Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 8, Pages 1175--1302, February 19, 2016 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 41, Number 8, Pages 1175--1302, February 19, 2016

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.
Date: February 19, 2016
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Iran Nuclear Agreement (open access)

Iran Nuclear Agreement

This report provides background on the agreement negotiated by Iran and six other countries (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, and Germany--collectively known as the P5+1) regarding Iran's nuclear program, and discusses the implications for U.S.-Iran relations.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth & Kerr, Paul K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Kuwait: Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Kuwait: Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report looks at Kuwait's relationships with its neighbors in the Persian Gulf, and its own political system which has been in turmoil since 2006. Kuwait remains pivotal to U.S. efforts to secure the Persian Gulf region because of its willingness to cooperate with U.S. strategy and military operations in the region and its proximity to both Iran and Iraq.
Date: February 19, 2016
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
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)

This report discusses the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) comprising nine members, two ex officio members, and other members as appointed by the President representing major departments and agencies within the federal executive branch. While the group generally has operated in relative obscurity, the proposed acquisition of commercial operations at six U.S. ports by Dubai Ports World in 2006 placed the group's operations under intense scrutiny by Members of Congress and the public.
Date: February 19, 2016
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Glass-Steagall Act: A Legal and Policy Analysis (open access)

The Glass-Steagall Act: A Legal and Policy Analysis

This report provides background on the economic conditions in which the Glass-Steagall Act was enacted and provides an economic and legal analysis of the Glass-Steagall Act's enactment, erosion, and partial repeal by GLBA. The report concludes with an analysis of the Glass-Steagall Act's relationship with financial stability and the Glass-Steagall-like provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Carpenter, David H.; Murphy, Edward V. & Murphy, M. M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Regulatory Relief" for Banking: Selected Legislation in the 114th Congress (open access)

"Regulatory Relief" for Banking: Selected Legislation in the 114th Congress

This report discusses regulatory relief legislation for banks in the 114th Congress that has seen floor action or has been ordered to be reported by a committee. Many, but not all, of the bills would make changes to the Dodd-Frank Act (P.L. 111-203), a wide-ranging financial reform enacted in response to the financial crisis.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.; Gnanarajah, Raj; Labonte, Marc; Murphy, Edward V. & Shorter, Gary
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2017 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Budget Request: In Brief (open access)

FY2017 State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Budget Request: In Brief

This report provides an overview and highlights of budget requests for the State Department, Foreign Operations, and Related Appropriations (SFOPS). It includes information from the previous fiscal years with an account-by-account comparison of the FY2017 request to the FY2016 estimates and FY2015 actuals in Appendix A.
Date: February 19, 2016
Creator: Epstein, Susan B.; Lawson, Marian L. & Tiersky, Alex
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congress and the Budget: 2016 Actions and Events (open access)

Congress and the Budget: 2016 Actions and Events

This report seeks to assist in (1) anticipating what federal budget-related actions might occur within the year 2016, and (2) staying abreast of budget actions that occur this year. It provides a general description of the recurrent types of budgetary actions, and reflects on current events that unfold in each category during 2016. In addition, it includes information on certain events that may affect Congress's work on the budget, such as the President's budget request and the Congressional Budget Office's budget and economic outlook.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Driessen, Grant A. & Lynch, Megan S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives (open access)

Budget Reconciliation Process: Timing of Committee Responses to Reconciliation Directives

This report examines the timing of certain stages of the budget reconciliation process and the extent to which the submission due date included in a reconciliation instruction is a predictor for the timing of committee response. Specifically, it provides information on the dates by which committees have been directed to respond to reconciliation directives and the timing of House and Senate committees in responding to such directives in the past 14 Congresses (101st-114th Congresses).
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Lynch, Megan S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report serves as a primer on the European Union and provides a brief description of U.S.-EU relations that may be of interest in the 114th Congress.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Archick, Kristin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Veterans Health Administration and Medical Education: A Fact Sheet (open access)

The Veterans Health Administration and Medical Education: A Fact Sheet

This report supplies facts about the Veterans Health Administration and its medical education. It describes the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its involvement in the medical training of health care professionals. The report also gives details on the VA's academic affiliations, its funding of physician training, and its ongoing graduate medical education (GME) expansion. Figure 1 on page 3 shows the amount the VA spent on education and training from FY2010 to FY2015.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Heisler, Elayne J. & Panangala, Sidath V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
GAO Bid Protests: An Overview of Time Frames and Procedures (open access)

GAO Bid Protests: An Overview of Time Frames and Procedures

This report provides an overview of the time frames and procedures in a Government Accountability Office (GAO) bid protest, including (1) what issues can be protested with GAO; (2) who can file or be a party to a GAO protest; (3) the procedures for bringing and resolving GAO protests; (4) the time frames involved in GAO protests; (5) the automatic stay of contract award or performance triggered by a GAO protest, as well as the basis for agency overrides of automatic stays and judicial review of agency override determinations; (6) the basis and effects of GAO decisions; and (7) reconsideration and "appeal" of GAO decisions.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Manuel, Kate M. & Schwartz, Moshe
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Fight Against Al Shabaab in Somalia in 2016 (open access)

The Fight Against Al Shabaab in Somalia in 2016

This report discusses current efforts to counter Al Shabaab, a Somalia-based Al Qaeda affiliate.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: Blanchard, Lauren P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress such as: Arctic sovereignty claims; commercial shipping through the Arctic; Arctic oil, gas, and mineral exploration; endangered Arctic species; and increased military operations in the Arctic that could cause the region in coming years to become an arena of international cooperation or competition.
Date: January 19, 2016
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility Determination and the Potential Employer Penalty (open access)

The Affordable Care Act's (ACA) Employer Shared Responsibility Determination and the Potential Employer Penalty

This report describes potential employer penalties as well as regulations to implement the ACA employer provisions. The regulations address insurance coverage requirements, methodologies for determining whether a worker is considered full time, provisions relating to seasonal workers and corporate franchises, and other reporting requirements.
Date: April 19, 2016
Creator: Whittaker, Julie M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Islamic State's Acolytes and the Challenges They Pose to U.S. Law Enforcement (open access)

The Islamic State's Acolytes and the Challenges They Pose to U.S. Law Enforcement

This report discusses an analysis of publicly available information on homegrown violent jihadist activity in the United States since September 11, 2001, which suggests that the Islamic State (IS) and its acolytes may pose broad challenges to domestic law enforcement and homeland security efforts.
Date: April 19, 2016
Creator: Bjelopera, Jerome P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process (open access)

Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process

This report reviews the process and procedures that currently apply to congressional consideration of foreign arms sales proposed by the President. This includes consideration of proposals to sell major defense equipment, defense articles and services, or the re-transfer to third party states of such military items.
Date: April 19, 2016
Creator: Kerr, Paul K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief (open access)

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief

This report discusses the responsibility of four federal agencies for long-term earthquake risk reduction under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP). Congress has not introduced legislation in the 114th Congress that addresses the NEHRP program directly.
Date: April 19, 2016
Creator: Folger, Peter
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Funding for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CSS) at DOE: In Brief (open access)

Funding for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CSS) at DOE: In Brief

This report discusses current legislation regarding the potential of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) as a mitigation strategy for lowering global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2). Congress has appropriated more than $7 billion since FY2008 to CCS activities at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Date: April 19, 2016
Creator: Folger, Peter
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry (open access)

Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry

This report reviews efforts to combat unauthorized migration across the Southwest border in the nearly three decades since the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) initiated the modern era in migration control. In reviewing such efforts, the report takes stock of the current state of border security and considers lessons that may be learned about enhanced enforcement at U.S. borders.
Date: April 19, 2016
Creator: Argueta, Carla N.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Public Health Service Agencies: Overview and Funding (FY2015-FY2017) (open access)

Public Health Service Agencies: Overview and Funding (FY2015-FY2017)

This report gives a brief overview of the eight agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which are designated components of the U.S. Public Health Services (PHS), and summarizes its funding for FY2015 through FY2017.
Date: May 19, 2016
Creator: Redhead, C. S.; Dabrowska, Agata; Bagalman, Erin; Heisler, Elayne J.; Johnson, Judith A.; Lister, Sarah A. et al.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Earthquake Risk and U.S. Highway Infrastructure: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Earthquake Risk and U.S. Highway Infrastructure: Frequently Asked Questions

This report addresses a number of frequently asked questions about earthquake risk and highway system components, especially bridges. Earthquakes and related events, such as soil liquefaction, landslides, tsunamis, flooding, and fires, pose risks to highway infrastructure. Concerns about the U.S. highway system's seismic vulnerability stem from interest in protecting public safety, facilitating response and recovery efforts, and minimizing economic loss and social disruption.
Date: May 19, 2016
Creator: Mallett, William J.; Carter, Nicole T. & Folger, Peter
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
EPA's Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

EPA's Clean Power Plan for Existing Power Plants: Frequently Asked Questions

This report provides a series of frequently-asked questions with answers regarding the Clean Power Plan and related litigation. On August 3, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated standards for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing fossil-fuel-fired power plants under Section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA); the rule, known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP), appeared in the Federal Register on October 23, 2015.
Date: May 19, 2016
Creator: McCarthy, James E.; Ramseur, Jonathan L.; Leggett, Jane A.; Wyatt, Alexandra M. & Dolan, Alissa M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 114th Congress (open access)

Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 114th Congress

This report analyzes provisions and the policy debate surrounding a number of bills that would affect the Federal Reserve's (Fed's) monetary policy, lender of last resort, and regulatory responsibilities. The Fed's responsibilities as the nation's central bank fall into four main categories: monetary policy, provision of emergency liquidity through the lender of last resort function, supervision of certain types of banks and other financial firms for safety and soundness, and provision of payment system services to financial firms and the government.
Date: May 19, 2016
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library