An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion (open access)

An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion

This report analyzes National Science Foundation funding trends and selected closely-related STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education policy issues to provide fiscal and policy context. It concludes with an analysis of potential policy options.
Date: January 31, 2014
Creator: Gonzalez, Heather B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile (open access)

Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 113th Congress (2013-2014). Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age, occupation, education, length of congressional service, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign births, and military service.
Date: October 31, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility (open access)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility

This report discusses categorical eligibility and some of the issues raised by it. It first describes the three different types of categorical eligibility: traditional categorical eligibility conveyed through receipt of need-based cash assistance, and the newer "narrow" and "broad-based" categorical eligibilities conveyed via TANF "noncash" benefits. It also provides recent information on current state practices with regard to categorical eligibility. Finally, the report discusses proposals to restrict categorical eligibility.
Date: December 31, 2013
Creator: Falk, Gene & Aussenberg, Randy Alison
System: The UNT Digital Library
The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor (open access)

The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the Senate Floor

Report that describes the well-established routine that occurs on the opening day of a new Congress.
Date: October 31, 2012
Creator: Schneider, Judy & Koempel, Michael L.
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

Report that provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's programs for procuring eight National Security Cutters (NSCs), 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs).
Date: October 31, 2012
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Immigration Detainers: Legal Issues (open access)

Immigration Detainers: Legal Issues

Report that surveys the various authorities governing immigration detainers, including the standard detainer form (Form I-247) sent by ICE to other law enforcement agencies. The report also discusses key legal issues raised by immigration detainers.
Date: August 31, 2012
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stafford Act Declarations 1953-2011: Trends and Analyses, and Implications for Congress (open access)

Stafford Act Declarations 1953-2011: Trends and Analyses, and Implications for Congress

Report that describes the declaration process of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and the types of declarations that can be made under the Stafford Act.
Date: August 31, 2012
Creator: Lindsay, Bruce R. & McCarthy, Francis X.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Involvement in Flood Response and Flood Infrastructure Repair: Storm Sandy Recovery (open access)

Federal Involvement in Flood Response and Flood Infrastructure Repair: Storm Sandy Recovery

Report regarding congressional efforts to structure federal actions and programs so they provide incentives to reduce flood risk without unduly infringing on private property rights or usurping local decision making.
Date: October 31, 2012
Creator: Carter, Nicole T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reallocation of Water Storage at Federal Water Projects for Municipal and Industrial Water Supply (open access)

Reallocation of Water Storage at Federal Water Projects for Municipal and Industrial Water Supply

Report that analyzes the legal and policy issues associated with reallocation of water under the Water Supply Act of 1958 (WSA) and industrial (M&I) water supply use at Lake Lanier as an example.
Date: October 31, 2012
Creator: Brougher, Cynthia & Carter, Nicole T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Regulation of Fertilizers: Ammonium Nitrate and Anhydrous Ammonia (open access)

Regulation of Fertilizers: Ammonium Nitrate and Anhydrous Ammonia

This report will focus on some of the federal regulatory programs overseeing storage of ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia by retailers. The report will not address federal regulation of material in transport. It will discuss federal occupational safety, environmental, and security statutes and regulations applicable to each chemical. Select policy issues regarding these federal regulatory programs will be highlighted. It does not address various law enforcement activities related to tracking of anhydrous ammonia used for illegal drug synthesis (e.g., methamphetamine).
Date: July 31, 2013
Creator: Shea, Dana A.; Schierow, Linda-Jo & Szymendera, Scott D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA): Resources for Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA): Resources for Frequently Asked Questions

The report provides basic consumer sources, including broad overviews of the ACA law. The next sections focus on health coverage: the individual mandate, private health insurance, and exchanges, as well as public health care programs, such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicare, Indian health care, and veterans' and military health care. The report then lists sources on employer-sponsored coverage, including sources on employer penalties, small businesses, federal workers' health plans, and union health plans. The report also provides sources on ACA's provisions on mental health, public health, workforce, quality, and taxes. Finally, the report lists sources on ACA costs and appropriations, and sources for obtaining the law's full-text.
Date: October 31, 2013
Creator: Napili, Angela
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reform of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts: A Brief Overview (open access)

Reform of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Courts: A Brief Overview

This report discusses the recent disclosures of various National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance and data collection programs that have prompted increased attention on the government's collection of foreign intelligence.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Cole, Jared P. & Nolan, Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests (open access)

Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests

This report discusses the current political and economic conditions in Russia, focusing on the impact of Vladimir Putin's leadership and the leadership of his successor/protégé, Dmitriy Medvedev, both of which have steered Russia away from progress toward democratization. The report also discusses the state of the economy since the Soviet collapse in 1999, how the recent global economic downturn has affected Russia, the state of Russia's military, and the current relationship between Russia and the United States.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Nichol, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tort Suits Against Federal Contractors: Selected Legal Issues (open access)

Tort Suits Against Federal Contractors: Selected Legal Issues

This report provides background on, and analysis of, key legal issues that such suits present. It provides a broad overview of tort claims generally, discusses the primary mechanisms through which contractors have attempted to defend against tort liability, and examines indemnification agreements between the government and contractors.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Perry, Rodney M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Risk-Based Approaches to Airline Passenger Screening (open access)

Risk-Based Approaches to Airline Passenger Screening

This report discusses relatively uniform methods of screening airline passengers applied by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Elias, Bart
System: The UNT Digital Library
Policy Issues in the General Motors Vehicle Recall (open access)

Policy Issues in the General Motors Vehicle Recall

This report discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) process by which vehicle safety defects are identified and vehicles are recalled, as well as the impact that the 2009 GM bankruptcy may have on liability for this defect.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Canis, Bill; Peterman, David Randall & Pettit, Carol A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Related Non-Tariff Barriers to Agricultural Trade (open access)

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Related Non-Tariff Barriers to Agricultural Trade

This report discuses sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, which are laws, regulations, standards, and procedures that governments employ as "necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health" from the risks associated with the spread of pests, diseases, or disease-carrying and causing organisms, or from additives, toxins, or contaminants in food, beverages, or feedstuffs.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interagency Collaborative Arrangements and Activities: Types, Rationales, Considerations (open access)

Interagency Collaborative Arrangements and Activities: Types, Rationales, Considerations

This report examines formal interagency collaborative arrangements and activities, which are intended to enhance joint efforts and cooperation among independent federal agencies with shared responsibilities and overlapping jurisdictions.
Date: May 31, 2011
Creator: Kaiser, Frederick M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Private Flood Insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program (open access)

Private Flood Insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program

This report describes the current role of private insurers in U.S. flood insurance, and discusses barriers to expanding private sector involvement. The report considers potential effects of increased private sector involvement in the U.S. flood market, both for the NFIP and for consumers. Finally, the report outlines the provisions relevant to private flood insurance in the House and Senate NFIP reauthorization bills.
Date: July 31, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P. & Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library
Family Separation at the Border and the Ms. L. Litigation (open access)

Family Separation at the Border and the Ms. L. Litigation

This report explores the underlying policies resulting in family separation, the due process issues arguably implicated by these policies, and the political and judicial processes invoked to tackle the issue of family separation.
Date: July 31, 2018
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
System: The UNT Digital Library
What Happens If the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses? (open access)

What Happens If the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses?

This report provides a short overview of what would happen if the NFIP were not to be reauthorized by November 30, 2018, and allowed to lapse.
Date: July 31, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) (open access)

Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)

This report summarizes the principal rules governing health savings accounts (HSAs), covering such matters as eligibility, qualifying health insurance, contributions, withdrawals, and tax advantages. It concludes with a discussion of HSA data limitations and recent research findings on high-deductible health plan (HDHP) enrollment and HSA utilization trends.
Date: July 31, 2018
Creator: Rosso, Ryan J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The World Trade Organization (WTO): U.S. Participation at Risk? (open access)

The World Trade Organization (WTO): U.S. Participation at Risk?

This report discusses the possibility that the U.S. will withdraw from the World Trade Organization (WTO), after the Trump Administration expressed doubt over its value to the U.S. economy.
Date: July 31, 2018
Creator: Cimino-Isaacs, Cathleen D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Frigate (FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and discusses potential issues for Congress regarding the Navy's FFG(X) program, a program to procure a new class of 20 guided-missile frigates (FFGs). The Navy wants to procure the first FFG(X) in FY2020. The Navy's proposed FY2019 budget requests $134.8 million in research and development funding for the program.
Date: July 31, 2018
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library