This report documents the TX Gender Project funded through the 2016 Dean's Innovation Grant. The final report briefly describes the TX Gender Project activities, budget, outcomes, best practices, and sustainability.

This report discusses the North Korean nuclear threat and possible military options the U.S. could use to reduce or eliminate the threat. The report begins with a brief overview of the situation, nuclear capabilities of North Korea, and effects military action would have on the region and its stability. Seven military related options are discussed along with possible issues of interest to Congress.

This report discusses workers' compensation programs including common elements and their history. Non-compulsory programs in Texas and Oklahoma are also discussed including the recent ruling that the system in Oklahoma violated their state constitution.

This report provides an overview of the accounts that fund wildfire management activities and historical wildfire management appropriations data, as well as information on FY2018 appropriations. The Administration requested a combined $3.72 billion in FY2018, a 12% decrease from FY2017 enacted levels. On September 14, 2017, the Housed passed H.R. 3354, an omnibus measure covering all 12 appropriations bills, including the FY2018 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill. This bill would provide $3.85 billion combined for wildfire purposes, an 8% decrease from FY2017 enacted levels and 3% above the Administration's requested levels.

This report discusses major holidays in Christianity and their significance as well as how American Christians celebrate them. This fact sheet is designed to assist congressional offices with work related to Christian holidays. It contains sample speeches and remarks from the Congressional Record, presidential statements and remarks, and selected historical and cultural resources.

This report discusses the Coast Guard's plan build a new polar icebreaker to replace a nonoperational one. Costs, past and proposed appropriations, and the general icebreaker program are discussed.

This report first describes how the Vacancies Act operates and outlines its scope, identifying when the Vacancies Act applies to a given office, how it is enforced, and which offices are exempt from its provisions. The report then explains who may serve as an acting officer and for how long, focusing on the limitations the Vacancies Act places on acting service. Finally, the report turns to issues of particular relevance to Congress, primarily highlighting the Vacancies Act's enforcement mechanisms.

This report identifies all nominations submitted to the Senate during the 114th Congress for full-time positions in 15 executive departments. Information for each department is presented in tables. The tables include full-time positions confirmed by the Senate, pay levels for these positions, and appointment action within each executive department. Additional summary information across all 15 executive departments appears in the Appendix. During the 114th Congress, the President submitted 102 nominations to the Senate for full-time positions in executive departments. Of these 102 nominations, 64 were confirmed, 8 were withdrawn, and 30 were returned to him in accordance with Senate rules. For those nominations that were confirmed, a mean (average) of 156.1 days elapsed between nomination and confirmation. The median number of days elapsed was 125.5.

This report provides background information in response to the following frequently asked questions regarding the October 4, 2017 attack on U.S. soldiers in Niger: What is the security situation in Niger?, How big is the U.S. military presence in Niger?, For what purposes are U.S. military personnel in Niger, and what role has Congress played in the U.S. military presence there?, Is the U.S. military presence in Niger related to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)?, What is the state of U.S.-Niger relations and aid?, Where else in Africa are U.S. military personnel deployed?, Medical evacuation: What is the "golden hour" and does it apply to troop deployments in Africa?, What are the broader implications of building partner capacity in Niger for DOD?, Who were the four U.S. soldiers killed in Niger on October 4?, and What do we know about the alleged perpetrators of the October 4 attack? It also identifies potential issues for Congress as Members look ahead to ongoing and future authorization, appropriations, and oversight activities. A chronology of terrorist attacks in the Sahel and related developments is provided in an Appendix. Additional details surrounding the October 4 ambush and its aftermath may continue …

This report discusses President Trump's announcement that the federal government would stop issuing cost-sharing reductions(CSRs) to insurers under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and potential implications for the insurance market and consumers.

This report provides a general overview of the child and dependent care tax benefits, focusing on eligibility requirements and benefit calculation. The report also includes some summary data on these benefits which highlight some of the characteristics of claimants.

This report discusses the Navy's ship naming practices and the process of choosing new ship names. Methods of Congress expressing support for a name and recent legislation recommending the name "Los Alamos" for the Navy's next nuclear submarine are also included.

This report discuses Federal real property holdings and the disposition process for unneeded space. A new law called the Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act of 2016 (FASTA) now governs the process of disposal through a newly created Public Buildings Reform Board that reviews requests and provides funding for needed repairs before sale or lease of property. Various challenges addressed by the new system and those that remain are discussed.

This report responds to frequently asked questions about the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), including the board's background, current status, controversial issues including legal challenges, and recent legislative efforts to repeal the IPAB.

This report discusses major Jewish holidays and their significance as well as how American Jews celebrate them. This fact sheet is designed to assist congressional offices with work related to Jewish holidays. It contains sample speeches and remarks from the Congressional Record, presidential proclamations and remarks, and selected historical and cultural resources.

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on three potential new weapons that could improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against enemy missiles--solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the hypervelocity projectile (HVP).The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's funding requests and proposed acquisition strategies for these three potential new weapons for the 2018 fiscal year. Congress's decisions on this issue could affect future Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the defense industrial base.

This report discusses the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) which is a presidential advisory body consisting of nine cabinet members, two ex officio members, and other members appointed by the President to oversee direct investments by foreign countries in the United States. The President has the power to block a direct investment by another country if such an acquisition would pose a threat to U.S. national security. The basics of the committee's operations and laws governing their conduct and power, presidential blocks of investment, previous reforms to the original law governing the committee and its actions and current propositions in Congress to further amend the laws regarding the committee are discussed.

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. The Navy's proposed FY2018 budget requests funding for the procurement of two DDG-51s, and authority for a new multiyear procurement (MYP) contract covering DDG-51s to be procured in FY2018-FY2022. Decisions that Congress makes concerning destroyer procurement could substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.

This report discuses the poverty rate in the United States for 2016 as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau releases poverty estimates every September for the prior calendar year. Hence, most of the comparisons discussed in this report are year-to-year comparisons. However, in addition to the most recent year's data, this brief will present a historical perspective as well as information on poverty for demographic groups (by family structure, age, race and Hispanic origin, and work status) and by state. Over the past several decades, criticisms of the official poverty measure have led to the development of an alternative research measure called the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which the Census Bureau has also computed and released. Statistics comparing the official measure with the SPM are provided at the conclusion of this brief.

This report discusses the federal government's Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program to assist local fire and rescue organizations with needs such as equipment and training and upcoming consideration of its reauthorization along with funding levels for fiscal year 2018.

This report constitutes a guide to a series of two-page reports that examine the various programs and policies that comprise periodic omnibus legislation on farm and food policy, commonly known as "the farm bill." The current farm bill (P.L. 113-79) was signed into law in February 2014. Many of the programs authorized by the 2014 farm bill are scheduled to expire in 2018 unless Congress provides for an extension, or reauthorizes them. Without congressional action, key commodity support programs would revert to permanently authorized legislation from the 1930s and 1940s. This report summarizes the farm bill primers listed below while also providing hyperlinks to the full reports. This report in not comprehensive but rather a work in progress in that summaries of additional primer reports will be added as they become available.

This report discusses "bump-fire" stocks for guns which allow less experienced users to shoot semiautomatic rifles more rapidly. "Bump-stocks" that contain a coiled spring are considered firearms by the ATF but other varieties of modified stocks that do not contain coiled springs are not classified as firearms and as such are unregulated. The shooter in the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting used semiautomatic rifles with 'bump-stocks" which has led to renewed interest in their regulation in Congress.

This report discusses the WIN-T communications program and network used by the Army for distributing information to the whole Army while in the field. There are two main stages of development and implementation the first being stationary command posts communication networks which is fully implemented and the second is equipping combat vehicles with mobile real-time communication devices to improve situational awareness and providing combat commanders with the same type of mobile communication abilities. The second stage is partially implemented and continues to be added to units each year. Related DOD reports and Congressional concerns are also addressed.

This report discusses Afghanistan's government and political structure, ongoing security and defense issues, U.S. assistance to the Afghan military, U.S. humanitarian and economic aid, human rights issues, regional relations, and economic development.