http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/tapthepower.htm The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau creates annotated bibliographies including hyperlinks on topics of current interest. The publication, called Tap the Power circulates in paper form to all legislative offices and is archived on the LRB public website. Tap the Power originated in July 1999 with the topic of School Finance in the 90s. Saturday Sunday 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 en-us http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/images/lrbcommon/ttp/TTP.gif http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lrb/pubs/tapthepower.htm http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-02-2012.html In the wake of the financial crisis that started in 2008, policymakers have been reevaluating how the financial system of the United States is regulated. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 2010, was a sweeping reform of federal banking regulations. This bibliography provides resources about the history of banking regulation in Wisconsin and the U.S. generally, as well as the Dodd-Frank Act specifically. Consumer Issues, Gambling, Privacy ttp-02-2012 Wed, 1 Feb 2012 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-01-2012.html Renewed interest in taconite, a lower grade iron ore, in the Gogebic Range would create Wisconsin's first open pit mine; previous iron mines were underground. New horizontal drilling technology for hydrofracturing (hydraulic fracturing) to extract previously unreachable petroleum and natural gas deposits has increased demand for "frac sand," a silica sand uniform in size and hardness found in abundance in the driftless area. This Tap the Power focuses on these two types of mining, the last major revision to Wisconsin mining regulations in the 1970s, and some documentation from Minnesota, which has a long history with iron mining. Environment, Recycling, Land Use ttp-01-2012 Sun, 1 Jan 2012 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-12-2011.html Although teen birth rates across the nation remain near an all time low, the U.S. still rates among the highest when compared to other developed nations. This bibliography lists publications that offer perspectives from both sides of the abstinence only verses comprehensive sex education debate, as well as more general resources and information on the causes and consequences of teen sex as a whole. Education, K-12 ttp-12-2011 Thu, 1 Dec 2011 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-11-2011.html The problem: unemployment in Wisconsin is above 7 percent. The solution: create more jobs. The question is, how to create jobs? What policies will lead to more employment? This Tap the Power includes information about recent approaches to the problem, resources for defining the problem, and hindrances to job seekers. A few resources for a national perspective are included. Employment, Workplace Safety, Building Codes ttp-11-2011 Tue, 1 Nov 2011 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-10-2011.html A major challenge facing first responders to disasters is communication inefficiency between the various agencies involved. One barrier to effective communication during the response has been the use of different communication technology between agencies, while inability to share information between law enforcement agencies has created a barrier to preventing or predicting disasters. The attacks of September 11, 2001, brought many of these issues to the fore, and efforts that were already underway to improve communications interoperability between agencies took on a new urgency. This bibliography presents resources that describe efforts to improve interoperability and communication between emergency responders since 2001. Criminal Justice ttp-10-2011 Sat, 1 Oct 2011 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-09-2011.html The publicly funded university system in Wisconsin was founded in 1848 in Madison. Today, the University of Wisconsin (UW) System consists of 13 four-year universities, 13 two-year colleges, and statewide extension programs. The four-year universities offer associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs and UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee offer professional degree programs. The two-year colleges offer associate degrees and freshman and sophomore level classes that are transferrable to the four-year universities. The extension program works with the 26 campuses to assist the Wisconsin community with continuing education, E-learning, and economic development opportunities. This bibliography lists publications that discuss issues in the UW System as well as reports that have been produced on a regular basis. Higher Education ttp-09-2011 Thu, 1 Sep 2011 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-06-2011.html This is an update to the September 2003 Tap the Power, "Concealed Weapons." This bibliography includes relevant publications from "Concealed Weapons," adds more recent titles, and touches on specific aspects of concealed carry, such as concealed weapons on college campuses and in national parks. It also includes background information on firearms laws and the second amendment, the right to keep and bear arms. Criminal Justice ttp-06-2011 Wed, 1 Jun 2011 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-05-2011.html The following titles and book reviews were gathered as an activity for National Library Week 2011. Submitted by legislators and legislative staff, the reviews were not altered except to edit for length or to correct typographical errors. Web sites of interest to book club groups, and to readers in general, are also included. Many more reading suggestions can be found in the previous nine issues of Favorite Books. All of the previous issues are listed on the Tap the Power Web page. Wisconsin Legislature ttp-05-2011 Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-04-2011.html Governments at all levels have been using the Internet to reach citizens since it became readily available in the mid-1990s, and many government agencies have embraced the newer technologies of social networking, such as Facebook and Twitter. Now, at the start of the second decade of the new millennium, even more technologies are available to constituents and agencies alike. Mobile technology, matrix codes, wikis, and cloud computing are just a few of the technologies that have come into their own in the last few years. This bibliography brings together resources about technology in government - what's available, how it's being used, and best practices. State and Local Governments ttp-04-2011 Fri, 1 Apr 2011 00:00:01 GMT http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/ttp/ttp-03-2011.html Every ten years, a census is taken to count the population of the United States. Based on changes in population, district lines are redrawn to ensure equal representation within legislative bodies. This process is called redistricting. This bibliography offers resources with an emphasis on redistricting but may also address related topics such as the census and reapportionment. This publication updates the previous redistricting Tap the Power from 2000 compiled by Arden Rice. Elections, Referenda, Redistricting ttp-03-2011 Tue, 1 Mar 2011 00:00:01 GMT