LLRX.com - Government Resources

FOIA Facts: The Impact of the OPEN Government Act of 2007

Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:05:01 -0700

Now that Congress has passed and the President has signed the FOIA Amendments known as the OPEN Government Act of 2007, many wonder what the new law does and doesn’t do for FOIA requesters. Scott A. Hodes reviews the major provisions of the new law and how it will or won’t affect FOIA requesters.

The Government Domain: New & Free Regulations Trackers

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:06:59 -0700

Peggy Garvin reviews new, free, non-government resources that have recently come online to complement the official U.S. government regulatory information sites, RegInfo.gov and Regulations.gov. For this bounty, Peggy says researcher can thank innovative developers and the relatively new availability of a free XML version of the Federal Register that can be downloaded in bulk.

CongressLine: Congress and Money

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 07:39:15 -0700

Paul Jenks examines how the appropriations process this year has provided a multitude of interesting examples of the wide variety of tools available to Congress and the federal government for appropriating money, beyond just the ordinary appropriations bills in Congress.

FOIA Facts: Expanding the FOIA

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:49:02 -0700

Scott A. Hodes highlights the recent introduction of legislation that would eliminate the FOIA shield for the Smithsonian Institute, and the continued lack of transparency when dealing with other federal agencies.

Commentary: Immunity for Telecom Eavesdropping

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:23:04 -0700

Beth Wellington's commentary tracks the legislative path of retroactive immunity for telecom eavesdropping.

The Government Domain: Testing the THOMAS Beta

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:00:00 -0700

Peggy Garvin runs the THOMAS beta test site through its paces, evaluating the new search engine and enhanced navigations features, accompanied by screen shots.

The Impact of Social Networking Tools and Guidelines to Use Them

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:00:00 -0700

LaJean Humphries identifies the wide range of social networking sites with which researchers should be knowlegeable, and addresses legal, privacy and ethical concerns associated with their use. She also provides a bibliography of books, articles and reports that focus on the impact of social networking applications.

The Government Domain: 2007 Calendars and Schedules

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0700

A wide range of online calendars from agencies and Congress offer valuable information to researchers that includes: release dates for topical reports, news, surveys, meeting and official travel schedules, historical commemorations, House and Senate bill histories, and links to speeches and testimony. Peggy Garvin includes numerous examples of e-gov sites with such services that should be on your radar.

FOIA Facts: Rapid Response Team for FOIA

Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0700

Scott A. Hodes recommends that federal government FOIA offices implement a rapid response team to deal with FOIA requests that are likely to lead to litigation in the short run.

The Directorate of Legal Research at the Library of Congress: A Treasure Hidden Under a Bushel Basket

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:38:39 -0700

Michael Ravnitzky pulls back the curtain on a little known but extensive (his findings date back to 1915) and continuously updated source of topical comparative and international law reports, on subjects of public interest, produced each year by experts within the Library of Congress.

The Government Domain: A Cornucopia of Government Search Engines

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:31:54 -0700

Peggy Garvin's column compares and contrasts the features of FirstGov Search, Google Government Search and GovMine.

Commentary: Biodefense and the Freedom of Information Act

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:15:04 -0700

Beth Wellington's commentary takes an in-depth look at the divergent positions and issues associated with FOIA and biodefense related appropriations and legislation, from the perspective of legislators, public interest groups and journalists.

Reference from Coast to Coast: The Test Results are In!

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:44:40 -0700

This month Jan Bissett and Margi Heinen offer tips for finding Bar exam results, exam schedules, and reciprocity, and also provide links to relevant court, association, government and legal newspaper websites.

Extras - Commentary: Previously Unreleased FCC Reports on TV Localism Raise Questions About Media Diversity

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 13:08:40 -0700

Beth Wellington is a Roanoke, Virginia based poet and journalist. She is a contributing editor to the New River Free Press, a book reviewer for the Roanoke Times and a member of the Southern Appalachian Writers Cooperative (SAWC) and the Appalachian Studies Association. From 1980 to 1997, she was the founding Executive Director of New River Community Sentencing, Inc. in Christiansburg, Virginia and its predecessor, New River Community Action's Community Sentencing Program. She contributes to both SourceWatch.org and Wikipedia.org. Beth's blog on culture and politics is The Writing Corner.

Commentary: Previously Unreleased FCC Reports on TV Localism Raise Questions About Media Diversity

By Beth Wellington

The Government Domain: Information Checks and Balances

Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:20:53 -0700

The Government Domain

Information Checks and Balances

By Peggy Garvin

Peggy Garvin of Garvin Information Consulting is author of The United States Government Internet Manual (Bernan Press) and Real World Research Skills (TheCapitol.Net).