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Access to Government Information in the United States (open access)

Access to Government Information in the United States

The Constitution of the United States makes no specific allowance for any one of the co-equal branches to have access to information held by the others and contains no provision expressly establishing a procedure for, or a right of, public access to government information. Nonetheless, Congress has legislated various public access laws. These include two records access statutes — the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) — and two meetings access statutes — the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) and the Government in the Sunshine Act (5 U.S.C. 552b). Moreover, due to the American separation of powers model of government, interbranch conflicts over the accessibility of information are neither unexpected nor necessarily destructive. The federal courts, historically, have been reluctant to review and resolve “political questions” involving information disputes between Congress and the executive branch. Although there is considerable interbranch cooperation, such conflicts probably will continue to occur on occasion.
Date: January 7, 2005
Creator: Relyea, Harold C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tsunamis: Monitoring, Detection, and Early Warning Systems (open access)

Tsunamis: Monitoring, Detection, and Early Warning Systems

This report discusses proposals for international tsunami early warning systems and examines U.S. policy regarding tsunamis.
Date: January 24, 2005
Creator: Morrissey, Wayne A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction (open access)

How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction

This report presents a brief description of the five methods used to bring proposed legislation to the House floor for consideration.
Date: January 11, 2005
Creator: Saturno, James V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
House and Senate Rules of Procedure: A Comparison (open access)

House and Senate Rules of Procedure: A Comparison

This report compares selected House and Senate rules of procedure for various stages of the legislative process: referral of legislation to committees; scheduling and calling up measures; and floor consideration.
Date: February 10, 2005
Creator: Schneider, Judy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tracking Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Basic Sources (open access)

Tracking Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Basic Sources

This report introduces selected basic sources that are useful in obtaining background information or specific facts on the status of federal legislative or regulatory initiatives. It includes telephone, online, and media sources are included, as well as pertinent directories, such as those of organizations that track areas of interest. Annotations describing each source's contents and organization are included so that researchers can select those that most closely fit their needs. Internet addresses usually provide information about the items, rather than access to them.
Date: January 13, 2005
Creator: Davis, Carol D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Invoking Cloture in the Senate (open access)

Invoking Cloture in the Senate

This report discuses cloture, which is is the only procedure by which the Senate can vote to set an end to a debate without also rejecting the bill, amendment, conference report, motion, or other matter it has been debating. A Senator can make a nondebatable motion to table an amendment, and if a majority of the Senate votes for that motion, the effect is to reject the amendment. Thus, the motion to table cannot be used to conclude a debate when Senators still wish to speak and to enable the Senate to vote for the proposal it is considering. Only the cloture provisions of Rule XXII achieve this purpose.
Date: February 9, 2005
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Floor Procedure in the House of Representatives: A Brief Overview (open access)

Floor Procedure in the House of Representatives: A Brief Overview

The House considers bills and resolutions on the floor under several different sets of procedures governing the time for debate and the opportunities for amendment. Some procedures allow 40 or 60 minutes for debate; others permit debate to continue until a majority of Members vote to end it. Some procedures prohibit most or all floor amendments; others allow Members to offer any amendments that meet the requirements of the House’s rules and precedents. Notwithstanding these differences, the rules, precedents, and practices of the House generally are designed to permit the majority to work its will in a timely manner. This report provides a brief overview of this procedure.
Date: March 15, 2005
Creator: Rybicki, Elizabeth & Bach, Stanley
System: The UNT Digital Library
Journalists' Privilege to Withhold Information in Judicial and Other Proceedings: State Shield Statutes (open access)

Journalists' Privilege to Withhold Information in Judicial and Other Proceedings: State Shield Statutes

This report briefly provides an overview of general trends among the states individual statutes.
Date: March 8, 2005
Creator: Lening, Carey & Cohen, Henry
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homosexuals and U.S. Military Policy: Current Issues (open access)

Homosexuals and U.S. Military Policy: Current Issues

This report discusses policy towards homosexuals in the U.S. military service. In 1993, new laws and regulations pertaining to homosexuals and U.S. military service came into effect reflecting a compromise in policy. This compromise, colloquially referred to as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” holds that the presence in the armed forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion which are the essence of military capability. Service members are not to be asked about nor allowed to discuss their homosexuality. This compromise notwithstanding, the issue has remained politically contentious.
Date: February 10, 2005
Creator: Burrelli, David F. & Dale, Charles V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Freedom of Information Act Amendments: 109th Congress (open access)

Freedom of Information Act Amendments: 109th Congress

This report discusses the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which was designed to enable any person — individual or corporate, regardless of citizenship — to request, without explanation or justification, presumptive access to existing, identifiable, unpublished, executive branch agency records on any topic.
Date: February 25, 2005
Creator: Relyea, Harold C.
System: The UNT Digital Library