Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 5, Pages 467-684, February 4, 2011 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 5, Pages 467-684, February 4, 2011

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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 4, 2011
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 6, Pages 685-884, February 11, 2011 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 6, Pages 685-884, February 11, 2011

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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 11, 2011
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 7, Pages 885-1194, February 18, 2011 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 7, Pages 885-1194, February 18, 2011

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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 18, 2011
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 8, Pages 1195-1398, February 25, 2011 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 8, Pages 1195-1398, February 25, 2011

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 25, 2011
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Latin America: Terrorism Issues (open access)

Latin America: Terrorism Issues

Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, U.S. attention to terrorism in Latin America has intensified, with an increase in bilateral and regional cooperation. This report discusses the issue in relation to the U.S. State Department's April 2009 Country Report on Terrorism; Colombian President Hugo Chávez's sympathies with terrorist groups and lack of cooperation on antiterrorism efforts; growing U.S. concern over activities of terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas in the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay; and various legislative initiatives related to Latin American terrorism issues being considered by the 112th Congress.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Northern Ireland: The Peace Process (open access)

Northern Ireland: The Peace Process

For years, the British and Irish governments sought to facilitate a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Northern Ireland. This report provides a brief overview of the continuing peace talks and efforts in Northern Ireland, including the deal reached in February 2010 between the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The report also discusses the United States' active support of the Northern Ireland peace process, including the future of the International Fund for Ireland (IFI).
Date: February 18, 2011
Creator: Archick, Kristin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws (open access)

Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws

This report provides an overview of the legal precedent for mandatory vaccination laws, and of state laws that require certain individuals or populations, including school-aged children and health care workers, to be vaccinated against various communicable diseases. Also discussed are state laws providing for mandatory vaccinations during a public health emergency or outbreak of a communicable disease.
Date: February 24, 2011
Creator: Swendiman, Kathleen S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Algeria: Current Issues (open access)

Algeria: Current Issues

This report examines the current state of Algeria, including the country's associations with terrorism, despite steady decreases of domestic terrorism; the lessening in power of the Algerian military; and growing oil revenues.
Date: February 22, 2011
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Morocco: Current Issues (open access)

Morocco: Current Issues

This report discusses the current political and foreign policy status of Morocco, especially with regard to its relationship with the United States and its struggles combating terrorism.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Overview of the Federal Procurement Process and Resources (open access)

Overview of the Federal Procurement Process and Resources

he federal government's basic procurement or acquisition process involves an agency identifying the goods and services it needs (also known as the agency's "requirements"), determining the most appropriate method for purchasing these items, and carrying out the acquisition. Although this process is simple in theory, any given procurement can be complex, involving a multitude of decisions and actions. This report describes the most common elements of the federal procurement process and resources that may be used in that process.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: Halchin, L. Elaine
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions (open access)

Tanzania: Background and Current Conditions

This report discusses the current political climate in Tanzania, an important U.S. ally in Africa. The report also provides some general background information.
Date: February 17, 2011
Creator: Dagne, Ted
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
What's the Difference?-Comparing U.S. and Chinese Trade Data (open access)

What's the Difference?-Comparing U.S. and Chinese Trade Data

This paper examines the differences in trade data from the United States and China in two ways. First, it compares the trade figures at the two digit level using the Harmonized System to discern any patterns in the discrepancies between the U.S. and Chinese data. The second approach to examining the differing trade data involves a review of the existing literature on the technical and non-technical sources of the trade data discrepancies, including an October 2009 joint China-U.S. report on statistical discrepancies in merchandise trade data.
Date: February 18, 2011
Creator: Martin, Michael F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments (open access)

Guam: U.S. Defense Deployments

This report provides a basic overview of the island of Guam, including population and location, as well as the strategic significance of Guam for boosting U.S. deterrence and power projection in Asia.
Date: February 18, 2011
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer (open access)

Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer

This report discusses section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA), the specific requirements of which must be met in order for the United States to engage in civilian nuclear cooperation with other states. The AEA also provides for exemptions to these requirements, export control licensing procedures, and criteria for terminating cooperation.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: Kerr, Paul K. & Nikitin, Mary Beth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans Affairs: Basic Eligibility for Disability Benefit Programs (open access)

Veterans Affairs: Basic Eligibility for Disability Benefit Programs

This report examines the eligibility criteria and the fundamentals of the Department of Veterans Affairs-administered disability benefit programs and related issues. It supplements and condenses the relevant materials that are available from the VA and its website. It also provides specific citations for further information and more in-depth analysis of information contained herein.
Date: February 24, 2011
Creator: Weimer, Douglas Reid
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Honduran-U.S. Relations (open access)

Honduran-U.S. Relations

This report examines current political and economic conditions in Honduras as well as issues in Honduran-U.S. relations. For a more detailed examination of the Honduran political crisis, see CRS Report R41064, Honduran Political Crisis, June 2009-January 2010.
Date: February 17, 2011
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Air Force KC-46A Tanker Aircraft Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Air Force KC-46A Tanker Aircraft Program: Background and Issues for Congress

On February 24, 2011, the Department of Defense (DOD) announced the Boeing Company as the winner of a competition to build 179 new KC-46A aerial refueling tankers for the Air Force. This report discusses the KC-46A acquisition program, which is a subject of intense interest because of the dollar value of the contract and the number of jobs it would create, among other things. This report also discusses several oversight issues that could arise for Congress, including if the contract award followed the DOD's announced competition strategy and metrics. This report also discusses this contract in respect to the FY2011 defense authorization bill and the FY2011 DOD appropriations bill.
Date: February 25, 2011
Creator: Gertler, Jeremiah
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance (open access)

War Powers Resolution: Presidential Compliance

Two separate but closely related issues confront Congress each time the President introduces armed forces into a situation abroad that conceivably could lead to their involvement in hostilities. One issue concerns the division of war powers between the President and Congress, whether the use of armed forces falls within the purview of the congressional power to declare war and the War Powers Resolution. The other issue is whether or not Congress concurs in the wisdom of the action. A longer-term issue is whether the War Powers Resolution is an appropriate and effective means of assuring congressional participation in actions that might get the United States involved in war.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: Grimmett, Richard F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Changing Oil Prices (open access)

U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Changing Oil Prices

This report provides an estimate of the initial impact of the changing oil prices on the nation's merchandise trade deficit.
Date: February 28, 2011
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Codes of Conduct for Multinational Corporations: An Overview (open access)

Codes of Conduct for Multinational Corporations: An Overview

The U.S. economy has grown increasingly interconnected with other economies around the world, a phenomenon often referred to as globalization. Over the past 20 years, multinational corporations and nations have adopted voluntary, legally enforceable, and industry-specific codes of conduct to address concerns over the economic, social, and political impact of this phenomenon. Congress will continue to play a pivotal role in addressing the large number of issues regarding internationally applied corporate codes of conduct that remain to be negotiated.
Date: February 14, 2011
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Morocco: Current Issues (open access)

Morocco: Current Issues

This report discusses the current political and foreign policy status of Morocco, especially with regard to its relationship with the United States and its struggles combating terrorism.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Party Leaders in the House: Election, Duties, and Responsibilities (open access)

Party Leaders in the House: Election, Duties, and Responsibilities

Each major party in the House has a leadership hierarchy. This report summarizes the election, duties, and responsibilities of the Speaker of the House, the majority and minority leaders, and the whips and whip system.
Date: February 15, 2011
Creator: Heitshusen, Valerie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Western Sahara (open access)

Western Sahara

This report discusses how Morocco and the independence-seeking Popular Front for the Liberation of Saqiat al Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario) have been vying for control of the Western Sahara, a former Spanish territory, since the 1970s. The report discusses recent settlement attempts, as well as how the Western Sahara issue has affected Algerian-Moroccan bilaterial relations, Moroccan relations with the African Union, and regional cooperation on economic and security issues. The report also discusses the United States' involvement in and stance on the issue.
Date: February 15, 2011
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress

CVN-78, CVN-79, and CVN-80 are the first three ships in the Navy's new Gerald R. Ford (CVN- 78) class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). This report provides background information and potential oversight issues for Congress on the CVN-78 program.
Date: February 23, 2011
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library