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Budget for FEMA flood maps slashed
Oh come on! ProPublica has a story out today "As Need for New Flood Maps Rises, Congress and Obama Cut Funding". This shows the absolute -- not to mention dangerous -- idiocy of our Federal legislators' feverish obsession with cutting the US budget. People, please, the US budget deficit is under control and shrinking faster than the CBO originally estimated. Meanwhile, our public infrastructure is crumbling before our eyes -- another bridge collapsed a few days ago, this time in WA -- and our emergency preparedness is in dire need of being updated. This is not the time for austerity (see Krugman, "How the Case for Austerity Has Crumbled.").
The maps, drawn by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, dictate the monthly premiums millions of American households pay for flood insurance. They are also designed to give homeowners and buyers the latest understanding of how likely their communities are to flood. The government’s response to the rising need for accurate maps? It’s slashed funding for them. Congress has cut funding for updating flood maps by more than half since 2010, from $221 million down to $100 million this year. And the president’s latest budget request would slash funding for mapping even further to $84 million — a drop of 62 percent over the last four years. In a little-noticed written response to questions from a congressional hearing, FEMA estimated the cuts would delay its map program by three to five years. The program “will continue to make progress, but more homeowners will rely on flood hazard maps that are not current,” FEMA wrote. The cuts have slowed efforts to update flood maps across the country. In New England, for instance, FEMA is updating coastal maps but has put off updating many flood maps along the region’s rivers, said Kerry Bogdan, a senior engineer with FEMA’s floodplain mapping program in Boston. “Unfortunately, without the money to do it, we’re limited and our hands are kind of tied,” she said. Many of the flood maps in Vermont — including areas near Lake Champlain that have recently flooded — are decades out of date. “There are definitely communities that really need that data,” said Ned Swanberg, the flood hazard mapping coordinator with Vermont’s Department of Environmental Conservation.Continue reading
A handy breakdown of what’s in the “fiscal-cliff” bill
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in the Fiscal Cliff Package, "Savings and Costs in the Fiscal Cliff Package" [table] The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (January 1, 2013). This is based in part on the document:
- Estimated Revenue Effects Of The Revenue Provisions Contained In An Amendment In The Nature Of A Substitute To H.R.8, The "American Taxpayer Relief Act Of 2012," As Passed By The Senate On January 1, 2013 Fiscal Years 2013 - 2022, JCX-1-13 Joint Committee On Taxation (January 1, 2013).
GPO FY13 budget approved by Senate Appropriations Committee
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out the Legislative Branch 2013 budget. According to the August 2, 2012 press release, GPO’s budget request was fully funded and will include:
- $83.7 million for Congressional Printing and Binding
- $34.7 million for Salaries and Expenses of the Superintendent of Documents
- $7.8 million for the revolving fund
- $126.2 million total
Government Printing Office - $126.2 million – This funding level is identical to the fiscal year 2012 enacted level in total funding. At the recommended levels, Congressional Printing and Binding will be funded at $83.632 million. This is a 7.8% reduction from the fiscal year 2012 enacted level and is identical to the request level. Within this reduced funding level, full funding is provided for printing the 2012 edition of the U.S. Code, which is published every six years under authority of Title 2, U.S. Code. The amount recommended for Salaries and Expenses is $34.7 million, which is a reduction of $272,000 from the enacted level. This funding level would allow the GPO to continue mission requirements ordered by the Congress. The bill would provide $7.8 million for GPO’s Revolving Fund for critical maintenance of printing systems. Of this amount:Also in the bill, the Library of Congress' budget allocation is slated for $592.2 million. The bill would provide an additional $4.9 million for the LOC, which is an increase of 0.8% above the fiscal year 2012 enacted level. This funding level assumes current staffing levels. There's still some haggling to be done with House Legislative Branch FY13 appropriations bill -- most notably the revolving fund is only budgeted at $4,096,000 rather than the Senate's proposed $7.8 million. Stay tuned! Continue reading
- $3.4 million is for Information Technology Projects such as development of a replacement system for the XML system, and replacement of systems critical to GPO’s network security monitoring and protection;
- $3.8 million is for Federal Digital System Projects; and
- $460,000 is for fire and safety projects at GPO facilities.
The Federal Budget App
GPO Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2012 No. 12-12 GPO MAKES AVAILABLE THE FEDERAL BUDGET FOR THE FIRST TIME AS AN APP WASHINGTON-The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) releases a mobile Web application (app) for President Barack Obama's Budget for the U.S. Government, FY 2013. This is the first time the Budget is available as an app. GPO's mobile Budget app will provide users with access to the text and images of the FY 2013 Budget, including the Budget Message of the President, information on the President's priorities, and budget overviews organized by agency. The app provides links to GPO's Federal Digital System (FDsys) where summary tables and additional books of the Budget, including the Analytical Perspectives, Appendix, and Historical Tables are available. The public can take advantage of this free mobile Web app on major mobile device platforms, including iOS 4.3 and above, Android 2.2 and above, and Blackberry OS version 6.0 and above. The Budget is also available through GPO's retail and online bookstore and on FDsys. Link to FY 2013 Budget app: http://m.gpo.gov/budget Link to FDsys: www.fdsys.gov Link to bookstore: http://bookstore.gpo.gov/collections/budget.jsp "GPO is very excited to make President Obama's Budget for the U.S. Government available for the first time as a mobile Web app," said Acting Public Printer Davita Vance-Cooks. "Through GPO's role as the digital information platform for the Federal Government, we continue to explore different ways to make Government information available to the public and developing apps is just one way we are meeting that goal." The FY 2013 Budget app is the second mobile Web app that GPO has developed. The first, the mobile Member Guide, was released in November 2011. GPO also supported the Library of Congress in developing an iPad app for the Congressional Record, released last month. Continue reading
February 13, 2012: President Obama’s Budget For Fiscal Year 2013
GPO AND OMB TO DISTRIBUTE PRESIDENT OBAMA’S BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013 The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) are releasing President Barack Obama’s Budget for the U.S. Government, FY 2013. Printed copies are available through GPO’s retail and online bookstore. The Budget is also available electronically on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) www.fdsys.gov. Monday, February 13, 2012 11:15 a.m. EST Hard copies of the Budget may be purchased through GPO’s retail and online bookstore. Budget of the U.S. Government $39 Budget Appendix $76 Analytical Perspectives $53 Historical Tables $50 CD-ROM $27 The authentic online version will be available through a direct link on GPO’s Federal Digital System (FDsys) after 11:15 a.m. EST. www.fdsys.gov Continue reading
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