Government Documents in the News

American Heart Month

2012-02-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

Launched in September 2011 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Million Hearts™ is a national initiative that aims to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in the U.S. over the next five years. This public-private partnership, co-led by CDC and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is integrating and amplifying a range of existing heart disease and stroke prevention programs, policies, and activities.

See their website, http://www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/ which includes Current Features, Health Living tips, etc.

Threats to U.S. Coast

2011-09-29T11:26:00.000-07:00

Iran threatened today to invade the U.S. Coast with their naval vessels. The President's office said they were not concerned as Iran lacks this capability. See link below for information on naval capabilities of Iran, from the Senate Armed Services Committee.

http://armed-services.senate.gov/statemnt/2010/04%20April/Burgess%2004-14-10.pdf

Budget Cuts Impact U.S. Census

2011-09-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Congressional budget cuts have eliminated the Cffice of the Census which collates data for the U.S. Statistical Abstract, the most important reference tool for accessing government statistical information since 1887. The Cffice has just published the final, 2012 compendium: see it here: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

The Department of Homeland Security website features events nationwide remembering 9/11 ten years ago.

It also features September as National Preparedness Month via the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

U.S. Postal Service to be Insolvent Next Month

2011-09-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Postal Service is facing financial insolvency. Read about their potential solutions to the problem and possible reduction in mail service in the near future at: http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2011/pr11_lstatement.htm

Campaign Finance

2011-09-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Are your favorite candidates obeying campaign finance laws? The Federal Election Commission is charged with administering and enforcing federal campaign finance laws. See the clickable maps on their site for the Presidential and House and Senate Elections.

Labor Day

2011-09-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

As Labor Day celebrates the contributions of workers to the U.S. economy, the stockmarket is reacting violently to the announcement that there are no new jobs available and unemployment remained high for August, signalling a probable extension to the recession.

Just why does is the stock market so volatile to announcements such as these? For a history of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and how it attempts to regulate the stock market and provide for a steady economy, see http://www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml. The site also discusses how the agency and the investment industry are regulated.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

USA.gov, the U.S. government's official web portal, has a page on Hurricanes - resources to assist you in pre- and post- hurricane situations. It includes links on preparedness, state and local emergency information, and after the storm.

UN In Focus

2011-03-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

The United Nations is serving to provide stability to the many conflicts currently taking place in the world. Their website offers an In Focus section which gives updates on situations worldwide, such as the Winds of change: North Africa & Middle East.

Nuclear Issues in Japan

2011-03-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

The concern about nuclear contamination from the Japanese earthquake continues to worry residents all over the world. For more information on the nuclear reactor accidents in Japan, see: http://search.usa.gov/search?query=nuclear+accidents+in+japan via USA.gov.

Disaster in Japan

2011-03-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

USA.gov is making key links available to citizens concering the disaster in Japan.

Concerned family and friends can contact State Department at 1.888.407.4747 within the U.S. or 1.202.501.4444 outside the U.S.

Links include the U.S. Department of State, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the American Red Cross.

Country Information, Egypt

2011-03-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

The government situation in Egypt has been in the forefront of the news in the past two weeks. For background information on Egypt, including cultural , political and historical information, see the Air University website:
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/mideast/midest12.htm

This site has information from several branches of government, including the U.S. Department of State, pertaining to Egypt.

Libya Sanctions

2011-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

The President has just signed an Executive Order regarding Libya Sanctions. He also he sent a letter to Congress on the matter and issued the following statement:

The Libyan government’s continued violation of human rights, brutalization of its people, and outrageous threats have rightly drawn the strong and broad condemnation of the international community. By any measure, Muammar el-Qaddafi’s government has violated international norms and common decency and must be held accountable. These sanctions therefore target the Qaddafi government, while protecting the assets that belong to the people of Libya....

February is American Heart Month

2011-02-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

February is American Heart Month. Did you know that heart disease is the no. 1 cause of death in the United States? Find out how to prevent heart disease on the National Library of Medicine government website:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartdiseasesprevention.html
The Centers for Disease Control website has information on risk factors associated with heart disease:
http://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm

Egypt's Importance in Energy Production

2011-02-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Energy Information Administration is currently highlighting a report on Egypt's importance in energy production and transferal. http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=EG Information on oil, natural gas, the SUMED pipeline, electricity, and renewables is included. See the included links and sources used for more information.

Winter Weather!

2011-02-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

Oklahoma and other states are about to get hit with another blizzard. Are you prepared? See the link to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s disaster preparedness manual to make sure you are ready, and to apply for disaster funding if the need arises: http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/

Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission

2011-01-31T11:42:00.000-08:00

On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed into law an Act that established the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to "examine the causes, domestic and global, of the current financial and economic crisis in the United States." During the course of its investigation, the ten person bipartisan committee reviewed millions of pages of documents, interviewed more than 700 witnesses, and held 19 days of public hearings in New York, Washington, D.C., and communities across the country that were hit hard by the crisis.

The final report presents the Commission's findings and conclusions and also contains 126 pages of dissenting views. The Commission terminates sixty days following the release of its final report.

The final report is available in PDF format: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/pagedetails.action?packageId=GPO-FCIC

New Leaders in Congress

2011-01-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

The new 112th Congress is in session and has selected it leaders and committee chairs. But who are the new members? See the following link for a pictorial directory of new members of the 112th Congress and brief bios: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-PICTDIR-NEW-112/content-detail.html

Food Bill Aims to Improve Safety

2011-01-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

According to the FDA, the Food Safety Modernization Act lays the foundation for a prevention-based, 21st century food safety system that makes everyone in the global food chain responsible for safety. Other opinions, however, offer that S 510 would allow the government to mandate antibiotics, hormones, slaughterhouse waste, pesticides and GMOs. This would industrialize every farm in the US, eliminate local organic farming, greatly increase global warming from increased use of oil-based products and long-distance delivery of foods, and make food even more unsafe.

Tax Cuts Clearly Explained

2010-12-13T08:23:00.001-08:00

The Obama Whitehouse provides important information on current issues via its Briefing Room and Issues tabs. The Taxes page clearly explains the recent legislation and the principles of the U.S. tax code that impact Americans workers.

U.S. Presence in South Korea

2010-12-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton repeatedly reiterated the U.S. policy to support South Korea, in the recent wake of conflicts between North and South Korea. The U.S. military is upgrading its presence there. See:
http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/12/05/49001-us-army-upgrades-pre-positioned-stocks-in-south-korea/

Finally.. EPA's Proposed Regulations for Limiting Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Medium and Heavy Duty Motor Vehicles

2010-12-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

In the November 30 issue of the Federal Register areproposed regulations for limiting greenhouse gas emissions from medium and heavy duty motor vehicles.. These are promulgated by both the EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is a component of their plan to transition our nation to "...a new generation of clean vehicles."

National Farm-City Week, November 19 - 25

2010-11-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

On November 19, 2010, President Obama issued a proclamation declaring November 19 through November 25, 2010 as National Farm City Week.

"While we gather with family and friends during this time of Thanksgiving, let us celebrate farms of every size that produce the abundance that graces our tables. During National Farm City Week, as the bounty of agriculture moves from America's farms to our tables, we honor all who foster our healthier future."

Speaker of the House

2010-11-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

Following the November elections, the Speaker of the House will now come from the new majority Republican Party. Will current speaker Nancy Pelosi be voted in as minority leader of the House? The vote is uncertain. For information on Ms. Pelosi and other offices of the House, visit the House of Representatives web page or go directly to the speaker’s page.

Detailed Reports Online from the General Accounting Office

2010-11-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

The U.S. General Accounting Office publishes detailed reports on issues via its Reports and Testimonies page. Browse by date, topic, or agency and the past week's reports and testimonies. Topics include budget and spending, education, energy, natural resources, tax policy, etc.

An example of a recent report:
Coal Power Plants: Opportunities Exist for DOE to Provide Better Information on the Maturity of Key Technologies to Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions
GAO-10-675 June 16, 2010

Oklahoma Elections

2010-11-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is election day. Do you know where to vote? See the Polling Place Locator Search to type in your address and find your balloting location.

For more information on state questions and links to information, pro and con, look here: http://www.okpolicy.org/state-ballot-measures-november-2010

Data on Green Jobs by BLS

2010-10-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is responsible for
developing and implementing the collection of new data on green jobs.

They have issued their final definition of what a "green job" is for the purposes of a new program of collecting data about green jobs and the green economy. See Sept. 21 issue of the Federal Register.

The resulting information will be useful for evaluating policy initiatives and the labor market impact of economic activity related to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources.

Midterm Elections 2010

2010-10-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Midterm elections are next week, November 2. For more information turn to the Department of State’s Midterm Elections 2010 page of its Foreign Press Center for in-depth articles on various races, issues, and answers. See also additional links to Background Information, House and Senate Races, and Polls.

African American History at the Library of Congress

2010-10-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

The Library of Congress’ American Memory project features digital collections in almost 20 subject areas. One of these is African American History. Within this find African-American Sheet Music, 1850-1920; Slave Narratives, audio interviews from 1932-1975, where former slaves tell their stories; and the Slave Narratives, Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938, which contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and assembled and microfilmed in 1941 as the seventeen-volume Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States from Interviews with Former Slaves.

Saving Energy This Winter

2010-10-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

The U.S. Department of Energy devotes many pages on its website to renewable energy. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

See the page for consumers on Saving Energy and Money at Home , also the Energy Savers blog. There are numerous categories to view on this page including Winter, Weatherization, Heating, Doors, and Energy Costs.

Saving Energy This Winter

2010-10-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of Energy devotes many pages on its website to renewable energy. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

See the page for consumers on saving energy and money at home , also the Energy Savers blog. There are numerous categories to view on this page including Winter, Weatherization, Heating, Doors, and Energy Costs.

NASA Aids Chilean Miners

2010-10-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today it was announced that engineers expect to rescue on Wednesday the 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped over 2000 feet underground since early August. The team of engineers has been assisted by NASA engineers who have been assisting in the creation of special cylinder cages to reach the trapped men.

See the feature page for articles and live reports on the assistance NASA has provided, based on techniques they have developed in the space program.

Protecting Cyberspace

2010-10-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Senate bill 3480 is the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010. The legislation would modernize efforts to safeguard the nation’s cyberspace networks by creating a more robust organizational structure. The framework would enhance public-private partnerships to build preparedness and resiliency, strengthen the security of federal systems and improve awareness of cyberthreats across the country.

A National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications in the Department of Homeland Security would be created, with a Senate-confirmed director to oversee security of the federal government’s computer networks. (Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is the ranking member of the committee.)

For more information see the U.S. Senate's Committee's webpage.

Americans Held in Iran

2010-09-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

TEHRAN, Iran — A delegation from the Persian Gulf sultanate of Oman is visiting Iran to try to secure the release of two American men imprisoned for more than a year and accused by Tehran of illegally crossing the border and spying, the U.S. State Department said Tuesday.

Oman helped secure the Sept. 14 release of a third American, Sarah Shourd, who was arrested along with the men, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, near the Iran-Iraq border in July 2009. Shourd denies Iran's allegations and says the three were just hiking through a scenic area of Iraq's northern Kurdistan region during a vacation.

For background information on political structure in Iran, see the Department of State webpage. For information on the Secretary of State Clinton’s interaction with the government of Oman see: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2010/09/147323.htm

Ending Poverty by 2015

2010-09-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20-22 September to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. The targets aimed at slashing poverty, hunger, disease, maternal and child deaths and other ills were adopted at the UN Millennium Summit of 2000.

President Obama is in attendance, and in spite of some of the troubles facing the UN, the mood is favorable for an American president who has restored U.S. funding to the United Nations, ended a U.S. boycott of the U.N. Human Rights Council, and reinvigorated U.N. nuclear disarmament efforts.

See the U.N.'s MDG website and report.

Limited Extension of Tax Cuts

2010-09-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

President Obama intends to extend the tax cuts created by the Bush Administration, but only to those making under $250,000 per year. Republicans would like to include wealthier Americans in the cuts, but Obama is opposed to the borrowing of extra millions to extend the cuts to the very wealthy. See this Congressional Research service report for background information and history of legislation leading up to the tax cuts.

Combat Mission in Iraq Ended

2010-09-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

On August 31, 2010, U.S. President Obama addressed the nation on the End of Combat Operations in Iraq. The Whitehouse gives his remarks here.

Nearly 100,000 U.S. troops have been removed and bases have been closed or transferred to the Iraqis. 4,400 Americans have given their lives in Iraq.

"The U.S. has spent a trillion dollars at war, often financed by borrowing from overseas. This, in turn, has short-changed investments in our own people, and contributed to record deficits. For too long, we have put off tough decisions on everything from our manufacturing base to our energy policy to education reform. As a result, too many middle-class families find themselves working harder for less, while our nation’s long-term competitiveness is put at risk."

Katrina, Five Years Later

2010-08-30T08:26:00.000-07:00

Five years since hurricance Katrina, federal agencies continue to maintain websites supporting their work as to the storm that destroyed the Louisiana coast. NOAA's Hurricane Katrina page includes photos, maps, impact on the region, and response. The White House's recent blog Hurricane Katrina: Five Years of Remembering & Rebuilding features additional links and blog posts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics maintains a page on the impact of Katrina on the economy and employment.

HealthCare.gov

2010-08-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

As of July, many previously uninsurable citizens are now able to sign up for health care under the new Obama Health Plan, but so far, very few have signed up. Many feel that the currently uninsured will still not be able to afford health care, and many are uninformed about the benefits of the plan. For more information on the new plan, see HealthCare.gov.

BP Oil Spill Information

2010-08-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the nation's leading scientific resource for oil spills. The Office of Response and Restoration has numerous factsheets on its webpage which include information on dispersants, shoreline cleanup, sea turtles, using booms in response to spills, etc. There are also publications on fisheries, assessment and restoration, and trajectory maps.

Country Reports on Terrorism

2010-08-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Department of State recently released its annual report on terrorism, Country Reports on Terrorism 2009. The report discusses terrorism around the globe, with sections covering different parts of the world (e.g. Africa, Europe East Asia, Mididle East, etc.). Also included are reports on safe havens, international conferences on terrorism, lists of terrorist organizations, and statistics on deaths and injuries related to terrorism. Older reports are also available. For the complete report see the State Department website.

End of Combat Operations

2010-08-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

When President Obama took office in January 2009, there were 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. At his Camp Lejeune speech on February 27, 2009, President Obama announced that the United States would end its combat mission on August 31, 2010, and retain a transitional force of up to 50,000 U.S. troops to train and advise Iraqi Security Forces; conduct partnered and targeted counter-terrorism operations; and protect ongoing U.S. civilian and military efforts. For more information see the August 2, 2010 press release from the White House.

Timely Reports on the Financial Crisis via the Congressional Research Service

2008-09-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Cost of Financial Interventions, Past and Present attempts to answer questions about the recent financial interventions by the government in the business of private corporations. http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/crsdocuments/RS22965_09232008.pdf

The proposal to Allow Treasury to Buy Mortgage-Related Assets to AddressFinancial Instability explains Treasury Secretary Paulsen's [draft of 9/21/2008] plan for legislative authorization to allow direct intervention in the economy. This report analyzes the proposals byanswering frequently asked questions. http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/crsreports/crsdocuments/RS22957_09222008.pdf

Report from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

2007-02-07T08:27:00.000-08:00

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its report, Climate Change 2007, http://www.ipcc.ch/, "a comprehensive and rigorous picture of the global present state of knowledge of climate change."

EPA Library Closures

2007-01-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

Last October the Environmental Protection Agency closed five of its libraries, including the headquarters library in Washington DC. The EPA said the closures were part of an ongoing restructuring and that public demand for EPA records would be increasingly satisfied online.

A report from the Congressional Research Service fleshes out some new details of the library closures and finds some cause for concern "Restructuring EPA's Libraries: Background and Issues for Congress," updated January 3, 2007: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RS22533.pdf

State of the Arctic Report

2006-11-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

NOAA has just released the State of the Arctice report (October 2006), available on its Arctic Theme web site. The site describes the present state of the Arctic.

U.S. Iran Relations

2006-11-14T13:27:00.000-08:00

CNN reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is willing to have a dialog with the U.S. government, now that it is cose to being "fully nuclear." The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency releases the World Factbook each year giving an overview of all countries in the world. The World Factbook's report on Iran includes Geography, People, Government, Economy, Communications, Transportation, Military, Transnational Issues.

U.S. Central Command

2006-11-01T08:13:00.000-08:00

The United States Central Command is one of the five geographically defined unified commands within the Department of Defense. Today it is responsible for planning and conducting United States (U.S.) military activity in a region consisting of 27 countries in Northeast Africa, Southwest and Central Asia, and the island nation of the Seychelles.

A classified briefing prepared two weeks ago by the U.S. Central Command portrays Iraq as edging toward chaos, in a chart that the military is using as a barometer of civil conflict.

Elections 2006

2006-10-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Federal Election Commission administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. See CNN's American Votes or Congress.org as comprehensive sites to follow elections 2006.

North Korea Nuclear Testing

2006-10-11T13:31:00.001-07:00

For more information on White House reaction and issues taken to the UN regarding nuclear testing in North Korea, see the Department of State web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/east_asia_pacific/north_korea.html

School Shootings

2006-10-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

For more information on what is being done regarding the recent outbreak of school shootings in the U.S. see the Centers for Disease Control web site at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/sch-shooting.htm

E.coli in Spinach

2006-10-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

For more information on the recent breakout of E.coli in spinach, see the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web site: http://www.cdc.gov/foodborne/ecolispinach/

There are maps of affected states and updates on reported cases from each state.

Oklahoma State Quarter

2006-09-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Vote for up to five finalists for the Oklahoma state quarter. Designs include the state bird and wildflower, an American Indian woman in native dress, the celebrated Pioneer Woman statue, and the infamous oil derricks.

Katrina: Disaster Long in the Making

2006-08-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Reminding us of the year anniversary of Katrina, the recent issue of U.S. News and World Report, features the article "Disaster Long in the Making: how man distorted the delicate dance between the delta and the sea." From years of development, it reveals that the delta is "now a strange hybrid of the man-made and the natural. ...None of this construction destroyed the ancient relationship between the delta and the sea-it just distorted it."

Environmental groups give the U.S. government low marks in its efforts to restore the wetlands, making Louisiana still a "sitting duck." The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers however has released its "12 Actions for Change," "a set of actions that the Corps will focus on to transform its priorities, processes and planning," due to Katrina's sobering wakeup call. See the Whitehouse's August 24 Press Briefing on Gulf Coast Rebuilding and the Army's news release on the Preliminary Technical Report on Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration to Congress.

Feedlots Contributing to Climate Change

2006-08-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

In the effort to reduce all types of emission contributing to climate change, one that Oklahoma might consider is that of animal feeding operations (AFOs). The EPA has just gotten approval to take the next important step to gather air emissions data from agricultural animal feeding operations and to ensure compliance with environmental laws. See the EPA press release from August 22. For more information, see the EPA's page on animal feeding operations air agreements.