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1,912 Matching Results
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Regulating Private Pensions: A Brief Summary of ERISA
This report briefly discusses the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), and how it protects the interests of participants and beneficiaries in private-sector employee benefit plans. ERISA covers a number of fringe benefits provided by employers, but most of its provisions deal with pension plans. Pension plans sponsored by the federal, state, and local governments, or by churches generally are exempt from ERISA.
Date:
January 15, 2004
Creator:
Purcell, Patrick
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Tax Expenditures Compared with Outlays by Budget Function: Fact Sheet
This report is on Tax Expenditures Compared with Outlays by Budget Function: Fact Sheet.
Date:
January 15, 2004
Creator:
Noto, Nonna A.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Unemployment Benefits Reduced by Pensions and Social Security: A Fact Sheet
The Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002 (TEUC), was signed into law March 9, 2002, as a part of P.L. 107-147. TEUC provides up to 13 weeks of additional federally funded unemployment compensation (UC) to individuals in all states who exhaust their regular UC benefits. TEUC also provides a second 13 weeks of benefits to individuals who exhaust their benefits in a high-unemployment state. On January 8, 2003, Congress passed S. 23 (P.L. 108-1) extending the TEUC program through May 31, 2003, and phasing-out benefits through August 30,2003. This report will be updated as events warrant.
Date:
January 15, 2004
Creator:
unknown
System:
The UNT Digital Library
911 Call Center Legislation: S. 1250 and H.R. 2898
This article discusses the 2003 Congress bipartisan E911 (Enhanced 911) legislation introduced in both chambers. Moreover, the article describes the difference in parallel provisions each bill contains that have significant implications for emergency communication policy. The article defines Enhanced 911 as the capability of identifying the phone number and location of a call to a PSAP (Public Safety Answering Points). This report characterizes the cost to PSAPs of upgrading systems and supporting expanded operations as an obstacle to this legislation.
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
Moore, Linda K.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The African Cotton Initiative and WTO Agriculture Negotiations
This report discusses the African cotton initiative, over which disagreement has blocked progress on an agreement on agriculture in the current round of multilateral trade negotiations known as the Doha Development Agenda (DDA). In World Trade Organization (WTO) Negotiations on agriculture, a group of African countries have proposed that all subsidies for cotton be eliminated by the end of four years. The proposal also advocates compensating African cotton producing countries for revenues estimated to be lost due to cotton subsidies.
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
Hanrahan, Charles E.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Appropriations for FY2004: Legislative Branch
This report is a guide to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (P.L. 108-83).
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
Dwyer, Paul E.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
“Fair Use” on the Internet: Copyright’s Reproduction and Public Display Rights
None
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
Jeweler, Robin
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Filling Presidentially Appointed, Senate-Confirmed Positions in the Department of Homeland Security
None
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
Hogue, Henry B.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Medicare Fee-for-Service Modifications and Medicaid Provisions of H.R. 1 as Enacted
None
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
unknown
System:
The UNT Digital Library
NASA Workforce Flexibilities: H.R. 1085 and S. 610, 108th Congress
This report compares H.R. 1085, as reported to the House, and S. 610, as passed by the Senate, with current law. Both bills would provide enhanced flexibilities for human resources management at NASA by creating a new Chapter 98 on NASA in Title 5 of the United States Code.
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
Schwemle, Barbara L.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Intelligence and Policymaking: The Iraq Experience
This report explores in broad terms the relationship between the production of intelligence and the making of policy as reflected in the period prior to the war against Iraq in March 2003 and the implications for Congress.
Date:
January 16, 2004
Creator:
Best, Richard A., Jr.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Chemical Plant Security
Facilities handling large amounts of potentially hazardous chemicals (i.e., chemical facilities) might be of interest to terrorists, either as targets for direct attacks meant to release chemicals into the community or as a source of chemicals for use elsewhere. Because few terrorist attacks have been attempted against chemical facilities in the United States, the risk of death and injury in the near future is estimated to be low, relative to the likelihood of accidents at such facilities or attacks on other targets using conventional weapons. For any individual facility, the risk is very small, but risks may be increasing with potentially severe consequences for human health and the environment. Available evidence indicates that many chemical facilities may lack adequate safeguards.
Date:
January 20, 2004
Creator:
Schierow, Linda-Jo
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Critical Infrastructure: Control Systems and the Terrorist Threat
This report addresses the cyber-vulnerability of critical infrastructures industries which regularly use industrial control systems. This report will specifically discuss the potential for access to industrial control systems through the internet.
Date:
January 20, 2004
Creator:
Shea, Dana A.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
European Views and Policies Toward the Middle East
None
Date:
January 20, 2004
Creator:
Archick, Kristin
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Generals and Flag Officers: Senior Military Officer Confirmations
From Summary: This report describes the Department of Defense (DOD) process which discloses to the Senate adverse information about senior military officers awaiting confirmation of a General or Flag Officer (GFO) personnel action, such as a promotion or appointment.
Date:
January 20, 2004
Creator:
Fernandez, Adolfo J.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Social Security: Raising or Eliminating the Taxable Earnings Base
Social Security taxes are levied on earnings up to a maximum level set each year. In 2004, this maximum — or what is referred to as the taxable earnings base — is $87,900. There is no similar base for the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) portion of the tax; all earnings are taxable for HI purposes. Elimination of the HI base was proposed by President Clinton and enacted in 1993, effectively beginning in 1994. Recently others have proposed that the base for Social Security be raised or eliminated as well. They complain that taxing earnings only up to a certain level creates a regressive tax. They point out that 94% of all workers whose earnings fall below this level have a greater proportion of earnings taxed than the 6% whose earnings exceed it.
Date:
January 20, 2004
Creator:
Haltzel, Laura
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Social Service Provisions in the CARE Act and the Charitable Giving Act
None
Date:
January 20, 2004
Creator:
unknown
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Broadband Internet Access: Background and Issues
From a public policy perspective, the goals are to ensure that broadband deployment is timely, that industry competes fairly, and that service is provided to all sectors and geographical locations of American society. The federal government -- through Congress and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) -- is seeking to ensure fair competition among the players so that broadband will be available and affordable in a timely manner to all Americans who want it. While the FCC's position is not to intervene at this time, some assert that legislation is necessary to ensure fair competition and timely broadband deployment. One proposal would ease certain legal restrictions and requirements, imposed by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, on incumbent telephone companies who provide high speed data (broadband) access. Another proposal would compel cable companies to provide "open access" to competing Internet service providers.
Date:
January 21, 2004
Creator:
Gilroy, Angele A. & Kruger, Lennard G.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Elections Reform: Overview and Issues
This report discusses several issues as the Congress considers legislation to reform the voting process, a number of issues have emerged as part of the debate: the reliability of different types of voting technologies; voting problems and irregularities in the 2000 election; problems for militaryand overseas voters; the electoral college; and early media projections of election results. Both sessions of the 107th Congress considered and debated federal election reform legislation, and the Help America Vote Act (HAVA, P.L. 107-252) was enacted in October 2002.
Date:
January 21, 2004
Creator:
Coleman, Kevin J. & Fischer, Eric A.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Membership of the 108th Congress: A Profile
None
Date:
January 21, 2004
Creator:
unknown
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Weapons in Russia: Safety, Security, and Control Issues
This report provides background information on the location of nuclear weapons at the time of the demise of the Soviet Union and their subsequent relocation to storage and deployment areas in Russia. It also provides a description of the safety, security, and control issues raised in 1991 and in more recent years. It includes a brief listing of the cooperative programs and assistance the United States has provided to Russia and the other former Soviet states in an effort to address concerns about the safety and security of nuclear weapons and materials.
Date:
January 21, 2004
Creator:
Woolf, Amy F.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money
Prior to enactment of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), P.L. 107-155, the term “soft money” generally referred to unregulated funds, perceived as resulting from loopholes in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), 2 U.S.C. §§ 431 et seq. Generally, the intent of BCRA, (effective Nov. 6, 2002), which amends FECA, is to restrict the raising and spending of soft money. This Issue Brief discusses constitutional and legal issues surrounding two major types of soft money that BCRA regulates: political party soft money and soft money used for issue advocacy communications. Corporate and labor union soft money, which FECA exempts from regulation and is not addressed by BCRA, is also discussed.
Date:
January 22, 2004
Creator:
Whitaker, L. Paige
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Dual-Use Biological Equipment: Difficulties in Domestic Regulation
A question in the current debate over chemical and biological terrorism is: how well do current United States policies limit opportunities to terrorist groups for acquisition of such weapons? The domestic purchase and use of “dual-use” biological equipment, such as fermenters, centrifuges, and other equipment, is one area suggested as potentially providing opportunities for terrorist, biological weapons development. Dual-use equipment has both legitimate civilian and military use. Regulating international sale of dual-use equipment is used as a nonproliferation policy tool. Similar regulation of domestic sales has not been employed. This report will discuss the difficulties of applying domestic controls on dual-use biological equipment and the potential advantages and disadvantages of doing so.
Date:
January 22, 2004
Creator:
Shea, Dana A.
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Budget Enforcement Act of 1997: A Fact Sheet
This is a report n the Budget Enforcement Act of 1997: the fact sheet.
Date:
January 23, 2004
Creator:
Keith, Robert
System:
The UNT Digital Library