This posting links to a summary of the highlights of proposed stimulus legislation. including the Nelson-Collins Amendment and other floor amendments as of February 6, 2009. It is not a complete listing of all programs and spending included in the proposed legislation, but it provides a good overview for those who need access to this information now.To see this document click on the link below. The Nelson-Collins Amendment as of now now (morning of 2-9-2009) appears to be the working Senate version of the proposed economic stimulus legislation.
Preserving the American Historical Record Act (PAHR)
FROM: News from the [New York] State Archives, Region 1, No. 1-2/2009.
Preserving the American Historical Record Act (PAHR): The Act will authorize grants to support the essential evidence of American government and society held by state and local governments, historical societies, and libraries.
Status: On May 15, 2008, the Preserving the American Historical Record Act (H>R> 6056) was introduced in the 110th Congress. Original co-sponsors were Representatives Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Chris Cannon (R-UT). This legislation would provide authorization for the Preserving the American Historical Record program to preserve essential documents and archival records held in state and local governments and historical institutions….
ABA Weekly Newsletter
Top Ten Stories of the Week February 6, 2009
Law Firms McDermott Lays Off 60 Lawyers and 89 Staff Members Feb 3, 2009, 12:13 pm CST
Publication: Federal Rules of Evidence 2009
Federal Rules of Evidence 2009
ISSN 566-5645 Published by Federal Evidence Review as a web based publication.
According to the publisher this publication consists of “a current version of the Federal Rules of Evidence…,originally enacted in 1975 and as amended to the present.” It is “fully searchable using the Adobe Reader ‘search’ tool. Other publications produced by this publisher include: The Federal Rules of Evidence Advosory Committee Notes, available at http://federalevidence.com/notes. and Federall Evidence Review, a monthly electronic legal journal that highlights recent federal evidence cases and developments for subscribers. For subscription and other information go to http://federalevidence.com
Madoff, Investors, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Recent news and developments regarding investors and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC ) as related to the Madoff ponzi scheme:
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted information for Madoff investors at:
The Future of Sentencing in New York State: Recommendations for Reform
A Report of the New York State Commission on Sentencing Reform, dated January 30, 2009 and released on February 3, 2009.
The Report, Future of Sentencing in New York State, calls for reforms to New York Stae drug laws; determinate sentencing, graduated and sanctions for parole violators are among the other recommendations offered.It provides the Governor, Legislature and Judiciary with several different options for historic reform.The State Commission on Sentencing Reform is a bi-partisan panel that has spent nearly two years studying New York States sentencing statutes before releasing this Report
Also see the Press Release announcing release of thr Report and New York State Executive Order Number 10 (March 5, 2007) under which the Commission was created:
ABA: Standards for Criminal Justice
“The “black letter” Standards for Criminal Justice are available on the Standards homepage at www.abanet.org/crimjust/standards/home.html Standards that heve been published with commentary since 1991 are also available in book format on the Web site as well as in hard copy. Listed below are the individual sets of Standards and the dates of publication.”*
Collateral Sanctions and discretionary Disqualification of Convicted Persons (published 2004)
Criminal Appeals (published 1980, 1986 supp.)
Recent Comments on Google and the Future of the Book
Sometimes it seems as though Google has become ubiquitous in the world of searching and may want to repeat its act in the world of books. While thinking about this, two articles, one forthcoming and one published Febrary 1 have come to our attention>
The forthoming article Google and the Future of Books* by Robert Darnton, Director of the Library and Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor of Harvard has much to say on the subject and should be required reading for all who are concerned about these developments. He writes:
“How can we navigate through the information landscape that is only beginning to come into view? The question is more urgent than ever following the recent settlement between Google and the authors and publishers who were suing it for alleged breach of copyright…”
ABA: Judges’ Journal Winter 2009 Issue
A Quarterly of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association Winter 2009. Volume 48 No. 1
Each issue of this journal contains featured articles and standing columns all of which relate in some way to a broad theme selected for that particular issue. The theme selected for this particular issue Winter 2009 is “The Art of Judging in the 21st Century”. As Judge Sophia H. Hall observes in the Forword, “Judges of the twenty-first century must be ready to learn everything , in the words of H.G. Wells, ‘Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature’s inexorable imperative’ “.
The Feature articles in this issue are:
Testing of Search Engines for Grant Project
I received the following e-mail from Scott Frey on January 29 and am posting it here for those who are interested. If you are interested please contact Scott directly as noted below:
I’ve received a grant from the Wolters Kluwer Law & Business Grant Program to develop a search engine for law-related public domain electronic books (http://www.aallnet.org/news/newsdisplay.asp?nid=146). As part of the project, I’m seeking law librarians and other legal researchers to provide feedback on the search engines’ interfaces and results.
I envision that the initial test in April 2009 would take about 30 minutes, followed by tests of similar length in May, August, September, and potentially October. (I figure that 30 minutes would be sufficient for good testing and feedback, without impinging unduly on people’s busy schedules.) I might call or email some testers for clarification or elaboration of their feedback.