Megan Lynch

When her parents accept summer teaching jobs in Rome, talented, troublemaking, twelve-year-old Mia Moretti tags along. Eager to learn more about her surroundings, she drags her new friend, buttoned-up and straight-laced Grace, out to explore the Italian cityscape. But when they stumble upon a strange street carnival, Mia wins a mysterious prize: a fragment of a bone from an ancient conjuror, secured in a velvet pouch and strung on a necklace. Supposedly, it makes the wearer lucky in anything they attempt until nightfall. Sensing danger, Mia throws the bone into the dumpster. But the carnival disappears into thin air, and the bone mysteriously finds its way back to them. The only way to rid themselves of it is to reunite it with the decaying skeleton it came from before the sun sets. But by the time they locate the remains and attempt to return the bone, they're too late. Caught between life and death and trapped inside the nightmarish carnival, they discover an alarming plot that threatens more lives than just their own. Mia and Grace team up with another recently taken boy, Val, and the three of them must get their souls back into their bodies, in Rome, or else their spirits will be imprisoned for all eternity." This deliciously creepy story stars the impulsive, imaginative, deeply lovable Mia, a girl who does her best despite being haunted by things actual and metaphorical. With Mia, we discover that some specters can be defeated and others can only be acknowledged and lived with, but both acts are equally brave-and made a lot easier with good friends by your side. Exciting, resonant, fiercely original, and altogether wonderful."-Anne Ursu, National Book Award longlisted author of The Lost Girl

When their home is in danger, will the plan be undone? The fate of their homeland hangs in the balance, and only Bristol, Samara, Denver, and Jude can make a difference. Each has a vital role to play in a high-stakes mission, but when the first phase of their plan fails catastrophically, the political landscape of their new country shifts violently against them. Trapped and hunted, this group of American refugees must navigate a web of betrayal, danger, and ever-deepening uncertainty. As the clock ticks down, Bristol and her team must risk everything to protect those they love and secure a future for their people. With their freedom, lives, and the very fabric of their new home at stake, every decision could be their last. Can they overcome the odds, rebuild the plan, and stop a looming disaster before it's too late? Packed with heart-pounding suspense, unexpected romance, and an unflinching drive for justice, this gripping conclusion to the Children of the Uprising series will leave you breathless until the final page. Will their struggle for survival be enough to save their homes—and their world?

Budgeting for the federal government is an enormously complex process. It entails dozens of subprocesses, countless rules and procedures, the efforts of tens of thousands of staff persons in the executive and legislative branches, and the active participation of the President, congressional leaders, Members of Congress, and members of the executive branch. This analysis shows the various elements of the federal budget process including the President's budget submission, framework, timetable, the budget resolution, reconciliation, the "Byrd Rule," appropriations, authorizations, and budget execution. Congress is distinguished from nearly every other legislature in the world by the control it exercises over fashioning the government's budgetary policies. This power, referred to as "the power of the purse," ensures Congress' primary role in setting revenue and borrowing policies for the federal government and in determining how these resources are spent. The congressional power of the purse derives from several key provisions in the Constitution. Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 (Power to tax and spend) declares in part that Congress shall have the power to raise (that is, "to lay and collect") revenues of various types, including taxes and duties, among other things. Article I, Section 8, Clause 2 (Borrowing power) declares that the power to borrow funds "on the credit of the United States" belongs to Congress. In addition to its powers regarding revenues and borrowing, Congress exerts control over the expenditure of funds. Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 declares in part that funds can be withdrawn from the Treasury only pursuant to laws that make appropriations. Under the Constitution, revenue measures must originate in the House of Representatives. Beyond this requirement, however, the Constitution does not prescribe how the House and Senate should organize themselves, or the procedures they should use, to conduct budgeting. Over the years, however, both chambers have developed an extensive set of rules (some set forth in statute) and precedents that lay out complicated, multiple processes for making budgetary decisions. The House and Senate have also created an intricate committee system to support these processes. As American society has grown and become ever more complex, and as the role of the federal government in the national economy has steadily expanded, Congress also has increasingly shared power over budgetary matters with the president and the executive branch. It has refashioned the president's role in budgeting by requiring him to submit to Congress each year a budget for the entire federal government and giving him responsibilities for monitoring agencies' implementation of spending and revenue laws. Accordingly, the president also exercises considerable influence over key budget decisions. ADDITIONAL RESOURCESCustom On-Site Training Understanding Congressional Budgeting and Appropriations, TCNUCBA.com Advanced Federal Budget Process, TCNAFBP.com Congressional Dynamics and the Legislative Process, TCNCDLP.com Capitol Learning Audio Courses TM Appropriations Process in a Nutshell with James Saturno, ISBN 1-58733-043-1 Authorizations and Appropriations in a Nutshell with James Saturno, ISBN 1-58733-029-6 The Federal Budget Process with Philip Joyce, ISBN 1-58733-083-0For a detailed Table of Contents, see www. FederalBudgetProcess.com

When freedom has a price, who will stand unafraid? The Metrics government claims success in relocating millions of Unregistered citizens out west, but the truth is far darker. Those who escaped know the horrific reality: their fellow outsiders were murdered, their lives sacrificed for a twisted agenda. As winter closes in on the hidden monastery, Bristol, Samara, Denver, and Jude realize the weight of keeping their community safe and planning their next escape rests on their shoulders. But even when they finally reach freedom, the political chaos in the new country makes them question if life there is any better than under the Metrics. As trust fractures and personal goals clash, the four friends must decide: can they overcome the rising tension and work together to build the future they dreamed of, or will the cost of freedom tear them apart? In this high-stakes thriller, every decision could be their last. Will they stand unafraid, or will they crumble under pressure?

Living the ideal life is a human right, unless you’re unregistered. Under the control of the all-powerful Metrics Worldwide Government, every citizen’s life is assigned—job, school, spouse, and even children. Families are designed to raise one perfect child, and the concept of happiness is guaranteed by the government's precise control. But there’s a dark secret lurking beneath the surface: the unregistered. These are the second children, forgotten and cast aside by the system. For 20-year-old Bristol, life as an unregistered is all he knows, but he can’t shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. Discontented and restless, he channels his rebellion through clandestine, controversial murals that speak of freedom and truth, hidden in the shadows of the city. When Metrics cracks down, they announce the relocation of all unregistered citizens to desolate desert states. But Bristol and his friends soon discover the terrifying truth behind this plan. With their lives at stake, they must flee and fight to survive in an unknown world—one that holds secrets about the society they’ve never been told. In a world where freedom is forbidden and escape seems impossible, will Bristol defy the government’s control? Or will he be swallowed by the lies of his motherland? Dive into this heart-pounding dystopian thriller of survival, rebellion, and a race to uncover the truth.