Medicare Primer (open access)

Medicare Primer

This report provides an overview of Medicare, the nation's federal insurance program, which pays for covered health care services of qualified beneficiaries.
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Davis, Patricia A.; Talaga, Scott R.; Binder, Cliff; Hahn, Jim; Morgan, Paulette C.; Mulvey, Janemarie et al.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The "Islamic State" Crisis and U.S. Policy (open access)

The "Islamic State" Crisis and U.S. Policy

This report provides background and current information on the Islamic State, a transnational Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group that has expanded its control over areas of northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria since 2013. The report also examines possible U.S. policy options in the wake of increasing international outrage at the Islamic States' brutality and apparent disregard for typical human rights conventions.
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth; Blanchard, Christopher M.; Humud, Carla E.; Weed, Matthew C.; Margesson, Rhoda & Tiersky, Alex
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Help America Vote Act and Election Administration: Overview and Issues (open access)

The Help America Vote Act and Election Administration: Overview and Issues

This report discusses the Help America Vote Act (HAVA; P.L. 107-252) enacted in 2002. It provides background information about HAVA and its provisions, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), funding for the agency and for state programs to improve elections, and a number of enduring election administration issues.
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J. & Fischer, Eric A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Casework in a Congressional Office: Background, Rules, Laws, and Resources (open access)

Casework in a Congressional Office: Background, Rules, Laws, and Resources

This report discusses House and Senate rules and guidelines, laws, and regulations affecting congressional casework, as well as the role of caseworkers. It also provides sample outlines and document templates for implementing and managing congressional casework.
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA and the Army Corps' Proposed Rule to Define "Waters of the United States" (open access)

EPA and the Army Corps' Proposed Rule to Define "Waters of the United States"

This report describes the March 25 proposed rule to define "waters of the United States," particularly focused on clarifying the regulatory status of waters located in isolated places in a landscape, the types of waters with ambiguous jurisdictional status following the Supreme Court's ruling. It includes a table comparing the proposal to existing regulatory language.
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and FY2015 Appropriations (open access)

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and FY2015 Appropriations

This report provides an overview of U.S. assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean. It examines historical and recent trends in aid to the region as well as the Obama Administration's FY2015 request for State Department and U.S Agency for International Development (USAID)-administered assistance. It also tracks congressional action on foreign aid appropriations for Latin America and the Caribbean in FY2015, and raises questions Congress may consider as it appropriates funding for the region.
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Diplomatic and Embassy Security Funding Before and After the Benghazi Attacks (open access)

Diplomatic and Embassy Security Funding Before and After the Benghazi Attacks

This report presents a history and analysis of the requested and actual funding for diplomatic/embassy security since FY2008--what actually became available for the Department of State to spend after rescissions, sequestration, and transfers. It also provides funding data that was requested by the Administration, passed by the House of Representatives, passed by the Senate, and enacted by Congress for the two accounts that provide the bulk of the funding: the Worldwide Security Protection (WSP) and Worldwide Security Upgrades (WSU).
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Epstein, Susan B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and FY2015 Appropriations (open access)

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and FY2015 Appropriations

This report provides an overview of U.S. assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean. It examines historical and recent trends in aid to the region as well as the Obama Administration's FY2015 request for State Department and U.S Agency for International Development (USAID)-administered assistance. It also tracks congressional action on foreign aid appropriations for Latin America and the Caribbean in FY2015, and raises questions Congress may consider as it appropriates funding for the region.
Date: September 10, 2014
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
System: The UNT Digital Library