Feature Channels: Government and Law

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Released: 6-Jan-2011 1:00 PM EST
NSF International Supports New Lead-Free Definition and Regulations for Plumbing Products
NSF International

NSF International, an independent public health organization that tests and certifies a wide range of plumbing and drinking water treatment products, strongly supports the passage of the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act on January 4th, which significantly reduces the amount of lead allowed in plumbing products that contact drinking water.

Released: 5-Jan-2011 5:05 PM EST
Constitutional Law vs. Congressional Politics: What America's Founding Fathers Did Not Anticipate
Baylor University

How far should individuals or churches be able to push free exercise of religion -- especially when it comes to accommodating prisoners with unconventional beliefs and congregations whose ministries and missions may not jibe with restrictions on land use? A Baylor University professor explores those questions in a new book.

Released: 5-Jan-2011 2:00 PM EST
Expert Available to Comment on NHTSA’s Proposal to Limit Truck Speeds; Researcher Conducted Study Showing Speed Differentials Compromise Safety
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Steven Johnson, industrial engineering professor at the University of Arkansas, is available to comment on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recent proposal to enact federally mandated rules that would require trucks to activate speed limits. Johnson has studied speed limits and car-vs.-large-truck speed differentials on rural, interstate highways and found that different speed limits for cars and large trucks compromise safety by causing greater speed variation and a higher number of vehicles passing each other. He is currently involved in research funded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding the implementation of speed-limiting devices on commercial vehicles.

Released: 22-Dec-2010 9:00 AM EST
IFT Highlights Key Scientific Impacts of New Food Safety Legislation
Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)

The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) commends Congress for passage of landmark food safety legislation, which represents the largest changes in the country’s food safety laws in more than 70 years. These changes will be discussed at a special food safety forum on January 7th, 2011.

Released: 21-Dec-2010 11:00 PM EST
Political Winners and Losers from 2010 Census Not as Obvious as Some Claim
Ithaca College

One expert on electoral politics is throwing a little cold water on pundit predictions that Republicans are the big winners from the 2010 census, which will see “red” states picking up House seats and “blue” states losing representation as a result of the once-a-decade reapportionment.

Released: 16-Dec-2010 12:30 PM EST
Media Availability: Expert Commentary on the Recent Court Ruling by Virginia Judge Henry E. Hudson on Health Reform
George Washington University

Prof. Katherine Hayes is available to comment on the recent court ruling by Virginia Judge Henry E. Hudson on health reform.

Released: 16-Dec-2010 10:00 AM EST
Report: Policies to Spur Renewable Energy Can Lower Energy Costs
Georgia Institute of Technology

The South could pay less for its electricity in 20 years than is currently projected if strong public policies are enacted to spur renewable energy production and use, according to a report released today by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Duke University.

Released: 15-Dec-2010 2:45 PM EST
Doctors Still Fear Malpractice Lawsuits, Despite Tort Reforms
University of Iowa

Physicians' fears of being sued for malpractice are out of proportion to their actual risk of being sued, according to a recent study by a University of Iowa researcher and colleagues.

Released: 15-Dec-2010 1:20 PM EST
Expert: Recent Health-Care Law Ruling Does Not Settle Individual Mandate Issue
Washington University in St. Louis

The ruling by Judge Henry E. Hudson of the Federal District Court in Richmond, Va., finding the individual mandate provision of the new health-care law unconstitutional is an important ruling, but it does not settle the question, says Timothy D. McBride, PhD, health economist and associate dean for public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. McBride says that the individual mandate, while just a small piece of the health-reform structure, is very important to making all of the parts of health reform work. “It is more or less like pulling on the thread of a garment, and having the whole garment come apart if this disappears,” he says.

Released: 15-Dec-2010 1:00 PM EST
From Writing-Off Leather Pants to Copyright Disputes: New Database Chronicles Legal Side of Music Industry
Washington University in St. Louis

Do black leather pants qualify as a tax deduction for rock stars? Fans, musicians, journalists, researchers and anyone else interested in music can see how the courts dealt with this question and nearly any other legal issue involving the music industry at The Discography: Legal Encyclopedia of Popular Music accessible through thediscography.org. The site was created by Loren Wells, JD, musician and recent graduate of the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and is supported by the Center for Empirical Research in the Law (CERL) at the School of Law. The site’s database — the most elaborate of its kind — covers 2,400 court opinions spanning nearly 200 years of the music industry.

Released: 15-Dec-2010 12:30 PM EST
Former White House Insider: Obama-GOP Fiscal Package a Good Compromise
Indiana University

John D. Graham, a dean at Indiana University and an official in the Bush administration, says the Obama-GOP tax-cut deal is "remarkably creative and practical," especially given the polarized state of the two-party politics.

14-Dec-2010 9:00 AM EST
Report Finds Dramatic Crime Reduction in East Palo Alto, CA
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law

An independent analysis of data in East Palo Alto, CA shows a dramatic drop in crime over the past two decades. Once known as the U.S. per capita “murder capital,” the city’s crime rate dropped 62% between 1986 and 2008.

Released: 14-Dec-2010 1:10 PM EST
Tax Renewals: Buying Time Or a ‘Permanently Temporary’ Fix?
Washington University in St. Louis

Cheryl Block, JD, federal budget and tax expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, weighs in on tax cut extensions. “Finger pointing aside, both parties have been at the helm at various times since 2001,” Block says, “both standing watch over the growing imbalance between revenues and spending and both aware of threats to the nation’s future fiscal health in light of the aging population, escalating health care costs, and growing government commitments under entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicaid.”

Released: 10-Dec-2010 1:50 PM EST
First Amendment Does Not Cover Protest at Elizabeth Edwards’ Funeral
Cornell University

Steven H. Shiffrin, First Amendment expert and Professor of Law at Cornell University, comments on the Westoboro Baptist Church protest at the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards.

Released: 10-Dec-2010 11:30 AM EST
Experts Available to Discuss New Federal Legislation Aimed at Protecting College Students Against Sexual Assault
University of New Hampshire

Researchers with the University of New Hampshire’s nationally and internationally recognized sexual and intimate partner violence prevention program, Bringing in the Bystander, are available to discuss new federal legislation that recommends universities implement bystander programs to help protect college students from sexual assault.

Released: 9-Dec-2010 9:20 AM EST
ATS President Criticizes EPA on Ozone Delay
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

The president of the American Thoracic Society today criticized the Environmental Protection Agency for seeking a six-month delay in issuing a final rule for ozone pollution.

Released: 8-Dec-2010 4:00 PM EST
Professors and Students at Case Western Reserve University School of Law Provide Assistance to Kenya Piracy Court
Case Western Reserve University

This week, Professor Michael Scharf traveled 30 hours to Mombasa, Kenya to personally deliver his team’s legal research to the Chief Judge of the Kenya Piracy Court.

Released: 6-Dec-2010 3:20 PM EST
Vanderbilt Expert Able to Comment on DREAM Act; Found Texas Dream Act Led More Undocumented Hispanic Students to College
Vanderbilt University

As members of Congress spar over whether or not to provide tuition benefits and a path to legalization to undocumented students through the DREAM Act, an examination of the nation’s first state-level “dream act” indicates such policy effectively boosts college enrollment by these students.

Released: 2-Dec-2010 2:00 PM EST
Tax Expert Says Tax "Cuts" Were Simply a Deferral
Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University professor Robert Ricketts, Frank M. Burke Chair in Taxation in the Rawls College of Business, says that taxes do not discourage job creation or investment in the economy, and that tax cuts do not increase revenues.

Released: 30-Nov-2010 12:00 PM EST
Senate Backing of New FDA Powers a Step in Right Direction
Cornell University

Craig Altier, associate professor of population medicine and diagnostic science at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, comments on U.S. Senate approval today of a long-stalled food safety bill that was partially inspired by last summer’s Salmonella contamination of eggs.

Released: 24-Nov-2010 3:45 PM EST
Economics Professor’s Research Helps Change D.C. Adoption Law
American University

American University's Mary Hansen helped pass a subsidy extension for adopted children that matches the level for foster children in Washington, D.C.

Released: 24-Nov-2010 2:30 PM EST
Media Literacy Initiative Helps Students Prepare for 2012 Elections
Ithaca College

To help young people prepare to sort through the overwhelming flood of information that will soon pour forth from the media about the 2012 presidential campaign, a media literacy initiative at Ithaca College has published an update to its popular curriculum kit for teachers.

Released: 24-Nov-2010 12:05 PM EST
Congress Renews Interest in DREAM Act: Experts Available
American University

American University has experts available to provide commentary about higher education, immigration and the DREAM Act.

Released: 23-Nov-2010 4:35 PM EST
Privacy Expert: TSA Pat-Down Rules 'Handing Terrorists a Victory'
Indiana University

Americans passing through airport security lines this week will find themselves victims of overaggressive, theatrical safety precautions that waste resources and do almost nothing to protect travelers, a privacy expert says.

Released: 23-Nov-2010 3:15 PM EST
TSA Body Scanners Are the Tipping Point for Travelers, May Not Reveal Useful Evidence, Say UAB Experts
University of Alabama at Birmingham

UAB psychologist Josh Klapow, Ph.D., believes new security measures at the nation’s airports are the straws that broke the travelers’ backs. UAB forensic scientist Jason Linville, Ph.D., says serious questions about the validity of the forensic data generated by full body scanners need to be answered.

Released: 23-Nov-2010 10:45 AM EST
Constitutional Law vs. Congressional Politics: What America's Founding Fathers Did Not Anticipate
Baylor University

How far individuals or churches should push free exercise of religion -- especially when accommodating prisoners with unconventional beliefs and congregations whose ministries may not jibe with zoning restrictions -- is the topic of a new book by a Baylor University professor.

Released: 19-Nov-2010 1:00 PM EST
Should Scientists be Policy Advocates?
Michigan Technological University

Two Michigan environmental scientists advocate for scientist-advocacy on issues of environmental ethics.

Released: 19-Nov-2010 9:00 AM EST
US House of Representatives Supports Undergraduate Research: The Week of April 11, 2011 Designated “Undergraduate Research Week”
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)

The Council on Undergraduate Research joins undergraduate students, faculty members and colleges and universities engaged in undergraduate research in celebrating this week’s action on the floor of the US House of Representatives that honored undergraduate research and its invaluable contributions. On November 16, 2010, the House designated the week of April 11, 2011 as “Undergraduate Research Week.”

Released: 16-Nov-2010 3:40 PM EST
Rensselaer Team Shows How To Analyze Raw Government Data
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

A How-To Primer from Rensselaer Polytechnic institute on "mashing-up" the treasure trove of government web data.

Released: 16-Nov-2010 3:30 PM EST
Researcher: Private Sector Has Key Role in Carbon Accounting
Case Western Reserve University

When it comes to controlling carbon emissions, a Case Western Reserve University political scientist challenges conventional views that countries are the only rule makers in international politics of climate change. Jessica Green from the College of Arts and Sciences reports that today’s gold standard for measuring the carbon footprint of firms and organizations was created by the collaborative efforts of NGOs and the private sector—not by countries forging the Kyoto Protocol.

Released: 11-Nov-2010 2:35 PM EST
Plan to Decrease U.S. Deficit Politically Unfeasible
Indiana University

President Obama's fiscal commission, released proposals to reduce the growth of the national debt this week. Bradley Heim of Indiana University says the plan includes good ideas but may not be politically feasible.

Released: 28-Oct-2010 5:40 PM EDT
Batter Up! Law Professor Analyzes Baseball’s Designated Hitter Rule
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Just in time for the World Series, a University of Arkansas law professor weighs in on a classic American debate: Should baseball get rid of the designated hitter rule?

Released: 27-Oct-2010 4:40 PM EDT
Fundraising in Md. Governor's Race Reverse of '06
University of Maryland, College Park

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has raised nearly 50 percent more money for his re-election campaign than his challenger, former Gov. Bob Ehrlich - who has relied more heavily on contributions from individuals and less on those from interest groups, according to a new report from the University of Maryland Center for American Politics and Citizenship.

Released: 26-Oct-2010 4:05 PM EDT
Experts Available to Discuss the Anti-Bullying Initiative by the Federal Government
University at Buffalo

University at Buffalo faculty experts are available to comment on the following topics: Praise for the federal government’s anti-bullying initiative.

Released: 26-Oct-2010 3:30 PM EDT
Expert Source: Federal Fuel Policy Expert Discusses Proposed Fuel Efficiency Standards
Indiana University

John D. Graham, dean of the Indiana U. School of Public and Environmental Affairs and an expert on federal fuel policy, discusses proposed fuel efficiency standards for medium- to heavy-duty trucks and buses.

Released: 26-Oct-2010 12:00 PM EDT
Changes in the American Workforce Puts Role of National Labor Relations Act Into Question
Washington University in St. Louis

The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Marion Crain, JD, the Wiley B. Rutledge Professor of Law at Washington University In St. Louis, looks at the act’s history and says changes in the American workplace and other factors raise the question of how the NLRA will adapt in the future.

Released: 18-Oct-2010 1:45 PM EDT
Runaway Justice
Northwestern University

A new book by a Northwestern University School of Law professor tells the stories of three dramatic fugitive slave trials of the 1850s. Each of the trials underscores the crucial role runaway slaves played in building the tensions that led to the Civil War, and the three trials together show how “civil disobedience” developed as a legal defense. “Fugitive Justice: Runaways, Rescuers and Slavery on Trial” (Harvard University Press, November 2010) also highlights the role of the lawyers who took on these cases and pioneered the idea of civil rights litigation.

Released: 12-Oct-2010 12:00 PM EDT
Texas Tech Experts: Fort Hood Shooter Hearing Begins Today
Texas Tech University

Texas Tech University School of Law has experts in military law available to discuss the legal issues of the case as it unfolds.

Released: 8-Oct-2010 4:05 PM EDT
Social Security Expert Says Proposed Benefit Cuts Will Not Help Reduce the Deficit
Washington University in St. Louis

Recent calls to cut Social Security benefits are grounded in misinformation and misunderstanding, says Merton C. Bernstein, professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis. “Cutting the program will lead to undiminished deficits, more poverty, less purchasing power, less business income and more unemployment.”

Released: 8-Oct-2010 3:10 PM EDT
Call for Housing Foreclosure Moratorium from University of Maryland School of Social Policy Expert and Chief Organizer for ACORN International
University of Maryland, Baltimore

A social policy expert from the University Maryland School of Social Work and the chief organizer of ACORN International call for four steps to be taken to address the housing foreclosure crisis. Available for interviews.

   
Released: 28-Sep-2010 1:00 PM EDT
AMIA Cites Concerns About Proposed HIPAA Modifications
American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)

In comments sent to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) called out 10 specific challenges to proposed modifications to HIPAA Privacy and Enforcement Rules. AMIA’s comments, sent on behalf of its membership of 4,000 informatics professionals, detail key issues of concern related to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on HIPAA modifications, along with suggestions for models of change.

Released: 28-Sep-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Top Legal Experts Explore Reforms to Copyright Law
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law

A new report by legal experts explores ways to update copyright law in the digital age. Millions of ordinary citizens now publish and distribute material with the click of a mouse. But the outdated law exposes new users to huge damage awards and industry copyright owners to piracy.

Released: 27-Sep-2010 1:00 PM EDT
Butler University Professor Says House Passed Impotent Debarment Bill
Butler University

The façade of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement is so deep that the House of Representatives recently passed legislation that will fail to accomplish its stated purpose – "to debar corporations committing FCPA violations from federal government contracts," says Butler University Business Law Professor Mike Koehler.

   
Released: 22-Sep-2010 6:00 PM EDT
End ‘Parliamentary Warfare’ Over Filibusters, Expert Tells Senate
Washington University in St. Louis

Steven S. Smith, PhD, political science professor and parliamentary procedure expert testified Sept. 22 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration on proposed rule changes governing debate and cloture.

Released: 17-Sep-2010 10:25 AM EDT
National Health Organizations Hail House Subcommittee Approval of the Heart for Women Act
Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR)

National health organizations today applauded the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee for their favorable vote on legislation to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the leading killers of American women -- heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

9-Sep-2010 10:55 AM EDT
When Forecasting Aging Policy-Makers Need to Adjust for Increases in Longevity and Health
Stony Brook University

Proposed new Adult Disability Dependency Ratio measures aging based on the ratio of those who need care to those who provide care.

Released: 9-Sep-2010 7:00 AM EDT
Prop. 23 Creates Legal Turmoil, Cuts State Revenue, Reduces Job Growth
University of California, Berkeley, School of Law

A white paper on California’s Proposition 23 finds the initiative would create legal turmoil, cut state revenue, and jeopardize clean energy jobs. Prop. 23 would also slow state efforts to reduce climate change and could have a domino effect nationwide.

Released: 7-Sep-2010 3:00 PM EDT
Constitutional Law vs. Congressional Politics: What America’s Founding Fathers Did Not Anticipate
Baylor University

Professor examines contemporary constitutional politics in the realm of land use, free exercise of religion and the imprisoned.

Released: 1-Sep-2010 12:45 PM EDT
Elections Make Defense Spending Cuts More Difficult, Says Expert
University of Alabama at Birmingham

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ recently announced plan to cut nearly $100 billion from the defense budget over the next five years isn’t likely to be embraced by Congress as it looks ahead to the 2012 elections, according to a UAB study that examined U.S. data over a 44-year period.

Released: 31-Aug-2010 3:50 PM EDT
Uncoupling Sex and Intimacy: Laws Marry Sexual Activity to Committed Relationships
Washington University in St. Louis

A recent article by Laura Rosenbury, JD, professor of law, examines laws governing child custody, sex toys and off-hours affairs. All are the result of legal rulings from a Supreme Court decision once expected to broaden sexual rights, Rosenbury writes in the article “Sex In and Out of Intimacy,” published in July in the Emory Law Journal.



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