The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has for the first time released a massive two-part compilation of Comptroller General decisions and opinions that are included in two Excel spreadsheets. The first spreadsheet contains decisions from 1990 through present The second spreadsheet contains decisions prior to 1990. Michael Ravnitzky reports the details.
Beth Wellington puts the recently announced troop surge surge into context by reviewing the response of members of Congress, the public, columnists and think tanks.
Paul Jenks explains the process of key Congressional activitiy: before money can be spent, Congress must authorize the expenditure first, and then must appropriate the money to do so.
Peggy Garvin runs the THOMAS beta test site through its paces, evaluating the new search engine and enhanced navigations features, accompanied by screen shots.
Paul Jenks discusses sources of Congressional voting data and methods of analysis.
A wide range of online calendars from agencies and Congress offer valuable information to researchers that includes: release dates for topical reports, news, surveys, meeting and official travel schedules, historical commemorations, House and Senate bill histories, and links to speeches and testimony. Peggy Garvin includes numerous examples of e-gov sites with such services that should be on your radar.
Beth Wellington’s commentary examines the contentious issues related to the administration’s use of military commissions and the subsequent introduction of new legislation to “correct problems in the act” and “to restore fundamental protections.”
Beth Wellington’s commentary takes an in-depth look at the divergent positions and issues associated with FOIA and biodefense related appropriations and legislation, from the perspective of legislators, public interest groups and journalists.
Beth Wellington’s commentary delves into the complex history of this controversial mining operation, with background that highlights corporate and public interest positions, as well as relevant legislative history.
Beth Wellington is a Roanoke, Virginia based poet and journalist. She is a contributing editor to the New River Free Press, a book reviewer for the Roanoke Times and a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative (SAWC) and the Appalachian Studies Association. From 1980 to 1997, she was the founding Executive Director of New River Community Sentencing, Inc. in Christiansburg, Virginia and its predecessor, New River Community Action’s Community Sentencing Program. She contributes to both SourceWatch.org and Wikipedia.org. Beth’s blog on culture and politics is The Writing Corner. Commentary: Previously Unreleased FCC Reports on TV Localism Raise Questions About Media Diversity
By Beth Wellington