First Reading - Hawaii LRB Library

Just in...Hawaii fishes

2008-03-07T10:30:00.008-10:00

Reef and Shore Fishes of the Hawaiian Islands (560 pp.), by John E. Randall, was published in 2007 by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program. The book covers the 612 species found within the Hawaiian Islands from the shore down to 656 feet (200m). Introductory chapters present a historical review of ichthyological research in Hawaii, zoogeography, introductions of alien fishes, marine conservation, and methods for fish identification. Ref. QL636.5 R35 2007

See Star Bulletin review, 4.24.2007

Mental map of the states

2008-03-06T09:28:00.006-10:00

U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a report today analyzing substance use and mental health patterns occurring in each state. The report reveals "that there are wide variations among the states in problems like illicit drug use and underage drinking, but that no state was immune from these problems."

State Estimates of Substance Use is based on the 2005-2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and provides state-level estimates for 23 measures of substance use and mental health problems, including underage drinking, use of illicit drugs, serious psychological distress, major depression, and tobacco use. These estimates are based on combined data collected from 136,110 respondents surveyed in 2005 and 2006 (the most recent data available). The report also reveals statistically significant changes that have occurred within each state between 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.

SAMHSA provides not only HTML and PDF editions of the report but table access to individual state reports and data. The HTML version contains additional tables not found in printed or PDF versions.

State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2005-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. OAS Series #H-33, DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 08-4311, Rockville, MD, 2008.

HTML edition
PDF (64pp/590kB)

Hawaii Directory of State, County and Federal Officials, 2008

2008-03-03T01:19:00.002-10:00

LRB Library publishes the 2008 Hawaii Directory and offers pdf downloads as a complete volume or by individual agency on the LRB website.

A companion volume to the Guide to Government in Hawaii, this annual publication provides directory information for government in Hawaii. Includes phone numbers, mail and email addresses, and web site URLs.

Hawaii Directory of State, County and Federal Officials, 2008
(February 2008, pdf, 185pp/800kB)

Limits on hate crime laws

2008-02-29T09:24:00.011-10:00

In mid-February, a 15-year-old boy in Oxnard, CA, was shot in the head by a 14-year-old classmate who now faces murder charges. As reported by the LA Times, several students said the victim had come out as gay. According to authorities, "If the suspect targeted [the victim] because of his sexual orientation, the case could rise to the level of a hate crime."

A recent paper by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) summarizes the constitutional issues for states and Congress when enacting hate crime laws. CRS cites several U.S. Supreme Court cases that provide the parameters for such legislation.

After these landmark cases, the real questions for states involve identifying permissible ways to curtail hate crimes without infringing on any constitutionally protected rights. On the federal level...the question remains as to what extent Congress can broaden the classes of individuals subject to hate crime legislation.

The paper discusses the applicability of the commerce clause, the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th), and the 1st and 6th Amendments.

Constitutional Limits on Hate Crime Legislation, RS22812 (pdf, 6pp/76kB, from Open CRS), Feb. 20, 2008

See earlier FR post, Dealing with "symbols of fear and violence," 10.25.07. §706-662, Hawaii Revised Statutes, therein was amended by HB2, which became Act 1, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, 2nd Special Session.

Recent GAO reports

2008-02-27T16:10:00.003-10:00

From the Government Accountability Office (GAO):

HIGHWAY PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS: More Rigorous Up-front Analysis Could Better Secure Potential Benefits and Protect the Public Interest, GAO-08-44 (pdf, 96pp/1.24 MB), Feb. 8, 2008

Highway public-private partnerships show promise as a viable alternative, where appropriate, to help meet growing and costly transportation demands. The public sector can acquire new infrastructure or extract value from existing infrastructure while potentially sharing with the private sector the risks associated with designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining public infrastructure. However, highway public-private partnerships are not a panacea for meeting all transportation system demands, nor are they without potentially substantial costs and risks to the public--both financial and nonfinancial--and trade-offs must be made.....There is no "free" money in highway public-private partnerships.

HEAD START: A More Comprehensive Risk Management Strategy and Data Improvements Could Further Strengthen Program Oversight, GAO-08-221 (pdf, 41pp/632kB), Feb. 12, 2008

This report focuses on the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) oversight of the Head Start program in which 1,600 local organizations receive $7 billion in grants from ACF. GAO recommends that ACF establish better criteria to spot underperforming grantees, to improve the reliability of its data, and to reduce improper payments.

HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: HHS Is Pursuing Efforts to Advance Nationwide Implementation, but Has Not Yet Completed a National Strategy, GAO-08-499T (pdf, 17pp/228kB), Feb. 14, 2008

In 2004 Pres. Bush established the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) with HHS. The key areas of national health IT activities are electronic health records, standardization, networking and information exchange, and health information privacy and security.

STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE: Options to Improve the Cost-Effectiveness of Filling the Reserve, GAO-08-521T (pdf, 15pp/216kB), Feb. 26, 2008

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was established in 1975. The SPR currently has almost 700 million barrels of crude oil, about 56 days of oil imports, in Texas and Louisiana. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, P.L. 109-58 (pdf, 551pp.), authorized the Department of Energy (DOE) to increase the SPR to 1 billion barrels by 2018. GAO recommends that DOE consider flexible, cost-effective ways when making fill decisions.

Reputation on the Internet

2008-02-22T09:28:00.012-10:00

Daniel J. Solove of the George Washington University Law School is the author of The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet, the full text of which is available online. The 205-page book was published in October 2007 by Yale University Press.

Solove likens the present state of the Internet to a teenager: "brash, uninhibited, unruly, fearless, experimental, and often not mindful of the consequences of its behavior. And as with a teenager, the Net's greater freedom can be both a blessing and a curse."

In the concluding chapter, "The Future of Reputation," he writes:

Will people be blogging and using social network websites a decade from now? Who knows? . . . The technologies may change, but human nature will remain the same.

Although the Internet poses new and difficult issues, they are variations on some timeless problems: the tension between privacy and free speech, the nature of privacy, the virtues and vices of gossip and shaming, the effect of new technologies on the spread of information, and the ways in which law, technology, and norms interact. New technologies do not just enhance freedom but also alter the matrix of freedom and control in new and challenging ways.

The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet (Yale University Press, October 2007)

Recycling CFLs

2008-02-20T23:15:00.000-10:00

Since 2006, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have seen a sharp increase in sales and now comprise 20% of the U.S. light bulb market, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS). With their increased use, concerns have arisen about the disposal of CFLs because they contain small amounts of mercury and may be deemed household hazardous waste. In light of this designation, the CRS paper includes a discussion of the disposal and recycling of CFLs, and notes recycling programs in Maine and Minnesota, and the Northwest Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) Recycling Project for Oregon and Washington.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs): Issues with Use and Disposal, RS22807, (pdf, 6pp/80kB, from Open CRS), February 13, 2008

Just in...2 on Hawaii

2008-02-15T13:00:00.003-10:00

The Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force issued its report on "charting a course for Hawaii's sustainable future." See post from the Hawaii House Blog.

See also FR post from last year on the Task Force and an earlier publication.

Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan (pdf, 99pp/9.6MB)
(HC79 E5 H25 2008)

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In Healthcare Hawaii Style, Frank L. Tabrah, M.D., writes of his lengthy medical experience in Hawaii, beginning as a plantation doctor in Kohala on the Big Island, and the evolution of medical care in the islands. Dr. Tabrah sees in the health care system that developed from the plantation communities promising elements for national universal health care. From the Preface:

Proponents of National Health plans and single-party payment systems will find much in the universal coverage of the plantation years and the success of mandatory health coverage since 1974 to ponder in solving our health care crisis.

See review from the Star Bulletin.

Healthcare Hawaii Style, Model for the Nation? How the Aloha State Leads the Way Toward Universal Healthcare
(RA447 H3 T32 2007)

ERISA's impact on insurance reform

2008-02-13T14:37:00.004-10:00

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) is the federal law that governs private-sector retirement and health plans. ERISA pre-empts all state laws relating to employee benefit plans, including health insurance, with exceptions under the commonly called "savings" and "deemer" clauses. (ERISA specifically exempted the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act, chapter 393, Hawaii Revised Statutes, in the form it was passed in 1974, a few months before ERISA itself was enacted.) As states are attempting to legislate health insurance reform to cover the uninsured, they have come up against ERISA's pre-emption provision.

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) issued a study on the challenges presented by ERISA to such state laws, especially "fair share" laws that require employers who provide little or no health coverage to pay into a state fund. The report concludes, in part:

Given the current pre-emption structure, as states continue to pass incremental regulations and benefit mandates on insured plans, it seems clear that more employers will be forced to consider self-insuring their health benefit plans, simply as a response to the significantly growing regulatory costs. And, as the cost of insured coverage rises, smaller employers may consider dropping coverage entirely.

As the administration of President George W. Bush comes to an end, and the fiscal demands on a deficit-plagued federal government continue to increase, it seems clear that political prospects are slim that the next president and the next Congress will enact a publicly funded universal-care health care system covering all Americans. But the alternative--greater state regulation of employment-based health care, which remains the bedrock of the current system--could ultimately prove to be self-defeating if employers decide to get out of the game.

ERISA Pre-emption: Implications for Health Reform and Coverage (pdf, 16pp/740kB)

State finances and recession

2008-02-07T16:05:00.001-10:00

The Rockefeller Institute of Government issued, on Jan. 30, a report on recessions and state finances, providing 50-state comparisons of past recessions and their effects, using the 2001 recession as a key reference point. It notes that, in the short term, a recession does not affect states' expenditures as much as tax revenues which are hit by "the ravages of a recession," and makes a cautionary observation:

...the initial response to a recession in the year of a negative revenue surprise typically includes administrative actions or a combination of administrative and legislative actions. These commonly involve across-the-board cuts, reserve-fund drawdowns, and borrowing from other parts of the budget. These actions often have no impact on longer-term structural problems, or can even make the subsequent year's problem worse. States reserve the big guns of large tax increases and spending cuts for the executive budget process, and that process can take several years to play out....

What Will Happen to State Government Finances in a Recession? (pdf, 27pp/1MB)

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In a news release Jan. 24, the National Governors Association (NGA) announced its adoption of an economic stimulus policy for Congress. In a brief information paper, the governors propose countercyclical funding to be made up of Medicaid assistance and a flexible block grant. A longer background paper provides Congress and the Administration with information on the fiscal condition of the states, the potential state role in economic stimulus, and specific policy options. Maintaining that any stimulus package should be "timely, temporary and targeted," the paper proposes six categories for Congress to consider in a formulating such a package:

General revenue sharing
Targeted state-federal programs for high-risk populations
Job creation
Mortgage default assistance
Existing regulations (moratoriums to assist states in holding down expenditures)
Individual income tax and business tax reductions

Economic Stimulus Information Paper (pdf, 4pp/84kB)
Economic Stimulus: A State Perspective (pdf, 11pp/88kB)

Recent GAO reports

2008-02-04T12:30:00.001-10:00

From the Government Accountability Office (GAO):

LONG-TERM FISCAL OUTLOOK: Action Is Needed to Avoid the Possibility of a Serious Economic Disruption in the Future, GAO-08-411T (pdf, 21pp/376kB), January 29, 2008

In testimony by the Comptroller General, 3 key points:

The federal budget is on an imprudent and unsustainable path
Rapidly rising health care costs are our nation's number one fiscal challenge
The window of opportunity for action is shrinking as the first baby boomers retire and begin tapping into Social Security and Medicare

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: Growing Fiscal Challenges Will Emerge during the Next 10 Years, GAO-08-317 (pdf, 78pp/716kB), January 22, 2008

As is true for the federal sector, the growth in health-related expenditures is the primary driver of the fiscal challenges facing the state and local government sector. In particular, two types of state and local expenditures will likely rise quickly. The first is Medicaid expenditures, and the second is expenditures by these governments for health insurance for state and local employees and retirees.

ELDERLY VOTERS: Some Improvements in Voting Accessibility from 2000 to 2004 Elections, but Gaps in Policy and Implementation Remain, GAO-08-442T (pdf, 30pp/792kB), January 31, 2008

This report covers voting accessibility by seniors and the disabled, specifically getting to polling places and being able to cast votes once they arrive. Besides impediments to wheelchair users, the forms of ballots, type size of voting instructions, and lack of ballots with audio-tape or braille ballots may affect access. GAO noted an increase in states' providing alternative voting methods such as early voting, absentee voting without medical certification, curbside voting, allowing voters to go to more accessible polling places, and taking ballots to a voter's residence. Some election officials reported that early and absentee voting added to the "cost and complexity" of elections.

BILINGUAL VOTING ASSISTANCE: Selected Jurisdictions' Strategies for Identifying Needs and Providing Assistance, GAO-08-182 (pdf, 86pp/2.8MB), January 18, 2008

This study was mandated by the "Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006," P.L. 109-246 (pdf, 5pp.), section 9, regarding the implementation of section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Section 203 is codified at 42 USC 1973b(f). GAO gathered information from 14 of the 296 jurisdictions required to provide bilingual voting assistance. It found that evaluating the effectiveness of these programs is difficult, therefore the extent to which they are helpful to language minority voters is unknown.

Recession - who decides?

2008-01-30T13:33:00.001-10:00

A four-page paper from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) discusses the definition of a recession. The "generally recognized arbiter" of recessions is the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), specifically its business cycle dating committee. On Jan. 7, the committee issued a memo which stated in part:

A recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales.

CRS notes that since it takes time to compile data, it can be more than a year to date the beginning of a recession. The paper concludes:

Although there can be a significant delay between the onset of a recession and the dating committee determination, there is often little doubt that the economy is, or has been, in recession well before the announcement. For policy to have mitigating effects, it must occur quickly. Policymakers may not have the luxury of holding themselves to as strict a definition of recession as economic analysts.

What is a Recession, Who Decides When It Starts, and When Do They Decide? RS22793 (pdf, 4pp/64kB, from Open CRS), Jan. 23, 2008

Gas prices braking drivers

2008-01-25T15:38:00.000-10:00

Citing a 100% increase in U.S. gasoline prices (to $3 per gallon) since 2003, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has published a study on gas price effects on driving and car sales. CBO analyzed data from California highways and sales of new and used vehicles from 2003 to 2006.

Among the findings:

Freeway motorists are making fewer trips and driving more slowly
Market share of light trucks (including SUVs and minivans) began to decline in 2004
Used vehicle prices have shifted, with prices declining for larger models and rising for fuel-efficient cars

CBO notes two policy tools that encourage the use of more-fuel-efficient vehicles: the federal corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards and federal and state gasoline taxes.

Higher prices for gasoline affect both types of policies. By increasing the market demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, higher gasoline prices reduce the economic costs--to manufacturers and to consumers--of achieving stricter CAFE standards. Also, with higher gasoline prices, the average gasoline tax--or any given increase in that tax--is now a smaller share of the price of gasoline than it was in the past.

Effects of Gasoline Prices on Driving Behavior and Vehicle Markets (pdf, 58pp/828kb), January 2008

Recent CRS reports

2008-01-23T10:45:00.000-10:00

Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports from Open CRS:

The Effect of State-Legalized Same-Sex Marriage on Social Security Benefits and Pensions, RS21897 (pdf, 5pp/68kB), Jan. 3, 2008

Same-sex spouses are ineligible for Social Security benefits because of gender-based definitions of "wife" and "husband" in the Social Security Act (42 USC 416 (b) and (f)), and the definition of "marriage" in the Defense of Marriage Act, DOMA, P.L. 104-199 (pdf).

Both federal and private pensions regulated by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) are required to comply with DOMA's definition of a spouse as a "person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife."

Dollar Crisis: Prospect and Implications, RL34311 (pdf, 17pp/124kB), Jan. 8, 2008

Since 2002, the dollar in international exchange has fallen about 29%, accelerating in latter 2007. Among the report's findings are three possible reasons why a dollar crisis won't occur: a large share of a global saving glut is attracted to U.S. asset markets, resulting in large capital inflows to the U.S.; under the current global monetary arrangement known as Breton Woods II, central banks, particularly in Asia, use dollar reserves to stabilize their currencies; and the "dark matter argument"--that large measurement errors in U.S. trade data understate U.S. exports and overstate U.S. net external debt, the dark matter being invisible assets.

Regulation of Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions: State and Federal Standards, RS22788 (pdf, 6pp/76kB), Jan. 11, 2008

This report stems from the denial by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of California's request for a waiver to establish its own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards and compares them with federal standards. California was denied a waiver because federal fuel economy standards in the 2007 energy bill (P.L. 110-140) "will be more stringent than the California program." CRS cites the two relevant California bills that were enacted: AB1493 (pdf, 8pp), in 2002, requiring GHG reductions for vehicles from model year 2009, and AB32 (pdf, 13pp), in 2006, requiring additional GHG reductions.

See earlier FR posts on the energy bill (H.R. 6 that became P.L. 110-140):
Smart grid - the bigger picture (1-8-08)
Smart grid (1-3-08)

Getting it done

2008-01-21T00:00:00.000-10:00

Elder abuse

2008-01-20T23:07:00.000-10:00

The Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau's new study examines states' adult protective services law, gathers data on elder and adult abusive incidence in other states, analyzes possible changes to Hawaii's laws to conform to those of other states, and estimates the predicted effects of those changes on the caseload of Hawaii's Dept. of Adult Protective Services.

A new LRB study in response to HCR 188, HD2 (Hawaii Regular Session, 2007):

A Survey of Adult Protective Services and Elder Abuse in Hawaii and Nationwide.
(2007, pdf, 65pp/1MB)

End-of-life care

2008-01-17T16:15:00.000-10:00

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report on end-of-life care in four states: Arizona, Florida, Oregon, and Wisconsin. GAO relied on studies from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to identify six key components of end-of-life care:

Care management to coordinate service delivery
Services to assist individuals in noninstitutional settings
Pain and symptom management
Family and caregiver support
Communication among individuals, families, and program staff
Assistance with advance care planning

GAO interviewed providers of the following programs in the four states that incorporate these key components: Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS), Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP), and palliative care programs.

End-of-Life Care: Key Components Provided by Programs in Four States, GAO-08-66 (pdf, 27pp/364kB), December 14, 2007 (released Jan. 14, 2008)

Red, blue, purple

2008-01-15T13:46:00.001-10:00

A joint Brookings-American Enterprise Institute project, The Future of Red, Blue and Purple America sets forth 7 trends that "seem likely to be particularly important to decoding our political future." A paper on each trend will be presented at a conference on Feb. 28, 2008. The papers will be published online and a book will be published in fall 2008. The Brookings Governance Studies Program has published an executive summary of the project.

The seven trends:

The rise of exurbia and the changing face of the suburbs
Do birds of a feather flock together?
Race, immigration and the next American people
The decline of the white working class and other shifts in the American class structure
The changing American family
More secular, more evangelical...or both?
The aging of the boomers and the rise of the millennials

The Future of Red, Blue and Purple America; Executive Summary (pdf, 15pp/308kB)

Respite care

2008-01-12T03:22:00.000-10:00

The Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) reviews how respite care programs and states define "respite care." The Bureau researched other states' respite care programs, particularly those that offer respite care options to caregivers who are caring for older adults or adults with chronic illnesses. Finally, the Bureau looked at how five states assess their respite care programs.

A new study in response to House Concurrent Resolution 187, House Draft 1 (Hawaii Regular Session, 2007):

Gimme A Break: Respite Care Services In Other States
(2007, pdf, 70pp/1MB)

Feds blow it

2008-01-10T09:11:00.000-10:00

The federal government failed dismally in The American Lung Association's annual report card on federal and state tobacco control legislation and policies to tighten regulation of tobacco and discourage smoking. Reuters reports that the study also found states falling far short.

"While many states have failed to make meaningful progress at protecting their most vulnerable citizens, the tobacco companies are spending billions of dollars annually marketing their deadly products," the report reads.

The report tracked progress on tobacco regulation and reported on gains, losses and issues stalled throughout 2007. According to The American Lung Association website:

The Lung Association's report card grades each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on their tobacco control policies in smokefree air, cigarette tax, tobacco prevention spending, and youth access to tobacco products. The report grades federal tobacco control efforts on cigarette tax, giving the FDA authority over manufactured tobacco products, cessation and ratification of the international tobacco control treaty.

Hawaii faired much better than the federal government and many states, receiving A's and B's in the Association's four areas of analysis:

Tobacco Prevention & Control Spending (A)
Smokefree Air (A)
Cigarette Tax (B)
Youth Access (B)

For 2007, The American Lung Association

recognizes Hawaii for increasing its cigarette tax by $0.20 to $1.80 per pack, and for funding its tobacco control program above the minimum level recommended by CDC for the first time.

The American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2007
(2007, HTML)

Press Release (HTML)

State Summary for Hawaii
(HTML)

Smart grid - the bigger picture

2008-01-08T15:39:00.000-10:00

A recent post covered a report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) on Smart Grid, part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, H.R. 6 that became P.L. 110-140 (still unavailable online). CRS subsequently issued a report on the entire act, providing a summary of its major provisions.

The report cites the law's key provisions as:

Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). Sets a target of 35 miles per gallon for the combined fleet of cars and light trucks by model year 2020.

Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS). Sets a modified standard that starts at 9.0 billion gallons in 2008 and rises to 36 billion gallons by 2022.

Energy Efficiency Equipment Standards. Includes a variety of new standards for lighting and for residential and commercial appliances, including residential refrigerators, freezers, refrigerator-freezers, metal halide lamps, and commercial walk-in coolers and freezers.

CRS summarizes each of the 16 titles in the new law.

Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007: A Summary of Major Provisions, CRS Report RL34294 (pdf, 27pp/152kB, from Open CRS), Dec. 21, 2007

Two more for the new year

2008-01-08T01:18:00.001-10:00

Two new year studies addressed revealing controversies in the US culture wars. The New York Times (NYT) reports of two economists' conference paper (pdf, 63pp) to this year's annual meeting of the American Economic Association. According to NYT, Professor Gordon Dahl of the University of California, San Diego, and Stefano DellaVigna, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, find

that violent films prevent violent crime by attracting would-be assailants and keeping them cloistered in darkened, alcohol-free environs.

Their paper suggests killing time at a movie is not spent in more violent behavior or tendencies.

"Economics is about choice," Professor Dahl said. "What would these people have done if they had not chosen to go and see a movie?...on days with a high audience for violent movies, violent crime is lower."

NYT quotes Melissa Henson, senior director of programs at the Parents Television Council, "The study's premise strikes me as somewhat goofy."

In 1999 the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) published a report (OpenBook, 48pp) which, according to the NAS website,

states unequivocally that creationism has no place in any science curriculum at any grade level.

However nine years later, NYT reported earlier this week that the NAS Committee on Revising Science and Creationism new book is meant to further defend and explain

the fundamental methods of science, document the overwhelming evidence in support of biological evolution, and evaluate the alternative perspectives offered by advocates of various kinds of creationism, including "intelligent design."

Including statements from biologists and members of the clergy, the report is intended for students, school boards, legislators, policy makers, and leaders of the community.

...science and religion should be viewed as different ways of understanding the world rather than as frameworks that are in conflict with each other and that the evidence for evolution can be fully compatible with religious faith.

Science, Evolution, and Creationism
(2008, OpenBook, 88pp)

Smart grid

2008-01-03T14:05:00.000-10:00

On Dec. 19, President Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, H.R.6, which became P.L. 110-140 (not currently available online). According to a NY Times article, it is "Legislation that will slowly but fundamentally change the cars Americans drive, the fuel they burn, the way they light their homes and the price they pay for food...."

On Dec. 20, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) issued a report on Smart Grid, provided for in Title XIII of the act.

The term Smart Grid refers to a distribution system that allows for flow of information from a customer's meter in two directions: both inside the house to thermostats and appliances and other devices, and back to the utility....The goal is to use advanced, information-based technologies to increase power grid efficiency, reliability, and flexibility, and reduce the rate at which additional electric utility infrastructure needs to be built.

Section 1307 therein provides for state consideration of Smart Grid. As summarized by CRS:

The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2621 (d)) is amended to require each state to consider requiring electric utilities demonstrate that prior to investing in non-advanced grid technologies, Smart Grid technology is determined not to be appropriate. States must also consider regulatory standards that allow utilities to recover Smart Grid investments through rates.

Smart Grid Provisions in H.R. 6, 110th Congress, CRS Report RL34288 (pdf, 11pp/248kB, from Open CRS), December 20, 2007

Video of Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking in favor of the bill, Dec. 6, 2007 (10:03), from YouTube:

Guide to Hawaii government

2007-12-28T12:36:00.000-10:00

The 13th edition of Guide to Government in Hawaii has just been published. The Guide is a companion volume to the Directory of State, County and Federal Officials. Both are publications of the Library. The Guide describes state and county departments and their organization and agencies of the federal government having offices in Hawaii. Organizational charts of the state government, state departments, and the counties are also included.

Guide to Government in Hawaii (pdf, 255pp/2.2MB)
(available for complete download or by agency)

Wiki governance

2007-12-23T08:45:00.000-10:00

The Berkman Blog of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School (HLS) has a post on "Wiki-Government: How open-source technology can make government decision-making more expert and more democratic," an article by Professor Beth Noveck of New York Law School that appears in the Winter 2008 issue of Democracy, A Journal of Ideas. Prof. Noveck believes that new technology that makes possible "communal pooling of knowledge," such as Wikipedia, can also enable "governance by a professional elite" to evolve into one of greater public participation. She writes:

Our institutions of governance are characterized by a longstanding culture of professionalism in which bureaucrats--not citizens--are the experts. Until recently, we have viewed this arrangement as legitimate because we have not practically been able to argue otherwise. Now we have a chance to do government differently. We have the know-how to create "civic software" that will help us form groups and communities who, working together, can be more effective at informing decision-making than individuals working alone.

Prof. Noveck concludes:

Technology will not, by itself, make complex regulatory problems any more tractable, or eliminate partisan disputes about values. What this next generation of civic software can do, however, is introduce better information by enabling the expert public to contribute targeted information. In doing so, it can make possible practices of governance that are, at once, more expert and more democratic.