Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report covers the progress made in Afghan stabilization immediately following the war that brought the 2004 government to power. The report discusses decreased levels of insurgency, the lack of Al Qaeda's presence, and the increased amounts of freedom Afghan citizens are now enjoying under the new government. Moreover, the report summarizes the remaining obstacles to stability in the region.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction: Establishment and Composition (open access)

Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction: Establishment and Composition

This report analyzes the establishment and organizational requirements set forth in the presidential mandate, and its relationship to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FAFCA). On March 31, 2005, the commission submitted its final report to the President, which contained 74 recommendations for reforming the U.S. intelligence community.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Smith, Stephanie
System: The UNT Digital Library
The World Bank: Changing Leadership and Issues for the United States and Congress (open access)

The World Bank: Changing Leadership and Issues for the United States and Congress

None
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions

None
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Falk, Gene
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

The term "soft money" generally refers to unregulated funds for election related activities that are not subject to the Federal Election Campaign Act's (FECA) source restrictions, contribution limits, and disclosure requirements. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which amended FECA and became effective on November 6, 2002, restricts the raising and spending of soft money. This report contains information on a summary of campaign financing, recent developments, background and analysis, definitions of Hard and Soft money in federal elections, political party soft money, soft money spent on issue advocacy, corporate and labor union soft money, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, and additional related materials.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
System: The UNT Digital Library
Prescription Drug Importation and Internet Sales: A Legal Overview (open access)

Prescription Drug Importation and Internet Sales: A Legal Overview

None
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Feder, Jody
System: The UNT Digital Library
Consular Identification Cards: Domestic and Foreign Policy Implications, the Mexican Case, and Related Legislation (open access)

Consular Identification Cards: Domestic and Foreign Policy Implications, the Mexican Case, and Related Legislation

The debate about consular identification cards in the United States has centered around the matrícula consular, the consular identification card issued by Mexican consulates to Mexican citizens in the United States. In May 2003, the Treasury Department issued regulations allowing acceptance of the cards as proof of identity for the purpose of opening a bank account, and the cards are accepted for other purposes as well, including issuance of drivers’ licenses.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Bruno, Andorra & Storrs, K. Larry
System: The UNT Digital Library
Detention of American Citizens as Enemy Combatants (open access)

Detention of American Citizens as Enemy Combatants

This report provides background information regarding the cases of two U.S. citizens deemed “enemy combatants,” Yaser Esam Hamdi, who has been returned to Saudi Arabia, and Jose Padilla, who remains in military custody. A brief introduction to the law of war pertinent to the detention of different categories of individuals is offered, followed by brief analyses of the main legal precedents invoked to support the President’s actions, as well as Ex parte Milligan, which some argue supports the opposite conclusion. The report concludes that historically, even during declared wars, additional statutory authority has been seen as necessary to validate the detention of citizens not members of any armed forces, casting in some doubt the argument that the power to detain persons arrested in a context other than actual hostilities is necessarily implied by an authorization to use force.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gun Legislation in the 109th Congress (open access)

Gun Legislation in the 109th Congress

None
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Krouse, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Argentina: Political Conditions and U.S. Relations (open access)

Argentina: Political Conditions and U.S. Relations

This report briefly discusses the political and economic conditions of Argentina, as well as its relationship with the U.S.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Budget for Fiscal Year 2006 (open access)

The Budget for Fiscal Year 2006

The budget report of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), The Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2006-2015 (January 25, 2005), included baseline estimates (assuming current policies) for FY2005 through FY2015. Under the baseline assumptions, CBO estimated a FY2006 deficit of $295 billion (2.3% of gross domestic product [GDP]). This is smaller than CBO’s FY2005 baseline deficit estimate ($368 billion, 3.0% of GDP). CBO’s baseline estimates do not include assumptions about possible future legislation that may increase or decrease spending or receipts and therefore change the deficit. The baseline assumptions assume the continuation of current law, including that laws changing the level of future revenues or outlays will go into effect as scheduled.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Winters, Philip D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Contracts and Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma v. Leavitt: Agency Discretion to Fund Contract Support Costs (open access)

Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Contracts and Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma v. Leavitt: Agency Discretion to Fund Contract Support Costs

On March 1, 2005, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Cherokee The nation of Oklahoma v. Leavitt. The conflicts in the case (actually two consolidated cases) involved federal agencies’ duty to fund contract support costs for contracts with Indian tribes under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDA).
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Brooks, Nathan
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Economics of the Federal Budget Deficit (open access)

The Economics of the Federal Budget Deficit

In FY1998, federal budget receipts exceeded outlays for the first time since 1969. Those surpluses continued through FY2001. At one time, those surpluses had been projected to continue, but conditions have since changed. The economy went into recession in 2001, and a stimulus package was enacted. Since then, the budget has been in deficit. The actual unified budget deficit for FY2004 was $412.1 billion. In January 2005, the Congressional Budget Office projected that there would be a budget deficit of $368 billion in FY2005, and a deficit of $295 billion in FY2006.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Cashell, Brian W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Environmental Laws: Summaries of Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (open access)

Environmental Laws: Summaries of Statutes Administered by the Environmental Protection Agency

A dozen major statutes form the legal basis for the programs of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many of these have been amended several times. The current provisions of each are briefly summarized in this report. The Pollution Prevention Act (PPA) seeks to prevent pollution through reduced generation of pollutants at their point of origin. The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to set mobile source limits, ambient air quality standards, hazardous air pollutant emission standards, standards for new pollution sources, and significant deterioration requirements; and to focus on areas that do not attain standards.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Fletcher, Susan R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Endangered Species Act: A Primer (open access)

The Endangered Species Act: A Primer

The Endangered Species Act (ESA)1 receives significant congressional attention. The associated power and reach of its comprehensive protection for species identified as endangered or threatened with extinction has ignited concern that there be appropriate bounds on this power. The following discussion provides an overview and background on the various features of the ESA that contribute to its stature and yet spark an ongoing debate over its implementation.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Baldwin, Pamela; Buck, Eugene H. & Corn, M. Lynne
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Endangered Species Act: A Primer (open access)

The Endangered Species Act: A Primer

The Endangered Species Act (ESA)1 receives significant congressional attention. The associated power and reach of its comprehensive protection for species identified as endangered or threatened with extinction has ignited concern that there be appropriate bounds on this power. The following discussion provides an overview and background on the various features of the ESA that contribute to its stature and yet spark an ongoing debate over its implementation.
Date: March 31, 2005
Creator: Baldwin, Pamela; Buck, Eugene H. & Corn, M. Lynne
System: The UNT Digital Library