Ben Bernanke has said that the Fed is trying to promote inflation, increase lending, reduce unemployment, and stimulate the economy.However, the Fed has arguably – to some extent – been working against all of these goals.For example, as I reported in …
Posts Tagged ‘U.S. House’
Chip Shot: Telework Comes to Federal employees
November 19th, 2010 |
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The U.S. House today passed the telework bill, requiring executive agencies to support the option of employees working remotely as much as possible. The Federal government has trailed the private sector in adopting a mobile workforce, but its need to compete for talented new hires, and to ensure continuity of operations despite man-made and natural disasters, made the benefits of telework compelling. State and local governments may follow the Federal government’s example in shifting employees from desktop to notebook computers.
Turkish ambassador to return to Washington
April 2nd, 2010 |
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Turkey’s ambassador to Washington will return to his post next week, private broadcaster CNNTurk reported Friday. He was recalled last month after a U.S. House of Representatives committee endorsed an Armenian genocide resolution.
House Bill Bans Government Employee File Sharing
March 26th, 2010 |
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The Secure Federal File Sharing Act bans recreational use of P2P software on all federal computers, computer systems and networks including those belonging to government contractors.
– The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation March 25 that
would place greater restrictions on the use of open
network P2P software on all federal computers.
The Secure Federal File Sharing Act (H.R. 4098) makes important progress toward banning the recreational use
of P2P software o…
Professor Auerbach Provides More Evidence of Fed’s Coverup Regarding Watergate and Iraq
February 26th, 2010 |
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Professor Robert Auerbach was kind enough to send me an email to let me know that Ron Paul read the following letter written by Auerbach into the Congressional record today: I would like to enter into the record…
More Evidence that the Fed Sent Money to Iraq
February 25th, 2010 |
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Yesterday, I quoted an economist with the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee for eleven years who assisted with oversight of the Federal Reserve to show that there might be some basis for Ron Paul’s questions to Ben Bernanke abo…
Expanded FTC Powers Tops New iAWFUL List
February 18th, 2010 |
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NetChoice’s periodic list of what the coalition of e-commerce businesses considers to be bad for the Internet includes the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which would streamline the Federal Trade Commission’s rule-making procedures.
– Legislation approved by the U.S. House aimed at greater regulation of the
financial industry tops the latest edition of the iAWFUL (Internet Advocates’
Watchlist for Ugly Laws) Top 10 by NetChoice, a coalition of trade groups that
includes the IAC and the Electronic Retailing Association.
The …
House Passes Cyber-Security Act
February 4th, 2010 |
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Legislation reauthorizes cyber-security funding at the National Science Foundation and requires the White House to conduct an assessment of cyber-security work force needs across the federal government.
– The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Cyber-Security
Enhancement Act Feb. 4 by a 422-5 vote. The bill reauthorizes several
National Science Foundation
cyber-security programs, providing $396 million in research grants over
the next four years and calls for $94 million in cyber-security
…
House Bill Would Increase H-1B Cap
December 16th, 2009 |
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Details are seriously lacking, but a comprehensive immigration reform bill introduced in the U.S. House Dec. 15 would raise the H-1B visa cap by exempting several categories of highly skilled workers from employment-based visa caps. In addition, the bill would recapture some 309,500 unused H-1B visas from 1992-2008.
– Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez (D-IL) announced legislation Dec. 15 that
would raise the annual cap on H1-B visas and allow U.S. companies to
recapture 309,500 unused H-1B visas from previous years. The
legislation is part of a larger, more comprehensive immigration bill
sponsored by Gutierrez and nearl…
House Approves P2P User Act
December 9th, 2009 |
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Legislation requires peer-to-peer vendors to provide notice to users about files that will be shared by their software and to proactively obtain a user’s consent to install the file-sharing software. The bill also prohibits P2P vendors from blocking users’ reasonable efforts to disable or remove file-sharing software.
–
The third time proved the charm for Rep. Mary Mack Bono (R-CA) as the U.S. House approved the Informed P2P User Act Dec. 8, mandating
P2P (peer-to-peer) software vendors to provide a quot;clear and
conspicuous quot; notice to consumers about the files being shared by the
software and to obtain…
House Passes Data Accountability Bill
December 9th, 2009 |
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Legislation, which now moves to the Senate, requires data brokers to provide nationwide notice for certain data breaches and allows consumers to verify and to correct information held on them by data brokers.
– The U.S. House of
Representatives approved legislation Dec. 8 requiring data brokers to establish
procedures to verify the accuracy of information that identifies individuals in
their databases and to allow consumers to access and request correction of incorrect
information. The Data Accountabil…
Senator Sanders Introduces Bill to Break Up the Too Big to Fails
November 7th, 2009 |
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As Reuters notes:An independent U.S. senator on Friday introduced a bill that would give the government the power to identify and break up financial firms that are “too big to fail,” an idea that is catching on. “If an institution is too big to …
House Panel Approves Cyber-security Awareness Act
November 5th, 2009 |
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Legislation would mandate that National Institute of Standards and Technology develop a plan to ensure cyber-security coordination within the U.S. government.
–
A U.S. House subcommittee approved
Nov. 4 the Cybersecurity Coordination and Awareness Act, legislation that would
require NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) to develop and
implement a plan to ensure coordination within the U.S. government with regard to the
development of i…
Lawmaker Seeks Small Business SARBOX Relief
October 13th, 2009 |
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Legislation seeks to permanently exempt small businesses from the reporting requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Bill sponsor Rep. Scott Garrett says Section 404 creates an undue burden on small businesses.
– The Small Business SOX
Compliance Relief Act was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives Oct. 8 to permanently exempt small businesses
from Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section
404 contains internal reporting requirements that many small businesses
complain are costl…
The Real Reason the Big Boys Don’t Want Credit Default Swaps to Be Regulated
October 9th, 2009 |
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Bloomberg has an article today quoting a couple of congress people acting as spokesmen for the 5 biggest banks: Freshman congressman McMahon told House Financial Services Committee Chairman Frank he was worried that Obama’s derivatives plan, release…
House Panel Approves Cyber-Security RandD Bill
September 23rd, 2009 |
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Legislation calls for federal agencies to create a road map detailing each agencys cyber-security role and the level of funding required to fulfill the research objectives.
– A U.S. House subcommittee Sept. 23 approved legislation
requiring federal agencies to develop, update and implement strategic
plans for cyber-security R amp;D. The Cybersecurity
Research and Development Amendments Act of 2009 calls for agencies to create a road map
detailing each agencys cyber-s…
House Approves $2.9B Green Vehicle Research Bill
September 17th, 2009 |
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The legislation authorizes long-term funding of public-private vehicle research, development, demonstration and commercial application activities in the Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program.
– The U.S. House voted
Sept. 16 to extend another financial hand to the auto industry,
approving $2.9 billion for green transportation research at the Department of Energy. The legislation (H.R. 3246) provides for long-term funding of public-private vehicle
research, development, demonstration and …
Lawmakers Pressure White House over Cyber-czar
September 15th, 2009 |
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Three months after President Obama promised in May to appoint a cyber-security czar, the co-chairs of the U.S. House Cybersecurity Caucus urge the White House to step up its efforts.
– Congress is beginning to grumble over President Obama’s failure to appoint a
cyber-security czar months after Obama promised he would do so. Obama issued
his Cyberspace Policy Review on May 29 to great fanfare and pledged to name a
cyber-czar, which he called a coordinator, to oversee the plan.
…