Puerto Rico's Current Fiscal Challenges: In Brief (open access)

Puerto Rico's Current Fiscal Challenges: In Brief

This report discusses the current state of Puerto Rico's public finances. Puerto Rico faces several fiscal hurdles in 2015. Concerns regarding the sustainability of Puerto Rico's public finances have intensified over the past year, despite several measures taken by the island's government to reduce spending, increase revenues, and restructure its obligations.
Date: August 18, 2015
Creator: Austin, D. A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
France: Efforts to Counter Islamist Terrorism and the Islamic State (open access)

France: Efforts to Counter Islamist Terrorism and the Islamic State

This report discusses the commitment of French government to counter Islamist terrorism as the chief security threat facing the country.
Date: November 18, 2015
Creator: Belkin, Paul
System: The UNT Digital Library
Motions to Proceed to Consider Measures in the Senate: Who Offers Them? (open access)

Motions to Proceed to Consider Measures in the Senate: Who Offers Them?

This report examines motions to proceed to consider items of legislative business ("measures"); it does not cover nominations or treaties ("executive business"). Motions to proceed to legislative business are normally debatable unless the underlying measure is "privileged," which includes conference reports and measures subject to statutory expedited procedures. The data in this report do not distinguish between debatable and non-debatable motions to proceed.
Date: May 18, 2015
Creator: Beth, Richard S. & Oleszek, Mark J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The "Islamic State" and U.S. Policy (open access)

The "Islamic State" and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the The Islamic State (IS, aka the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL/ISIS, or the Arabic acronym Daesh), which is a transnational Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group that controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, has adherents in several other countries, and disrupts regional and international security with violence and terrorism.
Date: November 18, 2015
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M. & Humud, Carla E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy (open access)

Refugee Admissions and Resettlement Policy

This report discusses the annual number of refugees that can be admitted into the United States, known as the refugee ceiling, and the allocation of these numbers by region that are set by the President after consultation with Congress at the start of each fiscal year.
Date: February 18, 2015
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federally Supported Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Programs (open access)

Federally Supported Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Programs

This report provides background information on the types of water supply and wastewater treatment projects traditionally funded by the federal government and the several existing programs to assist communities with water supply and wastewater recycling and treatment.
Date: March 18, 2015
Creator: Copeland, Claudia; Carter, Nicole T.; Cody, Betsy A.; Stubbs, Megan & Tiemann, Mary
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies (open access)

Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

This report is a list of about 200 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: March 18, 2015
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chinese Land Reclamation in the South China Sea: Implications and Policy Options (open access)

Chinese Land Reclamation in the South China Sea: Implications and Policy Options

This report assesses legal, military/operational, and diplomatic implications of the reclamation and construction activity and surveys U.S - CHINA statements on the situation.It provides a history of reclamation activity by other nations inlcuding the United States and other South China Sea claimants, and discusses U.S. Strategy and potential options for U.S. policymakers.
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Dolven, Ben; Elsea, Jennifer K.; Lawrence, Susan V.; O'Rourke, Ronald & Rinehart, Ian E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Indian Elementary-Secondary Education: Programs, Background, and Issues (open access)

Indian Elementary-Secondary Education: Programs, Background, and Issues

This report provides a brief history of federal Indian education programs, a discussion of students served by these programs, an overview of the programs and their funding, a discussion of the application to BIE schools of key provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (P.L. 107-110), and brief discussions of selected issues in Indian education.
Date: August 18, 2015
Creator: Dortch, Cassandria
System: The UNT Digital Library
Protecting Civil Aviation from Cyberattacks (open access)

Protecting Civil Aviation from Cyberattacks

This report briefly discusses cyber-security issues in civil aviation. unclear. A recent probe into alleged hacking incidents unfolded just weeks after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) alerted airlines to be on the lookout for passengers trying to tap into aircraft electronics and for evidence of tampering or network intrusions.
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Elias, Bart
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2015 Funding to Counter Ebola and the Islamic State (IS) (open access)

FY2015 Funding to Counter Ebola and the Islamic State (IS)

None
Date: March 18, 2015
Creator: Epstein, Susan B.; Lister, Sarah A.; Belasco, Amy & Jansen, Don J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy (open access)

Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy

This report presents background and analysis on the development of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), a summary of the major provisions under the expired authority, and a discussion of the issues that have arisen in the debate over Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) renewal. It also explores some of the policy options available to Congress.
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Vulnerable Youth: Background and Policies (open access)

Vulnerable Youth: Background and Policies

This report first provides an overview of the youth population and the increasing complexity of transitioning to adulthood for all adolescents. It also provides a separate discussion of the concept of "disconnectedness," as well as the protective factors youth can develop during childhood and adolescence that can mitigate poor outcomes. Further, the report describes the evolution of federal youth policy, focusing on three time periods, and provides a brief overview of current federal programs targeted at vulnerable youth. The report then discusses the challenges of coordinating federal programs for youth, as well as federal legislation and initiatives that promote coordination among federal agencies and support programs with a positive youth development focus.
Date: March 18, 2015
Creator: Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Health Insurance Premium Credits in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2015 (open access)

Health Insurance Premium Credits in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2015

This report describes the eligibility criteria applicable to the premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies, and the calculation method for the credit and subsidy amounts. It also highlights selected issues addressed in the final regulation and guidance on premium credits and indicates the status of implementation, where relevant data is available.
Date: March 18, 2015
Creator: Fernandez, Bernadette
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of H.R. 1560 and H.R. 1731 as Passed by the House (open access)

Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of H.R. 1560 and H.R. 1731 as Passed by the House

This report compares provisions in two bills in the House of Representatives that address information sharing and related activities in cybersecurity. Both bills focus on information sharing among private entities and between them and the federal government.
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Fischer, Eric A. & Logan, Stephanie M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of Legislative Proposals in the 114th Congress (open access)

Cybersecurity and Information Sharing: Comparison of Legislative Proposals in the 114th Congress

This report compares two House bills and one Senate bill that address information sharing and related activities in cybersecurity. The report consists of an overview of those and other legislative proposals on information sharing, along with selected associated issues, followed by a side-by-side analysis of the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act of 2015 (NCPAA), the Protecting Cyber Networks Act (PCNA), and the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 (CISA).
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Fischer, Eric A. & Logan, Stephanie M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The U.S. Tsunami Program: A Brief Overview (open access)

The U.S. Tsunami Program: A Brief Overview

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Weather Service (NWS) manages two tsunami warning centers that monitor, detect, and issue warnings for tsunamis. This report discusses these centers, which monitor and evaluate data from seismic networks and determine if a tsunami is likely based on the location, magnitude, and depth of an earthquake.
Date: March 18, 2015
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Law and Agreements: Their Effect upon U.S. Law (open access)

International Law and Agreements: Their Effect upon U.S. Law

This report provides an introduction to the roles that international law and agreements play in the United States. This includes the role of different branches of government play in navigating such laws.
Date: February 18, 2015
Creator: Garcia, Michael J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2014 (open access)

Congressional Gold Medals, 1776-2014

This report responds to congressional inquiries concerning this process, and includes a historical examination and chronological list of these awards.
Date: February 18, 2015
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Judiciary Appropriations FY2016 (open access)

Judiciary Appropriations FY2016

This report provides an overview of the consideration of FY2016 judiciary appropriations, with subsections covering each major action, including the initial submission of the request on February 2, 2015; hearings held by the House and Senate Financial Services Subcommittees; and the House subcommittee markup on June 10, 2015. This overview is followed by a section on prior-year actions and funding and then an overview of judiciary accounts.
Date: June 18, 2015
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
ARPA-E and the FY2016 Budget Request (open access)

ARPA-E and the FY2016 Budget Request

This report is about ARPA-E and the budget requests for the Fiscal year 2016.
Date: May 18, 2015
Creator: Gonzalez, Heather B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Intelligence Community and Its Use of Contractors: Congressional Oversight Issues (open access)

The Intelligence Community and Its Use of Contractors: Congressional Oversight Issues

The report examines, from an acquisition perspective, several reasons for interest in the intelligence community's (IC) use of contractors, notably, the types of functions contractors perform, whether the IC's acquisition workforce has the capacity to oversee contractors.
Date: August 18, 2015
Creator: Halchin, L. E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-China Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (open access)

U.S.-China Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

This report discusses renewal of the peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It focuses on congressional roles in crafting and carrying out the agreement. Such agreements are subject to Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as amended (AEA, P.L. 95-242, 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) and commonly are called "123 agreements."
Date: August 18, 2015
Creator: Holt, Mark; Nikitin, Mary Beth D. & Kerr, Paul K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery (open access)

Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery

This report briefly describes the federal assistance for wildlife response and recovery.
Date: September 18, 2015
Creator: Hoover, Katie
System: The UNT Digital Library