Government: Federal, State and Local

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The number of new security clearances provided by the federal government, including renewals, has decreased by 9 percent since 2011, according to a new report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The number of approved clearances dropped for the second consecutive year in FY2013, to just more than 777,000. 

The new Georgia gun law that will take effect July 1 is making officials consider beefing up security at government facilities. A metal detector was placed in the front entrance of the Old Courthouse on Wright Square in Savannah, Georgia, after the law was passed.

The report said that terrorist groups engaged in a range of criminal activity to raise needed funds, with kidnapping for ransom remaining the most frequent and profitable source of illicit financing. Private donations from the Gulf also remained a major source of funding for Sunni terrorist groups, particularly for those operating in Syria.

The Kentucky Senate has passed a cybersecurity bill aimed at boosting protections for information stored in government computers.

Federal officials filed a lawsuit alleging that Sprint Communications Inc. overbilled government agencies $21 million for wiretap service.

Like every public administration, managing ID/access badges in municipal security comes with significant challenges that include organizational changes, continually shifting economic factors, regulatory compliance and emerging technologies and best practices.

Milton-Freewater, Ore., is the latest city to allow city employees to carry guns while on the job, according to The Union Bulletin. The City Council approved a change in the employee handbook Monday that allows properly-permitted staff to carry a firearm at work.

Failing to prepare for extreme weather events has cost the United States $1.15 trillion in economic losses from 1980 to 2010 and could cost another trillion in coming years.

The U.S. Justice Department has accused United States Investigations Services (USIS) of filing at least 665,000 flawed background checks – about 40 percent of the total submissions – between March 2008 and September 2012.

A Pew Research poll says that most of the American public is tuning out the policy debate over government surveillance.