Water Quality Issues in the 112th Congress: Oversight and Implementation (open access)

Water Quality Issues in the 112th Congress: Oversight and Implementation

None
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unemployment: Issues in the 112th Congress (open access)

Unemployment: Issues in the 112th Congress

This report briefly reviews the situation in the 2012 labor market, expands on the policy steps taken to date, and analyzes policy issues that typically arise during consideration of stimulus legislation. Three policy issues are examined: whether to take additional measures to increase jobs, what measures might be most effective, and how job creation proposals should be financed.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.; Hungerford, Thomas L. & Levine, Linda
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 the United States and with regional issues.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program and Homeless Assistance (open access)

The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program and Homeless Assistance

This report examines the administrative history of the program, the evolution of its award process, and the issues that Congress may consider as the EFS program approaches its fourth decade. In particular, the report highlights recent program delays in funding and, in general, how the EFS program and its emphasis on emergency services fit into the context of the federal government's approach to addressing homelessness.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: McCarthy, Francis X.
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track? (open access)

EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?

This report provides background information on recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory activity to help address concerns surrounding its power. It examines 45 major or controversial regulatory actions taken by, or under development at, the EPA since January 2009, providing details on the regulatory action itself, presenting an estimated timeline for completion of the rule, and, in general, providing EPA's estimates of costs and benefits, where available. The report also discusses factors that affect the timeframe in which regulations take effect, including statutory and judicial deadlines, public comment periods, judicial review, and permitting procedures, the net results of which are that existing facilities are likely to have several years before being required to comply with most of the regulatory actions under discussion.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: McCarthy, James E. & Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Textile Manufacturing and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations (open access)

U.S. Textile Manufacturing and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations

This report examines the potential implications of a prospective Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) on the U.S. textile manufacturing industry. The TFP is a proposed regional free trade agreement (FTA) currently under negotiation among 11 Pacific Rim countries.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Platzer, Michaela D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sudan and South Sudan: Current Issues for Congress and U.S. Policy (open access)

Sudan and South Sudan: Current Issues for Congress and U.S. Policy

This report examines the shared interests and outstanding disputes between Sudan and South Sudan after separating into two countries. It gives an overview of political, economic, and humanitarian conditions in the two countries, with a focus on possible implications for U.S. policy and congressional engagement.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Ploch Blanchard, Lauren
System: The UNT Digital Library
2012-2013 Presidential Election Period: National Security Considerations and Options (open access)

2012-2013 Presidential Election Period: National Security Considerations and Options

This report discusses historical national security-related presidential transition activities, provides a representative sampling of national security issues a new Administration may encounter, and offers considerations and options relevant to each of the five phases of the presidential election period. Each phase has distinct challenges and opportunities for the incoming Administration, the outgoing Administration, and Congress. This report is intended to provide a framework for national security considerations during the current election period and will be updated to reflect the election outcome.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Rollins, John
System: The UNT Digital Library