Chronic Homelessness: Background, Research, and Outcomes (open access)

Chronic Homelessness: Background, Research, and Outcomes

This report is categorized into different categories such as what is chronic homelessness?, Evolution of the Permanent Supportive Housing Strategy, Policy Implication etc.
Date: December 8, 2015
Creator: Perl, Libby & Bagalman, Erin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Saudi Arabia: Background and U.S. Relations

This report discusses the current state of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its relationship with the United States, and future initiatives to further develop U.S.-Saudi relations. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ruled by the Al Saud family since its founding in 1932, wields significant global political and economic influence. Close U.S.-Saudi official relations have survived a series of challenges since the 1940s, and, in recent years, shared concerns over Sunni Islamist extremist terrorism and Iranian regional ambitions have provided a renewed logic for continued strategic cooperation.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
DHS Appropriations FY2016: Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery (open access)

DHS Appropriations FY2016: Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

This report is part of a suite of reports that discuss appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2016. It specifically discusses appropriations for the components of DHS included in the third title of the homeland security appropriations bill--the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), the Office of Health Affairs (OHA), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Collectively, Congress has labeled these components in the appropriations act in recent years as "Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery."
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Painter, William L.; Moteff, John D.; Lister, Sarah A.; Lindsay, Bruce R.; McCarthy, Francis X. & Kruger, Lennard G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gun Control Legislation in the 113th Congress (open access)

Gun Control Legislation in the 113th Congress

This report looks at past gun control legislation and also how recent events (such as the shootings in Newtown, Connecticut; Aurora, Colorado; and Tucson, Arizona) have influenced current congressional discourse and legislation. The report also specifically examines certain contentious, gun related topics including universal background checks, gun trafficking, and military style firearms.
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: Krouse, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Executive Departments During the 112th Congress (open access)

Presidential Appointments to Full-Time Positions in Executive Departments During the 112th Congress

The President is responsible for appointing individuals to positions throughout the federal government. In some instances, the President makes these appointments using authorities granted to the President alone. Other appointments, generally referred to with the abbreviation PAS, are made by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate via the nomination and confirmation process. This report identifies, for the 112th Congress, all nominations submitted to the Senate for executive-level full-time positions in the 15 executive departments for which the Senate provides advice and consent. It excludes appointments to regulatory boards and commissions as well as to independent and other agencies.
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: Greene, Michael
System: The UNT Digital Library
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA): Resources for Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA): Resources for Frequently Asked Questions

The report provides basic consumer sources, including broad overviews of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) law, and resources related to specific provisions. It also has links to contacts for specific questions (including websites, hotlines, and online chat assistance).
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: Napili, Angela
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Network for Manufacturing Innovation (open access)

The Network for Manufacturing Innovation

This report discusses the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2014 (RAMIA). RAMIA includes provisions authorizing the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Energy, and other agencies to support the establishment of centers for manufacturing innovation, as well as establishing and providing for the operation of a Network for Manufacturing Innovation.
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track? (open access)

EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?

This report provides background information on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory activity during the Obama Administration. It examines major or controversial regulatory actions taken by or under development at EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of rules not yet promulgated (including identification of related court or statutory deadlines), and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where available. The report includes tables that show which rules remain under development, and an appendix that describes major or controversial rules that are now final.
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: McCarthy, James E. & Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): Program Overview and Issues (open access)

Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF): Program Overview and Issues

This report discusses the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996, which authorized a drinking water state revolving loan fund (DWSRF) program. The program was intended to help public water systems finance infrastructure projects that were needed to comply with federal drinking water regulations and to meet the Act's health objectives. It includes an overview of funding, allotments and set-asides, drinking water infrastructure needs, program issues, and legislative activity.
Date: April 8, 2015
Creator: Tiemann, Mary
System: The UNT Digital Library
Barriers Along the U.S. Borders: Key Authorities and Requirements (open access)

Barriers Along the U.S. Borders: Key Authorities and Requirements

This report discusses key statutory authorities and requirements governing the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) construction of barriers along the U.S. borders. It also includes appendixes listing federal laws that have been waived by DHS in furtherance of border construction projects.
Date: April 8, 2015
Creator: Garcia, Michael J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Marijuana: Medical and Retail-- Selected Legal Issues (open access)

Marijuana: Medical and Retail-- Selected Legal Issues

This report discusses the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) as it pertains to marijuana. The CSA outlaws the possession, cultivation, and distribution of marijuana except for authorized research. More than 20 states have regulatory schemes that allow possession, cultivation, and distribution of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause preempts any state law that conflicts with federal law.
Date: April 8, 2015
Creator: Garvey, Todd; Doyle, Charles & Carpenter, David H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Water Quality Issues in the 113th Congress: An Overview (open access)

Water Quality Issues in the 113th Congress: An Overview

This report discusses the legislative and oversight issues regarding water quality, as well as wastewater treatment funding issues.
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
The President's Immigration Accountability Executive Action of November 20, 2014: Overview and Issues (open access)

The President's Immigration Accountability Executive Action of November 20, 2014: Overview and Issues

This report discusses President Obama's Immigration Accountability Executive Action which revises some U.S. immigration policies and initiates several programs, including a revised border security policy for the Southwest border.
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: Kandel, William A.; Bjelopera, Jerome P.; Bruno, Andorra & Siskin, Alison
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fundamentals of the U.S. Sugar Program (open access)

Fundamentals of the U.S. Sugar Program

None
Date: May 8, 2015
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Deferred Action, Advance Parole, and Adjustment of Status (open access)

Deferred Action, Advance Parole, and Adjustment of Status

None
Date: January 8, 2015
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Labor’s 2015 Proposed Fiduciary Rule: Background and Issues (open access)

Department of Labor’s 2015 Proposed Fiduciary Rule: Background and Issues

None
Date: October 8, 2015
Creator: Topoleski, John J. & Shorter, Gary
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) FY2016 Appropriations: Overview (open access)

Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) FY2016 Appropriations: Overview

None
Date: October 8, 2015
Creator: Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pope Francis and Selected Global Issues: Background for Papal Address to Congress (open access)

Pope Francis and Selected Global Issues: Background for Papal Address to Congress

This report provides Members of Congress with background information on Pope Francis and a summary of a few selected global issues of congressional interest that have figured prominently on his agenda. The background section on Pope Francis includes a biographical sketch of his life as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, followed by a brief overview of his papacy thus far. The report then identifies some--but not all--of the global issues of concern to Pope Francis. Those include environmental stewardship, poverty and inequality, peace and diplomacy, and human trafficking.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare; Reese, Shawn; Straus, Jacob R.; Werner, James D. & Mix, Derek E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserve: Emergency Lending (open access)

Federal Reserve: Emergency Lending

This report provides a review of the history of Section 13(3) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act; P.L. 111-203), including its use in 2008. It discusses the Federal Reserve's (Fed's) authority under Section 13(3) before and after the Dodd-Frank Act. It then discusses policy issues and legislation to amend Section 13(3).
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Encryption and Evolving Technology: Implications for U.S. Law Enforcement Investigations (open access)

Encryption and Evolving Technology: Implications for U.S. Law Enforcement Investigations

This report provides an overview of the perennial issue involving technology outpacing law enforcement and discusses how policy makers and law enforcement officials have dealt with this issue in the past. It discusses the current debate surrounding smartphone data encryption and how this may impact U.S. law enforcement operations. The report also discusses existing law enforcement capabilities, the debate over whether law enforcement is "going dark" because of rapid technological advances, and resulting issues that policy makers may consider.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advance Appropriations, Forward Funding, and Advance Funding: Concepts, Practice, and Budget Process Considerations (open access)

Advance Appropriations, Forward Funding, and Advance Funding: Concepts, Practice, and Budget Process Considerations

This report examines concepts, practices, and procedural implications associated with particular delayed periods of availability.
Date: October 8, 2015
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA Policies Concerning Integrated Planning and Affordability of Water Infrastructure (open access)

EPA Policies Concerning Integrated Planning and Affordability of Water Infrastructure

This report examines recent initiatives by EPA, an integrated planning policy and a framework policy for assessing a community's financial capability to meet objectives and requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Date: October 8, 2015
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Financing Issues (open access)

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Financing Issues

This report discusses the financing of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It describes the national funding level, the distribution of funds among the states, and the basis for these funding levels; describes how states may use TANF funds; describes how states have actually used TANF funding; and discusses selected policy issues regarding TANF funding.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Falk, Gene
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules.
Date: September 8, 2015
Creator: Falk, Gene
System: The UNT Digital Library