Caribbean Basin Interim Trade Program: CBI/NAFTA Parity (open access)

Caribbean Basin Interim Trade Program: CBI/NAFTA Parity

To provide an idea of the nature and scope of changes in trade competitiveness between the CBERA countries and Mexico that have resulted from the implementation of the NAFTA, this report describes the relevant preferential or special tariff treatments, as applicable. The aspects of trade policy that apply generally to all (or most) U.S. trading partners (e.g., most-favored-nation/normal-trade-relations status, or production-sharing provisions) are not included in any detail.
Date: January 12, 2005
Creator: Pregelj, Vladimir N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Child Welfare Issues in the 108th Congress (open access)

Child Welfare Issues in the 108th Congress

This report discusses child welfare services that seek to protect children who have been abused or neglected or who are at risk of maltreatment. It also point out child welfare financing and other child welfare issues.
Date: January 12, 2005
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Contracting of Commercial Activities: Competitive Sourcing Targets (open access)

Federal Contracting of Commercial Activities: Competitive Sourcing Targets

This report examines OMB's competitive sourcing targets and the executive branch management scorecard, and shows how they have changed over time.
Date: January 12, 2005
Creator: Halchin, L. Elaine
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Information Quality Act: OMB’s Guidance and Initial Implementation (open access)

The Information Quality Act: OMB’s Guidance and Initial Implementation

This report describes the IQA and OMB's and the agencies information quality guidelines, noting how several key terms are defined, how risk-related information is to be treated, and how agencies correction process should be established.
Date: January 12, 2005
Creator: Copeland, Curtis W. & Simpson, Micheal
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security, Saving, and the Economy (open access)

Social Security, Saving, and the Economy

This report examines the determinants of household saving, how household saving may be affected by Social Security, and the potential effects of possible changes in Social Security.
Date: January 12, 2005
Creator: Cashell, Brian W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disparate Impact Analysis and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act: the Supreme Court Decision in Smith v. City of Jackson (open access)
The Sale of a Principal Residence Acquired Through a Like-Kind Exchange (open access)

The Sale of a Principal Residence Acquired Through a Like-Kind Exchange

When business or investment property is exchanged for property of a “like kind,” (often referred to as a 1031 exchange) no gain or loss is recognized on the exchange, and therefore, no tax is paid at the time of the exchange on any appreciation in the value of the property . This report discusses the like-kind exclusion, which is sometimes combined with the exclusion of tax on the gain from the sale of a principal residence. In effect, this combination can allow taxpayers to avoid paying tax on the gain from the sale of their investment property.
Date: April 12, 2005
Creator: Esenwein, Gregg
System: The UNT Digital Library
Indexing Social Security Benefits: The Effects of Price and Wage Indexes (open access)

Indexing Social Security Benefits: The Effects of Price and Wage Indexes

None
Date: May 12, 2005
Creator: Purcell, Patrick; Haltzel, Laura & Ranade, Neela
System: The UNT Digital Library
NATO and the European Union (open access)

NATO and the European Union

Report which discusses issues related to the North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) including the level of involvement of the entities in using political and military actions to defend against terrorism and proliferation, the types of military forces necessary, the role of the EU in crisis management, the appropriateness of decision-making procedures to respond to emerging threats, and the role of other international institutions.
Date: May 12, 2005
Creator: Archick, Kristin & Gallis, Paul E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Upper Mississippi River System: Proposals to Restore an Inland Waterway’s Ecosystem (open access)

Upper Mississippi River System: Proposals to Restore an Inland Waterway’s Ecosystem

This report explains what is meant by restoration, the Corps' restoration plan, and some of the issues in the debate over federal investment in this restoration.
Date: May 12, 2005
Creator: Powers, Kyna & Carter, Nicole T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Quality Issues and Animal Agriculture: EPA's Air Compliance Agreement (open access)

Air Quality Issues and Animal Agriculture: EPA's Air Compliance Agreement

In an effort to collect scientifically credible data regarding the effect of animal agriculture on water resources (specifically animal waste and emissons from animal feeding operations (AFO), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in January 2005 announced the Air Compliance Agreement. The agreement is intended to produce air quality monitoring data on AFO emissions during a two-year study, while at the same time protecting participants through a “safe harbor” from liability under certain provisions of federal environmental laws. This report discusses the agreement and the perspectives of both its supporters and opponents.
Date: July 12, 2005
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Service Records and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources (open access)

Military Service Records and Unit Histories: A Guide to Locating Sources

This report is a guide to locating individual service records and military unit histories from the American Revolution to the present. This guide provides referral information for locating individual service records of discharged and deceased veterans. It includes information regarding locating and obtaining active service records. Also included are relevant addresses and websites of government agencies, historical associations, and a select bibliography. This report will be updated as needed.
Date: August 12, 2005
Creator: Torreon, Barbara Salazar & Gomez-Granger, Julissa
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hurricane Katrina: Fishing and Aquaculture Industries — Damage and Recovery (open access)

Hurricane Katrina: Fishing and Aquaculture Industries — Damage and Recovery

This report summarizes damage assessments and recovery efforts, with initial reports primarily anecdotal until more accurate assessments become available.
Date: September 12, 2005
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Open Access Publishing and Citation Archives: Background and Controversy (open access)

Open Access Publishing and Citation Archives: Background and Controversy

This report begins with an inventory of basic information: definitions and guides to histories of the growth of open access publishing and citation archives and descriptions of selected major open access activities. It moves on to summarize major points of difference between proponents and opponents of nongovernmental open access publishing and databases, and then highlights federal, including National Institutes of Health (NIH), open access activities and contentious issues surrounding these developments. The report also briefly describes open access developments in the United Kingdom (where a number of governmental and nongovernmental initiatives have occurred) and in the international arena. Finally, controversial issues which could receive attention in the 109th Congress are summarized.
Date: September 12, 2005
Creator: Knezo, Genevieve J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade in Services: The Doha Development Agenda Negotiations and U.S. Goals (open access)

Trade in Services: The Doha Development Agenda Negotiations and U.S. Goals

This report is designed to assist Congress to understand and monitor progress of the negotiations and the major issues that the negotiators are addressing. The report provides a brief background section on the significance of services to the U.S. economy. It then explains briefly the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and the structure and agenda of the services negotiations in the DDA round, including U.S. objectives in the negotiations. The report concludes with a status report on the negotiations and an examination of potential results.
Date: September 12, 2005
Creator: Cooper, William H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal and State Quarantine and Isolation Authority (open access)

Federal and State Quarantine and Isolation Authority

This report provides an overview of federal and state public health laws as they relate to the quarantine and isolation of individuals, a discussion of constitutional issues that may be raised should individual liberties be restricted in a quarantine situation, and federalism questions that may arise where federal and state authorities overlap. In addition, the possible role of the armed forces in enforcing public health measures is discussed, specifically whether the Posse Comitatus Act would constrain any military role, and other statutory authorities that may be used for the military enforcement of health measures.
Date: December 12, 2005
Creator: Swendiman, Kathleen S. & Elsea, Jennifer K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Law of Church and State: Opinions of Judge Samuel Alito (open access)

The Law of Church and State: Opinions of Judge Samuel Alito

This report provides an overview of opinions addressing issues related to the law of church and state written by Judge Alito while serving on the Third Circuit and Supreme Court precedent relevant to those cases.
Date: December 12, 2005
Creator: Welborn, Angie A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Meat and Poultry Inspection: Background and Selected Issues (open access)

Meat and Poultry Inspection: Background and Selected Issues

This report discusses the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for inspecting most meat, poultry, and processed egg products for safety, wholesomeness, and proper labeling.
Date: December 12, 2005
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
System: The UNT Digital Library