Top Complaint Categories for 2011

"The Federal Trade Commission today released its list of top consumer complaints received by the agency in 2011. For the 12th year in a row, identity theft complaints topped the list. Of more than 1.8 million complaints filed in 2011, 279,156 or 15 percent, were identity theft complaints. Nearly 25 percent of the identity theft complaints related to tax- or wage-related fraud..."

Revised Publications on Employment of Veterans with Disabilities

"The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued two revised publications addressing veterans with disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Both documents are available on the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov...

The Guide for Employers explains how protections for veterans with service-connected disabilities differ under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), and how employers can prevent disability-based discrimination and provide reasonable accommodations.

The Guide for Wounded Veterans answers questions that veterans with service-related disabilities may have about the protections they are entitled to when they seek to return to their former jobs or look for civilian jobs. The publication also explains the kinds of accommodations that may be necessary to help veterans with disabilities obtain and successfully maintain employment..."

U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces:Background, Development and Issues.

"During discussions about the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review, Congress reviewed and discussed the plans for maintaining and modernizing U.S. strategic nuclear forces. Although the United States plans to reduce the number of warheads deployed on its long-range missiles and bombers, consistent with the terms of the New START Treaty, it also plans to develop new delivery systems for deployment over the next 20-30 years. As a result, the 112th Congress will continue to review these programs during the annual authorization and appropriations process..."

eCycle Televisions

Locate places to recycle your television.
See also Madison Streets & Recyclings

Consumer Fraud and Scams

Tips for protecting yourself from consumer fraud and scams

National Invasive Species Awareness Week, Feb. 27 - March 3, 2012

"Next week, state, federal, tribal and local officials, along with representatives of private sector and environmental groups, will kick-off a week of events, briefings, and workshops to discuss international, national and regional invasive species issues as part of this year’s National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 26 – Mar. 3, 2012). The week’s events, coordinated by the National Invasive Species Council, are open to the public.

National Invasive Species Awareness week will highlight efforts to prevent or slow the spread of “invasive species”--species that are both non-native and harmful to the environment, the economy and human health. Asian carp, large constrictor snakes such as the Burmese python in the Everglades, quagga and zebra mussels, wood-boring beetles, kudzu and West Nile Virus are just a few examples of invasive species..."

Historical Times Series in Graphic Form

Find historical voting times series for 1964 to 2010 by several categories: Race, Hispanic Origin, Sex, and Age Groups; Region, Educational Attainment, and Labor Force; Citizen Voting-age Population by State, and more.

FTC Takes Action to Stop Massive Robocalling Operations

"As part of the Federal Trade Commission's ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal, prerecorded "robocalls," the FTC is taking legal action to stop two operations that allegedly enabled telemarketers to place hundreds of millions of illegal prerecorded calls to consumers around the country, including many who had registered their phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry.

The FTC's complaints in both cases allege that the defendants offered "self-service" voice broadcasting – a service that makes it easy for marketers who have no telecommunications expertise to deliver tens of millions of robocalls for pennies a call. The defendants arranged for marketers to deliver prerecorded sales pitches by uploading a recorded message and list of telephone numbers through web sites owned by the defendants that would then dial each uploaded phone number and play the designated prerecorded message..."

What do I Pay for a Gallon of Regular Gasoline?

"The national average retail price of a gallon of regular gasoline in January 2012 was $3.38. The four main components of the retail price of a gallon of gasoline, and their approximate share of the total price in January are:

Crude Oil: 76%. The cost of crude oil as a share of the retail price varies over time and among regions of the country. Refiners paid an average of about $108.00 per barrel of crude oil, or about $2.57 per gallon, in January 2012.

Refining Costs and Profits: 6%

Distribution, Marketing, and Retail Costs and Profits: 6%

Taxes: 12%. Federal excise taxes were 18.4 cents per gallon and State excise taxes averaged 22.68 cents per gallon."

Measuring Broadband in America

"MEASURING BROADBAND AMERICA presents the results of the first nationwide performance study of residential wireline broadband service in the United States. The study examined service offerings from 13 of the largest wireline broadband providers using automated, direct measurements of broadband performance delivered to the homes of thousands of volunteers during March 2011..."

Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights

"The Obama Administration today unveiled a “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” as part of a comprehensive blueprint to improve consumers’ privacy protections and ensure that the Internet remains an engine for innovation and economic growth. The blueprint will guide efforts to give users more control over how their personal information is used on the Internet and to help businesses maintain consumer trust and grow in the rapidly changing digital environment. At the request of the White House, the Commerce Department will begin convening companies, privacy advocates and other stakeholders to develop and implement enforceable privacy policies based on the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights..."

National Plan To Address Alzheimer’s Disease (Draft)

"This plan includes a detailed listing of current federal activities and, as directed by NAPA, initial recommendations for priority actions to expand, eliminate, coordinate or condense programs. The activities outlined in this plan vary in scope and impact and include: (1) immediate actions that the federal government will take; (2) actions toward the goals that can be initiated by the federal government or its public and private partners in the near term; and (3) longer-range goals that will require numerous actions to achieve..."

Educational Attainment in the United States: 2011

"Educational attainment refers to the highest level of education that an individual has completed. This is distinct from the level of schooling that an individual is attending..."

Understanding And Responding To Persistently High Unemployment

U.S. Congressional Budget Office's proposal of combating high uenemployment.

Majority of dairy-related disease outbreaks linked to raw milk

"The rate of outbreaks caused by unpasteurized milk (often called raw milk) and products made from it was 150 times greater than outbreaks linked to pasteurized milk, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 13-year review also revealed that the states where the sale of raw milk was legal had more than twice the rate of outbreaks as states where it was illegal.

The study, published Feb. 21 in the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, reviewed dairy product outbreaks from 1993 to 2006 in all 50 states. The authors compared the amount of milk produced in the United States during the study period (about 2.7 trillion pounds) to the amount that CDC estimates was likely consumed raw (1 percent or 27 billion pounds) to determine the 150 times higher rate for outbreaks caused by raw milk products. Raw milk products include cheese and yogurt..."

1940 Census

A video from the National Archives introducing the 1940 Census that becomes available for public access on April 2, 2012.

Women's History Month, March 2012

Selected statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau highlighting Women's History Month.

Population Representation in the Military Services

Find the latest statistics by gender and race on military personnel from the U.S.
Department of Defense.

Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2012

"The Internal Revenue Service today issued its annual “Dirty Dozen” ranking of tax scams, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud.

The Dirty Dozen listing, compiled by the IRS each year, lists a variety of common scams taxpayers can encounter at any point during the year. But many of these schemes peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns..."

Dioxin

"On February 17, 2012, EPA finalized its final Reanalysis of Key Issues Related to Dioxin Toxicity and Response to NAS Comments, Volume 1. This document provides hazard identification and dose-response information on 2,3,7,8- tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and the most up-to-date analysis of non-cancer health effects from TCDD exposure. The report also include an oral reference dose (RfD) and a detailed and transparent description of the underlying data and analyses."

Business USA

"A product of collective thoughts and inputs from the following agencies who have pledged their commitment to making this site a one-stop shop for everything related to business in the USA.."

CFPB proposes rule to supervise larger participants in consumer debt collection and consumer reporting markets

"The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today announced a proposed rule to include debt collectors and consumer reporting agencies under its nonbank supervision program. This would mark the first time these important and far-reaching consumer financial market participants are subject to federal supervision..."

Federal Employees’ Retirement System: Benefits and Financing

"Most civilian federal employees who were hired before 1984 are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Federal employees hired in 1984 or later are covered by the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS). Both CSRS and FERS require participants to contribute toward the cost of their pensions through a payroll tax. Employees who are covered by CSRS contribute 7.0% of pay to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF). They do not pay Social Security taxes or earn Social Security benefits. Employees enrolled in FERS contribute 0.8% of their pay to the CSRDF. They pay 6.2% of wages up to the Social Security taxable wage base to the Social Security trust fund under permanent law..."

Economic Report of the President, 2012

"The Economic Report of the President is an annual report written by the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. It overviews the nation's economic progress using text and extensive data appendices.."

Keeping America’s Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress

"..As it oversees the federal pipeline safety program and the federal role in pipeline security, Congress may wish to assess how the various elements of U.S. pipeline safety and security fit together in the nation’s overall strategy to protect transportation infrastructure. Pipeline safety and security necessarily involve many groups: federal agencies, oil and gas pipeline associations, large and small pipeline operators, and local communities. Reviewing how these groups work together to achieve common goals could be an oversight challenge for Congress..."

Mobile apps for Kids

"This report highlights the lack of information available to parents prior to downloading mobile apps for their children, and calls on industry to provide greater transparency about their data practices..."

Frequently Asked Tax Questions

Find answers to the most frequently asked federal tax questions.

Vaccines

Vaccines.gov is the federal gateway to information on vaccines and immunization for infants, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors. Vaccines.gov provides resources from federal agencies for the general public and their communities about vaccines across the lifespan.

European Union Enlargement

"The European Union (EU) has long viewed the enlargement process as an extraordinary
opportunity to promote political stability and economic prosperity in Europe. Since 2004, EU
membership has grown from 15 to 27 countries, bringing in most states of central and eastern
Europe and fulfilling an historic pledge to further the integration of the continent by peaceful
means. Analysts contend that the carefully managed process of enlargement is one of the EU’s
most powerful policy tools, and that, over the years, it has helped transform many European states
into functioning democracies and more affluent countries..."

Final Health Assessment for Tetrachloroethylene

"Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted the final health assessment for tetrachloroethylene – also known as perchloroethylene, or perc – to EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. Perc is a chemical solvent widely used in the dry cleaning industry. It is also used in the cleaning of metal machinery and to manufacture some consumer products and other chemicals. Confirming longstanding scientific understanding and research, the final assessment characterizes perc as a “likely human carcinogen.” The assessment provides estimates for both cancer and non-cancer effects associated with exposure to perc over a lifetime..."

The President's Budget

"The Constitution of the United States, Article I, Section 9 directs that “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Each year the U.S. Congress drafts legislation to appropriate funds for the continued operation of the government during the next fiscal year. Since 1921, this process has been kicked off by the submission from the President of the United States of a budget with the proposed expenditures for the executive, legislative and judicial branchs of the government. This document is entitled “The Budget of the United States Government.”.."

Child Development: Investing in Our Children

"CDC currently is funding and working on a study called Legacy for Children™.
The Legacy program is based on the belief that parents can have a real effect on how their children learn and grow. Research has shown that how parents interact with their children is related to children's success later in life. It appears that even children who face various challenges, such as poverty or poor neighborhoods, are more likely to overcome these challenges when their parents are involved and invested in providing a safe, stable, and nurturing base of support..."

Winter Storms and Extreme Weather

Find tips for dealing with winter weather and extreme conditions.

‘Drum Major Quote’ on the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

"Following a meeting on Monday, Feb. 6, with members of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s family regarding the recently-dedicated Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis today announced a plan to correct the so-called “Drum Major” quote on the Memorial to more accurately reflect the meaning and intent of Dr. King’s original statement.

Observers and visitors to the new memorial have noted that a quote etched in the stone near the statue’s left shoulder is paraphrased from a passage in a sermon that Dr. King delivered at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1968. The paraphrased quote reads: “I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness.”.."

Trans-fatty Acids in Blood Reduction

"Blood levels of trans–fatty acids (TFAs) in white adults in the U.S. population decreased by 58 percent from 2000 to 2009 according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in the Feb. 8 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association. This is the first time CDC researchers have been able to measure trans fats in human blood.

State and County Quick Facts

Find up-to-date information on people, busineses and geography by states and counties.

Sourcing Policy: Selected Developments and Issue

"Dating back to the 1950s, federal sourcing policy generally has focused on the premise that the
government should rely on the private sector for the provision of certain goods and services.
Additionally, it has centered around guidance for conducting public-private competitions to
determine whether federal employees, or contractor employees, should be selected to perform
certain agency functions..."

Water Pollution Interactive Tool

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of a new tool that provides the public with important information about pollutants that are released into local waterways. Developed under President Obama’s transparency initiative, the Discharge Monitoring Report (DMR) Pollutant Loading Tool brings together millions of records and allows for easy searching and mapping of water pollution by local area, watershed, company, industry sector, and pollutant. Americans can use this new tool to protect their health and the health of their communities..."

2010 Annual Capital Expenditures

"These data, based on the 2007 North American Industry Classification System, estimate business spending in 2010 for new and used structures and equipment at the sector level, as well as for three-digit and selected four-digit industries. The data provide the private sector, especially the business community, with a relevant, timely and accurate measure of current business conditions..."

Employment Projections by Major Industries, 2010-2020

"Nonagricultural wage and salary employment, which accounts for more than 9 in 10 jobs in the economy, is projected to expand to 150.2 million by 2020, up from 130.4 million in 2010."

Detention of U.S. Persons as Enemy Belligerents

"The detainee provisions passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2012,
P.L. 112-81, affirm that the Authorization to Use Military Force (AUMF), P.L. 107-40, in
response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, authorizes the detention of persons
captured in connection with hostilities. The Act provides for the first time a statutory definition of covered persons whose detention is authorized pursuant to the AUMF. During debate of the provision, significant attention focused on the applicability of this detention authority to U.S. citizens and other persons within the United States. The Senate adopted an amendment to clarify that the provision was not intended to affect any existing law or authorities relating to the detention of U.S. citizens or lawful resident aliens, or any other persons captured or arrested in the United States. This report analyzes the existing law and authority to detain U.S. persons, including American citizens and resident aliens, as well as other persons within the United States who are suspected of being members, agents, or associates of Al Qaeda or possibly other terrorist organizations as “enemy combatants.”..."

Summer Teacher Institutes

"Each year the Library of Congress provides the opportunity for K-12 educators to attend one of its Summer Teacher Institutes in Washington, D.C. During the five-day institutes, participants work with Library of Congress education specialists to learn best practices for using primary sources in the K-12 classroom, while exploring some of the millions of digitized primary sources available on the Library’s Web site...."

Deadline for application submission is February 17, 2012.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, February 7th

"Among all racial/ethnic groups, African Americans bear the greatest burden of HIV in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 16 black men and 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection during their lifetimes. In 2009, blacks made up 14% of the US population but accounted for nearly half (44%) of all new HIV infections. Recent CDC data showed an alarming 48% increase in new HIV infections from 2006 to 2009 among young, black men who have sex with men (MSM), aged 13 to 29 years.."

Where's the Sodium?

"About 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet. Too much sodium increases a person's risk for high blood pressure. High blood pressure often leads to heart disease and stroke. More than 800,000 people die each year from heart disease, stroke and other vascular diseases, costing the nation $273 billion health care dollars in 2010.."

Infant Swings

"CPSC is making progress in establishing a new safety rule for infant swings. Many of you moms and dads know these products well, as they have helped your baby fall asleep at 3 a.m., 3 p.m., and everywhere in between.

While working through the safety of these swings, CPSC staff has assembled some interesting information for new moms and dads:

First, when you bring your new baby home, remember that newborns and young infants don’t have the muscle tone or strength to keep their heads up. So, when you put them into a swing, make sure that your baby is lying down..."

Used Car Scams

Tips from the U.S. Department of Justice on avoiding used car scams.

Absentee Voting

Absentee voting instructions from the Federal Voting Assistance Program.

World Factbook, 2012

Providing information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities, the World Factbook
now allows users to listen to the national anthems of individual countries.

Employment Projections: 2010- 2020 Summary

"Industries and occupations related to health care, personal care and social assistance, and construction are projected to have the fastest job growth between 2010 and 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Total employment is projected to grow by 14.3 percent
over the decade, resulting in 20.5 million new jobs. Despite rapid projected growth, construction is not expected to regain all of the jobs lost during the 2007-09 recession..."

Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry

"Border enforcement is a core element of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) effort to control illegal migration, with the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) within the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as the lead agency along most of the border. Border enforcement has been an ongoing subject of congressional interest since the 1970s, when illegal immigration to the United States first registered as a serious national problem; and border security has received additional attention in the decade following the terrorist attacks of 2001..."
Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry

Science and Engineering Indicators 2012

"The United States remains the global leader in supporting science and technology (S&T) research and development, but only by a slim margin that could soon be overtaken by rapidly increasing Asian investments in knowledge-intensive economies. So suggest trends released in a new report by the National Science Board (NSB), the policymaking body for the National Science Foundation (NSF), on the overall status of the science, engineering and technology workforce, education efforts and economic activity in the United States and abroad..."
View full report.

Exempt Organizations Select Check

"Exempt Organizations Select Check is an on-line search tool that allows users to select an exempt organization and check certain information about its federal tax status and filings. It consolidates three former search sites into one, providing expanded search capability and a more efficient way to search for organizations that:

Are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions (Publication 78 data),
Have had their tax-exempt status automatically revoked because they have not filed Form 990 series returns or notices annually as required for three consecutive years (Auto-Revocation List), or
Have filed a Form 990-N annual electronic notice (e-Postcard)..."

Post-JFK Assassination Tape Recording

"Today[1/30/2012] the National Archives announced that The Raab Collection, which deals in historical autographs, has donated to the National Archives an original audiotape recording described as "Radio Traffic involving AF-1 in flight from Dallas, TX, to Andrews AFB on November 22, 1963." A digitized version of the two-hour-and-twenty-two minute recording is now available on the National Archives web site. Reference copies of the recordings are available for on-site researchers at the following National Archives research rooms: the National Archives College Park, MD facility; the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, MA; and the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin, TX.

The Raab Collection recently discovered two ¼˝ open-reel audiotapes containing identical excerpts from the November 22, 1963, Air Force One flight among the papers and other memorabilia of Army Gen. Chester “Ted” Clifton Jr., who served as senior military aide to President John F. Kennedy. Although the tapes were labeled by date and title, their contents were unknown. General Clifton was provided both tapes by the White House Communications Agency (WHCA)..."

FTC Action Bans Defendants from Providing Immigration Services

"The immigration services business will be permanently off limits to an operation that allegedly posed as the federal government and tricked people into paying up to $2,500 for immigration forms, under settlements with the Federal Trade Commission.

The two settlements resolve charges the FTC filed in January 2011 against Immigration Center and its principals alleging that they claimed they were authorized to provide immigration and naturalization services, that they were affiliated with the U.S. government, and that fees paid by consumers would cover all the costs associated with submitting immigration documents to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The court subsequently shut down the operation, froze the defendants' assets, and appointed a receiver to control the business until the case was resolved..."