Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections (open access)

Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections

This fact sheet tracks the current heads of government in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It provides the dates of the last and next elections for the head of government and the national independence date for each country.
Date: April 2, 2010
Creator: Gomez-Granger, Julissa & Sullivan, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice (open access)

Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice

On June 19, 2009, the House voted to impeach U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The impeachment process provides a mechanism for removal of the President, Vice President, and other federal civil officers found to have engaged in "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." This report explains the impeachment process, including its history and the process itself.
Date: April 8, 2010
Creator: Bazan, Elizabeth B. & Henning, Anna C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice (open access)

Impeachment: An Overview of Constitutional Provisions, Procedure, and Practice

On June 19, 2009, the House voted to impeach U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The impeachment process provides a mechanism for removal of the President, Vice President, and other federal civil officers found to have engaged in "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." This report explains the impeachment process, including its history and the process itself.
Date: April 26, 2010
Creator: Bazan, Elizabeth B. & Henning, Anna C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The FCC's Authority to Regulate Net Neutrality after Comcast v. FCC (open access)

The FCC's Authority to Regulate Net Neutrality after Comcast v. FCC

This report examines the ramifications of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit's April 6, 2010 ruling that the FCC could not base ancillary authority to regulate cable Internet services solely upon broad policy goals contained in the Communications Act. The decision has intensified the Net Neutrality debate and made the governments regulatory authority on the matter less clear.
Date: April 23, 2010
Creator: Ruane, Kathleen A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electricity Transmission Cost Allocation (open access)

Electricity Transmission Cost Allocation

The report makes several observations concerning current cost allocation policy for electricity transmission at the federal and state levels. The report also reviews several recent developments in the cost allocation area.
Date: April 19, 2010
Creator: Kaplan, Stan Mark & Vann, Adam
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances (open access)

Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances

The first half of this report looks at the background of U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba over the last 40 years. The second half of this report looks at several initiatives from the 111th Congress that would ease U.S. travel restrictions to Cuba.
Date: April 16, 2010
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Green Procurement: Overview and Issues for Congress (open access)

Green Procurement: Overview and Issues for Congress

This report discusses about Green Procurement, Federal Green Purchasing Initiatives and Issues for congress. It also discusses about Market-Focused Programs and Agency-Focused Initiatives.
Date: April 20, 2010
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health-Related Revenue Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) (open access)

Health-Related Revenue Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148)

This report details the changes in tax law that will be made as a result of the health-related revenue provisions in PPACA.
Date: April 8, 2010
Creator: Mulvey, Janemarie
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 111th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices (open access)

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the 111th Congress: Conflicting Values and Difficult Choices

The Endangered Species Act has been one of the more contentious environmental laws. This may stem from its strict substantive provisions, which can affect the use of both federal and nonfederal lands and resources. This report discusses oversight issues and legislation introduced in the 11th Congress to address Endangered Species Act implementation and management of endangered and threatened species.
Date: April 23, 2010
Creator: Buck, Eugene H.; Corn, M. Lynne; Sheikh, Pervaze A.; Meltz, Robert & Alexander, Kristina
System: The UNT Digital Library
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 table comparing selected military commissions rules under the Military Commissions Act, as amended, to the corresponding rules that apply in federal court.
Date: April 6, 2010
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-Russia Meat and Poultry Trade Issues (open access)

U.S.-Russia Meat and Poultry Trade Issues

In December 2008, the United States and Russia signed a protocol aimed at resolving various emerging trade issues between the two countries in order to continue U.S. livestock and poultry exports to Russia through the end of 2009. This report examines the current trade relationship between the U.S. and Russia in regards to meat and poultry.
Date: April 2, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée & Becker, Geoffrey S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Super-Majority Votes in the Senate (open access)

Super-Majority Votes in the Senate

None
Date: April 12, 2010
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medical Device User Fees and User Fee Acts (open access)

Medical Device User Fees and User Fee Acts

None
Date: April 26, 2010
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
Actual Farm Bill Spending and Cost Estimates (open access)

Actual Farm Bill Spending and Cost Estimates

This report discusses the budget for the 2008 Farm Bill, and its reauthorization. Moreover, the report discusses the increasing level of demand for fiscal constraint and the current large budget deficits.
Date: April 20, 2010
Creator: Monke, Jim & Johnson, Renée
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Building and Facility Security (open access)

Federal Building and Facility Security

None
Date: April 12, 2010
Creator: Reese, Shawn & Tong, Lorraine H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Consolidation and Concentration in the U.S. Dairy Industry (open access)

Consolidation and Concentration in the U.S. Dairy Industry

The changing structure of U.S. agriculture has generated concerns about reduced competition in a wide variety of agricultural products markets, including dairy. Two primary areas of concern in the dairy industry are consolidation- the shift to fewer an larger firms- and industry concentration- the extent to which a small number of firms control most of the sales. This report contains information on financial stress for dairy farmers, the development of the U.S. dairy industry, farm and retail price movements, dairy industry structure, effects of concentration in the dairy industry, concerns about dairy pricing, U.S. antitrust law, and more.
Date: April 27, 2010
Creator: Shields, Dennis A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Role of Federal Gasoline Excise Taxes in Public Policy (open access)

The Role of Federal Gasoline Excise Taxes in Public Policy

None
Date: April 15, 2010
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
Post Office and Retail Postal Facility Closures: Overview and Issues for Congress (open access)

Post Office and Retail Postal Facility Closures: Overview and Issues for Congress

None
Date: April 28, 2010
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mountaintop Mining: Background on Current Controversies (open access)

Mountaintop Mining: Background on Current Controversies

This report provides background on regulatory requirements, controversies and legal challenges to mountaintop mining, and recent Administration actions. Congressional interest in these issues also is discussed, including legislation in the 111th Congress seeking to restrict the practice of mountaintop mining and other legislation intended to block the Obama Administration’s regulatory actions.
Date: April 12, 2010
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Acquisitions: How DOD Acquires Weapon Systems and Recent Efforts to Reform the Process (open access)

Defense Acquisitions: How DOD Acquires Weapon Systems and Recent Efforts to Reform the Process

This report outlines the Department of Defense's (DOD) defense acquisition structure, discusses recent major reports addressing defense acquisition, and considers recent DOD efforts to improve the acquisition of weapon systems. It also includes a description of recent congressional efforts to reform the DOD's acquisition process.
Date: April 23, 2010
Creator: Schwartz, Moshe
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding (open access)

Assistance to Firefighters Program: Distribution of Fire Grant Funding

This report discusses the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program, also known as fire grants of the FIRE Act grant program, which provides federal grants directly to local fire departments and unaffiliated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) organizations to help address a variety of equipment, training, and other firefighter-related and EMS needs. This report also discusses the possible reauthorization of AFG and the related Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Firefighters (SAFER) program.
Date: April 23, 2010
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Force C-17 Aircraft Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Air Force C-17 Aircraft Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information on the C-17 Aircraft program, including previous appropriations, related programs, and issues for Congress.
Date: April 6, 2010
Creator: Gertler, Jeremiah
System: The UNT Digital Library
Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data (open access)

Outsourcing and Insourcing Jobs in the U.S. Economy: Evidence Based on Foreign Investment Data

This report addresses the issue of jobs outsourcing by analyzing the extent of direct investment into and out of the economy, the role such investment plays in U.S. trade, jobs, and production, and the relationship between direct investment and the broader economic changes that are occurring in the U.S. economy.
Date: April 15, 2010
Creator: Jackson, James K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier (CVN) Homeporting at Mayport: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier (CVN) Homeporting at Mayport: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Navy's proposal to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN) at Mayport, Florida. Transferring a CVN from Norfolk, Virginia, to Mayport would also shift the local economic activity associated with homeporting a CVN, which some sources estimate as being worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
Date: April 23, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library