Archive for April, 2011
New Government Report: Flood Insurance
Flood Insurance: Public Policy Goals Provide a Framework for Reform: Congressional Testimony
by Orice Williams Brown
Paperback, 19 pages, 2011, $20.00
ISBN: 1437982948
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) had to borrow from the U.S. Treasury to cover losses from the 2005 hurricanes. The outstanding debt is $17.8 billion as of March 2011. This sizable debt, plus operational and management challenges at FEMA, which administers NFIP, have kept the program on the high-risk list. NFIP’s need to borrow to cover claims in years of catastrophic flooding has raised concerns about the program’s long-term financial solvency. This testimony: 1) discusses ways to place NFIP on a sounder financial footing in light of public policy goals for federal involvement in natural catastrophe insurance; and 2) highlights operational and management challenges at FEMA that affect the program.
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New Government Report: Prescription Drugs
Prescription Drugs: Trends in Usual and Customary (U&C) Prices for Commonly Used Drugs
by John E. Dicken
Paperback, 28 pages, 2011, $20.00
ISBN: 1437983057
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Prescription drug spending in the U.S. in 2009 totaled $250 billion, of which $78 billion — or 31% — was spent by the federal government. Prescription drug spending by the federal government, patients, and third-party payers, including employers, is driven by many factors, including the prices paid for drugs. This report: (1) examines usual and customary price trends for commonly used prescription drugs from 2006 through the first quarter of 2010 and compares these trends to those of other medical consumer goods and services; and (2) examines price trends using drug prices other than usual and customary. Also provides information on the extent to which prices for individual brand-name drugs changed over the course of this analysis period. Charts and tables.
New Government Report: Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2010
Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2010
by Stephen W. Stathis
Paperback, 33 pages, 2009, $20.00
ISBN: 1437929060
This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Contents: (1) Practices Adopted During the American Revolution: First Medals Were Struck in Paris; (2) Recipients in the 19th Century: War of 1812; Mexican War; Congress Broadens the Scope of Its Gold Medal; (3) Recipients in the 20th and 21st Century: Actors, Artists, Authors, Entertainers, and Musicians; Aeronautical and Space Pioneers; Antarctic Explorers; Acclaimed Lifesavers; Distinguished Military Personnel; Notables in Agriculture, Science and Medicine; Awards for Public Service, Athletic Prowess, Civil Rights Activism, and Humanitarian Contributions; (4) Foreign Recipients; (5) Design and Casting of Gold Medals; (6) Legislative Procedures: Procedures in the 111th Congress; Bills to Change Procedures or Criteria. List of Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2009.
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New Government Report: Access to Broadband Networks
Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate
by Angele A. Gilroy
Paperback, 17 pages, 2011, $20.00
ISBN: 1437984541
As congressional policymakers continue to debate telecommunications reform, a major point of contention is the question of whether action is needed to ensure unfettered access to the Internet. The move to place restrictions on the owners of the networks that compose and provide access to the Internet, to ensure equal access and non-discriminatory treatment, is referred to as “net neutrality.”A major focus in the debate is concern over whether it is necessary for policymakers to take steps to ensure access to the Internet for content, services, and applications providers, as well as consumers, what these steps should be.
Contents of this report: Introduction; FCC Activity; Industry Initiatives; Network Management; The Policy Debate; Congressional Activity.
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New Government Report: Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs
by Lynn J. Cunningham, Beth A. Roberts
Paperback, 53 pages, 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 1437984533
Recently, there have been growing concerns about the availability and cost of energy and about environmental impacts of fossil energy use, especially global climate change. Those combined concerns have rekindled interest in energy efficiency, energy conservation, and the development and commercialization of renewable energy technologies. This report describes federal programs that provide grants, loans, loan guarantees, and other direct or indirect regulatory incentives for energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy. For each program, the report provides the administering agency, authorizing statute(s), annual funding, and the program expiration date. Charts and tables.
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New Government Report: Military Justice
by Gregory C. Wilshusen
Paperback, 15 pages, 2011, $15.00
ISBN: 1437984339
In the criminal law system, some basic objectives are to discover the truth, acquit the innocent without unnecessary delay or expense, punish the guilty proportionately with their crimes, and prevent and deter further crime, thereby providing for the public order. Military justice shares these objectives in part, but also serves to enhance discipline throughout the Armed Forces, serving the overall objective of providing an effective national defense. Contents of this report: Intro.; Military Courts-Martial: Jurisdiction; Types of Offenses; Investigation; Types of Courts-Martial: Summary Courts-Martial; Special Courts-Martial; General Courts-Martial; Post-Trial Review; Appellate Review; Selected Procedural Safeguards. Illus. This is a print on demand report.
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New Government Report: Cybersecurity
by Gregory C. Wilshusen
Paperback, 16 pages, 2011, $15.00
ISBN: 1437984398
Discusses the cyber threats to critical infrastructure and the American economy. Pervasive and sustained cyber attacks against the U.S. continue to pose a potentially devastating impact on federal and non-federal systems and operations. In Feb. 2011, the Director of National Intelligence testified that, in the past year, there had been a dramatic increase in malicious cyber activity targeting U.S. computers and networks, including a more than tripling of the volume of malicious software since 2009. This testimony describes: (1) cyber threats to cyber-reliant critical infrastructures and federal information systems; and (2) the continuing challenges federal agencies face in protecting the nation’s cyber-reliant critical infrastructures and federal systems. A print on demand report.
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New Government Report: Regulatory Barriers to Manufactured Housing Placement in Urban Communities
Regulatory Barriers to Manufactured Housing Placement in Urban Communities
by Casey J. Dawkins
Paperback, 132 pages, 2011, $35.00
ISBN: 143798438x
Manufactured housing (MH) units (built under the HUD Code in the controlled environment of a manufacturing plant and transported in one or more sections on a permanent chassis) provide an important source of affordable housing. After adjusting for land costs, the per square foot cost of HUD-Code housing is less than half of standard, site-built housing. With the increased use of multi-section units and recent innovations in MH building technology, particularly integrated floor and chassis systems, many MH units are now virtually indistinguishable from conventional site-built units. This report examines the scope and severity of state and local regulatory barriers to MH placement within CDBG-eligible communities. Ill. A print on demand report.
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New Government Report: U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement
U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement: Passenger Vehicle Sector Update
by Brian Allen
Paperback, 52 pages, 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 1437984363
On Feb. 10, 2011, the U.S. and the Rep. of Korea (Korea) exchanged the legal texts reflecting the agreement they concluded on Dec. 3, 2010, to modify certain provisions of the 2007 U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) regarding the passenger vehicle sector. These texts (AA) are to provide additional market access for U.S. exports to Korea, in particular by addressing non-tariff measures (NTMs) affecting U.S. exports. This report focuses on the impact of the AA and provides additional analysis of the effects of the reduction or removal of NTMs. U.S. exports of passenger vehicles to Korea would likely rise significantly in the long term under the provisions of the 2007 FTA as modified by the AA. Illus. A print on demand report.
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New Government Report: Joint Strike Fighter
Joint Strike Fighter: Restructuring Places Program on Firmer Footing, but Progress Still Lags
by Michael Sullivan
Paperback, 52 pages, 2011, $25.00
ISBN: 1437984274
The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), is the Dept. of Defense’s (DoD) most costly and ambitious aircraft acquisition, seeking to simultaneously develop and field three aircraft variants for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and eight international partners. The JSF is critical for recapitalizing tactical air forces and will require a long-term commitment to very large annual funding outlays. The current estimated investment is $382 billion to develop and procure 2,457 aircraft. This report discusses: (1) program cost and schedule changes and their implications on affordability; (2) progress made during 2010; (3) design and manufacturing maturity; and (4) test plans and progress. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.
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