389 Matching Results

Results open in a new window/tab.

The Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV): Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

The Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV): Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information on the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) and it discusses the Army's proposed replacement to the Vietnam-era M-113 personnel carriers, which are still in service in a variety of support capacities in Armored Brigade Combat Teams (ABCTs).
Date: January 6, 2014
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
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 6, 2014
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
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 6, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Rail Transportation of Crude Oil: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S. Rail Transportation of Crude Oil: Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the challenges in the transportation of oil, as refineries that once received crude oil principally from oceangoing tankers are now seeing increasing deliveries by domestic transport. It also outlines possible issues for Congress including rail transport of oil versus pipelines, and the possible increase of oil spills from rail transport.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Frittelli, John; Parfomak, Paul W.; Ramseur, Jonathan L.; Andrews, Anthony; Pirog, Robert & Ratner, Michael
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Yemen: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Yemen: Background and U.S. Relations

This report provides an overview and analysis of U.S.-Yemeni relations and issues, including evolving political change in Yemeni leadership, ongoing U.S. counterterrorism operations against Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operatives at large in Yemen's hinterlands, and international efforts to bolster the country's stability despite an array of daunting socio-economic problems.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Next Steps in Nuclear Arms Control with Russia: Issues for Congress (open access)

Next Steps in Nuclear Arms Control with Russia: Issues for Congress

This report discusses the role of nuclear arms control in the U.S.-Soviet relationship, bilateral treaties and unilateral steps the United States took to alter its nuclear posture, and the role of arms control in the U.S.- Russian relationship.
Date: January 6, 2014
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Domestic Content Restrictions: The Buy American Act and Complementary Provisions of Federal Law (open access)

Domestic Content Restrictions: The Buy American Act and Complementary Provisions of Federal Law

This report provides an overview of the Buy American Act, Trade Agreements Act, Berry Amendment (including its former specialty metals provision), and Buy America Act, specifically highlighting the commonalities and differences among them. The report also lists other federal domestic content restrictions codified in the U.S. Code.
Date: January 6, 2014
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.; Dolan, Alissa M.; Murrill, Brandon J. & Perry, Rodney M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Specialty Metal Clause: Oversight Issues and Options for Congress (open access)

The Specialty Metal Clause: Oversight Issues and Options for Congress

This report examines the specialty metal clause, potential oversight issues, and options for Congress.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Bailey Grasso, Valerie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: Security and Human Rights Issues (open access)

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: Security and Human Rights Issues

This report discusses the security and human rights issues at 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
Date: January 6, 2014
Creator: Nichol, Jim; Halchin, Elaine; Rollins, John W.; Tiersky, Alex & Woehrel, Steven
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserve: Unconventional Monetary Policy Options (open access)

Federal Reserve: Unconventional Monetary Policy Options

This report discusses the Federal Reserve (Fed) unconventional policies in an attempt to reduced the federal funds rate and revive the economy. The Fed has also changed its communication policies since rates reached the zero bound.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (open access)

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

This report provides an overview of the United Nations (U.N.) Convention on the Rights of the Child's (CRC's) background and structure and examines evolving U.S. policy toward the CRC, including past and current Administration positions and congressional perspectives. It also highlights issues for the 112th Congress, including the CRC's possible impact on federal and state laws, U.S. sovereignty, parental rights, and U.S. family planning and abortion policy. In addition, the report addresses the effectiveness of CRC in protecting the rights of children internationally and its potential use as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Community Development Block Grants: Recent Funding History (open access)

Community Development Block Grants: Recent Funding History

This report is a review of the Community Development Fund (CDF) account's funding history from FY2000 to FY2013, as well as current funding in FY2014. It includes a discussion of the three primary components of the CDF account: (1) CDBG formula grants; (2) CDBG-related set-asides and earmarks; and (3) CDBGlinked supplemental and special appropriations. It is intended to provide recent historical background as the 113th Congress considers CDF funding levels and composition.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Boyd, Eugene
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Direct Overt U.S. Aid Appropriations for and Military Reimbursements to Pakistan, FY2002-FY2015 (open access)

Direct Overt U.S. Aid Appropriations for and Military Reimbursements to Pakistan, FY2002-FY2015

This report provides data regarding the direct overt U.S. aid appropriations and military reimbursements to Pakistan.
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: Kronstadt, K. A. & Epstein, Susan
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service (open access)

Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service

This report discusses unemployment compensation for Ex-Service members (UCX), which provides income support while former active duty military personnel or reservists released from active duty search for work. The report addresses funding for this service, who is entitled to UCX benefits, and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) and the Extended Benefits (EB) payments, which a servicemember receives when regular unemployment benefits are exhausted.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Whittaker, Julie M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Individual Mandate Under ACA (open access)

Individual Mandate Under ACA

This report describes the individual mandate as established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148, as amended). The report also discusses the ACA reporting requirements designed, in part, to assist individuals in providing evidence of having met the mandate.
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: Mach, Annie L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. It focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and with the United States.
Date: January 6, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Budget Control Act of 2011: Legislative Changes to the Law and Their Budgetary Effects (open access)

The Budget Control Act of 2011: Legislative Changes to the Law and Their Budgetary Effects

This report provides information on the levels of deficit reduction that would occur if the Budget Control Act's (BCA) automatic cuts are implemented as under current law, contrasted with alternative proposals offered by some Members of Congress and President Obama. It also discusses specific determinations made by the Office of Management and Budget regarding the exempt/non-exempt status of certain programs, as well as a discussion of information to be disclosed regarding the FY2013 BCA sequester impact.
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: Levit, Mindy R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy (open access)

Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy

This report discusses the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region that are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year.
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
IRS's Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program: 2009 Participation by State and Location of Foreign Bank Accounts (open access)

IRS's Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program: 2009 Participation by State and Location of Foreign Bank Accounts

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "We reported the number of 2008 tax returns by state for IRS's 2009 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) participants. OVPD offered incentives for taxpayers to disclose their offshore accounts and pay delinquent taxes, interest and penalties. Generally, the program offered somewhat reduced penalties and no risk of criminal prosecution, if eligible taxpayers fully disclosed their previously unreported offshore accounts, and paid taxes due plus interest. To safeguard taxpayer identifies, we suppressed the totals for any state with fewer than 10 OVDP participants."
Date: January 6, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Border Security: DHS Needs to Strengthen Its Efforts to Modernize Key Enforcement Systems (open access)

Border Security: DHS Needs to Strengthen Its Efforts to Modernize Key Enforcement Systems

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The schedule and cost for the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) border enforcement system modernization program known as TECS Mod that is managed by Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) continue to change; while the part managed in parallel by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is undergoing major revisions to its scope, schedule, and cost after discovering that its initial solution is not technically viable. CBP's $724 million program intends to modernize the functionality, data, and aging infrastructure of legacy TECS and move it to DHS's data centers by 2016. To date, CBP has deployed functionality to improve its secondary inspection processes to air and sea ports of entry and, more recently, to land ports of entry in 2013. However, CBP is in the process of revising its schedule baseline for the second time in under a year. Further, CBP has not developed its master schedule sufficiently to reliably manage work activities or monitor program progress. These factors raise questions about the certainty of CBP's remaining schedule commitments. Regarding ICE's $818 million TECS Mod program, it is redesigning and replanning its program, having determined in June 2013 that its …
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Entrepreneurial Assistance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Collaboration and Performance Management for Financial Assistance Programs (open access)

Entrepreneurial Assistance: Opportunities Exist to Improve Collaboration and Performance Management for Financial Assistance Programs

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal programs GAO reviewed that offer financial support to entrepreneurs, such as grants and loans, are fragmented and overlap based on the type of support they are authorized to offer and the type of entrepreneur they are authorized to serve. The Departments of Commerce (Commerce), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Agriculture (USDA); the Small Business Administration (SBA); and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have taken steps to collaborate more in administering these programs in response to a recommendation in GAO's August 2012 report. For example, OMB has established a Cross-Agency Priority goal for entrepreneurship and small business and an associated interagency working group. However, the four agencies have not implemented a number of good collaborative practices GAO has identified, such as establishing compatible policies and procedures to better support rural businesses. The Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) crosscutting framework requires that agencies collaborate in order to address issues such as economic development that transcend more than one agency, and GPRAMA directs agencies to describe how they are working with each other to achieve their program goals. Some entrepreneurs struggle to …
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Economic Development Administration: Documentation of Award Selection Decisions Could Be Improved (open access)

Economic Development Administration: Documentation of Award Selection Decisions Could Be Improved

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Economic Development Administration (EDA) implemented a new procedure in fiscal year 2012 that requires its regional offices to complete a standard template to document the results of committee meetings in which proposed projects are discussed and potentially recommended for funding. However, GAO found that for the Public Works and Economic Development (Public Works) program and the Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) program—EDA's two largest grant assistance programs—EDA regional offices had not completed the template consistently. GAO estimated that only 46 percent of all projects recommended for funding in fiscal year 2012 under these programs were documented using the complete template. EDA has a history of inconsistent documentation: for example, in 2000 the Department of Commerce's Inspector General reported inconsistencies in how EDA's regional offices documented the project review process. Standards for internal control in the federal government require all transactions and significant events to be clearly documented and available for examination. Until EDA takes steps to ensure that all of its regional offices consistently and fully complete the standard template for all proposed projects considered for funding, EDA will not have adequate assurance that its funding …
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Student Loans: Better Oversight Could Improve Defaulted Loan Rehabilitation (open access)

Federal Student Loans: Better Oversight Could Improve Defaulted Loan Rehabilitation

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Education (Education) relies on collection agencies to assist borrowers in rehabilitating defaulted student loans, which allows borrowers who make nine on-time monthly payments within 10 months to have the default removed from their credit reports. Education works with 22 collection agencies to locate borrowers and explain repayment options, including rehabilitation. From fiscal years 2011 to 2013, Education collected about $9 billion on over 1.5 million loans through rehabilitation, most of which was recovered by collection agencies."
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
2013 Sequestration: Agencies Reduced Some Services and Investments, While Taking Certain Actions to Mitigate Effects (open access)

2013 Sequestration: Agencies Reduced Some Services and Investments, While Taking Certain Actions to Mitigate Effects

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Fiscal year 2013 sequestration reduced or delayed some public services and disrupted some operations in the 23 federal agencies GAO reviewed, even though agencies took actions to minimize the effects. For example, agencies reported that sequestration reduced assistance for education, housing, and nutrition, as well as health and science research and development grants. Agencies also reported delaying investments such as information technology and facilities projects. Some federal services also experienced backlogs and delays as a result of personnel actions including limiting hiring and furloughing employees. However, many of the effects of sequestration could not be quantified or will not be known until future years, if at all, for a number of reasons including the timing of when funds are disbursed (such as grant cycles that start late in the fiscal year), challenges in isolating the effects from other factors, and the lack of currently available performance data for some programs. Moreover, congressional and agency actions mitigated some potential effects by shifting funds to higher priorities while deferring or reducing funding for lower priorities."
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library