National Flood Insurance Borrowing Authority (open access)

National Flood Insurance Borrowing Authority

This report evaluates the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP's) borrowing authority to receive loans from the U.S. Department of the Treasury -- particularly in the context of major floods -- and discusses the current financial situation of the NFIP as it pays claims from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
Date: January 3, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
What Happens if the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses? (open access)

What Happens if the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses?

This report provides a short overview of what would happen if the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were not to be reauthorized by January 19, 2018, and was allowed to lapse.
Date: January 3, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transatlantic Relations in 2018 (open access)

Transatlantic Relations in 2018

This report discusses the current state of transatlantic relations between the U.S. and Europe and especially the European Union (EU). It also outlines various European concerns over the direction of the Trump Administration and future issues for Congress to consider.
Date: January 10, 2018
Creator: Morelli, Vincent L. & Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temporary Extension of the Community Health Center Fund (open access)

Temporary Extension of the Community Health Center Fund

This report discusses the funding of the Community Health Center program and the temporary extension of the program beyond FY2017 when its funding officially expired.
Date: January 11, 2018
Creator: Heisler, Elayne J. & Redhead, C. Stephen
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Postal Service Governors: And Then There Were None (open access)

U.S. Postal Service Governors: And Then There Were None

This report discusses the U.S. Postal Service's Board of Governors and the current state of the board having no governors on it. The workings of the board and the implications of the board's lack of members is also discussed.
Date: January 12, 2018
Creator: Christenson, Michelle D. & Stuessy, Meghan M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Expired Tax Provisions and "Tax Extenders" (open access)

Expired Tax Provisions and "Tax Extenders"

This report discusses tax provisions which expired at the end of 2016 and were not addressed in the 2017 tax reform bill and various options for Congress to either extend them or end them.
Date: January 16, 2018
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Administration's Syria Policy Envisions Continued U.S. Presence (open access)

Administration's Syria Policy Envisions Continued U.S. Presence

This report discusses the President's plan for U.S. involvement in Syria in the future and the five main goals the U.S. hopes to accomplish there.
Date: January 26, 2018
Creator: Humud, Carla E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
TPP Countries Conclude Agreement Without U.S. Participation (open access)

TPP Countries Conclude Agreement Without U.S. Participation

This report discusses the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement and the successful conclusion of negotiations between the party countries after the U.S. withdrawal from negotiations.
Date: January 29, 2018
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F. & Williams, Brock R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Gun Control: Concealed Carry Legislation in the 115th Congress (open access)

Gun Control: Concealed Carry Legislation in the 115th Congress

This report discusses handgun concealed carry laws and provides statistics for the type of permits issued by states and territories and a historical comparison to laws in 1987.
Date: January 30, 2018
Creator: Krouse, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Balkans and Russia (open access)

The Balkans and Russia

This report discusses relations between Russia and the Balkan countries of southeast Europe. Efforts by Russia to gain influence and hinder the Balkan countries in their relations with the EU through "soft power" and intelligence activities are discussed.
Date: January 31, 2018
Creator: Morelli, Vincent L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Extraordinary Measures" and the Debt Limit (open access)

"Extraordinary Measures" and the Debt Limit

This report discusses the statuary debt limit and the use of "extraordinary measures" by the Treasury Department to postpone when Congress must act on raising the debt limit or risk defaulting on debts.
Date: February 2, 2018
Creator: Driessen, Grant A. & Hughes, Joseph S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trespassing: The Leading Cause of Rail-Related Fatalities (open access)

Trespassing: The Leading Cause of Rail-Related Fatalities

This report discusses trespassing on railroad property and tracks and how it is the leading cause of train accident fatalities. Statistics on rail related fatalities and prevention strategies are discussed.
Date: February 2, 2018
Creator: Frittelli, John
System: The UNT Digital Library
What Causes a Recession? (open access)

What Causes a Recession?

This report discusses causes of recessions and provides data on the length of time economic expansions of the past have lasted.
Date: February 2, 2018
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
The 2018 National Defense Strategy (open access)

The 2018 National Defense Strategy

This report discusses the 2018 National Defense Strategy which lays out the goals and methods of the Defense Department for the year.
Date: February 5, 2018
Creator: McInnis, Kathleen J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
New Nuclear Warheads: Legislative Provisions (open access)

New Nuclear Warheads: Legislative Provisions

This report reviews legislation addressing research and development on new or low-yield nuclear weapons. It does not address the policy debate on the benefits and risks of this capability.
Date: February 5, 2018
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Section 201 Safeguards on Solar Products and Washing Machines (open access)

Section 201 Safeguards on Solar Products and Washing Machines

This report discusses new U.S. tariffs on solar energy related products and certain large residential washing machines which are intended to safeguard American businesses from foreign competition temporarily while they adjust production levels and methods.
Date: February 7, 2018
Creator: Jones, Vivian C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserved Water Rights and Groundwater: Quantity, Quality, and Pore Space (open access)

Federal Reserved Water Rights and Groundwater: Quantity, Quality, and Pore Space

This report discusses Native American tribes rights to groundwater on tribal land and the recent Supreme Court decision to not review the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court which upheld the groundwater rights of a California Tribe. The concepts of quantity, quality, and pore space as related to groundwater are also discussed.
Date: February 8, 2018
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) (open access)

Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA)

This report discusses the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) which was passed as a part of the 2018 budget bill.
Date: February 9, 2018
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Administration's Infrastructure Program Emphasizes Nonfederal Revenue (open access)

Administration's Infrastructure Program Emphasizes Nonfederal Revenue

This report discusses the Trump Administration's infrastructure plan and specifically the newly proposed Infrastructure Incentives Program. The report focuses on the potential of the program for projects submitted to the Department of Transportation (DOT), one of the agencies that would be charged with administering the program in addition to the Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency. The proposal does not break out the funds that would be directed to specific agencies or types of infrastructure.
Date: February 14, 2018
Creator: Mallett, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Discretionary Spending Levels Under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (open access)

Discretionary Spending Levels Under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018

This report discusses how the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 effected discretionary spending levels and provides statistics related to discretionary levels over the past few years.
Date: February 15, 2018
Creator: Driessen, Grant A. & Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Has the Economy Reached Full Employment? If So, Will It Stay There? (open access)

Has the Economy Reached Full Employment? If So, Will It Stay There?

This report considers the question of whether the U.S. has reached full employment (defined as the lowest level of unemployment that is sustainable for the economy without over-inflating wages) and provides statistical charts of the unemployment rate and labor force participation rates along with analysis of the data.
Date: February 15, 2018
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget: Government Reorganization and Federal Workforce Reform (open access)

Fiscal Year 2019 Budget: Government Reorganization and Federal Workforce Reform

This report discusses the proposed FY2019 general U.S. budget and its plans for government reorganization and federal workforce reform.
Date: February 22, 2018
Creator: Schwemle, Barbara L. & Hogue, Henry B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean Focus on the Politics of Energy (open access)

Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean Focus on the Politics of Energy

This report discusses Greek and Turkish Cyprus's disputes over the natural gas deposits found off of the island and their role in Cypriot reunification negotiations.
Date: March 1, 2018
Creator: Morelli, Vincent L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commerce Determines Steel and Aluminium Imports Threaten to Impair National Security (open access)

Commerce Determines Steel and Aluminium Imports Threaten to Impair National Security

This report discusses the Commerce Department's recommendations regarding actions to take to protect American industries from foreign competition in the steel and aluminium industries. Commerce recommendations on tariffs and quotas for steel and aluminium imports are included.
Date: March 2, 2018
Creator: Fefer, Rachel F. & Jones, Vivian C.
System: The UNT Digital Library