GPO AND LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TO DIGITIZE HISTORIC DOCUMENTS
"The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and Library of Congress (LOC) are
collaborating to digitize some of our nation’s most important legal and legislative documents after receiving approval from the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP). The digitization project will include the public and private laws, and proposed constitutional amendments passed by Congress as published in the official Statutes at Large from 1951-2002. GPO and LOC will also work on digitizing official debates of
Congress from the permanent volumes of the Congressional Record from 1873-1998. These laws and documents will be authenticated and available to the public on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) and the Library of Congress’s THOMAS legislative information system..."

Yemen: Country Analysis, 2010
"Yemen is important to the global oil trade because of its location on the Bab al Mandab, one of the world's most strategic shipping lanes, through which an estimated 3.2 million barrels of oil passed daily in 2009. Disruption to shipping in the Bab el-Mandab could prevent tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Aden from reaching the Suez Canal/Sumed pipeline complex, requiring a costly diversion around the southern tip of Africa to reach western markets. In recent years, this region has seen rising piracy off the northern Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden and southern Red Sea including the Bab el-Mandab."

Policy Impact: Impaired Driving
"What's the Issue?
Each year, millions of people choose to drive while under the influence of alcohol, sometimes with devastating results. In 2009, almost 11,000 people were killed in crashes involving impaired drivers, nearly one-third of all traffic deaths.

Alcohol-impaired driving crashes claim the lives of the most vulnerable: in a single year, these crashes killed more than 180 children younger than 14.2 Half of the children killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes were riding in the car with the impaired driver.

These deaths are preventable. Research has identified proven policies that can keep alcohol-impaired drivers off the road and save thousands of lives each year..."

Ignition Interlocks: A Proven Means for Preventing Impaired Driving Re-Arrests
"A man decides it's best to not have a drink in a restaurant with friends. He has to drive home, and since his arrest for driving while intoxicated (DWI) a few months ago, he's had a court-ordered ignition interlock installed in his car. This device prevents the car from starting if there's alcohol on his breath. A woman puts her children in their booster seats, blows into an ignition interlock, and starts her car's engine. Since her conviction for DWI, she hasn't been faced with the dilemma of how to get her kids to school and drive to work. The court mandated she have an ignition interlock installed rather than have her license suspended. She's thankful that she can drive legally, as long as her interlock detects she's not impaired by alcohol..."

Reducing Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Ignition Interlocks
"Ignition interlocks are devices that can be installed in motor vehicles to prevent operation of the vehicle by a driver who has a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) above a specified level (usually 0.02% – 0.04%). Interlocks are most often installed in vehicles of people who have been convicted of alcohol-impaired driving to give them an opportunity to drive legally.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings
The Task Force on Community Preventive Services recommends the use of ignition interlocks for people convicted of alcohol-impaired driving on the basis of strong evidence of their effectiveness in reducing re-arrest rates while the interlocks are installed. Public health benefits of the intervention are currently limited by the small proportion of offenders who install interlocks in their vehicles. More widespread and sustained use of interlocks among this population could have a substantial impact on alcohol-related crashes..."

Women’s History Month: March 2011
"National Women's History Month dates back to March 8, 1857, when women from
New York City factories staged a protest over working conditions.
International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909, but it wasn't until
1981 that Congress established National Women's History Week to be
commemorated the second week of March. In 1987, Congress expanded the week
to a month. Every year since, Congress has passed a resolution for Women’s
History Month, and the President has issued a proclamation..."

National Broadband Map
"The National Broadband Map is a tool to search, analyze and map broadband availability across the United States. Created and maintained by the NTIA, in collaboration with the FCC, and in partnership with 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia."

Health, United States, 2010
An annual report of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on the nation's health, with a special report on Death and Dying.

Statement from the Department of Health and Human Services on the Regulation for the Enforcement of Federal Health Care Conscience Protections
"The administration strongly supports provider conscience laws that protect and support the rights of health care providers, and also recognizes and supports the rights of patients. Strong conscience laws make it clear that health care providers cannot be compelled to perform or assist in an abortion. Many of these strong conscience laws have been in existence for more than 30 years. The rule being issued today builds on these laws by providing a clear enforcement process.

To underscore its support, HHS is beginning a new awareness initiative for our grantees through the HHS Office for Civil Rights, to ensure they understand the statutory conscience protections, and the enforcement process for those who believe their rights have been violated.

The final conscience protection rule being issued today by HHS reaffirms the Department’s commitment to longstanding federal conscience statutes by maintaining and building upon provisions of the Bush administration rule that established an enforcement process for federal conscience laws, while rescinding the definitions and terms of the previous rule that caused confusion and could be taken as overly broad."

Study: Ozone Layer’s Future Linked Strongly to Changes in Climate
"The ozone layer — the thin atmospheric band high-up in the stratosphere that protects living things on Earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays, not to be confused with damaging ozone pollution close to the ground — faces potential new challenges even as it continues its recovery from earlier damage, according to a recently released international science assessment. The report, prepared by the Scientific Assessment Panel of the U.N. Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, also presents stronger evidence that links changes in stratospheric ozone and the Earth’s climate..."

FTC Offers Tips on Wise Use of Wi-Fi Networks
"The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, today released tips to help people protect their personal information while they use public wireless networks – Wi-Fi hotspots in coffee shops, libraries, airports, hotels, universities, and other public places. While convenient, public Wi-Fi networks often are not secure.

When using wireless networks, it’s best to send only personal information that is encrypted – either by an encrypted website or a secure network. Encryption scrambles information sent over the internet into a code so that it’s not accessed by others. An encrypted website protects only the information sent to and from that site. A secure wireless network encrypts all the information sent over it..."

The Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative: Issues for Congress
"...The 112th Congress may oversee the Administration’s open government efforts and has the authority to codify any parts of the initiative. This report reviews and discusses the centerpieces of President Obama’s transparency initiatives, the Open Government Initiative and the Open Government Directive. The report analyzes agency response to the OGI and the OGD and examines whether the OGD’s requirements can meet the stated goals of the Administration. The report discusses the three central tenets of the Administration’s OGD—transparency, public participation, and collaboration—and analyzes each one individually to determine whether agencies are meeting these requirements and whether the requirements may improve the effectiveness of the federal government."

President's Budget of the U.S. Government, FY 2012
"The President's Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 2012 is now available from the United States Government Printing Office (GPO). The public can search or browse the budget, which is accessible from GPO’s Federal Digital System. FY 2012 Budget documents are available in PDF, with many of the tables also available for separate viewing and downloading as spreadsheets in xls and comma delimited formats..."

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Follow the activities of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on its newly created web site. The agency was created in 2010 with the passage of the The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. "The central mission of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is to make markets for consumer financial products and services work for Americans—whether they are applying for a mortgage, choosing among credit cards, or using any number of other consumer financial product."

Waxman and Rush Release EPA Analysis Detailing How the Clean Air Act is Good for Jobs and the Economy
"Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bobby L. Rush, Ranking Member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee, released a letter and white paper from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the economic benefits of implementing the Clean Air Act. The EPA found that implementing the Clean Air Act’s public health protections “creates American jobs and bolsters the global competitiveness of American industry, even as it lowers healthcare costs and protects American families from birth defects, illnesses, and premature death.”..."

FDA launches Medical Device Innovation Initiative
"Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed the Innovation Pathway, a priority review program for new, breakthrough medical devices and announced the first submission: a brain-controlled, upper-extremity prosthetic that will serve as a pilot for the program. The FDA also announced plans to seek further public comment before the Pathway can be used more broadly.

The new proposed Innovation Pathway program for pioneering medical devices, highlighted in a report published on the FDA’s website today, is part of a broader effort underway in the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) designed to encourage cutting-edge technologies among medical device manufacturers..."
View new web medical devices initiative web site.

Most Americans with High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol at Unnecessary Risk for Heart Attack and Stroke
"Two out of three U.S. adults with high cholesterol and half of U.S. adults with high blood pressure are not being treated effectively, according to the latest Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although treatment of high blood pressure and high cholesterol is very effective and relatively low-cost, most people with these conditions remain at elevated risk for heart attacks, strokes, and other problems. People who lack health insurance have the lowest rates of control. Among those whose blood pressure or cholesterol is not under control, more than 80 percent have private or public health insurance – showing that health care coverage is necessary but, for most people, not enough to control these leading killers.

High blood pressure and cholesterol are two major risk factors for heart attacks, strokes, and related vascular diseases, which kill more than 800,000 Americans each year – more than any other condition. Of these, 150,000 are younger than age 65..."

Census Bureau Reports the Number of Black-Owned Businesses Increased at Triple the National Rate
"From 2002 to 2007, the number of black-owned businesses increased by 60.5 percent to 1.9 million, more than triple the national rate of 18.0 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners. Over the same period, receipts generated by black-owned businesses increased 55.1 percent to $137.5 billion.

"Black-owned businesses continued to be one of the fastest growing segments of our economy, showing rapid growth in both the number of businesses and total sales during this time period,” said Census Bureau Deputy Director Thomas Mesenbourg.

These new data come from the Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Businesses: 2007. The survey provides detailed information every five years for black-owned businesses, including the number of firms, sales and receipts, number of paid employees and annual payroll..."

Executive Office for Immigration Review Releases FY 2010 Statistical Year Book
"The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) today announced the release of its Fiscal Year 2010 Statistical Year Book. The book is a compilation of figures and tables that provides meaningful data on aliens who appeared before an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals during the previous fiscal year. It examines the data on the alien respondents’ cases by nationality, language, and disposition, and provides a window into asylum cases. EOIR also announced that, in addition to the standard information, this year’s book includes national pending caseload numbers for the immigration courts..."

Private Health Insurance Premiums and Rate Reviews
"In general, the premiums charged by health insurance companies represent actuarial estimates of
the amount that would be required to cover three main components: (1) the expected cost of the
health benefits covered under the plan, (2) the business administrative costs of operating the plan,
and (3) a profit. The final premium calculation often is adjusted upward or downward to reflect
several factors, such as making up for a previous financial loss.

Health insurance premiums have been trending up, while the value of coverage has trended down.
Available data indicate that both administrative and medical costs continue to rise, but the rate of
growth in these expenses slowed between 2008 and 2009. The data also suggest that the rise in
medical costs is primarily attributable to the price of services, not increased utilization..."

Vital Signs: Prevalence, Treatment, and Control of Hypertension --- United States, 1999--2002 and 2005--2008
"Background: Hypertension is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It affects one in three adults in the United States and contributes to one out of every seven deaths and nearly half of all cardiovascular disease--related deaths in the United States.

Methods: CDC analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) on the prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension among U.S. adults aged ≥18 years. Hypertension was defined as an average blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg or the current use of blood pressure--lowering medication. Control of hypertension was reported as an average treated systolic/diastolic blood pressure <140/90 mmHg. Multivariate analysis was performed to assess changes in prevalence of hypertension, use of pharmacologic treatment, and control of blood pressure between the 1999--2002 and 2005--2008 survey cycles.

Results: During 2005--2008, approximately 68 million (31%) U.S. adults aged ≥18 years had hypertension, and this prevalence has shown no improvement in the past decade. Of these adults, 48 million (70%) were receiving pharmacologic treatment and 31 million (46%) had their condition controlled. Although 86% of adults with uncontrolled blood pressure had medical insurance, the prevalence of blood pressure control among adults with hypertension was especially low among participants who did not have a usual source of medical care (12%), received medical care less than twice in the previous year (21%), or did not have health insurance (29%). Control prevalence also was low among young adults (31%) and Mexican Americans (37%). Although the prevalence of hypertension did not change from 1999--2002 to 2005--2008, significant increases were observed in the prevalence of treatment and control.

Conclusions: Hypertension affects millions of persons in the United States, and less than half of those with hypertension have their condition controlled. Prevalence of treatment and control are even lower among persons who do not have a usual source of medical care, those who are not receiving regular medical care, and those who do not have health insurance..."

Strategy for American Innovation: Executive Summary
"America’s future economic growth and international competitiveness depend on our capacity to innovate. We can create the jobs and industries of the future by doing what America does best – investing in the creativity and imagination of our people. To win the future, we must out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world. We also must take responsibility for our deficit, by investing in what makes America stronger, cutting what doesn’t, and reforming how our government operates so it focuses on promoting our economic growth and preparing for the challenges of a new century.

President Obama’s Strategy for American Innovation seeks to harness the inherent ingenuity of the American people to ensure that our economic growth is rapid, broad-based, and sustained. Innovation-based economic growth will bring greater income, higher quality jobs, and improved health and quality of life to all U.S. citizens. The Strategy for American Innovation provides a multifaceted, commonsense, and sustained approach to ensuring America’s future prosperity..."

2010 Census Redistricting Data
"Redistricting Data

The Census Bureau will deliver state data on a rolling basis through March. Click "SELECT ANOTHER STATE" on the map tool below to see which states are currently available."

American Factfinder Datasets
Census Bureau's Question and Answers series
What data sets are available in the New American FactFinder?
Answer:
"When the NEW American FactFinder is released on January 18, 2011, the site will only have data from Census 2000 available. Starting with the 2010 Redistricting Data Summary File (PL 94- 171) all future releases will be made in the new system. Additionally, between January 18th and the sunset of the legacy American FactFinder in late 2011, all data will be moved to the NEW site. To find out which data sets are in the NEW American FactFinder, select Topics from the left hand navigation of the Main page and select the data set filter. All data sets currently available in the system will be displayed."