We wanted to share important (and frankly, frightening) news with you regarding the findings released last week of an audit of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The audit (42p. PDF) was prompted in part by the loss of the Wright Brothers' original patent and maps for atomic bomb missions in Japan.

These losses led investigators to discover that some of the nation's prized historical documents are in danger of being lost for good. It follows a previous audit (66p. PDF) earlier in October highlighting oversight and management improvements, but pointing out that more action was needed.

The Government Accountability Office has also released a Summary Of Audit Findings as well as a Highlights page. The NARA website has posted a Statement in response to the audit findings from Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero.

Nearly 80 percent of U.S. government agencies are at risk of illegally destroying public records and the National Archives is backlogged with hefty volumes of records needing preservation care, the audit by the Government Accountability Office found.

The report by the watchdog arm of Congress, completed this month after a year's work, also found many U.S. agencies do not follow proper procedures for disposing of public records.

The report comes more than a year after news reports of key items missing at the nation's record-keeping agency. Some of the items have been missing for decades but their absence only became widely known in recent years.

The patent file for the Wright Brothers flying machine was last seen in 1980 after passing around multiple Archives offices, the Patents and Trademarks Office and the National Air and Space Museum.

As for maps for the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, military representatives checked them out in 1962, and they've been missing ever since.

The GAO report did not specifically mention those or other examples of missing items including Civil War telegrams from Abraham Lincoln, Eli Whitney's cotton gin patent and some NASA photographs on the moon.

Meanwhile, some documents face the threat of deterioration even though they're already at the Archives. Figures from 2009 show 65 percent of its holdings need preservation steps. In some cases, a document's condition already is so poor, it can't be read – a backlog amounting to more than 2 million cubic feet of records.

The National Archives and Records Administration has 44 facilities in 20 states, including 13 presidential libraries, funded by about $470 million this year from Congress.

NARA also maintains a "Help The National Archives Recover Lost And Stolen Documents" website.

New research aims to understand the management and use of data and its impact on business

William Eggers, global research director at Deloitte and coauthor of "If We Can Put a Man on the Moon."

There is a great opportunity for government contractors to save on sales or use taxes paid for consumables used on government contracts. The U.S. Government is not subject to sales/use tax, however, government contractors typically pay tax on their consumable purchases. Government contractors may be paying tax on many of their overhead purchases needlessly. Sales...

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AP Photo/Evan Vucci

• More than a dozen people who may work near President Trump and Vice President Pence have tested positive for the coronavirus this week.
• On Friday, Pence's press secretary Katie Miller tested positive for the virus. Eleven Secret Service agents have also tested positive for COVID-19, along with one of President Trump's valets. Ivanka Trump's assistant has also caught the coronavirus, but that person has been working remotely for weeks. 
• Because the virus spreads easily when people are in close contact, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges anyone who's been exposed to someone who's caught the coronavirus to stay home for 14 days.
• FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, who worked with Miller recently, said he'll stay home for the next two weeks, but the President and Vice President remain out and about. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The coronavirus arrived at the White House this week.

Vice President Mike Pence's Press Secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive for the virus on Friday. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

See Also:

• The US taught the world public health. Now it's getting schooled.
• New research found coronavirus antibodies in over 99% of recovered patients. Here's what science says about immunity.
• The CDC is warning of potential measles outbreaks as kids miss getting vaccines while in lockdown

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

• The federal government on Saturday announced initial plans for distributing a promising coronavirus drug, remdesivir.
• The drug, manufactured by Gilead Sciences, was authorized for emergency use last week, but doctors and hospitals weren't sure how they were going to get it.
• The Department of Health and Human Services now say the drug is first being distributed to health departments in some hard-hit states, and the departments can distribute it to hospitals as they see fit. 
• Eventually, HHS expects the drug to be delivered to all 50 states, terrorities, the Veterans Health Administration and the Indian Health Service. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The federal government released its initial distribution plans today for the promising coronavirus drug, remdesivir, which was approved for emergency use last week. 

The drug, donated by manufacturer Gilead Sciences, "will be used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients in areas of the country hardest hit by the pandemic," the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) said in a press release.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: How the Navy's largest hospital ship can help with the coronavirus

See Also:

• The coronavirus drug remdesivir was OK'd for emergency use a week ago. The plan to get it to patients is still mired in confusion.
• Dispensed: Hospitals are stuck waiting for a promising coronavirus treatment
• 'It's hard to pay off your medical school loans in this kind of a job': Doctors who can protect the world against pandemics are in short supply

Manufacturing companies that sell equipment to the federal government or government contractors could be eligible for a tremendous tax benefit. The opportunity can help reduce sales/use taxes paid for consumables purchased in support of such government contracts.
The federal government… Read More

The post How Manufacturers Can Save on Sales/Use Tax for Government Contracts appeared first on Anders CPAs.

No matter the size of the organization, if you’re serving on the board you want to feel confident that the organization has the right governance policies and practices in place. Those pesky Form 990 questions actually offer a fantastic checklist… Read More

The post Not-for-Profit Board Governance Best Practices to Implement appeared first on Anders CPAs.

This week in Government Affairs, Federal Government consolidates platforms for federal work, NECA urges Congress to pass appropriations bills before deadline and 2019 NECAPAC contributions deadline announced.

NECA’s government affairs team wishes you a very happy holiday season and we hope you are enjoying time with your family and friends.

NECA's Government Affairs team wraps up 2019, check out the year-end review.

India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said that the two-week lockdown extension notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) appropriately undertakes significant measures whereby economic and manufacturing activities have been reopened in a calibrated manner.

“Permissions have been received by the majority of the companies, though the workforce has been truncated to 20-30%. It is extremely difficult to reach any kind of optimisation and efficiency in this manner,” Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), told ET.

Covid-19 to impact domestic as well global growth: RBI governor

Lockdown distress: Karnataka govt announces Rs 1,610 cr package

To ensure hygiene while transporting, the drivers of UberMedic were trained in safety procedures and also provided with personal protective equipment and disinfectants

The plan, which has been in the works for months, is likely to be part of the stimulus package.

It further said that although 2020 is a lost year, in terms of trade, India can think long-term and build relations so that it can occupy the space vacated by China.

Government hikes ethanol price by Rs 2.85/litre for 2018-19

Swaraj said this while chairing a meeting of India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians, a trust established to supplement development efforts.

What we need before Skill India is perhaps a Skill Government mission. And what’s more, in this Budget season, a visionary leader can do this without much fund allocation.

Under the PMKVY-2.0, launched in October 2016, ministry had targeted to impart skill training to one crore youth for over four years (2016-20). Out of this, 60,00,000 was the target under short-term training while 40,00,000 was the target under the recognition of prior learning (RPL) component for 2016-20.

As many as 72 changes to the Companies Act 2013 have been approved by the Cabinet. Briefing reporters, Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the priority is to "decriminalise" provisions in the Act. Sitharaman, who is also the Finance Minister, said the Cabinet has approved 72 changes to the Act.

Bengaluru: The Union Cabinet’s decision to freeze the DA of its employees till July 2021 and Kerala’s decision to absorb a month’s salary of its employees to the CM’s relief fund to fight Covid-19 has put pressure on chief minister BS Yediyurappa to bite the bullet.The chief minister or the Karnataka Cabinet is yet to take a call on reworking pay and compensation package of its employees in the face of a sharp drop in revenues, and enormous pressure on the finance department to meet the rising demand for funds for Covid-19-related activities and the farm sector.The chief minister had told ET last week that he will take a decision in two weeks after assessing the situation.Karnataka’s salary and pension bill per month comes to about Rs 5,500 crore, and the state has been able to hold on because of the impressive GST collections last month on account of good business climate in February. The commercial tax department does not have any hopes of decent collections over the next two months because of the host of relief announced by the ministry of finance to dealers on GST remittances. The department can hope to have considerable collections only in June. All other major revenue sources for the Karnataka government such as liquor sales, property and vehicles registration are nearly dry.Several IT companies such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro have deferred annual increments.

Asked whether Indians are being targeted abroad, Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said, "One cannot make such a general statement."

The minister said the government has already set up an Indian Workers Resource Centre in Dubai and will set up two more in Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

V K Singh said presently, a section of Indian workers facing difficulties in two major Saudi companies -- Saudi Oger and the Saad Group -- are being brought back to India.

The Home Ministry also said it has kept in abeyance multiple-entry life-long visas given to Overseas Citizens of India card holders till international travel remains suspended.

Govt may eye Rs 1.5 lakh crore divestment in FY21: Sources

Covid-19 impact: Govt raises market borrowing limit to Rs 12 lakh cr for FY21

Govt cuts interest rate on small savings schemes by 0.1 pc, effective July 1

Coronavirus lockdown: 97 trains carrying migrants entered state so far, informs UP Govt

“The minister cleared the proposal by the engineer-in-chief of MES, in line with the Shekatkar Committee recommendation to restructure the civilian workforce in a manner that the work can be partly done by departmentally employed staff while the rest is outsourced,” said an official.

​​Fed fund futures are now pricing negative fed rate by June 21.

The gross borrowing programme for the year has been increased to Rs 12 lakh crore.

Cricket Australia is under huge financial pressure due to global lockdown and has laid off 80 percent of its staff. India's four-Test tour in December-January could provide a relief to the struggling bldy

Under the e-token system, customers are given specific time for purchasing alcohol so that there is no violation of social distancing norms by people queuing up outside liquor stores.

The government had recently allowed certain industrial activities other than in the containment zones to operate, while relaxing the COVID-19 induced lockdown in the state.

The task force has also called for a revamp of financing models for infrastructure and backed a return of development financial institutions, such as IDBI and IFCI, albeit with a sectoral focus. It has argued that banks and NBFCs are unable to meet the massive funding requirement and face several challenges, which is turning the clock back by close to two decades.

The former Director of Procurement for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and the president and chief executive officer of a government contracting firm pleaded guilty today to conspiring to bribe a public official.

The Securities and Exchange Commission today issued an order directing the equity exchanges and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) (the participants) to submit a new National Market System plan (NMS plan) with a modernized governance…

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a 16-count indictment against a former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a former subordinate for their alleged theft of proprietary software and confidential databases from the U.S. government as part of a scheme to defraud the U.S. government.

A COVID-19 outbreak at a Maryland nursing home contributed to an increase in virus cases Sunday across the state that the governor described as “frightening.”

The Racing and Community Development Act of 2020, which will protect the long-term future of horse racing in Maryland through the rebuilding of Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park into state-of-the art facilities, was one of many bills Gov. Larry Hogan allowed to become law without his signature on Thursday, May 7. The legislation, which […]

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Washington Post: In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. government turned down an offer to manufacture millions of N95 masks in America. “It was Jan. 22, a day after the first case of covid-19 was detected in the United States, and orders were pouring into Michael Bowen’s company outside Fort Worth, some from … Continue reading Washington Post: In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. government turned down an offer to manufacture millions of N95 masks in America

Most of the bills were passed before the COVID-19 crisis forced lawmakers to bring the session to a close.

A COVID-19 outbreak at a Maryland nursing home contributed to an increase in virus cases Sunday across the state that the governor described as “frightening.”