Monday Morning Federal Newscast – April 11th

The Morning Federal Newscast is a daily compilation of the stories you hear Federal Drive hosts Tom Temin and Amy Morris discuss throughout the show each day. The Newscast is designed to give FederalNewsRadio.com users more information about the stories you hear on the air.

• You have to report to work, as usual, this morning. By now you’ve heard, the government is not shutting down. A brief continuing resolution will keep your agency operational through Thursday. Now, President Obama and Congress are focusing on the final FY 2011 budget, which will cut more than $38-billion in spending. Leadership aides say they expect it to pass as early as Wednesday which is also when the President is expected to release his plan for reducing the deficit.
• The Whistleblower protection enhancement act is back for another round. Democrat Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii has re-introduced a measure that would update the Whistleblower Protection act passed in 1989. The new bill would extend protection to over 40,000 TSA screeners and to federal scientists. It would also allow whistleblowers to seek jury trials across the country. Akaka has sponsored the bill in every Congress since 2000. The measure nearly passed in December, but was anonymously blocked in the Senate on the last day of the 111th Congress.
• It has been nearly three years since the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s new complaint database was mandated by a product-safety law. Now, USA Today is reporting that the database is already under attack, even as it opens for businesses. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee is considering draft legislation to restrict who can submit reports to the database, improve how products are identified and resolve claims that reports are inaccurate. Republican representative Mary Bono Mack of California is the subcommittee chair and sponsor of the draft bill. She says that in its present form the database may do more harm than good if it misleads consumers based on inaccurate information. But CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum says the database is needed so consumers don’t spend months in the dark about product-related injuries and deaths before the government can act.
• Search giant Google is in the crosshairs of two separate federal investigations. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice are gearing up for a showdown over who might lead a government investigation into the company’s business practices. The DOJ recently approved Google’s acquisition of travel software maker ITA, but required that it share the technology with other sites, and allow limited government oversight. Politico reports, the FTC is believed to be investigating broader anti-competitive practices at the company. That agency has already mandated that Google’s privacy practices be reviewed by a third party for the next twenty years. Google’s competitors have called for investigations into the search engine’s forays into other businesses.
• Libraries are more than books. These days you’ll find art exhibits, lounge chairs, and free Wi-Fi. The Library Journal has compiled a list of the top ten libraries that you might want to tour – whether you want to check out reading material or not. USA Today reports the Journal’s 10 favorites include The New York Public Library, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year. Also, the Fayetteville Public Library in Arkansas was hosts programs with local writers. And, of course, the Thomas Jefferson Building housing the Library of Congress. The Library Journal says for anyone who is interested in U.S. history, this is a place you must see.

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