We sincerely thank you for your continued readership and will resume our Blog posts on January 6, 2014. Continue reading

This week, the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the County Executives of America (CEA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to share resources and strengthen approaches to public safety and emergency management. The goal is to advance responsible use of security technologies while empowering county executives to make informed decisions... Continue reading

Recently New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the largest free public Wi-Fi system in the United States will be built in the city of Harlem. The network is being funded by a donation from the Fuhrman Family Foundation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. The... Continue reading

Earlier this month, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congressmen Mike Honda (D-CA) and Joe Kennedy (D-MA) introduced, the STEM Gateways Act (S. 1796), that would create a grant program targeting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education for women, minorities and economically disadvantaged students. The legislation would provide funding through... Continue reading

On October 22, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued guidance that said fire hydrants would be covered by the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act, which mandates the use of lead-free pipes to transmit drinking water. That decision was based on a finding that fire hydrants are sometimes used... Continue reading

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released the "2013 Annual Homeless Assessment Report" showing that homelessness in the U.S. has dropped by approximately four percent (4%) over the past two years from 633,782 to 610,040. HUD’s annual “point-in-time” estimates measure the scope of homelessness (e.g., unsheltered,... Continue reading

We are taking a break from the blog during the Thanksgiving Holiday but we will be back on Monday, December 2. Continue reading

Today, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) publish its FY 2014 Economic Development Assistance Programs Federal Funding Opportunity. EDA is soliciting applications from rural and urban areas to provide investments that support construction, non-construction, technical assistance, and revolving loan fund projects under EDA’s Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs.... Continue reading

A recent hearing in the Senate highlighted a new source of transportation for the aging population through a nonprofit transportation system “Independent Transportation Network (ITN) America”. ITN America relies on volunteers and some paid drivers to transport seniors 60 years and older from their homes to doctor's appointments, grocery stores... Continue reading

The application period for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) Program opens November 4 and closes December 6, 2013. The primary goal of the AFG program is to meet the firefighting and emergency response needs of fire departments and emergency medical service organizations. Grants are... Continue reading

Congress continues to explore ways to pay for transportation projects as the Highway Trust Fund, which pays for U.S. road, bridge and mass-transit projects, faces insolvency. Revenue into the trust fund, primarily from U.S. fuel taxes, has declined as cars have become more fuel-efficient and Americans are driving less because... Continue reading

Lawmakers have yet to pass a bill to fund U.S. government operations for the fiscal year that started October 1 that President Obama will sign, and that means that nearly 800,000 government workers throughout the country are at home without pay. As both the House and Senate chambers are eyeing... Continue reading

Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced a bill, the Maritime Goods Movement Act for the 21st Century, which proposes to repeal replace the harbor maintenance tax (HMT) with a new user fee. The bill institutes a new user fee that in most respects would look like... Continue reading

As the 113th Congress approaches the final four months of its first session, only twenty-two bills have become laws as of August 1. These bills include disaster relief for Hurricane Sandy, the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, awarding a congressional gold medal and a measure regarding commemorative coins.... Continue reading

On July 19, 2013, the House passed H.R. 5, the Student Success Act. The measure is intended to overhaul the No Child Left Behind law (P.L. 107-110) which expired in 2007, and reduce the federal government's role in the public education system. The bill would: · Eliminate the current accountability... Continue reading

The Administration has kicked off a health care reform outreach campaign to educate the uninsured and prepare them to enroll in Medicaid and exchange health plans. Last week, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $150 million in grant awards to 1,159 health centers across... Continue reading

Earlier this week, the House Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee approved its FY 2014 appropriations bill. The full Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the bill on June 27. The bill includes $28.5 billion for HUD, $5 billion, or 15 percent, less than the FY 2013 enacted level and $3 billion, or... Continue reading

After the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut late last year, gun control legislation has been put back on the national agenda. Several key politicians and some advocacy groups have expressed an interest in working to pass gun control legislation in the coming year. One such politician is Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA).... Continue reading

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced a $550,000 grant for “high-visibility anti-texting enforcement programs” in Massachusetts and Connecticut to develop and train police officers on better methods for spotting drivers who are texting, and to develop media techniques that alert the public to the dangers of texting and... Continue reading