Advanced Pilot Training (T-X) Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Advanced Pilot Training (T-X) Program: Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the Advanced Pilot Training (T-X) aircraft, which may shift training from Field Training Units, where expensive fifth-generation aircraft are used, to less expensive trainer aircraft.
Date: March 31, 2017
Creator: Coral, Ceir
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anti-Money Laundering: An Overview for Congress (open access)

Anti-Money Laundering: An Overview for Congress

This report discusses anti-money laundering (AML), which refers to efforts to prevent criminal exploitation of financial systems to conceal the location, ownership, source, nature, or control of illicit proceeds.
Date: March 1, 2017
Creator: Miller, Rena S. & Rosen, Liana W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Brief History of Attorney General Recusal (open access)

A Brief History of Attorney General Recusal

This report lists the fifteen previous instances of U.S. Attorney General's recusing themselves from an investigation since 1989 after the announcement by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he was recusing himself from and any investigations regarding President Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
Date: March 8, 2017
Creator: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Change in Direction for Seoul? The Impeachment of South Korea's President (open access)

A Change in Direction for Seoul? The Impeachment of South Korea's President

This report discusses the Constitutional Court decision for impeachment of the former President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. The decision was the latest development in a corruption scandal that has engulfed South Korean politics and the business world since October 2016, and comes against the backdrop of North Korean missile tests.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Manyin, Mark E.; Chanlett-Avery, Emma & Corrado, Jonathan R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
China-U.S. Trade Issues (open access)

China-U.S. Trade Issues

This report discusses the U.S.-China economic relationship and China's rapid expansion as a global economic market, within the context of the current global economic crisis. It also examines major U.S.-China trade issues and related legislation.
Date: March 6, 2017
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Power Plan: Legal Background and Pending Litigation in West Virginia v. EPA (open access)

Clean Power Plan: Legal Background and Pending Litigation in West Virginia v. EPA

This report provides legal background on the Clean Power Plan rule (CPP) to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), its Clean Air Act (CAA) framework under Section 111, and climate-related lawsuits that have preceded the present litigation over the CPP. It then gives an overview of the participants in the current litigation, including two groups of Members of Congress, who have offered briefs in support of the petitioners and the respondents, respectively.
Date: March 8, 2017
Creator: Tsang, Linda & Wyatt, Alexandra M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Colombia's Changing Approach to Drug Policy (open access)

Colombia's Changing Approach to Drug Policy

This report describes how Colombia's drug policies have evolved in light of Colombia's peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and its changing counter-narcotics policy. The final peace agreement addresses important issues, such as illicit crop cultivation--a major source of FARC income--and rural development.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Beittel, June S. & Rosen, Liana W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Dark Web (open access)

Dark Web

This report illuminates information on the various layers of the Internet, with a particular focus on the Dark Web. It discusses both legitimate and illicit uses of the Dark Web, including how the government may rely upon it. Throughout, the report raises issues that policy makers may consider as they explore means to curb malicious activity online.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Debt Limit Since 2011 (open access)

The Debt Limit Since 2011

This report discusses the federal debt increase, which can increase when the government sells debt to the public to finance budget deficits and acquire the financial resources needed to meet its obligations (increasing debt held by the public), or when the federal government issues debt to certain government accounts in exchange for their reported surpluses (increasing debt held by government accounts).
Date: March 14, 2017
Creator: Austin, D. A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Primer: A Guide for New Members (open access)

Defense Primer: A Guide for New Members

This report describes the power of the Congress over the armed forces, including the power to "to raise and support Armies," "to provide and maintain a Navy," "to make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces" and "to provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States...", as well as references to other reports on related topics.
Date: March 3, 2017
Creator: Kapp, Lawrence
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA Policies Concerning Integrated Planning and Affordability of Water Infrastructure (open access)

EPA Policies Concerning Integrated Planning and Affordability of Water Infrastructure

This report examines two recent initiatives by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in which the agency works with states to develop and implement new approaches for water quality goals that will be more cost-effective and address the most pressing water infrastructure problems first. The examples include an integrated planning policy and a framework policy for assessing a community's financial capability to meet objectives and requirements of the Clean Water Act (CWA).
Date: March 14, 2017
Creator: Ramseur, Jonathan L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Building and Facility Security: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Federal Building and Facility Security: Frequently Asked Questions

This report discusses the security of federal government buildings and facilities that affect not only the daily operations of the federal government but also the health, well-being, and safety of federal employees and the public.
Date: March 6, 2017
Creator: Reese, Shawn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (open access)

Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data

This report provides data and an overview of the land owned by federal government, which is roughly 640 million acres, about 28% of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States.
Date: March 3, 2017
Creator: Hardy Vincent, Carol
System: The UNT Digital Library
German Chancellor Angela Merkel Visits President Trump (open access)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel Visits President Trump

This report discusses the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel with President Donald Trump at the White House on March 17, 2017.
Date: March 13, 2017
Creator: Belkin, Paul
System: The UNT Digital Library
Grants Work in a Congressional Office (open access)

Grants Work in a Congressional Office

This report discusses the federal grants funding that goes to state and local governments. Members of Congress receive numerous requests from grant seekers, including state and local governments, nonprofit social service and community action organizations, private research groups, small businesses, and individuals, for information and help in obtaining funds for projects.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Jennings, Julie & Kreiser, Maria A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Greek Debt Crisis: Continuing Challenges (open access)

The Greek Debt Crisis: Continuing Challenges

This report discusses the serious debt crisis of the Greek government.
Date: March 2, 2017
Creator: Nelson, Rebecca M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
H.R. 1628: The American Health Care Act (AHCA) (open access)

H.R. 1628: The American Health Care Act (AHCA)

This report provides an overview of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) provisions organized into three tables. Table 1 includes provisions that apply to the private health insurance market, Table 2 includes provisions that affect the Medicaid program, and Table 3 includes provisions related to public health and taxes. Each table contains a column identifying whether the AHCA provision is related to an ACA provision (e.g., whether it repeals an ACA-related provision).
Date: March 22, 2017
Creator: Mach, Annie L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity (open access)

Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity

This report discusses the various industrial uses for hemp, a variety of Cannabis sativa that is of the same plant species as marijuana. It compares hemp with marijuana and discusses global production, legal status, and recent legislative activity.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Johnson, Renée
System: The UNT Digital Library
Judge Neil M. Gorsuch: His Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court (open access)

Judge Neil M. Gorsuch: His Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court

This report provides an overview of Judge Gorsuch's jurisprudence and discusses how the Supreme Court might be affected if he were to succeed Justice Scalia. It begins by discussing the nominee's views on two cross-cutting issues -- the role of the judiciary and statutory interpretation -- then addresses fourteen separate areas of law, arranged in alphabetical order, from "administrative law" to "takings." The report includes a table that notes the cases where the Supreme Court has reviewed majority opinions written or joined by Judge Gorsuch.
Date: March 8, 2017
Creator: Nolan, Andrew; Lewis, Caitlain Devereaux; Manuel, Kate M.; Cole, Jared P.; Elsea, Jennifer K. & Murrill, Brandon J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Major Disaster Declarations for Snow Assistance and Severe Winter Storms: An Overview (open access)

Major Disaster Declarations for Snow Assistance and Severe Winter Storms: An Overview

This report describes snow assistance and assistance for severe winter storms, including the declaration process, the criteria used to make eligibility determinations, and the types of assistance that are provided after the President has issued a major disaster declaration for the incident. This report also provides historical data on winter incidents since 2009 including obligations for the incidents from FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). The DRF is the main account used to fund a wide variety of programs, grants, and other forms of emergency and disaster assistance to states, local governments, certain nonprofit entities, and families and individuals affected by disasters.
Date: March 13, 2017
Creator: Lindsay, Bruce R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Majority, Concurring, and Dissenting Opinions by Judge Neil M. Gorsuch (open access)

Majority, Concurring, and Dissenting Opinions by Judge Neil M. Gorsuch

This report provides a tabular listing of cases in which Judge Gorsuch authored a majority, concurring, or dissenting opinion. The opinions are categorized into three tables: Table 1 identifies opinions authored by Judge Gorsuch on behalf of a unanimous panel; Table 2 contains controlling opinions authored by Judge Gorsuch in which one or more panelists wrote a separate opinion; and Table 3 lists cases where Judge Gorsuch wrote a concurring or dissenting opinion.
Date: March 1, 2017
Creator: Garcia, Michael John; Herman, Sarah S.; Mulligan, Stephen P.; Tsang, Linda & Wyatt, Alexandra M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Marijuana Policy Gap and the Path Forward (open access)

The Marijuana Policy Gap and the Path Forward

This report describes the federal response to state actions to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. It includes general information about marajuana and trends among states, the federal response, a discussion of the implications of legalization, and selected issues.
Date: March 10, 2017
Creator: Sacco, Lisa N.; Bagalman, Erin; Finklea, Kristin & Lowry, Sean
System: The UNT Digital Library
Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) and Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC): Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses issues surrounding the funding for development of Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs) and Marine Personnel Carriers (MPCs). The Marines are required by law to have the necessary equipment to conduct amphibious operations and land operations.
Date: March 8, 2017
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicaid Financial Eligibility for Long-Term Services and Supports (open access)

Medicaid Financial Eligibility for Long-Term Services and Supports

This report provides an overview of the financial requirements used for determining eligibility for Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS). It first provides background information on the Medicaid program, including general eligibility requirements. Then it describes federal statutes as well as selected regulations and guidance regarding these financial eligibility requirements, including rules related to spousal impoverishment, asset transfers, treatment of certain assets, post-eligibility treatment of income, and estate recovery.
Date: March 7, 2017
Creator: Colello, Kirsten J.
System: The UNT Digital Library