Data Security and Breach Notification Legislation: Selected Legal Issues (open access)

Data Security and Breach Notification Legislation: Selected Legal Issues

This report describes the common elements of several data security and breach notification bills that have been introduced in the 114th Congress, which broadly would impose security and notification requirements on businesses regardless of industry sector. It also discusses state laws that may apply in the event of a data breach and addresses two legal issues that may arise in consideration of new legislation about data security and breach notification.
Date: December 28, 2015
Creator: Dolan, Alissa M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation Security: Issues for the 114th Congress (open access)

Transportation Security: Issues for the 114th Congress

This report examines aviation, transit and passenger rail security, as well as port and maritime security. The difficulty and cost of protecting the transportation sector from attack raises a core question for policymakers: how much effort and resources to put toward protecting potential targets versus pursuing and fighting terrorists.
Date: December 25, 2015
Creator: Elias, Bart; Peterman, David R. & Frittelli, John
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 114th Congress (open access)

Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 114th Congress

None
Date: December 15, 2015
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cleanup at Inactive and Abandoned Mines: Issues in "Good Samaritan" Legislation in the 114th Congress (open access)

Cleanup at Inactive and Abandoned Mines: Issues in "Good Samaritan" Legislation in the 114th Congress

This report discusses several issues that have drawn attention: eligibility for a Good Samaritan permit, minerals covered by a permit, standards applicable to a Good Samaritan cleanup, scope of liability protection, funding, treatment of revenues from cleanup, enforcement, the appropriate implementation role for states and Indian tribes, terminating a permit, and sunsetting the permit program.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile (open access)

Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 114th Congress (2015-2016). 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, 2015
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Proposed Reauthorization in the 114th Congress (open access)

Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Proposed Reauthorization in the 114th Congress

The report discusses the Commodity Futures Trading Commissions (CFTC) that regulates futures, most options, and swap markets. It also points out the CFTC Re authorization Process.
Date: October 19, 2015
Creator: Miller, Rena S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Regulatory Relief" for Banking: Selected Legislation in the 114th Congress (open access)

"Regulatory Relief" for Banking: Selected Legislation in the 114th Congress

This report discusses regulatory relief legislation for banks in the 114th Congress that, at the time this report was published, has seen floor action or has been ordered to be reported by a committee. Many, but not all, of the bills would make changes to the Dodd-Frank Act (P.L. 111-203), wide ranging financial reform enacted in response to the financial crisis.
Date: October 15, 2015
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.; Gnanarajah, Raj; Labonte, Marc; Murphy, Edward V. & Shorter, Gary
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba: Current Limitations and Future Prospects (open access)

U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba: Current Limitations and Future Prospects

This report reviews the current state of agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba, identifies key impediments to expanding bilateral trade in agricultural products and key provisions in the law to which these obstacles are anchored. It also summarizes several of the bills introduced in the 114th Congress that propose to remove specific restrictions that impede trade in agricultural goods or that seek to lift the embargo on Cuba entirely.
Date: October 1, 2015
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Air Issues in the 114th Congress: An Overview (open access)

Clean Air Issues in the 114th Congress: An Overview

This report discusses EPA regulations to reduce GHG emission from fossil-fueled power plants, which EPA refers to as electric generating units (EGUs). It also points out Emissions of other pollutants from power plants.
Date: September 22, 2015
Creator: McCarthy, James E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drought Legislation: Comparison of Selected Provisions in H.R. 2898 and S. 1894 (open access)

Drought Legislation: Comparison of Selected Provisions in H.R. 2898 and S. 1894

This report summarizes the provisions of S. 1894, as introduced, and H.R. 2898, as passed by the House for conservation of fish species and their habitats in drought-stricken areas. It identifies comparable provisions between the two bills and discusses some of the ways in which those provisions overlap or differ. It also summarizes selected other major provisions in each bill.
Date: September 4, 2015
Creator: Stern, Charles V.; Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Cody, Betsy A.; Carter, Nicole T. & Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report serves as a primer on the European Union and provides a brief description of U.S.-EU relations that may be of interest in the 114th Congress.
Date: September 4, 2015
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act: Background and Issues (open access)

The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act: Background and Issues

This report discusses the combination of regulations and standards for controlling vessel discharges, which is at issue today and is addressed in legislation in the 114th Congress, the Vessel Incidental Discharge Act.
Date: September 4, 2015
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Automatic Continuing Resolutions: Background and Overview of Recent Proposals (open access)

Automatic Continuing Resolutions: Background and Overview of Recent Proposals

This report provides background on the historical frequency of federal funding gaps and shutdowns. It also discusses features of Automatic Continuing Resolutions (ACRs), arguments for and against ACRs, relevant Congressional actions, and proposals in the 112th through 114th Congresses.
Date: August 20, 2015
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents (open access)

Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents

This report provides links to cybersecurity committee hearings and legislation from the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses, as well as a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security. Summaries of activities and findings are included as a series of tables.
Date: August 18, 2015
Creator: Tehan, Rita
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Future of Internet Governance: Should the U.S. Relinquish Its Authority Over ICANN? (open access)

The Future of Internet Governance: Should the U.S. Relinquish Its Authority Over ICANN?

This report discusses legislation over the future of Internet government that has been introduced in the 113th and 114th Congresses which would prevent, delay, or impose conditions or additional scrutiny on the transition.
Date: August 18, 2015
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report serves as a primer on the European Union (EU) and provides a brief description of U.S.-EU relations that may be of interest in the 114th Congress. The EU is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries, comprising 28 member states, including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe; the group has helped to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent.
Date: July 24, 2015
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba: Current Limitations and Future Prospects (open access)

U.S. Agricultural Trade with Cuba: Current Limitations and Future Prospects

This report reviews the current state of agricultural trade between the United States and Cuba. It identifies key impediments to expanding bilateral trade in agricultural products and key provisions in the law to which these obstacles are anchored, and also considers the potential consequences for trade in agricultural goods if bilateral trade were returned to a more normal footing. It also summarizes several of the bills introduced in the 114th Congress that propose to remove specific restrictions that impede trade in agricultural goods or that seek to lift the embargo on Cuba entirely.
Date: July 23, 2015
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Background and Overview (open access)

The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Background and Overview

This report provides background information on the historical circumstances that led to the adoption of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), a summary of its major provisions, and a brief discussion of the U.S. Supreme Court decision and related legislation in the 113th and 114th Congresses. Two identical bills--H.R. 3899 and S. 1945--were introduced in the 113th Congress that would have amended the VRA to add a new coverage formula, among other provisions.
Date: July 20, 2015
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Reform in the 114th Congress: An Overview of Proposals (open access)

Tax Reform in the 114th Congress: An Overview of Proposals

This report provides background information regarding tax reform and discusses ways to make the U.S. tax system simpler, fairer, and more efficient.
Date: July 9, 2015
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F. & Keightley, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
District of Columbia: Issues in the 114th Congress (open access)

District of Columbia: Issues in the 114th Congress

None
Date: July 7, 2015
Creator: Boyd, Eugene; Davis, Christopher M.; Yeh, Brian T.; Krouse, William J. & Chu, Vivian S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Wildfire Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 114th Congress (open access)

Wildfire Spending: Background, Issues, and Legislation in the 114th Congress

This report provides background information and analysis of funding for federal wildfire suppression operations. It concludes by summarizing relevant legislative proposals introduced in the 114th Congress and discussing their possible implications.
Date: June 26, 2015
Creator: Hoover, Katie; Lindsay, Bruce R.; McCarthy, Francis X. & Tollestrup, Jessica
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of Legislative Proposals in the 114th Congress (open access)

Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of Legislative Proposals in the 114th Congress

This report compares two House bills and one Senate bill that address information sharing and related activities in cybersecurity. The report consists of an overview of those and other legislative proposals on information sharing, along with selected associated issues, followed by a side-by-side analysis of the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015 (NCPAA), the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (PCNA), and the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA).
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Fischer, Eric A. & Logan, Stephanie M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of Legislative Proposals in the 114th Congress (open access)

Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of Legislative Proposals in the 114th Congress

This report compares two House bills and one Senate bill that address information sharing and related activities in cybersecurity. It also discusses some of the issues that those and other bills address.
Date: June 12, 2015
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile (open access)

Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 114th Congress (2015-2016). 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: June 11, 2015
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.
System: The UNT Digital Library