Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 1, Pages 1-126, January 2, 2015 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 1, Pages 1-126, January 2, 2015

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.
Date: January 2, 2015
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 2, Pages 127-302, January 9, 2015 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 2, Pages 127-302, January 9, 2015

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.
Date: January 9, 2015
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Swiss National Bank's Recent Currency Actions (open access)

The Swiss National Bank's Recent Currency Actions

This report presents the foreign exchange value of the Swiss franc relative to the euro and dollar.
Date: February 11, 2015
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dynamic Scoring (open access)

Dynamic Scoring

This report 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.
Date: January 21, 2015
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups, and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, in both the short and long term, and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.
Date: January 20, 2015
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a relatively inexpensive Navy surface combatant equipped with modular "plug-and-fight" mission packages for countering mines, small boats, and diesel-electric submarines, particularly in littoral (i.e., near-shore) waters.
Date: February 9, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations (open access)

Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations

This report provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive these restrictions.
Date: February 13, 2015
Creator: Rennack, Dianne E. & Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran: Interim Nuclear Agreement and Talks on a Comprehensive Accord (open access)

Iran: Interim Nuclear Agreement and Talks on a Comprehensive Accord

This report discusses the nuclear agreement talks between Iran and the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany -- collectively known as the "P5+1 -- which finalized an interim agreement ("Joint Plan of Action," JPA) requiring Iran to freeze many aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for relief from some international sanctions.
Date: February 2, 2015
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth; Kerr, Paul K. & Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Multilateral Development Banks: U.S. Contributions FY2000-FY2015 (open access)

Multilateral Development Banks: U.S. Contributions FY2000-FY2015

This report shows in tabular form how much the Administration requested and how much Congress appropriated for U.S. payments to the multilateral development banks (MDBs) since 2000. It also provides a brief description of the MDBs and the ways they fund their operations.
Date: January 26, 2015
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Worker Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pensions: A Fact Sheet (open access)

Worker Participation in Employer-Sponsored Pensions: A Fact Sheet

This fact sheet provides data on the percentage of American workers who have access to and who participate in employer-sponsored pension plans. The information is from the National Compensation Survey (NCS), which is conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The NCS provides data on occupational earnings and the availability of employee benefits among U.S. workers.
Date: February 2, 2015
Creator: Topoleski, John J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
United States Fire Administration: An Overview (open access)

United States Fire Administration: An Overview

This report discusses the United States Fire Administration (USFA), which aims to significantly reduce the nation's loss of life from fire, while also achieving a reduction in property loss and non-fatal injury due to fire.
Date: January 5, 2015
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nigeria's 2015 Elections and the Boko Haram Crisis (open access)

Nigeria's 2015 Elections and the Boko Haram Crisis

This report provides an overview of the social and political situation in Nigeria. The report discusses the 2015 election in Nigeria, the rising threat of Boko Haram, and the U.S. policy and assistance.
Date: January 28, 2015
Creator: Ploch Blanchard, Lauren
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Border Security: Immigration Inspections at Ports of Entry (open access)

Border Security: Immigration Inspections at Ports of Entry

This report reviews the legislative history of immigration inspections requirements and the entry-exit system. The report then describes the implementation of these provisions, including pre-travel screening, primary and secondary inspections, trusted traveler programs, outbound enforcement, and the entry-exit system. The final section of the report identifies a number of issues for Congress related to immigration admissions and enforcement at ports of entry (POEs).
Date: January 26, 2015
Creator: Seghetti, Lisa
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nigeria's 2015 Elections and the Boko Haram Crisis (open access)

Nigeria's 2015 Elections and the Boko Haram Crisis

This report provides an overview of recent 2011 Nigerian elections, development challenges, reform initiatives, social issues, security concerns, and international relations in Nigeria. It ends with some concerns for Congress, including U.S.-Nigerian trade issues, Nigerian counter-terrorism efforts, and U.S. assistance to Nigeria.
Date: February 10, 2015
Creator: Ploch Blanchard, Lauren
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Implementation of Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS): Issues for Congress (open access)

Implementation of Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS): Issues for Congress

This report analyzes data from a variety of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) presentations, testimony, and other sources to present a historical overview of program performance to date. It identifies an ongoing gap between the number of facilities that have received final risk tier assignments and the total number of regulated facilities.
Date: January 27, 2015
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

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

This report discusses issues surrounding the funding for development of Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC).
Date: January 6, 2015
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
Object Type: Report
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.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Latin America and the Caribbean: Key Issues for the 114th Congress (open access)

Latin America and the Caribbean: Key Issues for the 114th Congress

This report provides an overview of U.S. policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean. It begins with an overview of the political and economic environment that affects U.S. relations, and then examines the Obama Administration's policy priorities in the region. The report then examines congressional interests in Latin America, looking at selected regional and country issues.
Date: January 28, 2015
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effectiveness of the Community Reinvestment Act (open access)

The Effectiveness of the Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) addresses how banking institutions meet credit needs in low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods. This report informs the congressional debate concerning the CRA's effectiveness in incentivizing bank lending and investment activity to LMI borrowers. After a discussion of the CRA's origins, it presents the CRA's examination process and bank activities that are eligible for consideration of CRA credits. Next, it discusses the difficulty of determining the CRA's influence on bank behavior.
Date: January 7, 2015
Creator: Getter, Darryl E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights (open access)

Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights

This report discusses the state of Iraqi politics, governance, and human rights, including the worsening relations between local Sunni and Shiite populations.
Date: January 30, 2015
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report provides a brief overview of the European Union (EU), an economic and political partnership between 27 sovereign member states. The report describes the formation of the EU, the three main institutions of the EU, and the EU's relationship with the United States.
Date: January 13, 2015
Creator: Archick, Kristin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Care for Veterans: Suicide Prevention (open access)

Health Care for Veterans: Suicide Prevention

This report focuses on suicide prevention activities of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VHA's approach to suicide prevention is based on a public health framework, which has three major components: (1) surveillance, (2) risk and protective factors, and (3) interventions.
Date: January 30, 2015
Creator: Bagalman, Erin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Crime and Forfeiture (open access)

Crime and Forfeiture

This report provides an overview of federal forfeiture law. It sketches the origins and general attributes of forfeiture, describes the distribution of the hundreds of millions of dollars it generates, and identifies some of the related constitutional issues.
Date: January 22, 2015
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
North Korea: Back on the State Sponsors of Terrorism Lists? (open access)

North Korea: Back on the State Sponsors of Terrorism Lists?

This report discusses questions about North Korea's relationship with terrorists, state sponsors of terrorism, and terrorist attacks as well as the possible implications on re-designating North Korea in the list of sponsors of terrorism.
Date: January 21, 2015
Creator: Manyin, Mark E.; Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Rennack, Dianne E.; Rinehart, Ian E. & Rollins, John W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library