State of the Climate in 2010
Annual climate report from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operation
"The gross federal debt, which represents the federal government’s total outstanding debt, consists of two types of debt: (1) debt held by the public and (2) debt held in government accounts, also known as intragovernmental debt. Federal government borrowing increases for two primary reasons: (1) budget deficits and (2) investments of any federal government account surpluses in Treasury securities, as required by law. Nearly all of this debt is subject to the statutory limit. The federal debt limit currently stands at $14,294 billion.

Treasury has yet to face a situation in which it was unable to pay its obligations as a result of
reaching the debt limit. In the past, the debt limit has always been raised before the debt reached the limit. However, on several occasions Treasury took extraordinary actions to avoid reaching the limit and, as a result, affected the operations of certain programs. If the Secretary of the Treasury determines that the issuance of obligations of the United States may not be made
without exceeding the public debt limit, Treasury can make use of “extraordinary measures.”
Some of these measures require the Treasury Secretary to authorize a debt issuance suspension
period..."

College Affordability
"Use the options below to generate a report on the highest (top 5%) and lowest (bottom 10%) academic year charges for each sector. Tuition reports include tuition and required fees. Net price is cost of attendance minus grant and scholarship aid. Data are reported by institutions and are for full-time beginning students..."

Wage Determinations Online
"This website provides a single location for federal contracting officers to use in obtaining appropriate Service Contract Act (SCA) and Davis-Bacon Act (DBA) wage determinations (WDs) for each official contract action. The website is available to the general public as well. Guidance in selecting WDs from this website is provided in the WDOL.gov User’s Guide..."

Census Bureau Reports 64 Percent Increase in Number of Children Living with a Grandparent Over Last Two Decades
"In 2009, 7.8 million children lived with at least one grandparent, a 64 percent increase since 1991 when 4.7 million children lived with a grandparent, according to a new report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Among children living with a grandparent, 76 percent also were living with at least one parent in 2009, not statistically different from the 77 percent who lived with at least one parent in 1991.

“The people with whom children live affect their well-being,”said Rose Kreider, a family demographer with the U.S. Census Bureau. “These statistics give us a lot of detail about the number of parents children live with, as well as whether they live with siblings, grandparents or other relatives.”

These statistics released today come from the household relationship module of the Survey of Income and Program Participation collected in 2009 and published in the report Living Arrangements of Children: 2009..."

National Strategy for Counterterrorism
"As the President affirmed in his 2010 National Security Strategy, he bears no greater responsibility than ensuring the safety and security of the American people . This National Strategy for Counterterrorism sets out our approach to one of the President’s top national security priorities: disrupting, dismantling, and eventually defeating al-Qa‘ida and its affiliates and adherents to ensure the security of our citizens and interests.

In response to the attacks of September 2001, the United States embarked on a national effort against al-Qa‘ida, the transnational terrorist organization responsible for planning and conducting the attacks . As we approach the 10th anniversary of that day, we can look forward with confidence in our accomplishments and pride in the resiliency of our nation. We have prevented another catastrophic attack on our shores; our citizens have not let the specter of terrorism disrupt their daily lives and activities; our Federal government has worked to become more integrated, efficient, and effective in its counterterrorism (CT) efforts; and we have placed our CT campaign in a context that does not dominate the lives of the American people nor overshadow our approach to the broad range of our interests..."

Celebrating the 4th of July in Numbers
Selected facts about celebrating the 4th of July from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Mapping the 2010 Census
"The Census Bureau recently released a series of new maps illustrating 2010 Census data for each state. The 2010 Census Profile maps showcase population and housing data for each state in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. A national map will also be available.

In addition to a population density map, each includes a pie chart showing percent of total population by race, a population pyramid, and a bar chart illustrating housing occupancy rates.

The maps are being released on a flow basis, with more than 25 available now. To find out more information about your state, click here..."

CBO’s 2011 Long-Term Budget Outlook
Testimony of Congressional Budget Office's Director, Douglass W. Elmendorf before the Committee on the Budget, U.S. House of Representatives, June 23, 2011.

REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ENSURING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
"....To ensure that the U.S. attracts manufacturing activity and remains a leader in knowledge production, we recommend the following two strategies: (1) Create a fertile environment for innovation so that the United States provides the overall best environment for business. We believe this can be accomplished through tax and business policy, robust support for basic research, and training and education of a
high­skilled workforce; and (2) Invest to overcome market failures, to ensure that new technologies and design methodologies are developed here, and that technology ­based enterprises have the infra­structure to flourish here.

We recommend this be accomplished by launching an Advanced Manufacturing Initiative. This initiative would support innovation in advanced manufacturing through applied research programs for promis­ing new technologies, public­private partnerships around broadly­applicable and precompetitive technologies, the creation and dissemination of design methodologies for manufacturing, and shared technology infrastructure to support advances in existing manufacturing industries..."

TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS AND ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERMANENT DISPOSAL OF HIGH-ACTIVITY WASTES: Lessons Learned from Yucca Mountain and Other Programs
"...An important part of the Board’s mission is advising Congress and the Secretary of Energy on technical issues related to management and disposal of high-activity waste. herefore, regardless of the outcome of deliberations over Yucca Mountain, the Board believes that it is important to extract knowledge while it is still available from the experience of the Yucca Mountain program and other programs. Such knowledge may be useful for future U.S. highactivity waste management and disposal eforts.

This report is not meant to be an assessment of the licenseability of a Yucca Mountain repository. If licensing goes forward, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will determine whether a license should be granted. But, as President Harry S Truman astutely observed, “…there is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” he purpose of this report, then, is to extract from the history of the Yucca Mountain program, and to a lesser degree from other programs, some of the technical “lessons learned” that may apply to future U.S. programs for waste management and waste disposal..."

Legislative History Research: A Basic Guide
"This report provides an overview of federal legislative history research, the legislative process,
and where to find congressional documents. The report also summarizes some of the reasons
researchers are interested in legislative history, briefly describes the actions a piece of legislation might undergo during the legislative process, and provides a list of easily accessible print and electronic resources. This report will be updated as needed."

Sunscreen: How To Select, Apply, and Use It Correctly
Information on how to correctly apply sunscreen.

Insect Repellents: Use and Effectiveness
Find information on the use and effectiveness of insect repellents.

UV Index
"The UV Index, developed by the National Weather Service and EPA, indicates the strength of solar UV radiation on a scale from 1 (low) to 11+ (extremely high). You can use the UV Index to take appropriate sun-protective behaviors and avoid overexposure to UV radiation."