Resource Type

Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners Annual Financial Report: 2018 (open access)

Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners Annual Financial Report: 2018

Annual financial report of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners documenting income, expenditures, and other relevant financial information for fiscal year 2018
Date: September 28, 2018
Creator: Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners
System: The Portal to Texas History
Federalism-Based Limitations on Congressional Power: An Overview (open access)

Federalism-Based Limitations on Congressional Power: An Overview

This report provides a broad overview of the various legal doctrines that inform the boundaries of Congress's authority vis-à-vis the states under the Constitution. It addresses several general principles, discusses "internal" limitations on Congress's exercise of powers, and concludes by outlining several "external" federalism-based limitations on Congress's powers, such as the anti-commandeering, anti-coercion, state sovereign immunity, and equal sovereignty doctrines.
Date: September 27, 2018
Creator: Nolan, Andrew; Freeman, Wilson C.; Lewis, Kevin M.; Hickey, Kevin J. & Sykes, Jay B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Ninth Court of Appeals Annual Financial Report: 2018 (open access)

Texas Ninth Court of Appeals Annual Financial Report: 2018

Annual financial report of the Texas Ninth Court of Appeals documenting income, expenditures, and other relevant financial information for fiscal year 2018.
Date: September 27, 2018
Creator: Texas. Court of Appeals (9th)
System: The Portal to Texas History
EPA Proposes the Affordable Clean Energy Rule to Replace the Clean Power Plan (open access)

EPA Proposes the Affordable Clean Energy Rule to Replace the Clean Power Plan

This report explores the legal basis for the proposed Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule and discusses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) authority to consider various emission reduction options for existing power plants under the Clean Air Act (CAA).
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Tsang, Linda
System: The UNT Digital Library
Government Contract Bid Protests: Analysis of Legal Processes and Recent Developments (open access)

Government Contract Bid Protests: Analysis of Legal Processes and Recent Developments

This report briefly analyzes the varying legal procedures applicable to bid protests under each forum. First, it provides an overview of bid protests generally and then analyzes the legal distinctions among these forums. Finally, the report discusses recent legislative developments affecting bid protest procedures and potential considerations for Congress.
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Carpenter, David H. & Schwartz, Moshe
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran Sanctions (open access)

Iran Sanctions

This report discusses U.S. sanctions against Iran and the 2016 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement which led to the lifting of sanctions based on nuclear proliferation in Iran. The bulk of the report outlines the various sanctions against Iran and their current implementation status, international efforts to bring about compliance, and their effects; it also addresses recent discussions regarding President's Trump announcement that the U.S. was decertifying the nuclear agreement and the possibility of reinstating certain sanctions.
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV): Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV): Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the development and procurement of the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and the FY2019 budget request for the ACV program.
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Selected Legal Tools for Maintaining Government Contractor Accountability (open access)

Selected Legal Tools for Maintaining Government Contractor Accountability

This report analyzes a selection of the legal tools a procuring agency may use to hold contractors accountable. It assesses contractual remedies that procuring agencies could utilize, discusses performance-related contract source selection criteria, and describes other legal tools--outside of contract law and the contract selection processes--that the government may employ to hold a contractor accountable.
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Carpenter, David H. & Ruane, Kathleen Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library
Water Infrastructure Financing: The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program (open access)

Water Infrastructure Financing: The Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program

This report discusses the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act which is planning to provide subsidized loans and credit assistance to water infrastructure projects through the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
Date: September 26, 2018
Creator: Ramseur, Jonathan L. & Tiemann, Mary
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorization and Project Delivery Processes (open access)

Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorization and Project Delivery Processes

This report summarizes congressional authorization legislation for U.S. Army Corps of Engineer (USACE) water resource development projects, the standard project delivery process, authorities for alternative water resource project delivery, and other USACE authorities.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Carter, Nicole T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Gold Medals: Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for Congress (open access)

Congressional Gold Medals: Background, Legislative Process, and Issues for Congress

This report discusses Congressional gold medals which are awarded by Congress for distinguished contributions to the United States. It describes the history, selection process, award designs and production process, and issues for Congress.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA Proposes New Permitting Test for Power Plant Modifications (open access)

EPA Proposes New Permitting Test for Power Plant Modifications

This report discusses the EPA's proposed Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. As part of the ACE Rule, EPA proposed a new test for determining whether New Source Review (NSR) would apply to a modification of an existing power plant.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Tsang, Linda
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 115th Congress (open access)

Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 115th Congress

The Federal Reserve (Fed) is the subject of legislation being considered in the 115th Congress. This report analyzes Fed bills that have seen committee or floor action and the policy debate surrounding them. The bills contain wide-ranging changes that can be grouped into five broad categories: Fed governance, oversight and disclosure, monetary policy rules (the Taylor Rule), the Fed's emergency lending powers, and the Fed's balance sheet.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies (open access)

Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies

This report discusses Iran's foreign and defense policy and the reasoning behind it, as well as U.S. concerns regarding their power and nuclear weapon capability.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Islamic State and U.S. Policy (open access)

The Islamic State and U.S. Policy

This report provides background on the Islamic State organization, discusses its goals, operations, and affiliates, reviews U.S. legislative and policy debates, and reviews relevant legislation from the 114th and 115th Congresses.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M. & Humud, Carla E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Policy: In Brief (open access)

Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Policy: In Brief

This report discusses the current issues in Burma (Myanmar) in regards to political prisoners and the resulting U.S. sanctions against the nation.
Date: September 24, 2018
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Congressional Review Act: Determining Which "Rules" Must Be Submitted to Congress (open access)

The Congressional Review Act: Determining Which "Rules" Must Be Submitted to Congress

This report describes what types of agency actions can be overturned using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) by providing a close examination and discussion of the statutory definition of a "rule." It also explains how Members can use the CRA to overturn agency rules that have not been submitted to Congress.
Date: September 24, 2018
Creator: Brannon, Valerie C. & Carey, Maeve P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Escalating Tariffs: Potential Impacts (open access)

Escalating Tariffs: Potential Impacts

This report examines the potential impacts of U.S. trade actions on steel and aluminium tariffs and tariffs against China.
Date: September 24, 2018
Creator: Williams, Brock R.; Morrison, Wayne M. & Hammond, Keigh E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): Issues for Congress (open access)

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): Issues for Congress

This report discusses policy issues for Congress to address regarding exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which are common ways for Americans to invest. An ETF is an investment vehicle that, similar to a mutual fund, offers public investors shares of a pool of assets; unlike a mutual fund, however, an ETF can be traded on exchanges like a stock.
Date: September 24, 2018
Creator: Su, Eva
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Supreme Court's Overruling of Constitutional Precedent (open access)

The Supreme Court's Overruling of Constitutional Precedent

This report examines how the Supreme Court determines whether to overrule its prior decisions on questions of constitutional law. It provides an overview of the doctrine of stare decisis, under which a court generally follows rules adopted in prior decisions; discusses how Justices who have adopted textualism and originalism handle conflicts between precedent and their judicial philosophies; and examines various factors that the Court weighs when interpreting the Constitution, providing examples from the Court's recent jurisprudence.
Date: September 24, 2018
Creator: Murrill, Brandon J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Systemically Important or "Too Big to Fail" Financial Institutions (open access)

Systemically Important or "Too Big to Fail" Financial Institutions

This report discusses the economic issues raised by "too big to fail" (TBTF) financial firms, broad policy options, and policy changes made by the relevant Dodd-Frank provisions, as amended.
Date: September 24, 2018
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response (open access)

Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response

This report discusses the ongoing conflict in Syria and U.S. policy regarding the conflict and potential resolutions. It includes information on the recent U.S., French, and British joint missile strike in response to the the use of chemical weapons in Douma, Syria by Syrian government forces.
Date: September 21, 2018
Creator: Humud, Carla E.; Nikitin, Mary Beth D. & Blanchard, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electronic Filing of Senate Campaign Finance Reports (open access)

Electronic Filing of Senate Campaign Finance Reports

This report discusses recent changes in campaign finance reporting requirements for Senate candidates.
Date: September 21, 2018
Creator: Garrett, R. Sam
System: The UNT Digital Library
Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-2018 (open access)

Farm Bills: Major Legislative Actions, 1965-2018

This report examines the major legislative milestones for the last 11 farm bills covering 53 years and illustrates trends that may provide useful background and context as the current farm bill debate proceeds.
Date: September 21, 2018
Creator: Monke, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library