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Nuclear Terrorism: A Brief Review of Threats and Responses (open access)

Nuclear Terrorism: A Brief Review of Threats and Responses

None
Date: September 22, 2004
Creator: Medalia, Jonathan
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coast Guard Legislation in the 107th Congress (open access)

Coast Guard Legislation in the 107th Congress

In the 107th Congress, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2001, House-passed H.R. 1699, would authorize the agency’s programs for FY2002. The report contains numerous provisions on Coast Guard operations and activities. H.R. 2481, as reported, includes certain housing and maritime safety provisions; S. 1214, as reported, would establish a seaport security program. P.L. 107-20 (H.R. 2216), the FY2001 emergency supplemental appropriations bill, increased FY2001 Coast Guard funding by $92 million.
Date: January 22, 2002
Creator: Lee, Martin R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mexican Drug Certification Issues: U.S. Congressional Action, 1986-2002 (open access)

Mexican Drug Certification Issues: U.S. Congressional Action, 1986-2002

None
Date: October 22, 2002
Creator: Storrs, K. Larry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drug Certification Requirements and Congressional Modifications in 2001-2002 (open access)

Drug Certification Requirements and Congressional Modifications in 2001-2002

This report provides a brief summary of the existing drug certification requirements for drug producing and drug-transit countries, background on the experience, criticisms, and reform efforts under these provisions; a summary of early congressional options and proposals advanced in 2001, with possible advantages and disadvantages; a summary of later initiatives with legislative activity; and (5) a tracking of legislative action on the major initiatives.
Date: October 22, 2002
Creator: Storrs, K. Larry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Regulatory Reform: An Overview (open access)

Federal Regulatory Reform: An Overview

None
Date: May 22, 2001
Creator: Garcia, Rogelio
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
China's Economic Conditions (open access)

China's Economic Conditions

China’s economy continues to be a concern to U.S. policymakers. On the one hand, China’s economic growth presents huge opportunities for U.S. exporters. On the other hand, the surge in Chinese exports to the United States has put competitive pressures on many U.S. industries. Many U.S. policymakers have argued that greater efforts should be made to pressure China to fully implement its WTO commitments and to change various economic policies deemed harmful to U.S. economic interests, such as its currency peg and its use of subsidies to support its SOEs. In addition, recent bids by Chinese state-owned firms to purchase various U.S. firms have raised concerns among Members over the impact such acquisitions could have on U.S. national and economic security.
Date: November 22, 2002
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Current Economic Conditions and Selected Forecasts (open access)

Current Economic Conditions and Selected Forecasts

This report begins with a comprehensive presentation of current economic conditions focusing on income growth, unemployment, and inflation. The posture of monetary and fiscal policy is surveyed as are the forecasts of economic activity. It concludes with data on the factors important for economic growth.
Date: May 22, 2003
Creator: Makinen, Gail & Vorce, Anne
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Campaign Finance Bills in the 105th Congress: Comparison of H.R. 2183 (Hutchison -Allen), H.R. 3526 (Shays-Meehan), and Current Law (open access)

Campaign Finance Bills in the 105th Congress: Comparison of H.R. 2183 (Hutchison -Allen), H.R. 3526 (Shays-Meehan), and Current Law

As pledged by Speaker Gingrich, the House renewed consideration of campaign finance reform in May 1998. The principal bill is H.R. 2183, known as the freshman bipartisan bill, introduced July 17, 1997, by Messrs. Hutchinson and Allen. Selected floor amendments and substitutes will be in order. The legislation that has generated the most publicity in the 105th Congress has been the McCain-Feingold bill (S. 25), offered on March 19, 1998, as H.R. 3526 by Messrs. Shays and Meehan;1 this has also been offered as substitute amendment no. 13 to H.R. 2183 in the current debate. Table 1 highlights key differences between the two bills, and Table 2 summarizes and compares H.R. 2183, H.R. 3526, and current law.
Date: July 22, 1998
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money (open access)

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
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Internet Voting: Issues and Legislation (open access)

Internet Voting: Issues and Legislation

None
Date: February 22, 2002
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Campaign Finance Reform and Incentives to Voluntarily Limit Candidate Spending From Personal Funds: Constitutional Issues Raised by Public Subsidies and Variable Contribution Limits (open access)

Campaign Finance Reform and Incentives to Voluntarily Limit Candidate Spending From Personal Funds: Constitutional Issues Raised by Public Subsidies and Variable Contribution Limits

The Supreme Court in Buckley v. Valeo ruled that spending limits, including the amount a candidate can spend on his or her own campaign from personal funds (also known as personal fund expenditure limits) are unconstitutional. The Court did, however, uphold a system of spending limits, on the condition that they are voluntarily accepted in exchange for some form of public financing. As a result of these Court rulings, the concept of various incentives toward voluntary compliance with a personal funds expenditure limit has been developed. This report discusses some constitutional issues raised by two such incentives: public subsidies and variable contribution limits.
Date: March 22, 2001
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
State Election Laws: Overview of Statutes Regarding Emergency Election Postponement Within the State (open access)

State Election Laws: Overview of Statutes Regarding Emergency Election Postponement Within the State

None
Date: September 22, 2004
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Elementary and Secondary School Teachers: Action by the 106th Congress (open access)

Elementary and Secondary School Teachers: Action by the 106th Congress

The quality and quantity of public elementary and secondary school teachers are of increasing concern to the 106th Congress. Although states and localities are responsible for most aspects of teacher preparation, recruitment, and employment, the federal government supports a wide array of programs for teachers. Several of these programs are being considered for amendment and extension by the 106th Congress including the Eisenhower Professional Development program and the Class Size Reduction program. The 106th Congress has before it a wide array of legislative proposals to address teacher issues. Action has occurred on several proposals. This report tracks such action and will be updated as it occurs.
Date: August 22, 2000
Creator: Stedman, James B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electricity: The Road Toward Restructuring (open access)

Electricity: The Road Toward Restructuring

The Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA) and the Federal Power Act (FPA) were enacted to eliminate unfair practices and other abuses by electricity and gas holding companies by requiring federal control and regulation of interstate public utility holding companies. Comprehensive energy legislation has passed the House and Senate. The House passed H.R. 6 on April 11, 2003. On July 31, 2003, the Senate suspended debate on S. 14, inserted the text of H.R. 4 (107th Congress) as a substitute, and passed H.R. 6. A conference agreement was reached November 17, 2003, and passed by the House the next day. H.R. 6 includes an electricity title that would, in part, repeal PUHCA, would prospectively repeal the mandatory purchase requirement under PURPA, and would create an electric reliability organization. On June 15, 2004, H.R. 4503, a comprehensive energy policy bill, passed the House.
Date: August 22, 2002
Creator: Abel, Amy & Parker, Larry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy Efficiency: Budget, Oil Conservation, and Electricity Conservation Issues (open access)

Energy Efficiency: Budget, Oil Conservation, and Electricity Conservation Issues

Energy security, a major driver of federal energy efficiency programs in the past, came back into play as oil and gas prices rose late in the year 2000. The terrorist attack in 2001 and the Iraq war have led to heightened concern for energy security and raised further concerns about the vulnerability of energy infrastructure and the need for alternative fuels. Further, the 2001 power shortages in California, the 2003 northeast-midwest power blackout, and continuing high natural gas prices have brought a renewed emphasis on energy efficiency and energy conservation to dampen electricity, oil, and natural gas demand.
Date: August 22, 2003
Creator: Sissine, Fred
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Energy Policy (open access)

Nuclear Energy Policy

None
Date: April 22, 2003
Creator: Holt, Mark & Behrens, Carl E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: The CAFE Standards (open access)

Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: The CAFE Standards

One of the least controversial provisions of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (P.L. 94-163) established corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for new passenger cars. This report presents a brief background and analysis regarding the price of crude oil that brought into sharp focus the fuel inefficiency of U.S. automobiles. The report also discusses the previous issues and the most recent developments regarding CAFE.
Date: April 22, 2003
Creator: Bamberger, Robert L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: The CAFE Standards (open access)

Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: The CAFE Standards

On July 31, 2003, the Senate, facing obstacles to passage of its comprehensive energy bill (S. 14), substituted the energy legislation the Senate had passed in the 107th Congress. It is in conference, now as H.R. 6, in the 108th Congress. The Senate bill would require the Secretary of Transportation to issue, not later than 15 months after enactment, “newregulations setting forth increased fuel economy standards” reflecting “maximum feasible fuel economy levels” consistent with factors set out in the original legislation authorizing the corporate average fuel economy [CAFE] standards – the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA, P.L. 94-163).
Date: September 22, 2003
Creator: Bamberger, Robert L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fuel Ethanol: Background and Public Policy Issues (open access)

Fuel Ethanol: Background and Public Policy Issues

In light of a changing regulatory environment, concern has arisen regarding the future prospects for ethanol as a motor fuel. Ethanol is produced from biomass (mainly corn) and is mixed with gasoline to produce cleaner-burning fuel called "gasohol" or "E10."
Date: March 22, 2000
Creator: Yacobucci, Brent D. & Womach, Jasper
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bush Energy Policy: Overview of Major Proposals and Legislative Action (open access)

Bush Energy Policy: Overview of Major Proposals and Legislative Action

The Bush Administration outlined its proposals for addressing the nation’s energy problems in May 2001 with a 170-page report by the National Energy Policy Development Group (NEPD) titled National Energy Policy (NEP). In June, the President transmitted to Congress a summation of the report’s concepts and strategies that call for legislative action.
Date: August 22, 2001
Creator: Bamberger, Robert L. & Holt, Mark
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Air Act Issues in the 108th Congress (open access)

Clean Air Act Issues in the 108th Congress

The conference report on the energy bill (H.R. 6), which came to the House and Senate floor for action the week of November 17, 2003, contained several Clean Air Act provisions. Most of these are also contained in S. 2095, a revised version of the bill introduced February 12, 2004, and in H.R. 4503, which passed the House June 15, 2004. Most of the air provisions concern the gasoline additives MTBE and ethanol, used to meet Clean Air Act requirements that reformulated gasoline (RFG) sold in the nation’s worst ozone nonattainment areas contain at least 2% oxygen, to improve combustion.
Date: October 22, 2004
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Risk and Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Review of Proposed Legislative Mandates, 1993-1998 (open access)

Environmental Risk and Cost-Benefit Analysis: A Review of Proposed Legislative Mandates, 1993-1998

Between 1993 and 1998 Congress considered many proposals that aimed to increase or improve the use of risk analysis by federal agencies, especially in developing environmental rules. This report describes differences and similarities among selected provisions of key proposals: Senate-passed Johnston amendments to S. 171 and S. 2019 in the 103rd Congress; S. 343, as reported by the Committee on the Judiciary, in the 104th Congress; House-passed H.R. 9 in the 104th Congress; S. 981, as reported by the Committee on Governmental Affairs, in the 105th Congress, and S. 1728, as introduced, in the 105th Congress.
Date: January 22, 1999
Creator: Schierow, Linda-Jo
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Executive Branch Reorganization (open access)

Executive Branch Reorganization

This issue brief views reorganization as involving the alteration and relocation of both programs and the administrative structure of the executive branch for reasons of efficiency, economy, and direction. The underlying issue is who reorganizes--Congress or the President--and by what authority and, also, for what purpose? Some other related administrative and management reforms are tracked as well.
Date: September 22, 2000
Creator: Relyea, Harold C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Appropriations for FY2001: Interior and Related Agencies (open access)

Appropriations for FY2001: Interior and Related Agencies

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations.
Date: September 22, 2000
Creator: Greenwood, Alfred R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library