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: February 21, 2017
Creator: Archick, Kristin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Debt Limit Since 2011 (open access)

The Debt Limit Since 2011

This report discusses the federal debt increase, which can increase when the government sells debt to the public to finance budget deficits and acquire the financial resources needed to meet its obligations (increasing debt held by the public), or when the federal government issues debt to certain government accounts in exchange for their reported surpluses (increasing debt held by government accounts).
Date: February 13, 2017
Creator: Austin, D. A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Newsletter of Texas State Representative Ernest Bailes: Volume 1, Issue 2, February 2017 (open access)

Newsletter of Texas State Representative Ernest Bailes: Volume 1, Issue 2, February 2017

Newsletter of Ernest Bailes for his constituents in district 18 discussing news, activities, and various updates related to work in the Texas legislature. It focuses on Bailes' committee assignments, handgun issues, school funding, open-enrollment to charter schools, support for district 18, and the Texas Association of School Administrators.
Date: February 13, 2017
Creator: Bailes, Ernest James, IV
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Newsletter of Texas State Representative Ernest Bailes: Volume 1, Issue 3, February 2017 (open access)

Newsletter of Texas State Representative Ernest Bailes: Volume 1, Issue 3, February 2017

Newsletter of Ernest Bailes for his constituents in district 18 discussing news, activities, and various updates related to work in the Texas legislature. It focuses on growth and property rights, pausing in prayer, new Commercial Driver's License skills standards, reduction in budget for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and a balanced and new legislation.
Date: February 28, 2017
Creator: Bailes, Ernest James, IV
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Islamic State and U.S. Policy (open access)

The Islamic State and U.S. Policy

This report provides background on the Islamic State organization, discusses its goals, operations, and affiliates, reviews U.S. legislative and policy debates, and describes select FY2017 legislative proposals.
Date: February 2, 2017
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M. & Humud, Carla E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Legislative Branch: FY2017 Appropriations (open access)

Legislative Branch: FY2017 Appropriations

The first section of this report provides an overview of the consideration of fiscal year 2017 legislative branch appropriations, with subsections covering each action. It is followed by a section on prior year actions and funding, which contains historical tables. The report then addresses the FY2017 budget requests, requested administrative language, and selected funding issues for individual legislative branch agencies and entities.
Date: February 21, 2017
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The DACA and DAPA Deferred Action Initiatives: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

The DACA and DAPA Deferred Action Initiatives: Frequently Asked Questions

This report provides answers to frequently asked questions about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) initiatives.
Date: February 15, 2017
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Corps Easement Process and Dakota Access Pipeline Easement Status (open access)

Army Corps Easement Process and Dakota Access Pipeline Easement Status

This report discusses the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), a 1,172-mile pipeline system to transport oil from North Dakota to Illinois.
Date: February 2, 2017
Creator: Carter, Nicole T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorizations, Appropriations, and Activities (open access)

Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorizations, Appropriations, and Activities

This report provides an overview of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civil works program, including congressional authorization and appropriations. Its civil works responsibilities are principally to support navigation, reduce flood and storm damage, and protect and restore aquatic ecosystems. The report also covers the standard project development process for Corps projects and other Corps activities and authorities.
Date: February 27, 2017
Creator: Carter, Nicole T. & Stern, Charles V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Five-Year Program for Federal Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing: Status and Issues in Brief (open access)

Five-Year Program for Federal Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing: Status and Issues in Brief

This report discusses the five year plan as amended under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) for proposed public oil and gas lease sales on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS).
Date: February 1, 2017
Creator: Comay, Laura B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Budget Deficit and the Business Cycle (open access)

The Federal Budget Deficit and the Business Cycle

This report discusses the annual federal budget deficit, which has fallen significantly over the course of the current economic expansion, from a high of 9.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in FY2009 to 3.2% of GDP in FY2016.
Date: February 14, 2017
Creator: Driessen, Grant A. & Labonte, Marc
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Fiscal Space" and the Federal Budget (open access)

"Fiscal Space" and the Federal Budget

This report discusses plans for the federal budget and the concept of "fiscal space," or the amount of room available for additional government borrowing.
Date: February 14, 2017
Creator: Driessen, Grant A. & Labonte, Marc
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluating the Use of Nanomaterials to Enhance Properties of Asphalt Binders and Mixtures (open access)

Evaluating the Use of Nanomaterials to Enhance Properties of Asphalt Binders and Mixtures

Report to evaluate a number of different nanomaterials for their beneficial effects and to provide a cost-effective solution to modify asphalt binders.
Date: February 2017
Creator: Filonzi, Angelo; Sabaraya, Indu Venu; Hajj, Ramez; Das, Dipesh; Saleh, Navid B.; Bhasin, Amit et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The Portal to Texas History
Proposals to Eliminate Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns (open access)

Proposals to Eliminate Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns

This report discusses Presidential campaign funding and provides a brief policy overview and raises potential issues for congressional consideration.
Date: February 7, 2017
Creator: Garrett, R. S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2016 (open access)

Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2016

This report discusses the Congressional Gold Medal which is a sponsor proposals recognizing historic events and outstanding achievements by individuals or institutions.
Date: February 13, 2017
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Care-Related Expiring Provisions of the 115th Congress, First Session (open access)

Health Care-Related Expiring Provisions of the 115th Congress, First Session

This report provides descriptions of selected health care-related provisions that are scheduled to expire during the 115th Congress, first session (i.e., during calendar year [CY] 2017). It focuses on portions of law that are time limited and will lapse once a statutory deadline is reached absent further legislative action.
Date: February 22, 2017
Creator: Grossman, Joy M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Funded Academic Research Requirements: Background and Issues in Brief (open access)

Federally Funded Academic Research Requirements: Background and Issues in Brief

This report contains background information and selected issues on federal regulations and administrative requirements related to federally-funded academic research, including a general overview and discussion of select issues.
Date: February 28, 2017
Creator: Harris, Laurie A. & Gallo, Marcy E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress (open access)

Introduction to the Legislative Process in the U.S. Congress

This report introduces the main steps through which a bill (or other item of business) may travel in the legislative process--from introduction to committee and floor consideration to possible presidential consideration.
Date: February 16, 2017
Creator: Heitshusen, Valerie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Current Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Issues (open access)

Current Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Issues

This report discusses the missile defense program and whether current policy or program direction might change. The FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA, P.L. 114-328) made several notable changes that could have significant effects on the direction of U.S. BMD policy and programs.
Date: February 21, 2017
Creator: Hildreth, Steven A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Filling Advice and Consent Positions at the Outset of Recent Administrations, 1981-2009 (open access)

Filling Advice and Consent Positions at the Outset of Recent Administrations, 1981-2009

This report describes and analyzes the processes, during a presidential transition, by which top-level executive branch PAS (Presidentially-appointed and approved by the Senate) positions have been filled in the recent past. Outside of top White House staff appointments, these are a new President's earliest and arguably most important appointments.
Date: February 24, 2017
Creator: Hogue, Henry B.; Greene, Michael & Rybicki, Elizabeth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Independence of Federal Financial Regulators: Structure, Funding, and Other Issues (open access)

Independence of Federal Financial Regulators: Structure, Funding, and Other Issues

This report discusses institutional features that make federal financial regulators (and other independent agencies) relatively independent from the President and Congress.
Date: February 28, 2017
Creator: Hogue, Henry B.; Labonte, Marc & Webel, Baird
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments (open access)

Military Retirement: Background and Recent Developments

This report discusses the military retirement system, which includes monthly compensation for qualified active and reserve retirees, disability benefits for those deemed medically unfit to serve, and a survivor annuity program for the eligible survivors of deceased retirees.
Date: February 27, 2017
Creator: Kamarck, Kristy N.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sanctuary Jurisdictions: Congressional Action and President Trump's Interior Enforcement Executive Order (open access)

Sanctuary Jurisdictions: Congressional Action and President Trump's Interior Enforcement Executive Order

This report discusses President Trump's executive order (EO) "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States" issued on January 25, 2017, which seeks, among other things, to penalize "sanctuary jurisdictions." The term refers to states and localities that limit their cooperation with federal agencies on immigration law enforcement.
Date: February 15, 2017
Creator: Kandel, William A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Primer: A Guide for New Members (open access)

Defense Primer: A Guide for New Members

This report describes the power of the Congress over the armed forces, including the power to "to raise and support Armies," "to provide and maintain a Navy," "to make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces" and "to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States.... "
Date: February 6, 2017
Creator: Kapp, Lawrence
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library