Improve public administration

VietNamNet Bridge – The fight against corruption was a rare highlight of the Government’s efforts to improve public administration, as citizens in more than half of the country believed corruption was better controlled in 2017, a report found on Wednesday. Trends of several sub-indexes in the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index over 2011-17 period. — VNA/VNS Infographic According to the 2017 Viet Nam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) - a nationwide survey of more than 14,000 citizens selected across 63 localities, 33 localities demonstrated clear progress in addressing corruption. Citizens, meanwhile, thought six localities – Dong Thap, Dak Lak, Ha Giang, Hai Phong, Hung Yen and Dak Nong – were going backwards in tackling corruption. Despite improvements, the capital Hanoi and the business hub HCM City were in the group of poorest performers like most localities in the … [Read more...] about Corruption better controlled: report

On July 17, 2014, President Obama announced a new infrastructure investment initiative, the “Build America Investment Initiative.” Among other things, this program is designed to foster increased use of federal credit programs and public-private partnerships (P3s) by state and local governments. This Alert provides an overview of the Build America Investment initiative and its implications for P3s going forward.Status of Transportation Funding BillWith an Aug. 1, 2014 deadline quickly approaching for the projected shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund, the House of Representatives enacted a short-term, $11 billion transportation bill on July 15. The Senate is also anticipated to consider this temporary solution in the near future, which would provide funding for surface transportation projects through May 2015. In the face of diminished prospects for a multi-year transportation program being enacted this summer and no expectation of Congressional action on other programmatic … [Read more...] about White House Initiative to Expand Public-Private Partnerships

On April 24, 2013, FERC’s Director of Enforcement issued a letter order accepting a FERC Staff audit of Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to evaluate its compliance with NERC’s Reliability Standards. This is one of a handful of instances in which FERC staff has undertaken to assess Reliability Standards compliance without the direct involvement of NERC or its regional entities.One other unique aspect of this audit report is the fact that BPA is a non-public utility and is not subject to FERC’s ratemaking jurisdiction.  Of the four entities for which FERC staff has conducted Reliability Standards audits, two were non-public utilities — BPA and Salt River Project, for whom an audit report has not yet been issued.  This is the first FERC audit report related to a non-public utility’s compliance with the NERC Reliability Standards. Audit ReportFERC’s staff issued its audit letter to BPA on November 15, 2011. The audit … [Read more...] about Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Staff Issues Report on Bonneville Power Administration’s Reliability Standards Audit

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today it will provide a combined $1.2 million in funding to 32 state and local governments, tribes, and non-profit organizations for indoor air quality projects. The funding will support recipients’ efforts to improve indoor air quality, which will better protect the health of Americans in classrooms, communities and homes across the country. Education projects, training and outreach efforts supported by the funding will help reduce the environmental health risks of indoor air contaminants such as radon and asthma triggers. From organizing and training speakers on how to educate parents of children with asthma, to providing technical assistance that will help school districts develop indoor air quality management plans, these projects will help protect children and families. EPA emphasized selecting projects that assist low income and minority families that are disproportionately impacted by poor indoor air … [Read more...] about EPA Awards $1.2 Million to Improve Indoor Air Quality

In a continuing effort to improve the Whistleblower Protection Program, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration today announced that it is implementing additional measures to strengthen the program and is releasing an internal report detailing a recent top-to-bottom review of the program. OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of 21 statutes protecting employees who report violations of various workplace safety, airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime and securities laws."The ability of workers to speak out and exercise their legal rights without fear of retaliation is crucial to many of the legal protections and safeguards that all Americans value," said OSHA Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels. "The new measures will significantly strengthen OSHA's enforcement of the 21 whistleblower laws that … [Read more...] about US Department of Labor’s OSHA announces measures to improve Whistleblower Protection Program