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Why Certain Trade Agreements Are Approved as Congressional-Executive Agreements Rather Than as Treaties (open access)

Why Certain Trade Agreements Are Approved as Congressional-Executive Agreements Rather Than as Treaties

U.S. trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), World Trade Organization agreements, and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) have been approved by majority vote of each house rather than by two-thirds vote of the Senate - that is, they have been treated as congressional-executive agreements rather than as treaties. The congressional-executive agreement has been the vehicle for implementing Congress's long-standing policy of seeking trade benefits for the United States through reciprocal trade negotiations. This report discusses this topic in brief.
Date: September 8, 2010
Creator: Grimmett, Jeanne J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments (open access)

House Committees: Categories and Rules for Committee Assignments

This report House and party rules, both of which detail procedures for committee assignments. House rules address the election and membership of committees, especially limitations on membership. The Democratic Caucus and Republican Conference rules designate categories of committees (shown below) and specify service limitations in addition to those in the House rules.
Date: October 19, 2010
Creator: Schneider, Judy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (open access)

Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests

This report examines Kyrgyzstan's uneven political and economic reform efforts. It discusses U.S. policy and assistance for democratization and other programs. Basic facts and biographical information are provided. Related products include CRS Report RL33458, Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, by Jim Nichol.
Date: August 13, 2010
Creator: Nichol, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library
Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (open access)

Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests

This report examines Kyrgyzstan's uneven political and economic reform efforts. It discusses U.S. policy and assistance for democratization and other programs. Basic facts and biographical information are provided. Related products include CRS Report RL33458, Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, by Jim Nichol.
Date: September 9, 2010
Creator: Nichol, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Science and Engineering Presence in U.S. Institutions and the Labor Force (open access)

Foreign Science and Engineering Presence in U.S. Institutions and the Labor Force

he increased presence of foreign students in graduate science and engineering programs and in the scientific workforce has been and continues to be of concern to some in the scientific community. Enrollment of U.S. citizens in graduate science and engineering programs has not kept pace with that of foreign students in those programs. The scientific community has been divided over proposals to impose stricter immigration limits on people with scientific and technical skills. Attempts to settle upon the balance between the needs for a highly skilled scientific and technical workforce, and the need to protect and ensure job opportunities, salaries, and working conditions of U.S. scientific personnel, will continue to be debated. This report addresses these issues.
Date: October 28, 2010
Creator: Matthews, Christine M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues (open access)

Internet Domain Names: Background and Policy Issues

This report discusses the Domain Name System (DNS), which is the distributed set of databases residing in computers around the world that contain address numbers mapped to corresponding domain names, making it possible to send and receive messages and to access information from computers anywhere on the Internet.
Date: April 5, 2010
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Immigration: The Effects on Low-Skilled and High-Skilled Native-Born Workers (open access)

Immigration: The Effects on Low-Skilled and High-Skilled Native-Born Workers

The report opens with a discussion of how to analyze the impact of immigrants on the pay and job opportunities of native-born workers. It then uses this framework to examine and interpret the empirical literature on the subject. The report concludes with a discussion of policy implications.
Date: April 13, 2010
Creator: Levine, Linda
System: The UNT Digital Library
Canada-U.S. Relations (open access)

Canada-U.S. Relations

This report provides a short overview of Canada's political scene, its economic conditions, and its recent security and foreign policy, focusing particularly on issues that may be relevant to U.S. policymakers. This brief country survey is followed by several summaries of current bilateral issues in the political, trade, and environmental arenas. The report is updated annually.
Date: May 4, 2010
Creator: Ek, Carl
System: The UNT Digital Library
Canada-U.S. Relations (open access)

Canada-U.S. Relations

This report provides a short overview of Canada's political scene, its economic conditions, and its recent security and foreign policy, focusing particularly on issues that may be relevant to U.S. policymakers. This brief country survey is followed by several summaries of current bilateral issues in the political, trade, and environmental arenas. The report is updated annually.
Date: September 3, 2010
Creator: Ek, Carl & Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (open access)

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

This report briefly discusses the Small Business Innovation Development Act (P.L. 97-219), which in 1982 established Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs designed to increase participation of small innovative companies in federally funded research and development (R&D). The report also discusses the program's extensions and reauthorization activity over the years.
Date: August 4, 2010
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and Bahrain's relationship with the United States.
Date: April 26, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and Bahrain's relationship with the United States.
Date: September 29, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Abortion Services and Military Medical Facilities (open access)

Abortion Services and Military Medical Facilities

The purpose of this report is to describe and discuss the provisions for providing abortion services to military personnel, their dependents and other military health care beneficiaries at military medical facilities. The report describes the history of these provisions, with particular emphasis on legislative actions. Finally, this report discusses a number of proposals to modify the law as well as other related legislative and administrative actions.
Date: July 8, 2010
Creator: Burrelli, David F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Turkmenistan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (open access)

Turkmenistan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests

This report examines the political, economic, and foreign policies undertaken by Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, who came to power in late 2006. The report discusses U.S. policy and assistance and provides basic facts and biographical information. It may be updated. Related products include CRS Report RL33458, Central Asia: Regional Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests.
Date: August 13, 2010
Creator: Nichol, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library
Asian Pacific Americans in the United States Congress (open access)

Asian Pacific Americans in the United States Congress

Asian Pacific Americans have served in both houses of Congress representing California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Oregon, Virginia, American Samoa, and Guam. They have served in leadership positions, including committee and subcommittee chairmanships. This report presents information on Senators, Representatives, and Delegates, including party affiliations, length and dates of service, and committee assignments.
Date: February 1, 2010
Creator: Tong, Lorraine H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Employees: Pay and Pension Increases Since 1969 (open access)

Federal Employees: Pay and Pension Increases Since 1969

Under the terms of the Federal Employees' Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-509), pay for civilian federal employees is adjusted each year to keep the salaries of federal workers competitive with comparable occupations in the private sector. The annual increases in federal employee pay are based on changes in the cash compensation paid to workers in the private sector, as measured by the ECI. Under certain circumstances, the President may limit the annual increase in federal pay by executive order. Federal law also requires Social Security benefits and the pensions paid to retired federal employees to be adjusted each year. The COLAs for both Social Security and civil service pensions are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the CPI.
Date: January 20, 2010
Creator: Purcell, Patrick
System: The UNT Digital Library
Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues (open access)

Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation and Security Issues

This report discusses Pakistan's efforts to produce fissile material and other issues related to nuclear proliferation and improving its nuclear arsenal. It also discusses the steps Pakistan has taken to increase international confidence in its nuclear security. However, continued instability in Pakistan has caused some to question the effectiveness of its nuclear security reforms. The report addresses these issues as well, in addition to the U.S.-Pakistan relationship as it regards nuclear policy.
Date: October 7, 2010
Creator: Kerr, Paul K. & Nikitin, Mary Beth
System: The UNT Digital Library