Biomass: Comparison of Definitions in Legislation (open access)

Biomass: Comparison of Definitions in Legislation

This report discusses the use of biomass, its legislative history, and the proposed redefinition of biomass in legislation.
Date: November 26, 2013
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
System: The UNT Digital Library
Geoengineering: Governance and Technology Policy (open access)

Geoengineering: Governance and Technology Policy

This report is intended as a primer on the policy issues, science, and governance of geoengineering technologies. The report will first set the policy parameters under which geoengineering technologies may be considered. It will then describe selected technologies in detail and discuss their status. The third section provides a discussion of possible approaches to governmental involvement in, and oversight of, geoengineering, including a summary of domestic and international instruments and institutions that may affect geoengineering projects.
Date: November 26, 2013
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi & Lattanzio, Richard K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tribal Jurisdiction over Nonmembers: A Legal Overview (open access)

Tribal Jurisdiction over Nonmembers: A Legal Overview

The report provides an overview the Indian tribes, which are quasi-sovereign entities that enjoy all the sovereign powers that are not divested by Congress or inconsistent with the tribes' dependence on the United States. The report discusses tribal jurisdiction over nonmember Indians.
Date: November 26, 2013
Creator: Smith, Jane M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress

Report that provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
Date: July 26, 2013
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Singapore: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Singapore: Background and U.S. Relations

Report that discusses the current economic and political state of the island nation of Singapore, focusing in particularly on its economic success and its relationship with the United States.
Date: July 26, 2013
Creator: Chanlett-Avery, Emma
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran Sanctions (open access)

Iran Sanctions

Report that analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran and, in so doing, provides examples, based on a wide range of open source reporting, of companies and countries that conduct business with Iran.
Date: July 26, 2013
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources (open access)

Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources

Report that provides links to cybersecurity hearings and legislation under consideration in the 113th and 112th Congresses, as well as executive orders and presidential directives, data and statistics, glossaries, and authoritative reports.
Date: June 26, 2013
Creator: Tehan, Rita
System: The UNT Digital Library
SEC Climate Change Disclosure Guidance: An Overview and Congressional Concerns (open access)

SEC Climate Change Disclosure Guidance: An Overview and Congressional Concerns

This report briefly describes the Guidance; provides opposing views on the Guidance, including past congressional legislation; summarizes a study on potential corporate costs and benefits of implementing the Guidance; and examines the impact of the Guidance from the perspectives of investors, corporations, and finance professionals.
Date: August 26, 2013
Creator: Shorter, Gary
System: The UNT Digital Library
Government Shutdown: Operations of the Department of Defense During a Lapse in Appropriations (open access)

Government Shutdown: Operations of the Department of Defense During a Lapse in Appropriations

This report provides an overview of guidelines that have governed planning for Department of Defense (DOD) operations over the last 30 years in the event of a funding lapse. It also discusses the implications of the guidelines for a possible impending shutdown and briefly reviews what is known about current DOD planning for a shutdown.
Date: September 26, 2013
Creator: Towell, Pat & Belasco, Amy
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Examination of Student Loan Interest Rate Proposals in the 113th Congress (open access)

An Examination of Student Loan Interest Rate Proposals in the 113th Congress

Report that describes and analyzes student loan interest rate proposals that have been made in the 113th Congress to establish new policies for setting the interest rates that borrowers will pay on loans made through the Direct Loan program.
Date: July 26, 2013
Creator: Smole, David P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Retaining and Preserving Federal Records in a Digital Environment: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Retaining and Preserving Federal Records in a Digital Environment: Background and Issues for Congress

Report that provides background and information on the increasing volume of electronic records and the variety of platforms used to create them.
Date: July 26, 2013
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Women in the United States Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion (open access)

Women in the United States Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion

This report includes a discussion of the impact of women in Congress as well as historical information, including the number and percentage of women in Congress over time, means of entry to Congress, comparisons to international and state legislatures, records for tenure, firsts for women in Congress, women in leadership, and African American and Asian Pacific American women in Congress.
Date: September 26, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.; Shogan, Colleen J. & Brudnick, Ida A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Women in the United States Congress, 1917-2013: Biographical and Committee Assignment Information, and Listings by State and Congress (open access)

Women in the United States Congress, 1917-2013: Biographical and Committee Assignment Information, and Listings by State and Congress

This report includes biographical information, including the names, committee assignments, dates of service, listings by Congress and state, and (for Representatives) congressional districts of the 297 women who have served in Congress.
Date: September 26, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E. & Brudnick, Ida A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement to Come from Domestic Sources (open access)

The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement to Come from Domestic Sources

This report examines the original intent and purpose of the Berry Amendment and legislative proposals to amend the application of domestic source restrictions, as well as potential options for Congress.
Date: November 26, 2013
Creator: Grasso, Valerie Bailey
System: The UNT Digital Library
Current Debates over Exchange Rates: Overview and Issues for Congress (open access)

Current Debates over Exchange Rates: Overview and Issues for Congress

This report provides information on current debates over exchange rates in the global economy. It offers an overview of how exchange rates work; analyzes specific disagreements and debates; and examines existing frameworks for potentially addressing currency disputes. It also lays out some policy options available to Congress, should Members want to take action on exchange rate issues.
Date: September 26, 2013
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
China/Taiwan: Evolution of the "One China" Policy--Key Statements from Washington, Beijing, and Taipei (open access)

China/Taiwan: Evolution of the "One China" Policy--Key Statements from Washington, Beijing, and Taipei

This report provides background information regarding U.S. policy on "One China". The second part of this report discusses the highlights of key statements by Washington, Beijing, and Taipei.
Date: August 26, 2013
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information regarding Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle(ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC). The report discusses the marines' justification for the ACV and MPC and desired operational capabilities.
Date: June 26, 2013
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Inflation and the Real Minimum Wage: A Fact Sheet (open access)

Inflation and the Real Minimum Wage: A Fact Sheet

This report provides data on the minimum wage, and it presents changes in its nominal and real value over time.
Date: February 26, 2013
Creator: Elwell, Craig K. & Levine, Linda
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 focuses on the potential implications of China's naval modernization for future required U.S. Navy capabilities. The report discusses the question of how the United States should respond to China's military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has emerged as a key issue in U.S. defense planning.
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
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. Topics include the worsening relations between local Sunni and Shiite populations.
Date: March 26, 2013
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues (open access)

Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues

This report provides an overview of the rationale for the PGS mission and the possible deployment of conventional warheads on long-range ballistic missiles or boost-glide systems in support of this mission. It then reviews the Air Force and Navy efforts to develop these systems. It summarizes congressional reaction to these proposals, then provides a more detailed account of the issues raised by these concepts and programs.
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress (open access)

Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress

This report discusses the process of naming Navy ships, which have traditionally been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy. Congress in recent years has proposed, and sometimes passed, legislation regarding the naming of specific ships.
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-South Korea Relations (open access)

U.S.-South Korea Relations

This report contains two main parts: a section describing recent events and a longer background section on key elements of the U.S.-South Korea relationship. The end of the report provides a list of CRS products on South Korea and North Korea.
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: Manyin, Mark E.; Nikitin, Mary Beth; Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Rinehart, Ian E. & Cooper, William H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
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).
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library