Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lobbying Policies and Monitoring for Program to Reduce Obesity and Tobacco Use (open access)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Lobbying Policies and Monitoring for Program to Reduce Obesity and Tobacco Use

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "CDC has administered and provided oversight of the CPPW program, which includes the monitoring of award recipients. CDC required recipients to use their CPPW funds to support efforts to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, or reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. In addition, CDC suggested possible strategies for achieving these results, such as working to establish smoke-free zones or to implement zoning changes that promote physical activity. CDC policy prohibited CPPW award recipients from using funds for specific types of activities, including lobbying, which generally meant certain activities designed to influence action in regard to a particular piece of pending legislation."
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Insurance: Seven States' Actions to Establish Exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (open access)

Health Insurance: Seven States' Actions to Establish Exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins ""
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Journal of the House of Representatives of Texas: 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (open access)

Journal of the House of Representatives of Texas: 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Texas for the sixty-firth day of the Regular session of the 83rd Legislature documenting legislation, reports, discussions, votes, and points-of-order.
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
Journal of the Senate of Texas: 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (open access)

Journal of the Senate of Texas: 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Proceedings of the Senate of Texas for the forty-ninth day of the Regular session of the 83rd Legislature documenting legislation, reports, discussions, votes, and points-of-order.
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: Texas. Legislature. Senate.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
National Preparedness: Efforts to Address the Medical Needs of Children in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear Incident (open access)

National Preparedness: Efforts to Address the Medical Needs of Children in a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, or Nuclear Incident

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "According to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), about 60 percent of the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) medical countermeasures in the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) have been approved for children, but in many instances approval is limited to specific age groups. In addition, about 40 percent of the CBRN countermeasures have not been approved for any pediatric use. Furthermore, some of the countermeasures have not been approved to treat individuals for the specific indications for which they have been stockpiled. For example, ciprofloxacin is stockpiled in the SNS for the treatment of anthrax, plague, and tularemia, but is not approved for these indications. Countermeasures may be used to treat unapproved age groups or indications under an emergency use authorization (EUA) or an Investigational New Drug (IND) application submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Enrollment and Spending in the Early Retiree Reinsurance and Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan Programs (open access)

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Enrollment and Spending in the Early Retiree Reinsurance and Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan Programs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) discontinued enrollment in the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (ERRP) in early 2011 and stopped most program reimbursements the following year to keep spending within the $5 billion ERRP appropriation. Specifically, anticipating exhaustion of funds, CCIIO stopped ERRP enrollment in May 2011. According to CCIIO officials, CCIIO suspended making reimbursements to plan sponsors in September 2012, as reimbursements had reached the $4.7 billion cap established for paying claims under the original appropriation, and the remainder was reserved for administrative expenses. When the cap was reached, significant demand for the program remained with 5,699 ERRP reimbursement requests left outstanding that accounted for about $2.5 billion in unpaid claims. CCIIO officials told GAO that they planned to pay some of the outstanding reimbursement requests by redistributing any overpayments recovered from plan sponsors--when, for example a plan receives a rebate that lowers the total cost of a prior claim--as well as money recovered from program audits. As of January 2013, officials told GAO that CCIIO had recovered a total of $54 million and redistributed $20.7 million of this amount."
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Security Force Assistance: More Detailed Planning and Improved Access to Information Needed to Guide Efforts of Advisor Teams in Afghanistan (open access)

Security Force Assistance: More Detailed Planning and Improved Access to Information Needed to Guide Efforts of Advisor Teams in Afghanistan

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "DOD and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have defined the mission and broad goals for Security Force Assistance (SFA) advisor teams; however, teams varied in the extent to which their approaches for developing their Afghan National Security Force (ANSF) units identified activities based on specific objectives or end states that were clearly linked with established goals. SFA guidance states that to be successful, advisors must have an end or goal in mind, and establish objectives that support higher-command plans. Theater commanders have outlined goals aimed at strengthening specific capabilities such as logistics, and it is largely left to the teams to then develop their approach for working with their counterparts. GAO found some advisor teams had developed structured advising approaches drawing from these goals, such as identifying monthly objectives and milestones for their team. Other teams GAO met with used less structured approaches, such as relying on interactions with ANSF counterparts to identify priorities and using this input to develop activities on an ad hoc basis, rather than as part of a longer-term, more structured approach to achieve broad goals. Officials from several teams stated …
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Senate Conferees: Their Selection and Authority (open access)

Senate Conferees: Their Selection and Authority

This report describes the selection and authority of Senate conferees.
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: Rybicki, Elizabeth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tax Expenditures: IRS Data Available for Evaluations Are Limited (open access)

Tax Expenditures: IRS Data Available for Evaluations Are Limited

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data are not sufficient for identifying who claims a tax expenditure and how much they claim for $492 billion or almost half the dollar value of all tax expenditures that GAO examined. Such basic data are not available at IRS for tax expenditures because they do not have their own line item on a tax form. This included $102 billion of tax expenditures that were not on tax forms, such as the exclusion of interest on life insurance savings, and $390 billion of tax expenditures that were on tax forms but did not have their own line items, such as the credit for holding clean renewable energy bonds which is aggregated with other credits on a single line item."
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Household Savings for Retirement in 2010 (open access)

U.S. Household Savings for Retirement in 2010

This report provides data on a variety of household wealth measures in 2010 from the Federal Reserve's triennial Survey of Consumer Finances. Although the amount of retirement assets is the primary focus of the report, other measures of wealth (such as the amount of total assets, financial assets, total debt, net worth, and housing equity) are also included.
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: Topoleski, John J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress (open access)

The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress

This report provides historical background of the Council, including the role of the previous Commission. It discusses the Council's current mandate and structure, as well as U.S. policy and congressional actions. Finally, it highlights possible policy issues for the 113th Congress, including the overall effectiveness of the Council in addressing human rights situations, implications for U.S. membership, and U.S. financial contributions to the Council.
Date: April 30, 2013
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Journal of the Senate of Texas: 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, Monday, April 29, 2013 (open access)

Journal of the Senate of Texas: 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, Monday, April 29, 2013

Proceedings of the Senate of Texas for the forty-eighth day of the Regular session of the 83rd Legislature documenting legislation, reports, discussions, votes, and points-of-order.
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Texas. Legislature. Senate.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nuclear Energy: Overview of Congressional Issues (open access)

Nuclear Energy: Overview of Congressional Issues

This report discusses issues regarding the use of nuclear energy in light of the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster, which has lead several countries to reconsider the breadth of their nuclear programs. The report provides basic facts and statistics and then focuses specifically on major issues including safety, radioactive waste, policy, emergency response, and the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons.
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Holt, Mark
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Overview of the Appeal Process for Veterans' Claims (open access)

Overview of the Appeal Process for Veterans' Claims

This report covers the current appeal process for veterans benefit claims. It ends with a description of current proposed legislation to alter the process.
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Shedd, Daniel T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests (open access)

Russian Political, Economic, and Security Issues and U.S. Interests

This report discusses the current political and economic conditions in Russia, focusing on the impact of Vladimir Putin's leadership and the leadership of his successor/protégé, Dmitriy Medvedev, both of which have steered Russia away from democratization. The report also discusses the state of the economy since the Soviet collapse in 1999, how the recent global economic downturn has affected Russia, the state of Russia's military, and the current relationship between Russia and the United States.
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook: April 2013 Update (open access)

State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook: April 2013 Update

Other written product issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Fiscal sustainability presents a national challenge shared by all levels of government. Since 2007, GAO has published long-term fiscal simulations for the state and local government sector. These simulations have consistently shown that, like the federal government, the state and local sector faces persistent and long-term fiscal pressures and, absent any policy changes, would face an increasing gap between receipts and expenditures in future years."
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Attorney General Opinion: GA-1002 (open access)

Texas Attorney General Opinion: GA-1002

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a county auditor has a right to access inmate property in a county jail to compare it with inmate property receipts (RQ-1 096-GA).
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Texas. Attorney-General's Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Attorney General Opinion: GA-1003 (open access)

Texas Attorney General Opinion: GA-1003

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the Texas Constitution prevents local political subdivisions from recognizing domestic partnerships by granting benefits previously only available to married couples (RQ-1097-GA).
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Texas. Attorney-General's Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Trends in Discretionary Spending (open access)

Trends in Discretionary Spending

This report discusses recent trends in discretionary spending. Topics examined include fiscal policy in the wake of the recession, discretionary spending limits reimposed in 2011, the FY2013 sequestration, long term trends, and security spending.
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. International Investment Agreements: Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S. International Investment Agreements: Issues for Congress

This report provides an overview of U.S. international investment agreements, focusing specifically on bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and investment chapters in free trade agreements (FTAs). It discusses key trends in U.S. and international investment flows, governance structures for investment at the bilateral and multilateral levels, the goals and basic components of investment provisions in U.S. international investment agreements, the outcomes of the Administration's Model BIT review, and key policy issues for Congress.
Date: April 29, 2013
Creator: Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias & Weiss, Martin A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Coast Guard Cutter Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Coast Guard's programs for procuring 8 National Security Cutters (NSCs), 25 Offshore Patrol Cutters (OPCs), and 58 Fast Response Cutters (FRCs).
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
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: April 26, 2013
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues (open access)

Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues

This report provides an overview of the rationale for the PGS mission and the possible deployment of conventional warheads on long-range ballistic missiles or boost-glide systems in support of this mission. It then reviews the Air Force and Navy efforts to develop these systems. It summarizes congressional reaction to these proposals, then provides a more detailed account of the issues raised by these concepts and programs.
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Covered Bonds: Background and Policy Issues (open access)

Covered Bonds: Background and Policy Issues

The report is categorized into six categories: (I) Congressional Interest, (II) Definition, (III) Policy Issues, (IV) Agency Actions on Covered Bonds, (V) Performance in Europe During the Financial Crisis, and (VI) Legislation in Prior Congress: United States Covered Bond Act of 2011.
Date: April 26, 2013
Creator: Murphy, Edward V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library