Filibusters and Cloture

Senator Joe Lieberman (CT) has been in the news lately for his stance on health care reform and whether or not he'll vote for cloture or filibuster any proposals. So...what do these terms all mean?

For an answer, look to this report (PDF) from the Congressional Research Service on cloture and the filibuster. It provides excellent, readable background on what these procedural tactics are and the effects they can have on the legislative process. It was published in 2003, but still very relevant today.

House Hearing Report on Combating Gangs

In light of the recent major drug raids across North America, here you can find a related report from the Government Accountability Office to the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Titled "Combating Gangs: Better Coordination and Performance Measurement Would Help Clarify Roles of Federal Agencies and Strengthen Assessment of Efforts," the report addresses the roles of various federal departments and law enforcement agencies in combating gang crime, including coordination, performance measurement, and funding.

The report ultimately recommends that the Department of Justice:

...reexamine roles of headquarters anti-gang entities, establish performance measures for antigang efforts, review [US District Attorney] gang-related case data, and, along with [the Department of Homeland Security], develop a common definition for “gang.”

The report also states that the Homeland Security Department agrees with these recommendations.

Oklahoma State Library Named the Best in the Nation

GPO named the Oklahoma Dept. of Libraries as the 2009 Federal Depository Library of the Year. See the story more at http://www.gpo.gov/pdfs/news-media/press/09news42.pdf

Federal Register in XML format

Federal Register is now available in XML format, which makes them easier to use. The register is easily accessible from FDsys (Federal Digital System)from 1994 on.