Trends in Discretionary Spending (open access)

Trends in Discretionary Spending

This report provides a graphical overview of historical trends in discretionary budget authority (BA) from FY1976 through FY2011, enacted levels for FY2012 spending, and the levels consistent with President Obama's proposals for FY2013 through FY2017. It also includes a background on functional categories and a section discussing historical spending trends.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During President Obama's First Five Years: Comparative Analysis With Recent Presidents (open access)

U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During President Obama's First Five Years: Comparative Analysis With Recent Presidents

This report concerns nominations made by President Obama and other recent Presidents to the U.S. circuit courts of appeals and the U.S. district courts. It discusses the selection and confirmation process for U.S. circuit and district court judges.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview (open access)

Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview

This report provides a graphical overview of historical trends in discretionary budget authority (BA) from FY1976 through FY2012, preliminary estimates for FY2013 spending, and the levels consistent with the President's proposals for FY2014 through FY2018 using data from President Obama's FY2014 budget submission that was released on April 10, 2013.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Sanctions (open access)

Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Sanctions

This report discusses the release of Burma's political prisoners and the role that plays in U.S. policy and Burma's political future.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): The Five-Month Waiting Period for Benefits (open access)

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): The Five-Month Waiting Period for Benefits

This report explains the five-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and its legislative history. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is authorized by Title II of the Social Security Act and provides income replacement for eligible individuals who are unable to work due to a longterm injury or illness that is expected to last at least one year or result in death.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Morton, William R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program: Overview and Current Issues (open access)

Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program: Overview and Current Issues

This report provides an overview of how the Ticket to Work program operates and addresses several issues related to the Ticket program. First, it provides a brief background on the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs and a legislative history on how the Ticket program evolved. Second, this report provides an in-depth explanation on the various components and regulations of the Ticket to Work program in its current form and prior to major regulatory changes in July 2008. Third, it examines other work incentive programs created by Ticket to Work legislation and concludes with a discussion on the issues surrounding implementation of the Ticket program.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Morton, William R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Executive Order 13438: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq (open access)

Executive Order 13438: Blocking Property of Certain Persons Who Threaten Stabilization Efforts in Iraq

This report provides a brief history of the development of presidential powers in peacetime. It discusses some of the issues that might be raised in light of the contrast between the executive order's broad language and its narrow aim (supplementation of sanctions applicable to Al Qaeda and former Iraqi regime officials to cover terrorists operating in Iraq). It also examines the reach of the executive order and provides legal analyses of some of the constitutional questions raised in the courts by similar sanctions programs, noting that the broad language of the executive order is not unprecedented.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
System: The UNT Digital Library
The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications (open access)

The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications

This report discusses the State of the Union address, which is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Shogan, Colleen J. & Neale, Thomas H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Venue: A Brief Look at Federal Law Governing Where a Federal Crime May Be Tried (open access)

Venue: A Brief Look at Federal Law Governing Where a Federal Crime May Be Tried

This report is an abridged version of CRS Report RL33223, Venue: A Legal Analysis of Where a Federal Crime May Be Tried, by Charles Doyle, stripped of the footnotes and most of the citations to authority found in the longer version.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dynamic Scoring for Tax Legislation: A Review of Models (open access)

Dynamic Scoring for Tax Legislation: A Review of Models

This report first explains dynamic scoring, including the types of effects incorporated and the types of models used, as well as what groups conduct or have conducted macroeconomic analysis of tax changes. The following section discusses the specific issues associated with tax reform. The final section discusses general issues surrounding the use of various models and reviews the empirical evidence on supply side responses.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses (open access)

Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

This report discusses the reasons that Iran is considered a threat to U.S. security, including Iran's nuclear program, involvement with terrorist organizations, and involvement with neighboring countries' local governments. The report also discusses ways which the U.S. hopes to modify Iran's behavior with sanctions, and the effectiveness of these sanctions.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications (open access)

The President's State of the Union Address: Tradition, Function, and Policy Implications

This report discusses the State of the Union address, which is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Shogan, Colleen J. & Neale, Thomas H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contractors and HealthCare.gov: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Contractors and HealthCare.gov: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

This report provides answers to 20 frequently asked questions regarding contractors and HealthCare.gov, the federal online health insurance portal called for by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148, as amended). Over 50 contractors, including CGI Federal and Quality Software Services, Inc. (QSSI), helped in building the site, which was reportedly largely unusable when it first became available to the public on October 1, 2013.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.; Murrill, Brandon J. & Perry, Rodney M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposals to Change Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) Premium Structure: Issues for Congress (open access)

Proposals to Change Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) Premium Structure: Issues for Congress

None
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
District of Columbia: A Brief Review of Provisions in District of Columbia Appropriations Acts Restricting the Funding of Abortion Services (open access)

District of Columbia: A Brief Review of Provisions in District of Columbia Appropriations Acts Restricting the Funding of Abortion Services

This report provides a Brief Review of Provisions in District of Columbia Appropriations Acts Restricting the Funding of Abortion Services in the District of Columbia.
Date: January 24, 2014
Creator: Boyd, Eugene
System: The UNT Digital Library