Site Map - Government

12/05/2007 - In a recent Federal employees and applicants for certain jobs in the government may be asked to provide sweat, saliva, and hair for drug testing. A new rule proposed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration would allow testing of sweat, saliva, and hair for signs of drug use. The rule has been proposed, according to the agency, to allow for more accurate testing, because urine tests can be circumvented.

12/05/2007 - Privacy advocates are fighting a losing battle when it comes to the practice of private companies collecting personal information about customers. That's because technology makes it cheap and easy and marketing makes it profitable. And the terrorist threat makes that information valuable to the government as well. A report by the Department of Defense's Technology and Privacy Advisory Committee, which addresses privacy in the age of terrorism, can be reached via SM Online.

12/05/2007 - The TSA has issued guidelines to help airports determine whether to revert to private screeners.

12/05/2007 - In its ongoing effort to design an animal identification system that will trace all animals and premises potentially exposed to a foreign animal disease within 48 hours, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is implementing an interim solution that will record locations where animals reside or will reside. USDA will be awarding almost $12 million to implement the system.

12/04/2007 - A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO)--formerly the General Accounting Office--concludes that the Coast Guard's plan to review all vessel security plans has faced numerous challenges and should be updated. As of the beginning of June, the report notes, the Coast Guard had reviewed only half of the 6,400 vessel plans submitted by the July 1 deadline set out in federal law.

12/04/2007 - The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has issued guidelines for airports to use in deciding whether to retain federal screeners or return to the use of private screening companies. Under laws passed after September 11, as of November 19, 2004, airports may start applying for the right to use contract security services.

12/04/2007 - A final rule issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would allow the agency to detain food if it has credible evidence or information that the substance may cause serious health problems or death to humans or animals.

12/04/2007 - Lots of agencies and departments call themselves "the last line of defense" against terrorism, but, at least with respect to biological and chemical terrorism, perhaps medical examiners and coroners have the most legitimate claim to that title. They are the last people to examine a body for signs of terrorist traces before evidence is buried or destroyed. With that in mind, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has drafted a report providing coroners and medical examiners with information required to build their capacity for biological terrorism preparedness for the benefit of public health.

12/04/2007 - A new GAO report has studied the Federal Aviation Administration's enforcement efforts related to safety violations.

12/04/2007 - The 9/11 Commission has issued its final report and Congress is holding hearings on the recommendations.

12/03/2007 - If a disaster strikes, it's imperative that local first responders be able to communicate effectively, first with each other, then with neighboring responders. But they must also communicate with local companies and representatives of federal agencies. A new survey shows that the first and second areas are in good shape, but the third and fourth remain fraught with problems.

12/03/2007 - The e-mail in-box has evolved from a useful communication medium to a catalog of too-good-to-be-true offers of mortgages and organ enhancements. The stalwart and ubiquitous mobile phone is perched at the brink of a similar catastrophe, as cell-phone spammers begin to wirelessly deliver a similar stream of bogus messages and come-ons. But a new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling may keep spam from overwhelming wireless phones.

12/03/2007 - China set to regulate its 3 million security guards, says the Ministry of Public Security.