Health Care for Veterans: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Health Care for Veterans: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about health care provided to veterans through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information. Where applicable, it provides the legislative background pertaining to the question.
Date: April 21, 2016
Creator: Panangala, Sidath V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class aircraft carrier program. Congress's decisions on the CVN-78 program could substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements and the shipbuilding industrial base.
Date: March 21, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stafford Act Assistance and Acts of Terrorism (open access)

Stafford Act Assistance and Acts of Terrorism

This report provides a brief overview of Stafford Act declarations under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and the types of assistance they could authorize in response to terrorist incidents. This report also provides examples of Stafford Act declarations that have been issued for previous terrorist attacks.
Date: June 21, 2016
Creator: Lindsay, Bruce R. & McCarthy, Francis X.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2016 (open access)

Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2016

This report contains information on actions taken that affect the salaries for members of Congress, broken down by year and starting with the establishment of the Ethics Reform Act adjustment procedure (1990). It also provides background on the most recent developments and information on other related floor action.
Date: June 21, 2016
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Union: Current Challenges and Future Prospects (open access)

The European Union: Current Challenges and Future Prospects

This report provides a brief history of the European Union (EU) and the major challenges currently confronting the EU as an institution. It also discusses the potential implications both for the EU itself and for U.S.-EU relations.
Date: June 21, 2016
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Statements of Administration Policy (open access)

Statements of Administration Policy

This report discusses Statements of Administration Policy (SAPs) -- i.e., statements that communicate the Administration's position on upcoming legislation -- including structural components, the development of SAPs from the Ronald Reagan Administration to the present, the coordination of executive branch actors involved in issuing SAPs, the receipt of SAPs and their impact on government institutions, and possible reactions to SAPs when they are released publicly.
Date: June 21, 2016
Creator: Stuessy, Meghan M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Nominations to U.S. Service Academies: An Overview and Resources for Outreach and Management (open access)

Congressional Nominations to U.S. Service Academies: An Overview and Resources for Outreach and Management

This report describes statutory requirements for allocating congressional nominations to service academies. It also identifies the qualifications that must be met by potential nominees, as established by statute and each academy.
Date: April 21, 2016
Creator: Petersen, R. E. & Eckman, Sarah J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Freedom of Information Act Legislation in the 114th Congress: Issue Summary and Side-by-Side Analysis (open access)

Freedom of Information Act Legislation in the 114th Congress: Issue Summary and Side-by-Side Analysis

This report provides a side-by-side comparison of two bills relevant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), using the versions that have passed each of their originating congressional chambers. The report also provides context related to bill amendments and language additions that occurred between bill versions, when applicable. Finally, the report provides analysis of certain provisions of the bills.
Date: April 21, 2016
Creator: Ginsberg, Wendy
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the sustainment and modernization of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet. Congress's decisions on this issue could affect Coast Guard funding requirements, the Coast Guard's ability to perform its polar missions, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Date: March 21, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents (open access)

Cybersecurity: Legislation, Hearings, and Executive Branch Documents

This report provides links to cybersecurity-related committee hearings in the 112th, 113th, and 114th Congresses. It also provides a list of executive orders and presidential directives pertaining to information and computer security.
Date: October 21, 2016
Creator: Tehan, Rita
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Islamist Militant Threat in Bangladesh (open access)

The Islamist Militant Threat in Bangladesh

This report discusses the current security climate in Bangladesh in regards to terrorism. Bangladesh is attractive to jihadists because it is a politically destabilized Muslim majority nation that could offer inroads to both Burma, through the alienated Muslim Rohingya refugee group, or to neighboring India.
Date: July 21, 2016
Creator: Vaughn, Bruce
System: The UNT Digital Library
Yemen: Recent Attacks Against U.S. Naval Vessels in the Red Sea (open access)

Yemen: Recent Attacks Against U.S. Naval Vessels in the Red Sea

This report discusses the United States' involvement into the Yemen war, which has killed an estimated 10,000 people since it began in March 2015.
Date: October 21, 2016
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies (open access)

Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies

This report discusses Iran's national security policy. Some experts forecast that Iran's foreign and defense policies might shift after international sanctions were eased in January 2016 in accordance with the July 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA).
Date: October 21, 2016
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
State Voter Identification Requirements: Analysis, Legal Issues, and Policy Considerations (open access)

State Voter Identification Requirements: Analysis, Legal Issues, and Policy Considerations

This report provides an updated overview of state requirements for voters to present some form of ID before casting a ballot in a federal election. The report also discusses the origins of voter ID, relevant federal legislative action in the 114th Congress, and selected legal and policy issues related to state voter ID laws.
Date: October 21, 2016
Creator: Fischer, Eric A.; Garrett, R. Sam & Whitaker, L. Paige
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Hypervelocity Projectile: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Hypervelocity Projectile: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on three potential new weapons that could improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against enemy missiles--solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the hypervelocity projectile (HVP).
Date: October 21, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran-U.S. Air Service Not Imminent (open access)

Iran-U.S. Air Service Not Imminent

This report discusses the prospect of air travel between Iran and the U.S., which last operated during 1979, when the U.S. government imposed an embargo on flights following the Iran hostage crisis. Since then, travel and air cargo shipments between the two countries have been routed through third countries, and their extent has been limited by U.S. sanctions.
Date: January 21, 2016
Creator: Tang, Rachel Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress (open access)

Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress

This report discusses the process of naming Navy ships, which have traditionally been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time.
Date: January 21, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Judicial Redress Act 101 - What to Know as Senate Contemplates Passing New Privacy Law (open access)

Judicial Redress Act 101 - What to Know as Senate Contemplates Passing New Privacy Law

This report briefly discusses the Judicial Redress Act (JRA), a bill that would amend the Privacy Act of 1974 and could have major implications on transatlantic data flows and the global economy.
Date: January 21, 2016
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
Methods of Estimating the Total Cost of Federal Regulations (open access)

Methods of Estimating the Total Cost of Federal Regulations

This report analyzes these two approaches for estimating the total cost of federal regulations. In discussing each approach, the report provides an overview of the advantages, a brief case study, and an analysis of the potential issues or inherent problems using the case study to illustrate the concepts.
Date: January 21, 2016
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran Sanctions (open access)

Iran Sanctions

This report analyzes U.S. and international sanctions against Iran and provides some examples, based on open sources, of companies and countries that conduct business with Iran.
Date: January 21, 2016
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies (open access)

Iran's Foreign and Defense Policies

This report discusses Iran's national security policy. Some experts forecast that Iran's foreign and defense policies might shift after international sanctions were eased in January 2016 in accordance with the July 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA).
Date: December 21, 2016
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Trade and Finance: Overview and Issues for the 115th Congress (open access)

International Trade and Finance: Overview and Issues for the 115th Congress

This report provides a brief overview of some of the trade and finance issues that may be of interest or continuing attention of the 115th Congress. During its 114th session, Congress faced numerous international trade and finance policy issues.
Date: December 21, 2016
Creator: Irace, Mary A. & Nelson, Rebecca M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. International Corporate Taxation: Basic Concepts and Policy Issues (open access)

U.S. International Corporate Taxation: Basic Concepts and Policy Issues

This report provides a general introduction to the basic concepts and issues relevant to the U.S. international corporate tax system. The explanations provided in this report emphasize the underlying concepts of the international tax system and are intended to be as simplified as possible.
Date: December 21, 2016
Creator: Keightley, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library