The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report provides a brief overview of the European Union (EU), an economic and political partnership between 27 sovereign member states. The report describes the formation of the EU, the three main institutions of the EU, and the EU's relationship with the United States.
Date: September 29, 2014
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Algeria: Current Issues (open access)

Algeria: Current Issues

Report discussing the Algeria's current political and social issues and the effects they have on United States and Algerian relations.
Date: July 29, 2014
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Political Transition in Tunisia (open access)

Political Transition in Tunisia

This report discusses Tunisia's pro-democracy movement; concerns over potential instability in a previously secure, pro-Western area; and U.S.-Tunisian relations.
Date: January 29, 2014
Creator: Arieff, Alexis & Humud, Carla E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): A Primer on Eligibility and Benefits (open access)

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): A Primer on Eligibility and Benefits

This report focuses on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility and the form and function of benefits. SNAP, formerly called the Food Stamp Program, is designed primarily to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households to help them buy a nutritionally adequate low-cost diet.
Date: December 29, 2014
Creator: Aussenberg, Randy A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal: Background Information (open access)

Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal: Background Information

This report discusses the Department of Defense (DOD) policy for disposing of items via the Defense Utilization and Marketing Service (DRMS); this method is used for government equipment and supplies considered surplus or deemed unnecessary to the agency's currently designated mission. The report focuses on DRMS background, as well as the most recent DRMS policy modifications.
Date: April 29, 2014
Creator: Bailey Grasso, Valerie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy (open access)

Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the revolution and post-conflict transition in Libya, triggered in mid-February 2011 by a chain of events resulting in the death of the Prime Minister (Qadhafi); a new government was elected in July. The report also looks at the military and economic state of the country, including human rights, Islam and politics, and Libya's oil assets.
Date: May 29, 2014
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Overview of Labor Enforcement Issues in Free Trade Agreements (open access)

Overview of Labor Enforcement Issues in Free Trade Agreements

This report identifies two types of labor enforcement issues related to Free Trade Agreements approved by Congress: (1) those that relate to the FTA provisions themselves, including their definitions and their enforceability, and (2) those that relate to executive branch responsibilities, such as resource availability and determining dispute settlement case priorities. This report does not address other labor issues in the various free trade agreements, including cooperative consultation provisions.
Date: January 29, 2014
Creator: Bolle, Mary Jane
System: The UNT Digital Library
Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits (open access)

Constitutional Analysis of Suspicionless Drug Testing Requirements for the Receipt of Governmental Benefits

This report gives an overview of the issues related to federal or state laws that condition the initial or ongoing receipt of governmental benefits on passing drug tests. These regulations are vulnerable to constitutional challenge, most often due to issues of personal privacy and Fourth Amendment protections against "unreasonable searches."
Date: January 29, 2014
Creator: Carpenter, David H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorizations, Appropriations, and Activities (open access)

Army Corps of Engineers: Water Resource Authorizations, Appropriations, and Activities

This report summarizes congressional authorization and appropriations processes for the Army Corps of Engineers. It also discusses agency activities under general authorities. Congress directs the Corps through authorizations, appropriations, and oversight of its studies, construction projects, and other activities.
Date: January 29, 2014
Creator: Carter, Nicole T. & Stern, Charles V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act: How the Program Works and Recent Legislative Changes (open access)

Federal Pell Grant Program of the Higher Education Act: How the Program Works and Recent Legislative Changes

This report reviews how the program works and provides an analysis of recent program costs and funding, recipients, and the role the program plays in the distribution of federal student aid.
Date: September 29, 2014
Creator: Dortch, Cassandria
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cluster Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Cluster Munitions: Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the background of cluster munitions in the U.S. military, and the current Department of Defense (DOD) and Obama Administration stances on the topic. It also discusses the two major international initiatives to address cluster munitions: the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) and negotiations under the U.N. Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).
Date: April 29, 2014
Creator: Feickert, Andrew & Kerr, Paul K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Poverty in the United States: 2013 (open access)

Poverty in the United States: 2013

This report discusses poverty in United States that varies widely across the population according to age, education, labor force attachment, family living arrangements, and area of residence, among other factors. The report elaborates on the poverty among selected groups, the geography of poverty, and the research supplemental poverty measure.
Date: January 29, 2014
Creator: Gabe, Thomas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns: Overview and Analysis (open access)

Public Financing of Presidential Campaigns: Overview and Analysis

This report discusses current controversies and arguments for and against public financing of presidential campaigns; legislative history; elements of the program; taxpayer and candidate participation; financial status of the program; recent legislation; and analysis of various policy proposals. If Congress chooses to alter the program, consensus will be necessary in what has historically been a particularly complex and contentious area of campaign finance policy.
Date: January 29, 2014
Creator: Garrett, R. Sam
System: The UNT Digital Library
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program (open access)

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program

This report provides background on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and discusses spending during FY2014 and the proposed budget for FY 2015.
Date: April 29, 2014
Creator: Gertler, Jeremiah
System: The UNT Digital Library
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program (open access)

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program

This report discusses the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), also called the Lightning II, which is a strike fighter airplane being procured in different versions for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. The F-35 program is DOD's largest weapon procurement program in terms of total estimated acquisition cost.
Date: April 29, 2014
Creator: Gertler, Jeremiah
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2014 (open access)

Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2014

This report discusses recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal, often considered the most distinguished award. It includes some information about the history of the medal, recipients during the 19th-21st centuries, foreign recipients, design of the medals, and related legislative procedures.
Date: April 29, 2014
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) (open access)

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

The report discusses the committee on foreign Investment in the United States and the aim of this program is to make attracting foreign investment as important a component of U.S. foreign policy as promoting exports.
Date: July 29, 2014
Creator: Jackson, James K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (open access)

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States

This report describes what the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (C.F.I.U.S.) and how the organization operates.
Date: July 29, 2014
Creator: Jackson, James M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues (open access)

China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues

This report discusses the security problem of China's role in weapons proliferation and issues related to the U.S. policy response since the mid-1990s. China has taken some steps to mollify U.S. and other foreign concerns about its role in weapons proliferation.
Date: October 29, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments (open access)

Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments

This report discusses the strategic significance of Guam for defense buildup and the force relocation and deployments from the U.S. mainland. It also discusses the concerns and issues for Congress, such as allies and partners, relations with China, and legislation.
Date: April 29, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990 (open access)

Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990

This report, updated through the 113th Congress, discusses U.S. security assistance to Taiwan (calling itself Republic of China (ROC)), including policy issues for Congress and legislation.
Date: August 29, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress

This report discusses policy issues regarding military-to-military (mil-to-mil) contacts with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and provides a record of major contacts and crises since 1993. The first part of this CRS Report discusses policy issues regarding such military-to-military (mil-to-mil) contacts. The second part provides a record of such contacts since 1993, when the United States resumed exchanges after suspending them in response to the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989. Congress has exercised important oversight.
Date: July 29, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress

This report discusses policy issues regarding military-to-military contacts with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and provides a record of major contacts and crises since 1993. The first part of this report discusses policy issues regarding such contacts. The second part provides a record of such contacts since 1993, when the United States resumed exchanges after suspending them in response to the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989.
Date: July 29, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Permanent Legal Immigration to the United States: Policy Overview (open access)

Permanent Legal Immigration to the United States: Policy Overview

This report provides an overview of the current state of legal immigration policy in the U.S. In FY2013, just under 1 million aliens became U.S. legal permanent residents (LPRs).
Date: October 29, 2014
Creator: Kandel, William A.
System: The UNT Digital Library