Resource Type

Language

Abortion, Justice Kennedy, and Judge Kavanaugh (open access)

Abortion, Justice Kennedy, and Judge Kavanaugh

This report addresses the questions that have arisen about the future of the Supreme Court's abortion jurisprudence, after the recent retirement of Justice Kennedy, the last remaining justice from the Casey plurality. The report first reviews the undue burden standard set from the Casey decision and discusses Justice Kennedy's views on the standard in the case law that has developed since Casey. Then, in light of President Trump's July 9, 2018 nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Kennedy, it examines Judge Kavanaugh's only substantive abortion opinion: a dissent in the 2017 case from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit), Garza v. Hargan. Finally, as lower courts continue to apply the undue burden standard to new abortion regulations, the report concludes by noting some of the abortion cases that the Supreme Court could possibly review in the near future.
Date: August 8, 2018
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advising the President: Rules Governing Access and Accountability of Presidential Advisors (open access)

Advising the President: Rules Governing Access and Accountability of Presidential Advisors

This Sidebar examines three categories of Presidential advisors and the related ethics requirements and limitations that apply to their respective roles: employees who serve full-time, regular appointments; outside advisors who are formally appointed to temporary roles; and informal, personal advisors with whom the President consults.
Date: August 6, 2018
Creator: Brown, Cynthia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief (open access)

Afghanistan: Background and U.S. Policy In Brief

This report provides an overview of current political and military dynamics, with a focus on the Trump Administration's new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia, the U.S.-led coalition and Afghan military operations, and recent political developments, including prospects for peace talks and elections.
Date: August 3, 2018
Creator: Thomas, Clayton
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Force OA-X Light Attack Aircraft Program (open access)

Air Force OA-X Light Attack Aircraft Program

This report discusses the U.S. Air Force's intention to acquire a new type of aircraft. The OA-X light attack aircraft is a small, two-seat turboprop airplane designed for operation in relatively permissive environments.
Date: August 23, 2018
Creator: Gertler, Jeremiah
System: The UNT Digital Library
Applications of Partial Depth Precast Concrete Deck Panels on Horizontally Curved Steel And Concrete Bridges (open access)

Applications of Partial Depth Precast Concrete Deck Panels on Horizontally Curved Steel And Concrete Bridges

Report examining the possibilities offered by spliced prestressed concrete U-beams used in Colorado for Texas bridge applications.
Date: August 2018
Creator: Roskos, Colter; Biju-Duval, Paul; Kintz, John; McCammon, Victoria; Wang, Yang; Helwig, Todd et al.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response (open access)

Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response

This report discusses the ongoing conflict in Syria and U.S. policy regarding the conflict and potential resolutions.
Date: August 21, 2018
Creator: Humud, Carla E.; Blanchard, Christopher M. & Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education (open access)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Education

This report discusses artificial intelligence in education, including current applications, benefits and drawbacks, and policy considerations.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: Joyce, J. Lu. & Harris, Laurie A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Buprenorphine and the Opioid Crisis: A Primer for Congress (open access)

Buprenorphine and the Opioid Crisis: A Primer for Congress

This report addresses questions policymakers may have about the effectiveness of the opioid addiction treatment drug buprenorphine, the demand for buprenorphine, and access to buprenorphine.
Date: August 3, 2018
Creator: Duff, Johnathan H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Buy America and the Electric Bus Market (open access)

Buy America and the Electric Bus Market

This report discusses a current controversy over how Buy America (which requires that federally-funded highway, public transportation, aviation, and intercity passenger rail projects use U.S.-made manufactured goods) applies to battery-powered buses. This controversy illustrates the challenges in determining whether or not a product is made in the United States.
Date: August 6, 2018
Creator: Canis, Bill & Mallett, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Calling Balls and Strikes: Ethics and Supreme Court Justices (open access)

Calling Balls and Strikes: Ethics and Supreme Court Justices

This report examines questions related to the integrity and independence of the Supreme Court, and Congress's potential role in regulating the ethics of the Supreme Court Justices. For example: What mechanisms ensure the integrity of Justices as federal officials? Are Justices subject to any rules of ethical conduct? How might such ethics rules be enforced?
Date: August 20, 2018
Creator: Brown, Cynthia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cambodian Election (open access)

Cambodian Election

This report discusses the Cambodian National Assembly election, which was held on July 29, 2018 and U.S. policy responses. Critics viewed the election, in which the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) likely won all 125 parliamentary seats, as neither free nor fair and the victory as "hollow" given that the CPP banned the largest opposition party in 2017.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: Lum, Thomas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Can the President Pardon Contempt of Court? Probably Yes. (open access)

Can the President Pardon Contempt of Court? Probably Yes.

This report provides a brief background of contempt of court, explores the various arguments regarding whether a pardon can relieve an individual of criminal liability for contempt, and discusses potential congressional responses to the perceived abuse of the pardon power.
Date: August 10, 2018
Creator: Thompson, Richard M., II
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States (open access)

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States

This report includes a primer on the CCS (and carbon utilization) process and discusses the current state of CCS in the United States, as well as the DOE program for CCS R&D and CCS-related legislation in the 115th Congress.
Date: August 9, 2018
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Case Study for the TCEQ's Ecological Risk Assessment Process (open access)

Case Study for the TCEQ's Ecological Risk Assessment Process

This publication is a case study that presents a hypothetical affected property, the releases of chemicals of concern from the associated facility and how they can be evaluated through the Tier 1 Exclusion Criteria Checklist and the ecological service analysis (ESA).
Date: August 2018
Creator: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
System: The Portal to Texas History
Categorical Exclusions, Metroplexes, and Aircraft Noise Complaints (open access)

Categorical Exclusions, Metroplexes, and Aircraft Noise Complaints

This report discusses changes made by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to airspace and flight procedures to take advantage of new technologies deployed under NextGen, a comprehensive air traffic modernization initiative. In some neighborhoods, however, FAA's changes have increased overflights, triggering complaints about aircraft noise; some affected residents are seeking remedies from the agency, the courts, and Congress.
Date: August 6, 2018
Creator: Elias, Bart
System: The UNT Digital Library
CFIUS Reform: Foreign Investment National Security Reviews (open access)

CFIUS Reform: Foreign Investment National Security Reviews

This report discusses recent legislation, known as the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA) of 2018. The legislation amends the current process for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review -- on behalf of the President -- the national security implications of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States.
Date: August 22, 2018
Creator: Jackson, James K. & Cimino-Isaacs, Cathleen D.
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 such as: Arctic sovereignty claims; commercial shipping through the Arctic; Arctic oil, gas, and mineral exploration; endangered Arctic species; and increased military operations in the Arctic that could cause the region in coming years to become an arena of international cooperation or competition.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities--Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on China's naval modernization effort and its implications for U.S. Navy capabilities. The question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, is a key issue in U.S. defense planning and budgeting. Many U.S. military programs for countering improving Chinese military forces (particularly its naval forces) fall within the U.S. Navy's budget.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
China's Actions in South and East China Seas: Implications for U.S. Interests--Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

China's Actions in South and East China Seas: Implications for U.S. Interests--Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress regarding China's actions in the South China Sea (SCS) and East China Sea (ECS), with a focus on implications for U.S. strategic and policy interests. Other CRS reports focus on other aspects of maritime territorial disputes involving China.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
City Mixed Beverage Comparison Summary: Second Quarter 2018 (open access)

City Mixed Beverage Comparison Summary: Second Quarter 2018

Quarterly report outlining tax revenues and remittances for alcoholic beverages, listed by city, for April-June 2018. It also compares the statistics to the same period for the previous year.
Date: August 2018
Creator: Texas. Comptroller's Office.
System: The Portal to Texas History
Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's programs for procuring 8 National Security Cutters (NSCs), 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs). The Coast Guard's proposed FY2019 budget requests a total of $705 million in acquisition funding for the NSC, OPC, and FRC programs.
Date: August 3, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Program: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's program for acquiring new polar icebreakers. The Coast Guard's proposed FY2019 budget requests $750 million in acquisition funding for the program.
Date: August 3, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
College of the Mainland Annual Financial Report: 2018 (open access)

College of the Mainland Annual Financial Report: 2018

Annual financial report of the College of the Mainland documenting income, expenditures, and other relevant financial information for fiscal year 2018, with an independent auditor's report for finances from fiscal year 2017.
Date: 2018-08~
Creator: College of the Mainland
System: The Portal to Texas History
Congress's Power over Courts: Jurisdiction Stripping and the Rule of Klein (open access)

Congress's Power over Courts: Jurisdiction Stripping and the Rule of Klein

This report highlights a series of Supreme Court rulings that have examined separation-of-powers-based limitations on the Exceptions Clause, congressional jurisdiction stripping, and the ability of Congress to amend laws with the purpose of directly impacting litigation. The Court's jurisprudence largely begins with the Reconstruction-era case, United States v. Klein, and leads to Patchak v. Zinke, from the October 2017 term.
Date: August 9, 2018
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
System: The UNT Digital Library