Archive
2010 House Compensation Study: Guide for the 112th Congress
2010 House Compensation Study: Guide for the 112th Congress (PDF)
Source: Chief Administrative Office, U.S. House of Representatives
This report summarizes the results of a survey administered from October 5, 2010 to October 15, 2010 for the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives on compensation, employment, organizational structure, benefits, and other office practices of House Member personal offices. The Web-based survey was sent to 440 Representatives’ offices; the remaining office was not contacted because the Chief of Staff position was vacant at the time of survey administration. A total of 133 (30.2%) offices provided responses to the survey.
How Countrywide Used Its VIP Loan Program to Influence Washington Policymakers
How Countrywide Used Its VIP Loan Program to Influence Washington Policymakers
Source: U.S. House of Representatives (Oversight and Government Reform Committee)
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa today released a new report following the Committee’s three year investigation into Countrywide Financial’s “Friends of Angelo” and “VIP Program” that issued discounted mortgages to influential Washington policy figures. The report finds that Countrywide used its VIP Program to aid its lobbying efforts as well as to strengthen its relationship with taxpayer backed Fannie Mae. Countrywide partnered with Fannie Mae in a strategic business alliance that also included joint lobbying efforts.
Report: Government Motors: A Preliminary Report on the Effects of Bailouts and Politics on the Obama Administration’s Ability to Protect American Consumers
Report: Government Motors: A Preliminary Report on the Effects of Bailouts and Politics on the Obama Administration’s Ability to Protect American Consumers (PDF)
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Majority)
The delayed public notification of serious safety concerns relating to the Chevy Volt raises significant concerns regarding the unnatural relationship between General Motors (GM), Chrysler and the Obama Administration. Rather than allowing GM and Chrysler to enter into a traditional bankruptcy process, the Obama Administration intervened and forced the companies to participate in a politically orchestrated process. The result was that GM and Chrysler emerged as quasi-private entities, partially owned by the United States government. President Obama has used this unusual blurring of public and private sector boundaries to openly tout the results of this partnership as a top accomplishment of his Administration – creating a dynamic where the President is politically reliant on the success of GM and Chrysler.
Moreover, in the case of GM, the Administration has offered substantial taxpayer funded subsidies to encourage production of the Volt, such as $151.4 million in stimulus funds for a Michigan-based company that produces lithium-ion polymer battery cells for the Volt as well as $105 million directly to GM. It has also extended a significant subsidy to encourage consumers to purchase the vehicle, offering buyers of the Volt a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 per vehicle.
In the face of that political dependency, it is deeply troubling that public notification of the safety concerns related to the Volt was inexplicably delayed for six months – a period of time that also coincides with the negotiation over the 2017-2025 fuel economy standards. The necessity of a full explanation for NHTSA’s silence concerning the Volt’s safety risk has been compounded by its lack of cooperation with the Committee.
Cummings Issues Report Detailing Five Years of Gunwalking Operations in Arizona
Cummings Issues Report Detailing Five Years of Gunwalking Operations in Arizona
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (Minority)
Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued a 95-page minority staff report entitled “Fatally Flawed: Five Years of Gunwalking in Arizona.” The report describes the results of the Committee’s year-long investigation into the actions and circumstances that led to multiple gunwalking operations in Arizona from 2006 to 2010.
According to a letter Cummings sent to Committee Members accompanying the report, “this report tells the story of how misguided gunwalking operations originated in 2006 as ATF’s Phoenix Field Division devised a strategy to forgo prosecutions against low-level straw purchasers while they attempted to build bigger charges.”
The report finds that this strategy failed to include sufficient operational controls to stop these dangerous weapons from getting into the hands of violent criminals, creating a danger to public safety on both sides of the border. Rather than halting operations after flaws became evident, ATF’s Phoenix Field Division launched several similarly reckless operations over the course of several years, according to the report, also with tragic results.
+ Full Report (PDF)
Hearing: Internet Gaming: Is There a Safe Bet?
Hearing: Internet Gaming: Is There a Safe Bet?
Source: U.S. House of Representatives (Committee on Energy and Commerce)
The Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade has scheduled a hearing on Tuesday, October 25, 2011, at 10:30 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled “Internet Gaming: Is there a Safe Bet?”
+ Background Memo (PDF)
+ Opening statement from Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Chairman Mary Bono Mack (PDF)
Witness List:
Parry Aftab
Member, Board of Advisors Chairman
FairPlayUSA
Witness Testimony (Truth in Testimony)
Ernest L. Stevens
Chairman
National Indian Gaming Association
Witness Testimony (Truth in Testimony)
Keith Whyte
Executive Director
National Council on Problem Gambling
Witness Testimony (Truth in Testimony)
The Honorable Alphonse D’Amato
Chairman
Poker Players Alliance
Witness Testimony (Truth in Testimony)
Kurt Eggert
Professor of Law
Chapman University School of Law
Witness Testimony (Truth in Testimony)
Dr. Dan Romer
Director, Adolescent Communication Institute
The Annenberg Public Policy Center
Witness Testimony (Truth in Testimony)
Committee Report: TSA Ignores More Cost-Effective Screening Model
Committee Report: TSA Ignores More Cost-Effective Screening Model
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Transportation and Infrastructure committee
Airport passenger screening with private security screeners under federal supervision is dramatically more efficient and less costly than the all-federal screening model, according to a Transportation Committee investigative report.
The report, entitled “TSA Ignores More Cost-Effective Screening Model,” compares costs for the two passenger screening models. A private-federal screening option, known as the Screening Partnership Program (SPP), was established in the Aviation Transportation Security Act (ATSA) after September 11, 2001. This program enabled airports to “opt out” and request the use of private screening contractors under federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) standards, supervision and oversight. Beginning in 2002, five airports operated under the private-federal screening model. That number has increased to 16, with many other airports requesting to utilize this option.
In January, TSA concocted a decision to pull the plug on allowing more airports to opt out, despite the law and Congress’ intent that airports have the legal right to utilize the private-federal screening model. “This comprehensive report clearly debunks TSA’s position and efforts to undermine this cost-effective program,” said U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“The report clearly demonstrates that screening under the private-federal model is dramatically more cost-effective compared to screening conducted by TSA,” Mica said. “If the nation’s top 35 airports opted out, we could save taxpayers $1 billion over the next five years.
+ Full Report (PDF)
Report: Impact of Statements by President, Energy Secretary about Raising Energy Costs on Americans Seen in Administration Policies
Report: Impact of Statements by President, Energy Secretary about Raising Energy Costs on Americans Seen in Administration Policies
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
A report released today by Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa highlights evidence that the statements by President Obama and Energy Secretary Chu about intentionally raising energy costs for Americans can be seen across the federal government: from blocking production in the Gulf of Mexico, to hindering “fracking” technology, and stifling oil and gas production on public lands.
+ Full Report (PDF)
Understanding the Economy: State-by-State Snapshots — May 2011 (based on April 2011 Data)
Understanding the Economy: State-by-State Snapshots — May 2011 (based on April 2011 Data)
Source: Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress
The U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee released the fourth installment of its “Understanding the Economy: State-by-State Snapshots” 2011 series, which provides easy access to the major economic indicators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the areas of jobs, unemployment, personal earnings and housing (click to read the Executive Summary).
Key economic statistics for each state include:
• Jobs created or lost since the start of the recession;
• Jobs saved or created by the Recovery Act;
• Unemployment rates;
• Per capita earnings; and,
• The condition of the housing sector.
Background And Selected Issues Related To The U.S. International Tax System And Systems That Exempt Foreign Business Income
Background And Selected Issues Related To The U.S. International Tax System And Systems That Exempt Foreign Business Income (PDF)
Source: Joint Committee on Taxation, United States Congress
The House Ways and Means Committee has scheduled a public hearing for May 24, 2011 on the rules in certain foreign jurisdictions for taxing foreign income. This document, prepared by the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, describes the U.S. international tax rules applicable to foreign income of resident taxpayers, provides a general overview of a territorial system of taxation, including a brief discussion of basic design considerations, and summarizes the rules of nine selected countries for the taxation of foreign income.
End Tax Breaks For Big Oil: Reduce the Federal Deficit Without Increasing Prices At The Pump
End Tax Breaks For Big Oil: Reduce the Federal Deficit Without Increasing Prices At The Pump</strong> (PDF)
Source: Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress
Congress is currently searching for efficient ways of reducing the deficit. Democratic members of the 112th Congress, along with the Obama administration as evidenced in the fiscal year 2012 budget, propose repealing certain tax benefits for the major integrated oil companies. Eliminating these tax preferences, which subsidize fossil fuel production, will both reduce the federal deficit and expedite the transition to a cleaner‐energy economy.
Critics of repealing these subsidies argue that the targeted tax breaks spur production and lower energy prices. In reality, most of the so‐called incentives have no impact on near‐term production decisions, and thus repealing them would have no effect on consumer energy prices in the immediate future. Even in the longer term, the current proposed changes to these tax provisions would have little impact on global production and a negligible effect on consumer energy prices. More importantly, these subsidies failed to prevent spikes in the price of gasoline, such as the spike that occurred in 2007‐08. At the same time, these tax breaks may have discouraged investment in other industries, including alternative energy sources or energy efficiency, by distorting the effective tax rate on investments in oil and natural gas.
The proposed changes targeted to the major integrated oil and natural gas companies include: (1) eliminating the ability to claim the domestic manufacturing deduction (Section 199) against income derived from the production of oil and gas; (2) repealing expensing of intangible drilling costs; (3) repealing expensing of costs of tertiary injectants used as part of a tertiary recovery method; and (4) modifying the foreign tax credit rules for dual‐capacity earners.5 The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimates that making these four changes would reduce the deficit by $1.2 billion in FY 2012 and $21 billion by FY 2021.
A description of these proposed changes follows, along with a discussion of the short‐ and long‐ run impacts on oil production, crude oil prices and consumer energy prices.
JEC State-by-State Analysis Shows Republican Budget Doubles Out-of-Pocket Costs for Older Americans
JEC State-by-State Analysis Shows Republican Budget Doubles Out-of-Pocket Costs for Older Americans
Source: Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress
A new state-by-state analysis by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC) finds that in each state in the country, out-of-pocket health care costs will more than double for residents turning 65 in 2022 under the Republican budget plan passed by House Republicans in April.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that a typical 65-year-old Medicare beneficiary in 2022 would see their out-of-pocket health care costs increase from $6,154 to $12,513 under the Republican budget. Using that data along with cost-sharing data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the JEC has estimated out-of-pocket costs on a state-by-state basis. While the increase varies by state, residents in all states will see their out-of-pocket expenses more than double when they turn 65 in 2022. Residents in Florida face the largest increase –$7,383.
The report also shows that current Medicare beneficiaries will be harmed by the GOP budget, immediately losing preventive services such as mammograms and facing higher prescription drug costs.
+ Full Report (PDF)
Overview Of Selected Tax Provisions Relating To The Financing Of Infrastructure
Overview Of Selected Tax Provisions Relating To The Financing Of Infrastructure (PDF)
Source: Joint Committee on Taxation, United States Congress
The Senate Committee on Finance has announced a public hearing to examine public financing of infrastructure. This document, prepared by the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, provides a description of present-law provisions relating to certain infrastructure trust funds and their dedicated taxes, an overview of public-private partnerships and related tax considerations, and a description of tax-exempt financing that is available for certain transportation infrastructure. The document also briefly describes the now-expired Build America Bonds program, and proposals for a national infrastructure bank.
Documents in the News — Committee Democrats Release New Report Detailing Hydraulic Fracturing Products
Committee Democrats Release New Report Detailing Hydraulic Fracturing Products
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Energy & Commerce Committee (Democrats)
Today Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Henry A. Waxman, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Edward J. Markey, and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette released a new report that summarizes the types, volumes, and chemical contents of the hydraulic fracturing products used by the 14 leading oil and gas service companies. The report contains the first comprehensive national inventory of chemicals used by hydraulic fracturing companies during the drilling process.
…
The Democratic Committee staff analyzed the data provided by the companies about their practices, finding that:
- The 14 leading oil and gas service companies used more than 780 million gallons of hydraulic fracturing products, not including water added at the well site. Overall, the companies used more than 2,500 hydraulic fracturing products containing 750 different chemicals and other components.
- The components used in the hydraulic fracturing products ranged from generally harmless and common substances, such as salt and citric acid, to extremely toxic substances, such as benzene and lead. Some companies even used instant coffee and walnut hulls in their fracturing fluids.
- Between 2005 and 2009, the oil and gas service companies used hydraulic fracturing products containing 29 chemicals that are known or possible human carcinogens, regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) for their risks to human health, or listed as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
- The BTEX compounds – benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene – are SDWA contaminants and hazardous air pollutants. Benzene also is a known human carcinogen. The hydraulic fracturing companies injected 11.4 million gallons of products containing at least one BTEX chemical over the five-year period.
- Methanol, which was used in 342 hydraulic fracturing products, was the most widely used chemical between 2005 and 2009. The substance is a hazardous air pollutant and is on the candidate list for potential regulation under SDWA. Isopropyl alcohol, 2-butoxyethanol, and ethylene glycol were the other most widely used chemicals.
- Many of the hydraulic fracturing fluids contain chemical components that are listed as “proprietary” or “trade secret.” The companies used 94 million gallons of 279 products that contained at least one chemical or component that the manufacturers deemed proprietary or a trade secret. In many instances, the oil and gas service companies were unable to identify these “proprietary” chemicals, suggesting that the companies are injecting fluids containing chemicals that they themselves cannot identify.
+ Full Report (PDF)
