Archive - Illinois
'Deem and Pass' Unlikely to Be Reversed in Courts, Experts Say
The possibility that the House would use a tactic known as "deem and pass" to pass the Senate's health care bill without actually voting on the bill raises the question of whether the measure is constitutional or subject to overturning by the Supreme Court.
Side By Side: Health Care Bill
Compare the Senate version of the 2010 Health Care overhaul bill with the final bill.
Greenspan: Not My Fault
Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan acknowledges that the Fed did little to rein in the systemic risks banks were taking, but also said that the Fed couldn't have prevented the recession even it had acted. Most forecasting models are broken, he said.
Congress Does Repair Job on Stimulus School Construction Plan
President Obama has signed a bill providing federal subsidies directly to school districts for construction, rather than relying on lenders to offer lower interest rates because of prospective tax credits. The stimulus bill provided for the school construction funds, but school districts were unable to sell many of the bonds.
EPA Launches National Study of Hydraulic Fracturing
The U.S. EPA plans a nationwide study to see if reported water contamination in gas drilling areas is caused by the practice of injecting chemicals and water underground to fracture the gas-bearing rock.The study, hinted at for months, will go over the same ground as a much-criticized 2004 study that found that the practice did not endanger water supplies, even though that study did not test any water.
CIA Creates Transparency Page That Doesn't Reveal Much
Following a White House directive, the Central Intelligence Agency has finally posted an open government Web page. The OMB had issued a Feb. 6 deadline for such pages, but later said the requirement didn't apply to independent agencies like the CIA.
