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EPA's Affordable Clean Energy Proposal (open access)

EPA's Affordable Clean Energy Proposal

This report provides background information about the Clean Air Act (CAA) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the power sector, and also highlights some of the major components of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) "Affordable Clean Energy Rule" (ACE) proposal.
Date: November 2, 2018
Creator: Shouse, Kate C.; Ramseur, Jonathan L. & Tsang, Linda
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians (open access)

U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians

This report discusses a number of issues regarding U.S. aid to the Palestinians that have relevance for Congress. Since the establishment of limited Palestinian self-rule in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the mid-1990s, the U.S. government has committed more than $5 billion in bilateral economic and non-lethal security assistance to the Palestinians.
Date: November 2, 2018
Creator: Zanotti, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS reports on specific Arctic-related issues. Some general issues include Arctic territorial disputes; commercial shipping through the Arctic; Arctic oil, gas, and mineral exploration; endangered Arctic species; and increased military operations in the Arctic, which could cause the region in coming years to become an arena of international cooperation or competition. 2018 fiscal year funding requests are included.
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clearing the Air on the Debt Limit (open access)

Clearing the Air on the Debt Limit

This report provides clarifications on five common debt limit contentions or questions which are: The United States had debt limits before 1917, Did the Federal government default in the 1970s?, Were "clean" debt limit increases once the norm?, Could a platinum coin avoid a binding debt limit?, Would the Fourteenth Amendment allow the President to act unilaterally?, and Is the debt limit obsolete?
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Thomas, Kenneth R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Science Foundation: Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations and Funding History (open access)

The National Science Foundation: Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations and Funding History

This report outlines the National Science Foundation's 2017 fiscal year appropriations request and compares it with past years.The Trump Administration is seeking $6.653 billion for NSF in FY2018, an $819 million decrease (-11%) from the FY2017 enacted level of $7.472 billion.
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Harris, Laurie A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Natural Disasters of 2017: Congressional Considerations Related to FEMA Assistance (open access)

Natural Disasters of 2017: Congressional Considerations Related to FEMA Assistance

This report provides a short overview of issues Congress may consider in its oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) federal assistance during the 2017 hurricane season (e.g., Harvey, Irma, and Maria) and other disasters (e.g., fires in California).
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Brown, Jared T.; Horn, Diane P.; Painter, William L. & Reese, Shawn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Public Private Partnerships (P3s) in Transportation (open access)

Public Private Partnerships (P3s) in Transportation

This report discusses the benefits and limitations of public-private partnerships (P3s) that involve long-term private financing, the experience with these types of P3s in the United States, and current federal policy. The report outlines a number of issues and policy options that Congress might consider: project evaluation and transparency, asset recycling, incentive grants, infrastructure banks, tax credits for equity and debt, Interstate highway tolling, and changes to an existing federal loan program.
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Mallett, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Second Amendment Right to Sell Firearms? The Ninth Circuit, Sitting En Banc, Weighs In (open access)

A Second Amendment Right to Sell Firearms? The Ninth Circuit, Sitting En Banc, Weighs In

This report discusses the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (Ninth Circuit) decision in "Teixeira v. County of Alameda" which reversed the original court decision which held that Second Amendment rights applied to commercial firearm sellers. The course of the case and decision and implications of the ruling are also discussed.
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temporary Protected Status: Overview and Current Issues (open access)

Temporary Protected Status: Overview and Current Issues

This report discusses Temporary Protected Status (TPS) which is offered to nationals of designated countries who due to civil unrest, natural disasters, and armed conflicts cannot safely return home. This report begins by situating TPS in the context of humanitarian responses to migration. Another form of blanket relief from removal--Deferred Enforced Departure (DED)--is also described, as is the historical use of these relief mechanisms. The report then provides data on the countries currently designated for TPS, including the conditions that have contributed to their designation. Past legislation to provide lawful permanent resident status to certain TPS-designated foreign nationals is also described, and the report concludes with examples of activity in the 115th Congress related to TPS.
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Wilson, Jill H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The U.S. Science and Engineering Workforce: Recent, Current, and Projected Employment, Wages, and Unemployment (open access)

The U.S. Science and Engineering Workforce: Recent, Current, and Projected Employment, Wages, and Unemployment

This report provides employment, wage, and unemployment information for the computer occupations, mathematical occupations, engineers, life scientists, physical scientists, and science and engineering (S&E) management occupations, as follows: The section on "Current Employment, Wages, and Unemployment" provides a statistical snapshot of occupational employment, wage, and unemployment data for the S&E workforce in 2016 (the latest year for which data are available). The section on "Recent Trends in Employment, Wages, and Unemployment" provides a perspective on how S&E employment, wages, and unemployment changed during the period 2012-2016. The section on "Employment Projections, 2016-2026" provides an analysis of projections by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for how the number employed in S&E occupations is expected to change during the 2016-2026 period, as well as how many openings will be created by growth, labor force exits, and occupational transfers. A final section, "Concluding Observations," provides stakeholder perspectives that Congress may consider as it seeks to ensure that the United States has an adequate S&E workforce to meet the demands of the 21st century.
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy (open access)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy

This report discusses the United Arab Emirates's (UAE) politics and governmental structure, economy, regional foreign policies including their part in the June 2017 isolation of Qatar due to their support for the Muslim Brotherhood, human rights concerns related to the UAE, and U.S. relations with the UAE.
Date: November 2, 2017
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congress's Early Organization Meetings (open access)

Congress's Early Organization Meetings

This report discusses Congress's early organization meetings. The purposes of these meetings are both educational and organizational. Educational sessions range from legislative procedures and staff hiring to current issues.
Date: November 2, 2016
Creator: Schneider, Judy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Aid and the Education Sector: Programs and Priorities (open access)

Foreign Aid and the Education Sector: Programs and Priorities

This report is a descriptive profile of recent U.S. foreign aid education sector activities; it outlines actors, policy, funding levels, and programs.
Date: November 2, 2016
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
System: The UNT Digital Library
Recent State Election Law Challenges: In Brief (open access)

Recent State Election Law Challenges: In Brief

This report begins by setting forth key constitutional provisions relevant to recent state election law challenges. Next, it discusses federal statutory provisions contained in the Voting Rights Act and the National Voter Registration Act and briefly examines pertinent Supreme Court precedent. Then, based on that legal framework, it provides an overview of several recent challenges to state election laws in Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas that resulted in major decisions by the various federal courts of appeals as illustrative examples of the types of challenges that have been playing out in the courts. Finally, the report discusses some potential implications of these challenges.
Date: November 2, 2016
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Iran Hostages: Efforts to Obtain Compensation (open access)

The Iran Hostages: Efforts to Obtain Compensation

This report outlines the history of various efforts relating to benefits for victims of the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis, and describes several bills currently before Congress: the Justice for Former American Hostages in Iran Act of 2015, S. 868, a companion bill, H.R. 3338, and Section 122 of the Department of State Operations Authorization and Embassy Security Act, Fiscal Year 2016, S. 1635.
Date: November 2, 2015
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Potential Policy Implications of the House Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 3762) (open access)

Potential Policy Implications of the House Reconciliation Bill (H.R. 3762)

This report provides background on the reconciliation process of the FY2016 budget resolution (S.Con.Res. 11) and summarizes the provisions in H.R. 37622, a reconciliation bill containing provisions submitted by three committees pursuant to the reconciliation instructions included in the FY2016 budget resolution. It then briefly examines some of the bill's policy implications.
Date: November 2, 2015
Creator: Mach, Annie L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Personnel: Conversion of Employees from Appointed (Noncareer) Positions to Career Positions in the Executive Branch (open access)

Federal Personnel: Conversion of Employees from Appointed (Noncareer) Positions to Career Positions in the Executive Branch

None
Date: November 2, 2012
Creator: Schwemle, Barbara L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction (open access)

How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction

Report that presents a brief description of the five parliamentary methods used to bring proposed legislation to the House floor for consideration. These methods allow for consideration as a privileged matter, under the limited privilege of a special calendar or day, under suspension of the rules, under the terms of a special rule, or by unanimous consent.
Date: November 2, 2012
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Photo ID Requirements for Voting: Background and Legal Issues (open access)

Photo ID Requirements for Voting: Background and Legal Issues

Report concerning the controversy surrounding some states' requirements that voters provide photographic identification before casting a ballot.
Date: November 2, 2012
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.; Fischer, Eric A. & Whitaker, L. Paige
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax-Preferred College Savings Plans: An Introduction to 529 Plans (open access)

Tax-Preferred College Savings Plans: An Introduction to 529 Plans

None
Date: November 2, 2012
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): FY2012 Appropriations (open access)

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): FY2012 Appropriations

None
Date: November 2, 2011
Creator: McCarty, Maggie; Perl, Libby; Boyd, Eugene; Jones, Katie & Foote, Bruce E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security Department: FY2012 Appropriations (open access)

Homeland Security Department: FY2012 Appropriations

This report describes the FY2012 appropriations for the department of homeland security (DHS).
Date: November 2, 2011
Creator: Painter, William L. & Lake, Jenniffer E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Its Role in U.S. Trade Policy (open access)

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Its Role in U.S. Trade Policy

This report discusses the role of Trade Adjustment Assistant (TAA) in U.S. trade policy, from its inception as a legislative option in the early 1950s, to its core role as a cornerstone of modern trade policy that many argue has served to promote the long-term U.S. trade liberalization agenda.
Date: November 2, 2011
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F. & Rover, Laine Elise
System: The UNT Digital Library
Average Years of Service for Members of the Senate and House of Representatives, 1st - 111th Congresses (open access)

Average Years of Service for Members of the Senate and House of Representatives, 1st - 111th Congresses

The average tenure of Members of the Senate and House of Representatives at the beginning of each Congress has varied substantially since 1789. The purpose of this report is to provide a Congress-by-Congress summary of the average years of service for Senators and Representatives for the First through the 111th Congresses. The report contains a brief summary of some of the explanations by political scientists and others for the various changes in the average years of service.
Date: November 2, 2010
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric & Hemlin, Erin
System: The UNT Digital Library