| In This Issue |
No Roses In CBO’s Garden — New CBO Estimates of Increased Deficit, Uncertain Future
Information & Access
The Need to Reduce Risks Demonstrated
Nonprofit Issues
GAO Report Recommends IRS Improve PAC Disclosure Web Site
Church Electioneering Bill Introduced in Senate
Experts Divided on the Digital Divide
Regulatory Matters
Bush Makes Controversial Recess Appointment to USDA
Administration Issues Weakened Medical Privacy Rules
Bush Signs E.O. on Regulatory Impacts on Small Business
No Roses In CBO’s Garden — New CBO Estimates of Increased Deficit, Uncertain Future (08/19/2002)
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released two analyses of the country’s current budget picture that anticipate a deficit even larger than that predicted in March and confesses to a great deal of uncertainty for the long-term budget forecast.
GAO Report Recommends IRS Improve PAC Disclosure Web Site (08/19/2002)
The "Stealth PAC" law of 2000 was meant to inform the public about the sources and uses of soft money in federal elections. It required political action committees (PACS) to disclose their existence and to report soft money contributions and expenditures. It also requires the IRS to post information returns filed by political action committees on the web. However, the information has not been posted in a searchable, useful format.
Church Electioneering Bill Introduced in Senate (08/19/2002)
Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH) has introduced a Senate version of the "Houses of Worship Political Speech Protection Act" (S. 2886) which is sponsored in the House by Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) (H.R. 2357). This legislation would allow churches to engage in express electoral advocacy, which is currently prohibited for all 501(c)(3) charities, including churches.
Experts Divided on the Digital Divide (08/19/2002)
For the past few months, a steady stream of articles, studies, and analyses have suggested evidence that digital divide skeptics say underscores their contention that technology access gaps are not a policy problem, while also suggesting that if it were a problem, the problem's really not that bad. Read this NPTalk discussion -- Is there legitimate cause for celebration, or is more evidence suggesting a problem whose actual implications are more difficult to pinpoint than previously thought?
Bush Makes Controversial Recess Appointment to USDA (08/19/2002)
President Bush took the opportunity while Congress was in recess to appoint controversial nominee Thomas Dorr as undersecretary of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which will allow him to serve for a year without Senate confirmation. Recess appointments are not uncommon for contentious nominees that lack bipartisan support when the Senate and executive branch are controlled by opposing parties. Yet President Bush went even further than most presidents in appointing Dorr, because Dorr did not even have the support of fellow Republicans. Only one Republican on the 21-member Senate Agriculture Committee showed up to vote on his nomination.
Administration Issues Weakened Medical Privacy Rules (08/19/2002)
Over the objections of privacy advocates, the Bush administration on August 14 issued new standards on the handling of patient medical records, replacing protections adopted in the last month of the Clinton administration that were strongly opposed by HMOs, insurance companies, and pharmaceuticals.
Bush Signs E.O. on Regulatory Impacts on Small Business (08/19/2002)
On August 14, President Bush signed a new executive order that directs federal agencies to establish "written procedures and policies" to "thoroughly review" the potential impacts of new regulation on small businesses, small governmental jurisdictions, and small organizations.
The Need to Reduce Risks Demonstrated (08/19/2002)
A recent chemical accident reinforced the importance of Sen. Jon Corzine’s (D-NJ) pending legislation, the Chemical Security Act (S.1602). In Crystal City, MO, a hose used to remove chlorine from freight cars ruptured creating a toxic cloud that sickened dozens. The leak began around 9:30 in the morning on August 14, 2002 and was stopped around noon.