Access to Government Information: An Overview

"Congress has long recognized the people’s right to know about the operations and actions of the federal government. A series of modern statutes provides a framework for ways the public may access government information. Built up over the past 60 years, these key statutes allow the public to access information about the federal government’s operations, information the government might collect on individuals, and insight into some of the government’s decisionmaking processes.

These key statutes include the
• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA; 5 U.S.C. §552),
• Privacy Act of 1974 (Privacy Act; 5 U.S.C. §552a),
• Government in the Sunshine Act (Sunshine Act; 5 U.S.C. §552b), and
• Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA; 5 U.S.C. Chapter 10).

These statutes generally operate by using one or two access mechanisms: a request-based system for information, and proactive or contemporaneous disclosure of the information in an open forum. Each method has its benefits and drawbacks for individuals seeking to gain information from federal government actors. Implementation and understanding of these statutes and corresponding policies have changed over time.

After enactment of these statutes and subsequent evolution in their implementation, Congress has continued to question whether they provide for sufficient public inspection of government activity and whether federal government actors are complying with or circumventing the intent of these statutes. To help determine whether or not information can be sufficiently accessed, Congress might evaluate multiple questions, including whether the sought-after information is exclusive to certain individuals or software, at what point the information can be retrieved during decisionmaking processes, and if the information provided is sufficient to determine the context in which it was created. This report provides an overview of each of the four statutes and includes a discussion of policy questions and legislative considerations for each one..."
Government Information

Public Domain Day 2024

 

[Center for the Study of Public Domain. Duke Law School]

"On January 1, 2024, thousands of copyrighted works from 1928 will enter the US public domain, along with sound recordings from 1923. They will be free for all to copy, share, and build upon. This year’s highlights include Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence and The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman and Cole Porter’s Let’s Do It, and a trove of sound recordings from 1923. And, of course, 2024 marks the long-awaited arrival of Steamboat Willie – featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse – into the public domain. That story is so fascinating, so rich in irony, so rife with misinformation about what you will be able to do with Mickey and Minnie now that they are in the public domain that it deserved its own article, “Mickey, Disney, and the Public Domain: a 95-year Love Triangle.” Why is it a love triangle? What rights does Disney still have? How is trademark law involved? Read all about it here.

Here is just a handful of the works that will be in the US public domain in 2024.[2]  They were first set to go into the public domain after a 56-year term in 1984, but a term extension pushed that date to 2004. They were then supposed to go into the public domain in 2004, after being copyrighted for 75 years. But before this could happen, Congress hit another 20-year pause button and extended their copyright term to 95 years.[3]  Now the wait is over. “To find more material from 1928, you can visit the Catalogue of Copyright Entries.”

Books and Plays

• D.H Lawrence, Lady Chatterley's Lover
• Bertolt Brecht, The Threepenny Opera (in the original German, Die Dreigroschenoper)
• Virginia Woolf, Orlando
• Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (in the original German, Im Westen nichts Neues)
• W.E.B. Du Bois, Dark Princess
• Claude McKay, Home to Harlem
• A. A. Milne, illustrations by E. H. Shepard, House at Pooh Corner (introducing the Tigger character)
• J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan; or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (because it was not "published" for copyright purposes until 1928)[4]
• Radclyffe Hall, The Well of Loneliness
• Evelyn Waugh,Decline and Fall
• Agatha Christie, The Mystery of the Blue Train
• Wanda Gág, Millions of Cats (the oldest American picture book still in print)
• Robert Frost, West-Running Brook
• Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, The Front Page

These are just a few of the thousands of works entering the public domain in 2024..."
Public Domain 

Congressionally Mandated Reports

"A Guide for Federal Agencies to Comply with the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act

Federal agencies must now electronically submit congressionally mandated reports after first submitting to Congress or any required committee or subcommittee of Congress through existing processes. The reports are published and made available to the public on GPO’s online system of access, GovInfo.

Following submission by hard copy to either House of Congress or to any congressional committee or subcommittee, Federal agencies are required, no earlier than 30 days but no later than 60 days, to submit their congressionally mandated reports to GPO for publication in GovInfo, with limited exceptions.

Congressionally Mandated Reports Submission Portal

Congressionally Mandated Reports GovInfo Collection

Timeline:

• June 21, 2023: Guidance was issued to all Federal agencies by GPO and the Office of Management Budget and includes detailed instructions on compliance.
• October 1, 2023: Federal agencies began designating points of contact for report submission and registering for GPO submission portal accounts.
• October 16, 2023: Federal agencies began submitting reports to the GPO portal.
• December 12, 2023: The Congressionally Mandated Reports collection became publicly accessible on GovInfo.."
  Congressionally Mandated Reports 

Healthier Holidays in 1 – 2 – 3!

"If better health is the gift you want to give yourself this holiday season, try these tips to add more movement to your day and healthy foods to your plate.

1. Stay active

Even a few minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity can deliver some health benefits and count toward reaching the recommendations. For adults, the many benefits of physical activity include reduced short-term feelings of anxiety and better sleep.

Here are some tips for staying active during the holidays:

• When shopping, walk a few quick laps around the shopping center before going into any stores.
• Take the stairs at every opportunity. Look for stairs in parking garages, offices, and shopping centers. If you can’t climb the stairs all the way to where you’re going, take the elevator part of the way then take the stairs the rest of the way.
• Skip the search for a close parking spot during your errands. Park farther away and walk briskly to your destination.
• When friends and family gather, go for a group walk. You can make the walk more fun by turning it into a scavenger hunt. Or play an active group game in your yard or local park.
• Bundle up and take a walk instead of a drive to see holiday lights.

2. Eat healthy

Eating well supports muscles and bones, boosts immunity, helps the digestive system function, and helps with weight management among other health benefits. Good nutrition involves eating a variety of healthy foods. To do that during the holidays:

• If you eat foods that that are high in calories, saturated fat, or added sugars, choose small portions and only eat them once in a while. Opt for healthier foods most of the time.
• At parties and other gatherings, fill your plate with your favorite fruits and vegetables first, then add small portions of less healthy items.
• If you are taking food to a party, make it your favorite healthy dish. Then you’ll be sure that at least one item at the party will be a healthy choice that you enjoy.
• Make healthier versions of your traditional recipes by using ingredients with less fat and salt.
• Spice up baked fish or chicken by adding salsa or black bean sauce.
• Consider beans in place of higher-fat meats..."
  Healthier Holidays 

Safer Food Choices Help Prevent Food Poisoning

"To prevent food poisoning, some foods are safer choices than others. That’s because some foods—such as undercooked meat and eggs, unwashed fruits and vegetables, and unpasteurized milk—are more often associated with foodborne illnesses.

Some people are more likely to get sick and have a more serious illness from food poisoning. See specific recommendations if you are in one of these groups:

• Adults 65 and older
• Children younger than 5 years
• People who have a weakened immune system
• People who are pregnant

Always follow the four steps to food safety—clean, separate, cook, and chill—to protect yourself from food poisoning.

Learn about current foodborne outbreaks and the foods linked to them..."
Prevent food Poisoning 

Arctic Report Card: Update for 2023

"The Arctic continues to rapidly evolve, shaped by past and ongoing human activities that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and push the broader Earth system into uncharted territory. Now in its 18th edition, this year’s Arctic Report Card (ARC2023) provides an updated annual view into the state of the Arctic by checking in on key Vital Signs—eight defining elements of the Arctic’s climate and environmental system. ARC2023 also samples critical and emerging Arctic topics, bringing into focus diverse collections of observations that help to assess the trajectory and impacts of Arctic change. Figure 1 locates some of these events in the pan-Arctic perspective and Fig. 2 is provided as a convenient place name reference.

This year’s physical and biological Vital Sign observations are in line with trends reported in past Arctic Report Cards—warming sea surface and surface air temperatures, decreasing snow cover, diminishing sea ice, both in spatial extent and thickness, and continued mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Year-to-year variations, in addition to long-term trends, are significant and can be especially important at regional scales.

Extreme weather and climate events during the past year in the Arctic and elsewhere have brought unambiguous, climate change-supercharged impacts to people and ecosystems. Such events vary in scale across time and space. In the span of a few hours, individual storms may create hardships and damage that last for years. Longer-term extremes, such as drought or prolonged high temperatures, also have direct, distinct impacts, produce cascading effects in other parts of the environment, and may exacerbate (or mitigate) shorter time frame weather extremes.."
Arctic Report Card 

Archival Records of Congress: Frequently Asked Questions

"Congressional offices and committees receive, generate, and process many paper and digital files in the course of their work. Archivists preserve some of this historical material, which can help inform future Congresses and researchers studying congressional history. This report is intended to assist congressional staffers who want to locate and access these historical materials.

Recordkeeping rules, policies, and practices vary by type of congressional office. Materials in a Member’s office are traditionally considered the Member’s personal property. Although some Members choose to donate their papers to an archival repository after they leave office, there is no legal requirement for Members to preserve papers or make them available to researchers. The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, among other resources, can help users locate Member papers and other relevant archival collections.

Files from congressional committees and House or Senate administrative offices may be official records. House Rule VII and Senate Rule XI govern records for the House and Senate, respectively. In accordance with 44 U.S.C. §2118, the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate transfer noncurrent House and Senate records to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at the end of each Congress. Although NARA’s Center for Legislative Archives is responsible for preserving those files, they remain the property of Congress.

In general, House records are closed to the public for 30 years, and Senate records are closed for 20 years. Some sensitive congressional records may remain closed for 50 years. In some circumstances, however, Members and congressional staff may be able to access otherwise-restricted records. The House archivist or Senate archivist, respectively, offer guidance and assistance with access to archival records, as well as managing active records and papers.

NARA also stores other legislative-branch records, as well as pre-1789 legislative records. Separately, both NARA and the Library of Congress operate programs to capture and preserve public-facing congressional websites..."
C ongressional Archival Records 

How to spot the latest job scams

"Scams can be hard to spot because they often look just like the real thing. That includes job scams. They crop up on real job sites, including places like LinkedIn. Scammers have even invited people to do things like 45-minute interviews, putting in the time so you let your guard down. So how do you tell a scam from the real thing?Image

Let’s say you get a message from a recruiter. They say you’re just what they’ve been looking for and schedule a virtual interview. The invitation has the company’s logo and an official-looking job briefing guide describing the job’s duties. Soon after the interview, you get the email: You got the job! The offer letter comes in — company logo and all — and everything seems promising. But what comes next?

Here are some signs that job offer may be a scam:

• Scammy recruiters will email you from a personal email, not a company account. Recruiters will generally email from their company (@companyname.com), not a personal email like @gmail.com or @yahoo.com.
• Scammy recruiters push you for money. They might send you a fake invoice for equipment (like a computer ) or “training” that they’ll supposedly order but tell you to pay for first — using mobile payment apps like Cash App, Zelle, or PayPal. They’ll promise to reimburse you…but won’t, because it’s a scam.
• Scammy recruiters ask for your personal information up front. Before giving you any details about the job, they’ll ask for your driver’s license, Social Security, or bank account number to fill out “employment paperwork.” But if you share it, they might steal your identity.

Not sure if you’re dealing with a job scam? Contact the company using a phone number or website you know to be legitimate — not one you got from the “recruiter.”

Report job scams to the FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov..."
Job Scams 

Scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal your information

"QR codes seem to be everywhere. You may have scanned one to see the menu at a restaurant or pay for public parking. And you may have used one on your phone to get into a concert or sporting event, or to board a flight. There are countless other ways to use them, which explains their popularity. Unfortunately, scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal personal information. Here’s what to know.

There are reports of scammers covering up QR codes on parking meters with a QR code of their own. And some crafty scammers might send you a QR code by text message or email and make up a reason for you to scan it. These are some of the ways they try to con you:

• they lie and say they couldn't deliver your package and you need to contact them to reschedule
• they pretend like there’s a problem with your account and you need to confirm your information
• they lie, saying they noticed suspicious activity on your account, and you need to change your password

These are all lies they tell you to create a sense of urgency. They want you to scan the QR code and open the URL without thinking about it.

A scammer’s QR code could take you to a spoofed site that looks real but isn’t. And if you log in to the spoofed site, the scammers could steal any information you enter. Or the QR code could install malware that steals your information before you realize it.

So how can you protect yourself?

• If you see a QR code in an unexpected place, inspect the URL before you open it. If it looks like a URL you recognize, make sure it’s not spoofed — look for misspellings or a switched letter.
• Don’t scan a QR code in an email or text message you weren’t expecting — especially if it urges you to act immediately. If you think the message is legitimate, use a phone number or website you know is real to contact the company.
• Protect your phone and accounts. Update your phone's OS to protect against hackers and protect your online accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.."
  QR Codes 

"Wastewater (sewage) can be tested to detect traces of infectious diseases circulating in a community, even if people don’t have symptoms. You can use these data as an early warning that levels of infections may be increasing or decreasing in your community.

About CDC’s Wastewater Program (NWSS)

How Wastewater Monitoring Works

Wastewater COVID-19 State and Territory Trends

COVID-19 NWSS Wastewater Monitoring in the U.S.

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This chart shows state trends of SARS-COV-2 viral activity levels in wastewater. For comparison, you can also see trends for the region (Midwest, South, Northeast, West) in which the state is located and the national trend.

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Make a selection from the filters to change the visualization information.

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

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Data from the most recent two weeks may be incomplete due to delays in data reporting. These data sets are subject to change and are indicated by the gray shading.

Testing has resumed for commercial contract wastewater sites (about 350 sites) that have had a temporary delay since September 15, 2023. Once sites have six weeks of data, the wastewater viral activity levels will be displayed..."
Wastewater and COVID-19