Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies (open access)

Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

This list of about 150 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: September 3, 2010
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
System: The UNT Digital Library
Administrative Issues Related to a Change in Majority in the House of Representatives (open access)

Administrative Issues Related to a Change in Majority in the House of Representatives

This report briefly describes how a change in majority leadership in the House of Representatives -- such as the incoming new majority that will assume control of House operations at the beginning of the 112th Congress in January 2011 -- could affect House rules, committees, and administrative and legislative operations.
Date: November 3, 2010
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric; Manning, Jennifer E. & Brudnick, Ida A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses Special Operations Forces (SOFs), which are elite military units with special training and equipment that can infiltrate hostile territory through land, sea, or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified.
Date: December 3, 2010
Creator: Feickert, Andrew & Livingston, Thomas K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Adopting A Long-Term Budget Focus: Challenges and Proposals (open access)

Adopting A Long-Term Budget Focus: Challenges and Proposals

This report focuses on the current federal budget process, including criticisms of that process. This report will provide information on (1) the current horizons used in the budget process, including already existing long-term components; (2) the rationale for increased focus on longterm budgeting; (3) general challenges to long-term budgeting; and (4) an analysis of general proposals that have been made to increase the focus of long-term budgeting in the budget process.
Date: December 3, 2010
Creator: Lynch, Megan Suzanne; Labonte, Marc & Levit, Mindy R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Poverty in the United States: 2008 (open access)

Poverty in the United States: 2008

This report examines poverty in the United States. In 2008, 39.8 million people were counted as poor in the United States - an increase of 2.6 million persons from 2007, and nearly the largest number of persons counted as poor since 1960. The poverty rate, or percent of the population considered poor under the official definition, was reported at 13.2%; this is up from 12.5% in 2007, and is the highest rate since 1997. The recent increase in poverty reflects the worsening of economic conditions since the onset of the economic recession in December 2007. Many expect poverty to rise further next year, and it will likely remain comparatively high even after the economy begins to recover. The incidence of poverty varies widely across the population according to age, education, labor force attachment, family living arrangements, and area of residence, among other factors.
Date: March 3, 2010
Creator: Gabe, Thomas
System: The UNT Digital Library
Campaign Finance: Potential Legislative and Policy Issues for the 111th Congress (open access)

Campaign Finance: Potential Legislative and Policy Issues for the 111th Congress

This report provides an overview of selected campaign finance policy issues that have received recent legislative attention, or have otherwise been prominent, and which could receive attention during the 111th Congress.
Date: November 3, 2010
Creator: Garrett, R. S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-Vietnam Economic and Trade Relations: Issues for the 111th Congress (open access)

U.S.-Vietnam Economic and Trade Relations: Issues for the 111th Congress

This report will examine each of these trade issues, discussing their main elements and exploring their implications for the 111th Congress. This will be followed by an analysis of key trends in bilateral trade to discern any potential sources of trade friction in the future.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Enemy Combatant Detainees: Habeas Corpus Challenges in Federal Court (open access)

Enemy Combatant Detainees: Habeas Corpus Challenges in Federal Court

This report provides an overview of the early judicial developments and the establishment of Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) procedures; summarizes selected court cases related to the detentions and the use of military commissions; and discusses the Detainee Treatment Act, as amended by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the Military Commissions Act of 2009, analyzing its effects on detainee-related litigation in federal court. The report summarizes the Supreme Court's decision in Boumediene invalidating Congress's efforts to revoke the courts' habeas jurisdiction, and discusses some remaining issues and subsequent developments.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Elsea, Jennifer K. & Garcia, Michael J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Border Security: The Role of the U.S. Border Patrol (open access)

Border Security: The Role of the U.S. Border Patrol

This report discusses the United States Border Patrol's history as our nation's first line of defense against unauthorized migration. Today, the USBP's primary mission is to detect and prevent the entry of terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, and illegal aliens into the country, and to interdict drug smugglers and other criminals along the border.
Date: March 3, 2010
Creator: Haddal, Chad C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Earthquakes: Risk, Detection, Warning, and Research (open access)

Earthquakes: Risk, Detection, Warning, and Research

This report discusses: The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program NEHRP; earthquake hazards and risk in the United States; federal programs that support earthquake monitoring; the U.S. capability to detect earthquakes and issue notifications and warnings; and federally supported research to improve the fundamental scientific understanding of earthquakes with a goal of reducing U.S. vulnerability.
Date: March 3, 2010
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medicare Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) (open access)

Medicare Provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)

This report covers the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and U.S. - Mexico drug trafficking. It also looks at migration, environmental issues, legislation in the 111th, and the relationship between the Obama Administration and Mexico.
Date: June 3, 2010
Creator: Ribando Seelke, Clare
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Government Debt: Its Size and Economic Significance (open access)

The Federal Government Debt: Its Size and Economic Significance

This report explains the different measures of the U.S. government debt, discusses the historical growth in the debt, identifies the current owners of the debt, presents comparisons with government debt in other countries, and examines the potential economic risks associated with a growing federal debt.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Cashell, Brian W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Networking and Constituent Communications: Member Use of Twitter During a Two-Month Period in the 111th Congress (open access)

Social Networking and Constituent Communications: Member Use of Twitter During a Two-Month Period in the 111th Congress

This report examines Twitter usage by Members of Congress during August and September 2009. It includes background about Twitter and data analysis of Member registration, usage, tweets, and followers.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Glassman, Matthew E.; Straus, Jacob R. & Shogan, Colleen J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Multilateral Development Banks: U.S. Contributions FY1998-FY2009 (open access)

Multilateral Development Banks: U.S. Contributions FY1998-FY2009

This report shows in tabular form how much the Administration requested and how much Congress appropriated during the past 11 years for U.S. payments to the multilateral development banks (MDBs). It also provides a brief description of the MDBs and the ways they fund their operations.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Sanford, Jonathan E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress (open access)

Mexico-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress

This report covers the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and U.S.-Mexico drug trafficking. It also looks at migration, environmental issues, legislation in the 111th Congress, and the relationship between the Obama Administration and Mexico.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando; Sullivan, Mark P. & Beittel, June S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues (open access)

International Food Aid Programs: Background and Issues

This report discusses the U.S.'s role in global efforts to alleviate hunger and malnutrition and to enhance world food security through international food aid activities. The development and implementation of a U.S. global food security initiative, and commitments made by global leaders to support agricultural development, have increased Congress's focus on U.S. international food aid programs.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Ho, Melissa D. & Hanrahan, Charles E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Disaster Response, Recovery, and Mitigation Projects (open access)

Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for Disaster Response, Recovery, and Mitigation Projects

This report discusses the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as it applies to projects for which federal funding to recover from or prepare for a disaster has been requested by local, tribal, or state grant applicants.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Luther, Linda
System: The UNT Digital Library
Metropolitan Transportation Planning (open access)

Metropolitan Transportation Planning

This report discusses the metropolitan transportation planning process and several related issues that Congress may want to consider: the authority of metropolitan planning organizations to plan and program funds; representation and participation in MPOs; MPO funding and technical capacity; and implementation of livability initiatives. It may also want to consider a number of issues having to do with planning requirements such as the need for a long-range plan, the proper scale of planning, and the incorporation of freight transportation interests.
Date: February 3, 2010
Creator: Mallett, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and presents potential issues for Congress concerning the Navy's ship force-structure goals and shipbuilding plans. The planned size of the Navy, the rate of Navy ship procurement, and the prospective affordability of the Navy's shipbuilding plans have been matters of concern for the congressional defense committees for the past several years. Decisions that Congress makes on Navy shipbuilding programs can substantially affect Navy capabilities and funding requirements, and the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2011 (open access)

Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2011

This report summarizes the FY2011 budget request for research & development (R&D) funding, including comparisons to R&D funding requests in the FY2010 budget. Congress will play a central role in defining the nation's R&D priorities, especially with respect to two overarching issues: the extent to which the Federal R&D investment can grow in the context of increased pressure on discretionary spending and how available funding will be prioritized and allocated. This report breaks down in detail the various aspects of the President's FY2011 R&D funding request.
Date: June 3, 2010
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
State Efforts to Deter Unauthorized Aliens: Legal Analysis of Arizona's S.B. 1070 (open access)

State Efforts to Deter Unauthorized Aliens: Legal Analysis of Arizona's S.B. 1070

This report discusses the major provisions of S.B.1070, as modified by H.B. 2162, and the legal and constitutional considerations possibly implicated by their implementation. The report focuses primarily on those provisions that require state enforcement of federal immigration law and impose criminal penalties for immigration-related conduct, and discusses preemption issues that might be raised by these measures.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: Garcia, Michael J.; Eig, Larry M. & Kim, Yule
System: The UNT Digital Library
2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference: Key Issues and Implications (open access)

2010 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference: Key Issues and Implications

The report includes a short summary of the provisions and goals of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a brief history of past review conferences. It also discusses the key issues that the participants are likely to address during the 2010 conference.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: Kerr, Paul K.; Nikitin, Mary Beth; Woolf, Amy F. & Medalia, Jonathan
System: The UNT Digital Library
United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges (open access)

United States-Canada Trade and Economic Relationship: Prospects and Challenges

The United States and Canada conduct the world's largest bilateral trade relationship, with total merchandise trade (exports and imports) exceeding $429.7 billion in 2009. This report examines the various aspects of this trade partnership and presents several policy options for Congress.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions (open access)

The New START Treaty: Central Limits and Key Provisions

This report provides an overview of the New Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty (START), including a comparison to the original START Treaty, the belief of the Obama Administration and outside analysts that New START will enhance U.S. national security, and the criticisms of those who say that New START is a distraction from more important items on the nonproliferation agenda.
Date: May 3, 2010
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
System: The UNT Digital Library