Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate providing for a joint session to canvass the votes for the governor and lieutenant governor and for a joint session for the inaugural ceremony.

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate granting the legislature permission to adjourn for more than three days during the period beginning on Thursday, January 10, 2019, and ending on Tuesday, January 15, 2019.

This report discusses the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) which is an interagency body comprised of nine Cabinet members, two ex officio members, and other members as appointed by the President, that assists the President in overseeing the national security aspects of foreign direct investment in the U.S. economy. Various legislative and executive actions that would effect the operations of CFIUS are also discussed.

This report discusses tax provisions which expired at the end of 2016 and were not addressed in the 2017 tax reform bill and various options for Congress to either extend them or end them.

This report discusses the House Judiciary Committee's announcement that they would hold a full committee markup hearing on Wednesday, January 17 for H.R. 4170, the Disclosing Foreign Influence Act (DFIA).

This report provides background on "Marbury v. Madison" and the upcoming case of Dalmazzi v. United States" which challenges the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) and concludes by exploring the potential ramifications of the jurisdictional question "Dalmazzi" poses.

This report discusses OSHA's new standards for respirable crystalline silica in the workplace. Groups representing employers, manufacturers, and labor filed court challenges to the new standards. On December 22, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the new standards.

This report discusses the case of "Lucia v. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)" which is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court. The case addresses whether administrative law judges(ALJs) within the SEC are "Officers of the United States" (officers) who must be appointed in accordance with the Appointments Clause of Article II of the Constitution.

This report is an update of an earlier report regarding a state's power to require retailers to tax internet sales in the purchasers state of residence. A case was brought by the state of South Dakota against Wayfair.com (South Dakota v. Wayfair) which was accepted to be heard by the Supreme Court on January 12, 2018.

Transcript of a public teleconference held by the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF) on January 16, 2016. This meeting includes deliberation on commission funding.

This report discusses general principles in how the language concerning the purposes and frequency of authorizations of appropriations has changed over the past century. These general principles are illustrated through case studies on the authorizations of appropriations that were enacted during this period for three agencies: the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Peace Corps.

This report briefly examines the role of the CSE agency in fatherhood programs and discusses initiatives to promote and support father-child interaction outside the parents relationship.

This report provides an overview of the federal certification process for interstate natural gas pipelines. It discusses the length of the review for recent interstate gas pipeline applications--a topic of specific interest to Congress and industry. In this context, the report discusses the key provisions in H.R. 161 and their implications for gas pipeline certificate approval.

This report discusses the State of the Union address, which is a communication between the President and Congress in which the chief executive reports on the current conditions of the United States and provides policy proposals for the upcoming legislative year.

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.

This report provides an overview of the six grant types with criteria for defining a block grant and a list of current block grants. It also examines competing perspectives concerning the use of block grants versus other grant mechanisms to achieve national goals, provides an historical overview of the role of block grants in American federalism, and discusses recent changes to existing block grants and proposals to create new ones.

This report reviews efforts to combat unauthorized migration across the Southwest border in the nearly three decades since the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) initiated the modern era in migration control. In reviewing such efforts, the report takes stock of the current state of border security and considers lessons that may be learned about enhanced enforcement at U.S. borders.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Newly available data from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) show the extent and some characteristics of locally administered projects, but other key data are not being collected. From July 2012 to June 2013, local agencies administered about 12 percent or $3.8 billion of the $31 billion in federal-aid funding obligated during that period. The federal share was less than $250,000 for over half of the projects. However, FHWA neither collects information on which local agencies are administering federal-aid projects nor the capabilities of those agencies--information that would allow FHWA to identify the extent and magnitude of its risks and more effectively target its oversight of the states."

This report first provides a brief federal legislative history of identity theft laws. It analyzes selected trends in identity theft, including prevalent identity theft-related crimes, the federal agencies involved in combating identity theft, and the trends in identity theft complaints and prosecutions. The report also discusses the relationship between data breaches and identity theft as well as possible effects of the FTC's Identity Theft Red Flags Rule. It also examines possible issues for Congress to consider.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Surplus lines insurers' premiums written have increased modestly and the companies have generally remained profitable. From 2008 through 2012 premiums written by surplus lines insurers, who sell property/casualty insurance through brokers in states where they are not licensed, grew slightly from $24.8 billion to $25.2 billion and remained stable at around 5 percent of the property casualty market as a whole. Over this time, surplus lines insurers' premiums generally exceeded their claims and underwriting expenses and they remained profitable. Surplus lines insurers also saw capital gains over this period."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) authorized $10.6 and $10.7 billion for fiscal years 2013 and 2014, respectively, for public transit, but did not address long-term funding. Federal funds available for FTA's transit programs come from the general fund of the U.S. Treasury and the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund. The Highway Trust Fund supports surface transportation programs, including highways and transit, and is funded through motor fuel and other highway use taxes; however, revenues have eroded over time because federal fuel tax rate stagnation, fuel efficiency improvements, and the use of alternative fuel vehicles. In May 2013, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that to maintain current spending levels plus inflation between 2015 and 2022, the Fund will require over $132 billion more than it is expected to take in over that period. GAO reported that while Congress transferred over $50 billion in general revenues to the Fund since fiscal year 2008, this approach may not be sustainable given competing demands for funding. For these reasons funding surface transportation remains on GAO's High-Risk List."

This report begins with an overview of both the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court of Review, including the jurisdiction of these courts, how the judges are appointed, and the FISC’s practices and procedures for reviewing and issuing surveillance orders. The report then discusses the scope and underlying legal principles behind congressional regulation of the procedures of the federal courts, and applies those principles with respect to the various proposals to reform the FISA judicial review process.

This report provides background information on General Motors' capital crisis in 2008-2009 and discusses the U.S. government assistance to the motor vehicle industry.

This report provides a brief overview of the FY2014 State Department, Foreign Operations and Related Programs funding request, as well as top-line analysis of House and Senate State-Foreign Operations appropriations proposals and enacted continuing resolutions. It does not provide information or analysis on specific provisions in the House and Senate legislation.