What are the Department of Defense (DOD) Policies on Transgender Service? (open access)

What are the Department of Defense (DOD) Policies on Transgender Service?

This report briefly discusses Department of Defense Policies regarding transgender service.
Date: July 15, 2015
Creator: Kamarck, Kristy N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Transportation (DOT): FY2016 Appropriations (open access)

Department of Transportation (DOT): FY2016 Appropriations

This report is categorized into four categories: (I) Introduction, (II) Understanding the DOTA Appropriations Act, (III) DOT Funding Trend, (IV) DOT FY2016 Appropriations.
Date: June 15, 2015
Creator: Peterman, David Randall
System: The UNT Digital Library
Intelligence Authorization Legislation for FY2016: Selected Provisions (open access)

Intelligence Authorization Legislation for FY2016: Selected Provisions

This report briefly highlights key provisions of H.R. 2596, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (IAA for FY2016), which provides guidance to, and authorizes appropriations for, components of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).
Date: June 15, 2015
Creator: Daugherty Miles, Anne
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy (open access)

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy

This report presents background and analysis on the development of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which expired on July 1, 2007. The report also includes a summary of the major provisions under the recently expired authority and a discussion of the issues that have arisen in the debate over TPA renewal, as well as policy options available to Congress.
Date: June 15, 2015
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Investment Agreements (IIAs): Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

International Investment Agreements (IIAs): Frequently Asked Questions

This report answers frequently asked questions about international investment agreements (IIAs) made between the United States and other countries. Questions are categorized in three main areas: background and context; U.S. international investment agreements; and investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS).
Date: May 15, 2015
Creator: Weiss, Martin A.; Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias; Murrill, Brandon J. & Shedd, Daniel T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United Nations Reform: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

United Nations Reform: Background and Issues for Congress

This report examines reform priorities from the perspective of several key actors, including Members of Congress, the Obama Administration, selected member states, the U.N. Secretary-General, and a cross-section of groups tasked with addressing U.N. reform. It also discusses congressional actions related to U.N. reform and mechanisms for implementing reform, as well as possible challenges facing U.S. policy makers as they consider existing and future U.N. reform efforts.
Date: May 15, 2015
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2016 Appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ) (open access)

FY2016 Appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ)

None
Date: April 15, 2015
Creator: James, Nathan; Bjelopera, Jerome P.; Finklea, Kristin M.; Krouse, William J. & Sacco, Lisa N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2015 (open access)

Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2015

This report contains information on actions taken affecting each pay year since the establishment of the Ethics Reform Act adjustment procedure. It also provides information on other floor action related to pay for Members of Congress.
Date: April 15, 2015
Creator: Brudnik, Ida A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism--Legislative Parameters: In Brief (open access)

State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism--Legislative Parameters: In Brief

This report provides information on legislation that authorizes the designation of any foreign government as a state sponsor of acts of international terrorism.
Date: April 15, 2015
Creator: Rennack, Dianne E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate (open access)

Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate

This report discusses the continued debate amongst congressional policymakers regarding telecommunications reform. A major point of the ongoing discussion is whether action is needed to ensure unfettered access to the Internet.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program: Status and Issues (open access)

The Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program: Status and Issues

This report discusses the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program by the Department of Energy (DOE). Furthermore, the report establishes the program as giving loans to businesses in the automotive industry to make new factories or redesign old ones to produce vehicles that achieve at least 25% higher fuel economy than vehicles from 2005. The report also covers the spending on the program and the requirements to receive a loan.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Canis, Bill & Yacobucci, Brent D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Affordable Care Act and Small Business: Economic Issues (open access)

The Affordable Care Act and Small Business: Economic Issues

This report explains how employer-sponsored insurance can be used to address concerns about health insurance coverage and cost. Then, it summarizes the three Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions most relevant to small businesses. Also, it analyzes these provisions for their potential effects on small businesses. Last, this report presents several approaches that could address some concerns associated with these provisions (particularly the employer penalty).
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Lowry, Sean & Gravelle, Jane G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybercrime: Conceptual Issues for Congress and U.S. Law Enforcement (open access)

Cybercrime: Conceptual Issues for Congress and U.S. Law Enforcement

This report discusses the concept of cybercrime and related cyber threats such as cyber espionage and cyber warfare, and questions whether--and under what circumstances--clear distinctions between the various threats should be delineated. It also outlines how current federal strategies may address cybercrime, including issues surrounding the measurement and tracking of cybercrime.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Finklea, Kristin & Theohary, Catherine A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Programs and Spending, FY2008-FY2013 (open access)

Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Programs and Spending, FY2008-FY2013

None
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Spar, Karen & Falk, Gene
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Minimum Wage: In Brief (open access)

The Federal Minimum Wage: In Brief

This report discusses the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which is the federal legislation that establishes the minumem hourly wage that ust be paid to all covered workers.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Bradley, David H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2015 (open access)

Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2015

This report lists hundreds of instances in which the United States has used its Armed Forces abroad in situations of military conflict or potential conflict or for other than normal peacetime purposes. It was compiled in part from various older lists and is intended primarily to provide a rough survey of past U.S. military ventures abroad, without reference to the magnitude of the given instance noted.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Torreon, Barbara Salazar
System: The UNT Digital Library
Institutional Eligibility for Participation in Title IV Student Financial Aid Programs (open access)

Institutional Eligibility for Participation in Title IV Student Financial Aid Programs

This report describes the types of institutions eligible to participate in Title IV programs and discusses the program integrity triad.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Hegji, Alexandra
System: The UNT Digital Library
Qualifications of Members of Congress (open access)

Qualifications of Members of Congress

This report discusses the qualifications required to hold the office of U.S. Senator or Representative to Congress that are established and set out within the U.S. Constitution.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Maskell, Jack
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion (open access)

Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion

The first section of this report reviews what countries might be considered tax havens, including a discussion of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) initiatives and lists. The next two sections discuss, in turn, the corporate profit-shifting mechanisms and evidence on the existence and magnitude of profit-shifting activity. The following two sections provide the same analysis for individual tax evasion. The report concludes with overviews of alternative policy options, a summary of legislation enacted in the 111th Congress, and a summary of specific legislative proposals.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Assistance Programs in China (open access)

U.S. Assistance Programs in China

This report examines U.S. foreign assistance activities in the People's Republic of China (PRC), undertaken by the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The report also discusses related foreign operations appropriations, policy history, and legislative background.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Lum, Thomas
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-EU Poultry Dispute on the Use of Pathogen Reduction Treatments (PRTs) (open access)

U.S.-EU Poultry Dispute on the Use of Pathogen Reduction Treatments (PRTs)

This report highlights the dispute between the U.S. and EU over the use of Pathogen Reduction Treatments (PRTs) during the processing of poultry products. PRT's are antimicrobial rinses--including chlorine dioxide, acidified sodium chlorite, trisodium phosphate, and peroxyacids, among others--that have been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for use in poultry processing to reduce the amount of microbes on meat.
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Johnson, Renée
System: The UNT Digital Library
The 2013 Cybersecurity Executive Order: Overview and Considerations for Congress (open access)

The 2013 Cybersecurity Executive Order: Overview and Considerations for Congress

The federal role in cybersecurity has been a topic of discussion and debate for over a decade. Despite significant legislative efforts in the 112th Congress on bills designed to improve the cybersecurity of U.S. critical infrastructure (CI), no legislation on that issue was enacted in that Congress. This report discusses the ramifications of Executive Order 13636, which issued in February 2013 was an attempt to enhance security and resiliency of CI through voluntary, collaborative efforts involving federal agencies and owners and operators of privately owned CI, as well as use of existing federal regulatory authorities.
Date: December 15, 2014
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.; Liu, Edward C.; Rollins, John W. & Theohary, Catherine A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radio Broadcasting Chips for Smartphones: A Status Report (open access)

Radio Broadcasting Chips for Smartphones: A Status Report

This report provides information on consumer and industry trends in radio and wireless network communications to give perspective on the proposal for widespread deployment of FM radio chips in smartphones as an emergency preparedness measure. It also provides a brief overview of the role of technology in disseminating emergency alerts and information.
Date: December 15, 2014
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Conflict Minerals and Resource Extraction: Dodd-Frank, SEC Regulations, and Legal Challenges (open access)

Conflict Minerals and Resource Extraction: Dodd-Frank, SEC Regulations, and Legal Challenges

This report discusses the two sections of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Protection Act (Dodd-Frank) that require the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) to issue regulations to make public the involvement of U.S. companies in conflict minerals and in resource extraction payments.
Date: October 15, 2014
Creator: Seitzinger, Michael V. & Ruane, Kathleen Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library