Community Development Block Grants: Funding Issues in the 113th Congress (open access)

Community Development Block Grants: Funding Issues in the 113th Congress

This report is a review of the Community Development Fund (CDF) account's funding history from FY2000 to FY2013, as well as current funding in FY2014. It includes a discussion of the three primary components of the CDF account: CDBG formula grants; CDBG-related set-asides and earmarks; and CDBG-linked supplemental and special appropriations.
Date: March 20, 2014
Creator: Boyd, Eugene
System: The UNT Digital Library
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund: Programs and Policy Issues (open access)

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund: Programs and Policy Issues

This report begins by describing the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund's history, current appropriations, and each of its programs. The next section analyzes four policy considerations of congressional interest regarding the Fund and the effective use of federal resources to promote economic development. Lastly, this report examines the Fund's programs and management to see if they represent an effective and efficient government effort to promote economic development in low-income and distressed communities.
Date: March 13, 2014
Creator: Lowry, Sean
System: The UNT Digital Library
Policy Issues in the General Motors Vehicle Recall (open access)

Policy Issues in the General Motors Vehicle Recall

This report discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) process by which vehicle safety defects are identified and vehicles are recalled, as well as the impact that the 2009 GM bankruptcy may have on liability for this defect.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Canis, Bill; Peterman, David Randall & Pettit, Carol A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Related Non-Tariff Barriers to Agricultural Trade (open access)

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) and Related Non-Tariff Barriers to Agricultural Trade

This report discuses sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, which are laws, regulations, standards, and procedures that governments employ as "necessary to protect human, animal or plant life or health" from the risks associated with the spread of pests, diseases, or disease-carrying and causing organisms, or from additives, toxins, or contaminants in food, beverages, or feedstuffs.
Date: March 31, 2014
Creator: Johnson, Renée
System: The UNT Digital Library
Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues (open access)

Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues

This report provides an overview of the background and policy issues of internet domain names.
Date: March 19, 2014
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Biological Opinions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A Case Law Summary (open access)

Biological Opinions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: A Case Law Summary

This report is a Case Law Summary about Biological Opinions for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Date: March 13, 2014
Creator: Alexander, Kristina
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79) (open access)

Energy Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79)

This report focuses on the policies contained in the 2014 farm bill that support agriculture based renewable energy, especially biofuels. The introductory sections of this report briefly describe how U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) bioenergy policies evolved and how they fit into the larger context of U.S. biofuels policy.
Date: March 12, 2014
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
System: The UNT Digital Library
The First Responder Network (FirstNet) and Next-Generation Communications for Public Safety: Issues for Congress (open access)

The First Responder Network (FirstNet) and Next-Generation Communications for Public Safety: Issues for Congress

None
Date: March 5, 2014
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Taxation of Unemployment Benefits (open access)

Taxation of Unemployment Benefits

Unemployment compensation (UC) benefits have been fully subject to the federal income tax since the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-514). Individuals who receive UC benefits during a year may elect to have the federal (and in some cases state) income tax withheld from their benefits. This report provides an overview of the taxation of UC benefits and legislation related to taxing UC benefits.
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: Whittaker, Julie M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Funding for Health Insurance Exchanges (open access)

Federal Funding for Health Insurance Exchanges

This report provides a state-by-state breakdown of the grants awarded to date. It then briefly describes the requirement for exchanges to be selfsustaining, and concludes with a discussion of the sources and amounts of funding that Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has used and plans to use to support federally-facilitated exchange (FFE) operations.
Date: March 28, 2014
Creator: Mach, Annie L. & Redhead, C. Stephen
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bonus Depreciation: Economic and Budgetary Issues (open access)

Bonus Depreciation: Economic and Budgetary Issues

This report discusses bonus depreciation as either a temporary stimulus provision or a permanent part of the tax code.
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues (open access)

Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues

This report discusses the energy policy in the United States that is focused on three major goals: assuring a secure supply of energy, keeping energy costs low, and protecting the environment.
Date: March 21, 2014
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reporting Foreign Financial Assets Under Titles 26 and 31: FATCA and FBAR (open access)

Reporting Foreign Financial Assets Under Titles 26 and 31: FATCA and FBAR

This report outlines the U.S. reporting requirements for foreign assets and accounts under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) along with the reporting requirements of the Foreign Bank Account Reporting (FBAR) under the Bank Secrecy Act. It also addresses the requirements imposed on foreign financial institutions and the agreements the United States has with other countries to cooperate in information reporting.
Date: March 27, 2014
Creator: Lunder, Erika K. & Pettit, Carol A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Investment in U.S. Securities (open access)

Foreign Investment in U.S. Securities

This report analyzes the extent of foreign portfolio investment in the U.S. economy, assesses the economic conditions that are attracting such investments, and discusses the impact such investments are having on the economy. This report relies on a comprehensive set of data regarding capital flows represented by purchases and sales of U.S. government securities and U.S. and foreign corporate stocks and bonds into and out of the United States; the data is reported by the Treasury Department on a monthly basis.
Date: March 5, 2014
Creator: Jackson, James K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Safe Harbor for Online Service Providers Under Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (open access)

Safe Harbor for Online Service Providers Under Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act

This report focuses primarily on "storage of information on systems or networks at direction of users," which includes any website that stores digital content that users have uploaded for public consumption or for sharing purposes (such as the popular social media and online services YouTube, Facebook, Dropbox, Flickr, Google Drive, and Blogger).
Date: March 26, 2014
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress

This report presents background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Navy's Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and Zumwalt (DDG-1000) class destroyer programs. Decisions that Congress makes concerning these programs could substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy (open access)

Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy

This report offers background information on Ukraine's current political and economic situation, foreign policy towards NATO, the European Union, and Russia. It also discusses U.S. policy, U.S. aid to Ukraine, the congressional response, and other legislation.
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Woehrel, Steven
System: The UNT Digital Library
Net Neutrality: The FCC's Authority to Regulate Broadband Internet Traffic Management (open access)

Net Neutrality: The FCC's Authority to Regulate Broadband Internet Traffic Management

This report discusses the major debate over the government's role in the Internet. Legally, the question appears to be whether the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) currently has the authority to regulate the ways in which Internet Service Providers (ISPs) manage Internet traffic over their networks.
Date: March 26, 2014
Creator: Ruane, Kathleen Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library
Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response (open access)

Abortion: Judicial History and Legislative Response

The focus of this report is on legislative action with respect to abortion, and discussion of the various legislative proposals that involves an examination of the leading Supreme Court decisions concerning a woman's right to choose
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Brazil: Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations (open access)

Brazil: Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations

This report discusses United States' relations with Brazil, which is the seventh-largest economy in the world and is recognized by the Obama Administration's National Security Strategy as an emerging center of influence.
Date: March 27, 2014
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Condition of Depository Banks (open access)

Financial Condition of Depository Banks

This report discusses the congressional interest in the financial conditions of depository banks or the commercial banking industry that has increased in the wake of the financial crisis that unfolded in 2007-2009, which resulted in a large increase in the number of distressed institutions.
Date: March 26, 2014
Creator: Getter, Darryl E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Green Infrastructure and Issues in Managing Urban Stormwater (open access)

Green Infrastructure and Issues in Managing Urban Stormwater

This report discusses the stormwater problems that occur because rainwater that once soaked into the ground now runs off hard surfaces like rooftops, parking lots, and streets in excessive amounts. The report also discusses a framework document, intended to provide communities with flexibility to prioritize needed water infrastructure investments.
Date: March 21, 2014
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-Vietnam Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S.-Vietnam Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress

This report discusses the U.S.-Vietnamese cooperation on nuclear energy and nonproliferation that has grown in recent years along with closer bilateral economic, military, and diplomatic ties.
Date: March 24, 2014
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth D.; Holt, Mark & Manyin, Mark E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy (open access)

Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy

This report discusses the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region that are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year.
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
System: The UNT Digital Library