GISIG UW-SLIS: Gov Info, Sources, Data & Docs

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Smithsonian & LOC Gov Docs: Over The Rainbow

Images: USPS Gov Doc: Wizard of Oz postage stam;, Smithsonian Gov Docs: Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers; Ruby Slipper Sole; LOC Gov Doc: Wizard of Oz movie poster—Let’s Go Over the Rainbow with Judy (from LOC Exhibit: Wizard of Oz: An American Fairy Tale)


Follow the GISIG gov-info tumblr to discover a Pride of “queer-ros” in Gov Docs/Collections! Next Up: Margaret Mead

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CRS Gov Doc: Higher Education Tax Benefits: Brief Overview and Budgetary Effects →

via @saftergood & fas.org

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LOC gov Doc: Nonprofit Organizations: A Beginner’s Guide →

Nonprofit organizations have become a critical part of American culture.  Not only is the nonprofit sector one of the “fastest-growing part[s] of the U.S. economy,” but also, as a recent study by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Public Policy has shown, nonprofit workers make up approximately 10.2% of the total U.S. workforce.

It is no wonder, then, that information about the law regarding nonprofits is one of our most popular public requests at the Law Library of Congress.  Patrons appear to be most concerned with how to create a nonprofit organization, how to deal with taxation issues, and how to properly govern a nonprofit organization (or deal with management conflicts as they arise).  Thus, we will try to address all of these issues, as well as provide information about internet resources that can assist those interested in nonprofit organizations and the laws that govern them.

Secondary Sources

Like we have suggested in some of our Beginner’s Guides in the past, the best place to start research on a new topic, such as the law of nonprofit organizations, for the first time is to use a secondary source, like a treatise, handbook, dictionary, encyclopedia, or a model act/law.  Once these sources provide you with a foundation in the area, you can use the citations they provide to drill down and find primary source materials.

For True Beginners

General

Creation/Registration

Taxation

Governance

Laws/Statutes

Most of the laws on the incorporation and maintenance of nonprofit organizations are dictated by state corporation law.  For more information about state laws and where to find them online, visit the Law Library’s Guide to Law Online. To find your state’s statutes, select your state from the Guide to Law Online page, and scroll down to the “Legislative” section.

With regard to federal laws, researchers will likely be most interested in the Internal Revenue Code, as many nonprofit and charitable organizations can be exempt from federal taxes as long as they adhere to certain guidelines: see the “General” and “Taxation” secondary sources listed above for more information.  The Internal Revenue Code is included in the United States Code at Title 26.  Tax regulations can generally be found in Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Online Resources

In addition to the resources listed above, those interested in the creation and governance of nonprofit organizations can find a wealth of helpful information on the internet.  Below are links to some websites, broken down by topic, that offer more information about the law of nonprofits.

Overviews/Handbooks

Clinics/Legal Representation

Groups

News/Blogs

Information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

If you have any other favorite nonprofit law resources, please share them with us in the comments.

As always, please feel free to contact the Law Library of Congress if you have any questions.

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NASA Gov Doc: The Butterfly Nebula This sharp and colorful close-up of the dying star’s nebula was recorded in 2009 by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3, installed during the final shuttle servicing mission. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is near the center of this view, almost edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen has been detected in the hot star’s dusty cosmic shroud. NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius). Image Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble

NASA Gov Doc: The Butterfly Nebula

This sharp and colorful close-up of the dying star’s nebula was recorded in 2009 by the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3, installed during the final shuttle servicing mission. Cutting across a bright cavity of ionized gas, the dust torus surrounding the central star is near the center of this view, almost edge-on to the line-of-sight. Molecular hydrogen has been detected in the hot star’s dusty cosmic shroud. NGC 6302 lies about 4,000 light-years away in the arachnologically correct constellation of the Scorpion (Scorpius).

Image Credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble

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NLM Gov Doc: Images from the History of Medicine- “We’re your family too!” Image: Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations

NLM Gov Doc: Images from the History of Medicine- “We’re your family too!”

Image: Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations

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FBI, Census & DOJ Gov Data: ACLU Report--The War on Marijuana in Black and White →

This report is the first to examine marijuana possession arrest rates by race for all 50 states (and the District of Columbia) and their respective counties from 2001 to 2010.

The report relies on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program and the United States Census ’ annual county population estimates t o document arrest rates by race per 100,000 for marijuana possession.

The report finds that between 2001 and 2010, there were over 8 million marijuana arrests in the United States, 88% of which were for possession. Marijuana arrests have increased between 2001 and 2010 and now account for over half (52%) of all drug arrests in the United States, and marijuana possession arrests account for nearly half (46%) of all drug arrests. In 2010, there was one marijuana arrest every 37 seconds, and states spent combined over $3.6 billion enforcing marijuana possession laws.

The report also finds that, on average, a Black person is 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates. Such racial disparities in marijuana possession arrests exist in all regions of the country, in counties large and small, urban and rural, wealthy and poor, and with large and small Black populations.

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The G-8 Summit in Lough Erne

statedept:

 
Today, President Obama is in Northern Ireland for the G-8 Summit in Lough Erne, his fifth G-8 since taking office.

Following his remarks in Belfast yesterday, he held a number of meetings with world leaders ahead of the G-8, including a visit with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron and a meeting with EU leaders on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. MORE

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Congress Gov Docs: House passes late-term abortion ban →

The House approved a national late-term abortion ban Tuesday in the strongest congressional move against abortion rights since 2003. The bill from Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) garnered 228 “yea” votes, including six from Democrats. Opposing the measure were 196 members, including six Republicans. At least one GOP member had vowed to oppose the bill because it includes exceptions for some rape and incest victims.

The Senate is expected to ignore the bill, which would ban abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy on the disputed premise that fetuses can feel pain at that stage. A previous draft applied only to the District of Columbia, but Franks expanded it nationwide in light of the recent murder trial of Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia abortion doctor convicted of killing several infants born alive after failed abortions. The trial has received special attention from opponents of abortion rights, who argue that a late-term abortion is no different than an infant’s murder.

Franks’s bill has spurred controversy on Capitol Hill in the last week. During a markup on Wednesday, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee shot down several amendments to provide rape, incest and health exceptions to the ban, arguing they would be abused. The final version approved by the panel would allow only women whose lives are in danger to access late-term abortions.

This changed Friday when GOP leadership quietly ordered the House Rules Committee to add rape and incest exceptions to the bill for victims that report the crimes against them. The measure’s floor manager was also changed from Franks to Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), perhaps in a nod to criticism that the bill’s committee of jurisdiction includes no GOP women. 

State fetal-pain measures have been challenged in court because they attempt to ban abortion prior to viability — the basic standard for U.S. abortion rights established by Roe v. Wade. Democrats have slammed Franks’s bill as unconstitutional, morally presumptuous and part of a GOP-led “war on women” that Dems say will undercut Republican efforts to court female voters.

“We are inching back toward the truly dark ages” with this bill, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) said Tuesday. 

Here are a few more highlights from the bill’s journey to passage…

more: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/abortion/306319-overnight-health#ixzz2WcuztZjC

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CBO Gov Doc: Two Analyses of the Senate’s Immigration Legislation →

The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) would revise laws governing immigration and the enforcement of those laws, allowing for a significant increase in the number of noncitizens who could lawfully enter the United States on both a permanent and temporary basis. Additionally, the bill would create a process for many individuals who are present in the country now on an unauthorized basis to gain legal status, subject to requirements specified in the bill. The bill also would directly appropriate funds for tightening border security and enforcing immigration laws, and would authorize future appropriations for those purposes.

Based on joint work with the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), CBO released two analyses related to the immigration legislation that was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee:

  • A cost estimate providing projections of the bill’s effects on federal spending, revenues, and the deficit.
  • A report on the economic impact of S. 744, analyzing the bill’s effects on economic output, the size of the labor force, employment, wages, capital investment, interest rates, and productivity.

How Would the Legislation Affect the U.S. Population?

CBO estimates that, by 2023, enacting S. 744 would lead to a net increase of 10.4 million in the number of people residing in the United States, compared with the number projected under current law. That increase would grow to about 16 million by 2033. CBO also estimates that about 8 million unauthorized residents would initially gain legal status under the bill, but that change in status would not affect the size of the U.S. population.

How Would the Legislation Affect the Federal Budget from 2014 Through 2023?

CBO and JCT estimate that enacting S. 744 would generate changes in direct spending and revenues that would decrease federal budget deficits by $197 billion over the 2014–2023 period. CBO also estimates that implementing the legislation would result in net discretionary costs of $22 billion over the 2014–2023 period, assuming appropriation of the amounts authorized or otherwise needed to implement the legislation. Combining those figures would lead to a net savings of about $175 billion over the 2014–2023 period from enacting S. 744. However, the net impact of the bill on federal deficits would depend on future actions by lawmakers, who could choose to appropriate more or less than the amounts estimated by CBO. In addition, the total amount of discretionary funding is currently capped (through 2021) by the Budget Control Act of 2011; extra funding for the purposes of this legislation might lead to lower funding for other purposes.

Following the long-standing convention of not incorporating macroeconomic effects in cost estimates—a practice that has been followed in the Congressional budget process since it was established in 1974—cost estimates produced by CBO and JCT typically reflect the assumption that macroeconomic variables such as gross domestic product (GDP) and employment remain fixed at the values they are projected to reach under current law. However, because S. 744 would significantly increase the size of the U.S. labor force, CBO and JCT relaxed that assumption by incorporating in this cost estimate their projections of the direct effects of the bill on the U.S. population, employment, and taxable compensation.

The bill also would have a broader set of effects on output and income that are not reflected in the cost estimate described above. Those additional economic effects include changes in the productivity of labor and capital, the income earned by capital, the rate of return on capital (and therefore the interest rate on government debt), and the differences in wages for workers with different skills. Those effects and their estimated consequences for the federal budget are described in a report, The Economic Impact of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, that accompanies the cost estimate.

According to CBO’s central estimates (within a range that reflects the uncertainty about two key economic relationships in CBO’s analysis), the economic impacts not included in the cost estimate would have no further net effect on budget deficits over the 2014–2023 period.

How Would the Legislation Affect the Federal Budget for 2024 Through 2033?

CBO and JCT generally do not provide cost estimates beyond the standard 10-year projection period. However, S. 744 would cause a significant number of people to become eligible for certain federal benefits in the decade following 2023, so CBO and JCT have extended their estimate of the effects of this legislation for another decade.

The additional amount of federal direct spending stemming from enactment of S. 744 would grow after 2023 as more people became eligible for federal benefits as a result of the bill. The additional amount of federal revenues owing to the legislation also would increase after 2023 as the labor force continued to increase. On balance, CBO and JCT estimate that those changes in direct spending and revenues would decrease federal budget deficits by about $700 billion (or 0.2 percent of total output) over the 2024–2033 period. In addition, the legislation would have a net discretionary cost of $20 billion to $25 billion over the 2024–2033 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. According to CBO’s central estimates (within a range that reflects the uncertainty about two key economic relationships in CBO’s analysis), the economic impacts not included in the cost estimate would further reduce deficits (relative to the effects reported in the cost estimate) by about $300 billion over the 2024–2033 period.

How Would the Legislation Affect the Economy?

S. 744 would boost economic output. Taking account of all economic effects (including those reflected in the cost estimate), the bill would increase real (inflation-adjusted) GDP relative to the amount CBO projects under current law by 3.3 percent in 2023 and by 5.4 percent in 2033, according to CBO’s central estimates. Compared with GDP, gross national product (GNP) per capita accounts for the effect on incomes of international capital flows and adjusts for the number of people in the country. Relative to what would occur under current law, S. 744 would lower per capita GNP by 0.7 percent in 2023 and raise it by 0.2 percent in 2033, according to CBO’s central estimates.

Per capita GNP would be less than 1 percent lower than under current law through 2031 because the increase in the population would be greater, proportionately, than the increase in output; after 2031, however, the opposite would be true. CBO’s central estimates also show that average wages for the entire labor force would be 0.1 percent lower in 2023 and 0.5 percent higher in 2033 under the legislation than under current law. Average wages would be slightly lower than under current law through 2024, primarily because the amount of capital available to workers would not increase as rapidly as the number of workers and because the new workers would be less skilled and have lower wages, on average, than the labor force under current law. However, the rate of return on capital would be higher under the legislation than under current law throughout the next two decades.

The estimated reductions in average wages and per capita GNP for much of the next two decades do not necessarily imply that current U.S. residents would be worse off, on average, under the legislation than they would be under current law. Both of those figures represent differences between the averages for all U.S. residents under the legislation—including both the people who would be residents under current law and the additional people who would come to the country under the legislation—and the averages under current law for people who would be residents in the absence of the legislation. As noted, the additional people who would become residents under the legislation would earn lower wages, on average, than other residents, which would pull down the average wage and per capita GNP; at the same time, the income earned by capital would increase. CBO has not analyzed the full economic effects of the legislation separately for the incomes of people who would be U.S. residents under current law.

In sum, relative to current law, enacting S. 744 would:

  • Increase the size of the labor force and employment,
  • Increase average wages in 2025 and later years (but decrease them before that),
  • Slightly raise the unemployment rate through 2020,
  • Boost the amount of capital investment,
  • Raise the productivity of labor and of capital, and
  • Result in higher interest rates.
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NASA Gov Docs: Sally Ride

June 18, 1983: Sally Ride Becomes First American Woman in Space

On this day in 1983, at the age of 32, astronaut Sally Ride became the first American woman in space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Her voyage came 20 years after Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. After the voyage, Sally Ride received many honors for her contributions to the field of science and space exploration.

In May 2012, Sally Ride became the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States.

On July 23, 2012, Sally Ride died at the age of 61 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She came out as a lesbian in her obituary.

 Visit PBS NewsHour to learn more about Sally Ride.

Photo: Courtesy of NASA

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New Gov Site: mentalhealth.gov Last week Kathleen Sibelius announced the launch of http://mentalhealth.gov/. This website includes information about the signs of mental illness, how individuals can seek help, and how communities can host conversations about mental health. Kay Jamison, Glenn Close, Cher and others share stories of recovery and hope. The site includes information for people with mental health problems, for parents and caregivers, for family and friends, and for educators. The site is part of a National Dialogue on Mental Health to support community conversations, public/private partnership commitments, and discussion on social and online media.

New Gov Site: mentalhealth.gov


Last week Kathleen Sibelius announced the launch of http://mentalhealth.gov/. This website includes information about the signs of mental illness, how individuals can seek help, and how communities can host conversations about mental health. Kay Jamison, Glenn Close, Cher and others share stories of recovery and hope. The site includes information for people with mental health problems, for parents and caregivers, for family and friends, and for educators. The site is part of a National Dialogue on Mental Health to support community conversations, public/private partnership commitments, and discussion on social and online media.

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NIH Gov Doc: Herbs at a Glance →

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has created a no-cost ebook on over 40 medicinal herbs.  Go to their website to access individual fact sheets or download the full book onto your mobile device: http://1.usa.gov/19Y6tAB

Do you have questions about herbs and supplements? Join scientists from NCCAM for a Facebook chat on Thursday, June 13, 2013 at 3pm ET. Details here: http://1.usa.gov/14Pu0xK

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LOC Gov Doc: Are you fond of horses - U.S. Army - The Veterinary Corps instructs you in their care and treatment, riding and driving (1919)

LOC Gov Doc: Are you fond of horses - U.S. Army - The Veterinary Corps instructs you in their care and treatment, riding and driving (1919)

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CFPB Gov Doc: Launch of new mortgage rule implementation page →

CFPB has launched the  Regulatory Implementation page, which consolidates all of our new 2013 mortgage rules and related implementation materials. This is an effort to support rule implementation and ensure that industry is ready to comply with the new borrower protections.

This is the central access point for our mortgage-related implementation materials, including:

  • Mortgage rules at a glance
  • Small entity compliance guides
  • Videos
  • Quick reference charts
  • 2013 rural or underserved counties list
  • Other helpful materials

Our goal with this page is to provide access to our mortgage-related implementation resources though a single page that makes the rule content more accessible for a broad array of industry constituents, especially smaller businesses with limited legal and compliance staff.

Although these implementation materials give an overview of the rules, they are not substitutes for the underlying rules.

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Guantánamo Gov Library penamerican: For Guantánamo detainees, the prison library offers a rare means of escape. The library has about 18,000 books — roughly 9,000 titles — the bulk of which are in Arabic, along with a smaller selection of periodicals, DVDs and video games. Religious books are the most popular, Milton said, but there is also a well-thumbed collection of Western fare — from Arabic translations of books like “News of a Kidnapping,” by Gabriel García Márquez, and “The Kiss,” by Danielle Steel, to a sizable English-language room, which boasts familiar titles like the “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” series, “Watership Down” and the “Odyssey.” Some detainees arrived knowing English, while a few others have learned over time. Most have now been held without trial for over a decade. David Remes, a lawyer for Guantánamo detainees, told me one client requested romance novels, while others have asked for skiing, surfing and mountain-climbing magazines, “because they never see nature.” His client Shaker Aamer, a former resident of Britain, took a liking to George Orwell. “I sent him a copy of ‘1984,’ and he said he read it about three times and that it perfectly captured the psychological reality of being at Gitmo,” Remes said.

Guantánamo Gov Library

penamerican:

For Guantánamo detainees, the prison library offers a rare means of escape.

The library has about 18,000 books — roughly 9,000 titles — the bulk of which are in Arabic, along with a smaller selection of periodicals, DVDs and video games. Religious books are the most popular, Milton said, but there is also a well-thumbed collection of Western fare — from Arabic translations of books like “News of a Kidnapping,” by Gabriel García Márquez, and “The Kiss,” by Danielle Steel, to a sizable English-language room, which boasts familiar titles like the “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings” series, “Watership Down” and the “Odyssey.” Some detainees arrived knowing English, while a few others have learned over time. Most have now been held without trial for over a decade.

David Remes, a lawyer for Guantánamo detainees, told me one client requested romance novels, while others have asked for skiing, surfing and mountain-climbing magazines, “because they never see nature.” His client Shaker Aamer, a former resident of Britain, took a liking to George Orwell. “I sent him a copy of ‘1984,’ and he said he read it about three times and that it perfectly captured the psychological reality of being at Gitmo,” Remes said.

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