Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues (open access)

Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues

This report discusses the energy policy in the United States that is focused on three major goals: assuring a secure supply of energy, keeping energy costs low, and protecting the environment.
Date: November 29, 2013
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The U.S. Income Distribution and Mobility: Trends and International Comparisons (open access)

The U.S. Income Distribution and Mobility: Trends and International Comparisons

Report that looks at the growing income disparity and the decreasing financial mobility in the United States.
Date: November 29, 2012
Creator: Levine, Linda
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery (open access)

Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery

Report that provides a basic overview of existing, permanent provisions that benefit victims of disasters, as well as past, targeted legislative responses to particular disasters. The relief is discussed without examining either the qualifications for or the limitation on claiming the provisions' benefits.
Date: November 29, 2012
Creator: Lunder, Erika K.; Pettit, Carol A. & Teefy, Jennifer
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Corps Supplemental Appropriations: Recent History, Trends, and Policy Issues (open access)

Army Corps Supplemental Appropriations: Recent History, Trends, and Policy Issues

Report that summarizes recent trends in supplemental funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, particularly related to natural disasters. It provides summary data and analysis on Corps funding over the last 10 years and includes a general discussion of how the Corps funds emergency actions at its own facilities and elsewhere.
Date: November 29, 2012
Creator: Stern, Charles V. & Carter, Nicole T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy (open access)

Economic Recovery: Sustaining U.S. Economic Growth in a Post-Crisis Economy

Report examining how Congress has been proactive in helping the economy recover after the 2008-2009 recession, as well as how it can help to keep recessions at bay in the future.
Date: November 29, 2012
Creator: Elwell, Craig K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans and Homelessness (open access)

Veterans and Homelessness

This report discusses several issues relating to homelessness among veterans, which has become more prominent since the beginning of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Date: November 29, 2013
Creator: Perl, Libby
System: The UNT Digital Library
Allocations and Subdivisions in the Congressional Budget Process (open access)

Allocations and Subdivisions in the Congressional Budget Process

This report very briefly discusses the allocations and subdivisions portions of the congressional budget process.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process (open access)

Overview of the Authorization-Appropriations Process

A primary avenue for exercising Congress's power of the purse is the authorization and appropriation of federal spending to carry out government activities. This report discusses the formal authorization-appropriation process.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA): Overview of Workers' Compensation for Certain Private- Sector Maritime Workers (open access)

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA): Overview of Workers' Compensation for Certain Private- Sector Maritime Workers

This report discusses the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA), a federal workers' compensation program that covers certain private-sector maritime workers. More than $980 million in LHWCA benefits are paid each year. The LHWCA is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) and all benefit costs are paid by employers and their insurance carriers.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Szymendera, Scott
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress (open access)

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

The Navy is procuring a new type of surface combatant called the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The Navy wants to procure a total of 55 LCSs. This report details the 2007 restructuring of the LCS program, as well as various financial information relating to the program. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's plans for the LCS program. The LCS program raises potential oversight issues for Congress relating to various aspects of the program, all of which are explored within this report.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Basic Federal Budgeting Terminology (open access)

Basic Federal Budgeting Terminology

In its most elemental form, the federal budget is a comprehensive accounting of the government's spending, revenues, and borrowing. This report provides a brief overview of the basic terminology and concepts used in the federal budget process.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies (open access)

Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
System: The UNT Digital Library
Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Development and Consideration (open access)

Budget Reconciliation Legislation: Development and Consideration

This report briefly discusses the budget reconciliation process, which is an optional two-step process Congress may use to assure compliance with the direct spending, revenue, and debt-limit levels set forth in budget resolutions.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Filibusters and Cloture in the Senate (open access)

Filibusters and Cloture in the Senate

Report that discusses major aspects of Senate procedure related to filibusters and cloture.
Date: November 29, 2012
Creator: Beth, Richard S. & Heitshusen, Valerie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990 (open access)

Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990

Report that discusses U.S. security assistance to Taiwan, or Republic of China (ROC), including policy issues for Congress and legislation.
Date: November 29, 2012
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Supreme Court Reiterates Congress's Exclusive Role in Regulating Lower Federal Court Jurisdiction (open access)

Supreme Court Reiterates Congress's Exclusive Role in Regulating Lower Federal Court Jurisdiction

This report discusses the Supreme Court's decision in "Hamer v. Neighborhood Housing Service of Chicago" which affirmed that only the legislative branch may make rules governing the inferior federal courts' subject-matter jurisdiction.
Date: November 29, 2017
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
System: The UNT Digital Library
Killing Endangered Species: What's Reasonable Self-Defense? (open access)

Killing Endangered Species: What's Reasonable Self-Defense?

This report discusses the case of "United States v. Wallen" in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; it concerns a man who killed a grizzly bear cub in violation of the Endangered Species Act and claimed self-defense. It outlines the court ruling that the man enjoys a complete defense if he "actually, even if unreasonably, believe[s] his actions were necessary to protect himself or others" and discusses the implications of the decision.
Date: November 29, 2017
Creator: Doyle, Charles
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flat Tax: An Overview of the Hall-Rabushka Proposal (open access)

Flat Tax: An Overview of the Hall-Rabushka Proposal

None
Date: November 29, 2011
Creator: Bickley, James M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

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

This report is about a free trade agreement between the United States and Bahrain.
Date: November 29, 2007
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy (open access)

The United Arab Emirates (UAE): Issues for U.S. Policy

This report discusses the political state of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which under new leadership upon the November 2, 2004 death of its president, Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan al-Nuhayyan, has undergone a smooth transition, but it remains weak militarily and surrounded by several powerful and ambitious neighbors. Political reform has been minimal, but its relatively open economy and borders, particularly in the emirate of Dubai, have caused problems in proliferation, terrorism, and human trafficking. The United States has announced it will open negotiations with UAE on a free trade agreement (FTA).
Date: November 29, 2004
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Trump Administration and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (open access)

The Trump Administration and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions

This report provides an overview of the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, discusses the additional significance of the Unified Agenda in the Trump Administration, provides summary information about content of the 2017 Update, and discusses what additional information can be expected in the subsequent edition of the Agenda.
Date: November 29, 2017
Creator: Carey, Maeve P. & Francis, Kathryn A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Membership of the 109th Congress: A Profile (open access)

Membership of the 109th Congress: A Profile

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 109th Congress. Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age and length of service, occupation, religious affiliation, female and minority Members, foreign-born Members, and military service.
Date: November 29, 2006
Creator: Amer, Mildred
System: The UNT Digital Library
Child Welfare: Program Reauthorizations and Recent and FY2006 Proposed Funding Levels (open access)

Child Welfare: Program Reauthorizations and Recent and FY2006 Proposed Funding Levels

This report discusses current funding levels for child welfare programs, intended to protect children from abuse and neglect and to ensure their well-being. In FY2005 the federal government appropriated $7.8 billion for these purposes. Most of this funding is made available to states through open-ended entitlement programs or as formula grants and is authorized under Title IV-E and Title IV-B of the Social Security Act or under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).
Date: November 29, 2005
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
System: The UNT Digital Library
World Trade Organization: Overview and Future Direction (open access)

World Trade Organization: Overview and Future Direction

This report provides background history of the World Trade Organization (WTO), its organization, and current status of negotiations. It also explores concerns regarding the WTO's future direction and key policy issues for Congress.
Date: November 29, 2018
Creator: Cimino-Isaacs, Cathleen D.; Fefer, Rachel F. & Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library