Clean Air Status and Trends Network Annual Report: 2011 (open access)

Clean Air Status and Trends Network Annual Report: 2011

Annual report of the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET) describing the program and data collection. It also presents information on air quality and recorded concentrations of pollutants such as ozone, sulfur, gases, and other elements of concern.
Date: February 2013
Creator: AMEC Environement & Infrastucture, Inc.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
European Union Enlargement (open access)

European Union Enlargement

This report discusses the evolution of the European Union and its process for enlargement. The EU has long viewed the enlargement process as an historic opportunity to further the integration of the continent by peaceful means.
Date: February 4, 2013
Creator: Archick, Kristin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Harmonic Approach for Calculating Daily Temperature Normals Constrained by Homogenized Monthly Temperature Normals (open access)

A Harmonic Approach for Calculating Daily Temperature Normals Constrained by Homogenized Monthly Temperature Normals

A report offering a constrained harmonic technique that forces the daily temperature normals to be consistent with the monthly temperature normals that NOAA archived between 1981 and 2010.
Date: February 5, 2013
Creator: Arguez, Anthony & Applequist, Scott
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases (open access)

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

This report gives an historical overview of debt limits, discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase and how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
Date: February 7, 2013
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sessions, Adjournments, and Recesses of Congress (open access)

Sessions, Adjournments, and Recesses of Congress

This report first describes how pertinent rules and practices regulate the daily sessions of Congress and their adjournments and recesses, including discussion of the "legislative day." It then develops a corresponding discussion for the annual sessions of Congress, which addresses, among other things, the use of "pro forma sessions." The report clarifies certain situations in which terms may simultaneously apply in different ways in relation to the daily session and to the annual session. Finally, the report notes some of the most important implications of the occurrence of sessions, adjournments, and recesses in relation to such matters as presidential action on legislation, recess appointments by the President, the operation of statutory expedited procedures ("fast track" procedures), and "lame duck" (post-election) sessions.
Date: February 27, 2013
Creator: Beth, Richard S. & Tollestrup, Jessica
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
DOD Alternative Fuels: Policy, Initiatives and Legislative Activity (open access)

DOD Alternative Fuels: Policy, Initiatives and Legislative Activity

This report provides background information and identifies issues for Congress regarding Department of Defense (DOD) alternative fuel initiatives, a subject of debate at congressional hearings on DOD's proposed FY2013 budget. The services (the Army, Navy, and Air Force) have spent approximately $48 million to purchase alternative fuels, and the Navy has proposed a $170 million investment in biofuel production capacity. The services have also spent funds on testing, certification and demonstrations of alternative fuels. By comparison, DOD purchases of petroleum fuels totaled approximately $17.3 billion in FY2011.
Date: February 11, 2013
Creator: Blakeley, Katherine
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Abortion and Family Planning-Related Provisions in U.S. Foreign Assistance Law and Policy (open access)

Abortion and Family Planning-Related Provisions in U.S. Foreign Assistance Law and Policy

This report details legislation and policies that restrict or place requirements on U.S. funding of abortion or family planning activities abroad. The level and extent of federal funding for these activities is an ongoing and controversial issue in U.S. foreign assistance and will likely continue to be a point of contention during the 113th Congress.
Date: February 12, 2013
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Family Planning Programs: Issues for Congress (open access)

International Family Planning Programs: Issues for Congress

This report looks at how the debate over family planning within the U.S. is spilling over to U.S.-funded family planning programs abroad.
Date: February 21, 2013
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nondiscrimination in Environmental Regulation: A Legal Analysis (open access)

Nondiscrimination in Environmental Regulation: A Legal Analysis

This report will examine the relevant legal authorities that may be asserted to address disproportionate impacts that result from how an agency implements environmental regulations, including the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and various environmental and conservation statutes. It will discuss administrative efforts to address "environmental justice," a term used by some advocates to refer to the distribution of environmental quality across various demographic groups, including the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Plan EJ 2014. It will also analyze the use of these authorities to prevent such impacts and the likelihood of success for future challenges under each legal theory.
Date: February 6, 2013
Creator: Brougher, Cynthia
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Prospects for Coal in Electric Power and Industry (open access)

Prospects for Coal in Electric Power and Industry

This report discusses future prospects for coal as the dominant fuel used in electricity production. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects coal to be a significant part of the U.S. power generation industry's future to well past 2030, but given price competition from natural gas, and emerging environmental regulations, that role will likely be smaller than in recent decades. Coal-fired generation is likely to face a challenging future.
Date: February 4, 2013
Creator: Campbell, Richard J.; Folger, Peter & Brown, Phillip
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
CAPCOG Connections, February, 2013 (open access)

CAPCOG Connections, February, 2013

Monthly newsletter of the Capital Area Council of Governments discussing news , upcoming events, and other information of relevance for regional planning in the Austin, Texas area.
Date: February 2013
Creator: Capital Area Council of Governments (Austin, Tex.)
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nominations to Cabinet Positions During Inter-Term Transitions Since 1984 (open access)

Nominations to Cabinet Positions During Inter-Term Transitions Since 1984

This report documents nominations to Cabinet positions during inter-term presidential transitions since 1984. During this period, three two-term Presidents — Ronald W. Reagan, William J. Clinton, and George W. Bush — made 30 nominations during inter-term transitions. For the purposes of this report, CRS considered an inter-term nomination to be one made between November 1 of a President's reelection year and April 30 of the first year of his second term.
Date: February 20, 2013
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.; Hogue, Henry B. & Greene, Michael W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coastal Water Authority Pension Plan Financial Statements: 2011 & 2012 (open access)

Coastal Water Authority Pension Plan Financial Statements: 2011 & 2012

Financial statements for the Texas Coastal Water Authority's pension plan including an independent auditor's report, basic statements with explanations, and supplemental notes.
Date: February 13, 2013
Creator: Coastal Water Authority
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
National Park System: What Do the Different Park Titles Signify? (open access)

National Park System: What Do the Different Park Titles Signify?

This report addresses questions that legislators have asked about park unit titles, when considering proposals to establish new park units, to redesignate existing units, or to change the provisions governing a unit It also discusses potential advantages and disadvantages of systemwide recommendations to simplify park nomenclature.
Date: February 20, 2013
Creator: Comay, Laura B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tracking the Texas Economy, February 2013 (open access)

Tracking the Texas Economy, February 2013

Document listing several statistical measures of the state of the Texas economy including unemployment rates, the consumer confidence index, and Texas production indicators.
Date: February 2013
Creator: Combs, Susan
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
U.S.-Japan Economic Relations: Significance, Prospects, and Policy Options (open access)

U.S.-Japan Economic Relations: Significance, Prospects, and Policy Options

This report discusses issues regarding U.S.-Japan economic relations, since the economic condition of each nation can affect the world economy and a U.S.-Japan bilateral economic relationship could influence economic conditions in other countries. U.S. and Japanese leaders have several options on how to manage their relationship, including stronger reliance on the World Trade Organization; special bilateral negotiating frameworks and agreements; or a free trade agreement.
Date: February 20, 2013
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-Japan Economic Relations: Significance, Prospects, and Policy Options (open access)

U.S.-Japan Economic Relations: Significance, Prospects, and Policy Options

This report discusses issues regarding U.S.-Japan economic relations, since the economic condition of each nation can affect the world economy and a U.S.-Japan bilateral economic relationship could influence economic conditions in other countries. U.S. and Japanese leaders have several options on how to manage their relationship, including stronger reliance on the World Trade Organization; special bilateral negotiating frameworks and agreements; or a free trade agreement.
Date: February 20, 2013
Creator: Cooper, William H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Benefits for Members of Congress (open access)

Health Benefits for Members of Congress

This report covers health benefits made available to Members of Congress through federal government employment, including Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), dental and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, long-term care insurance, services at the Office of the Attending Physician and military hospitals, and Medicare. It also offers a comparison of FEHBP to health benefits offered by the private sector and state and local governments and a discussion of the effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on Members' health benefits.
Date: February 12, 2013
Creator: Cornell, Ada S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies (open access)

Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

This report provides a list of roughly 200 congressional liaison offices with phone numbers, addresses, and other contact information.
Date: February 7, 2013
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues (open access)

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues

This report examines debates regarding what constitutes an "unfunded federal mandate" and the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995's (UMRA) implementation, requirements, and costs. It also assesses UMRA's impact on federal mandates and arguments concerning UMRA's future.
Date: February 28, 2013
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay & Beth, Richard S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bond v. United States: Validity and Construction of the Federal Chemical Weapons Statute (open access)

Bond v. United States: Validity and Construction of the Federal Chemical Weapons Statute

This report discusses the case of Bond v. United States, and implications in regards to the Necessary and Proper Clause. Carol Anne Bond, upon discovering that her husband had impregnated another woman, repeatedly dusted the woman's mail box, front door knob, and car door handles with a toxic chemical. Mrs. Bond was indicted in federal court and pled guilty to possessing a chemical weapon, but reserved the right to appeal. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected her constitutional challenge. A concurring member of the panel, however, urged the Supreme Court to clarify the nearly century-old pronouncement in Missouri v. Holland.
Date: February 21, 2013
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
El Paso County Community College District Annual Financial Report: 2012 (open access)

El Paso County Community College District Annual Financial Report: 2012

Annual financial report of the El Paso County Community College District for fiscal year 2012 providing statements of assets, revenues, expenses, taxes, and other relevant data.
Date: February 25, 2013
Creator: El Paso County Community College District. Financial and Information Services.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Comparison of Rights in Military Commission Trials and Trials in Federal Criminal Court (open access)

Comparison of Rights in Military Commission Trials and Trials in Federal Criminal Court

This report provides a brief summary of legal issues raised by the choice of forum for trying accused terrorists and a chart comparing selected military commissions rules under the Military Commissions Act, as amended, to the corresponding rules that apply in federal court.
Date: February 28, 2013
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Authority to Limit Military Operations (open access)

Congressional Authority to Limit Military Operations

This report discusses constitutional provisions allocating war powers between Congress and the President, and presenting a historical overview of relevant court cases. It considers Congress's constitutional authority to end a military conflict via legislative action; the implications that the War Powers Resolution or the repeal of prior military authorization may have upon the continued use of military force; and other considerations which may inform congressional decisions to limit the use of military force via statutory command or through funding limitations.
Date: February 19, 2013
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library