal government and acting as a significant investment instrument and hedging vehicle for global investors, among other uses. On October 15, 2014, the market for U.S. Treasury securities, futures, and other closely related financial instruments experienced unusually large price swings, including a very rapid roundtrip during a 12-minute interval. This volatility occurred despite the absence of any particular financial or economic developments that might explain such large moves. Such significant and unexplained volatility in the important U.S. Treasury market called for more substantive analysis. The staff of the Treasury Department, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission worked together to analyse data from the three main trading venues for the Treasury market in the creation of this report. This book provides an overview of the U.S. Treasury market, liquidity, and applicable regulations. It explores the events of October 15, including the two defining traits of the daythe unusually high volatility and round-trip in prices despite the lack of an obvious driver, and the strains in liquidity conditions especially during the event window; discusses the key findings from the analysis of participant-level transaction data, with a particular focus on the period leading up to and including the most volatile period of the day, the 9:33 to 9:45 a.m. ET event window; reviews broad changes to the structure of the Treasury market over the past two decades; and explains the events of October 15 underscore the importance of efforts by the official and private sectors to understand more fully the implications of the 6 evolving Treasury market structure for liquidity, trading and risk management practices, data access, and monitoring and surveillance.

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Book SynopsisThe gross federal debt, which represents the federal government''s total outstanding debt, consists of debt held by the public and debt held in government accounts, also known as intragovernmental debt. Federal government borrowing increases for two primary reasons: (1) budget deficits and (2) investments of any federal government account surpluses in Treasury securities, as required by law. Nearly all of this debt is subject to the statutory limit. Treasury has yet to face a situation in which it was unable to pay its obligations as a result of reaching the debt limit. In the past, the debt limit has always been raised before the debt reached the limit. This book examines the possibility of the federal government reaching its statutory debt limit and not raising it, with a particular focus on government operations. First, the book explains the nature of the federal government''s debt, the processes associated with federal borrowing, and historical events that may influence prospective actions. It also includes an analysis of what could happen if the federal government may no longer issue debt, has exhausted alternative sources of cash, and, therefore, depends on incoming receipts or other sources of funds to provide any cash needed to liquidate federal obligations. A discussion of the effects that prior debt limit impasses have had on the economy is also included. Finally, this book lays out considerations for increasing the debt limit under current policy and what impact fiscal policy could have on the debt limit going forward.

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