Hunting and Fishing on Federal Lands and Waters: Overview and Issues for Congress (open access)

Hunting and Fishing on Federal Lands and Waters: Overview and Issues for Congress

This report provides an overview of issues related to hunting and fishing on federal lands.
Date: February 14, 2018
Creator: Crafton, R. Eliot
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
Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons (open access)

Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons

This report provides basic information about U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It begins with a brief discussion of how these weapons have appeared in public debates in the past few decades, then summarizes the differences between strategic and nonstrategic nuclear weapons. It then provides some historical background, describing the numbers and types of nonstrategic nuclear weapons deployed by both nations during the Cold War and in the past decade; the policies that guided the deployment and prospective use of these weapons; measures that the two sides have taken to reduce and contain their forces, and the 2018 NPR's recommendation for the deployment of new U.S. nonstrategic nuclear weapons. The report reviews the issues that have been raised with regard to U.S. and Russian nonstrategic nuclear weapons, and summarizes a number of policy options that might be explored by Congress, the United States, Russia, and other nations to address these issues.
Date: February 13, 2018
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part 2) (open access)

Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part 2)

This report is part 1 of two of a report discussing the upcoming Supreme Court case of "Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31."
Date: February 26, 2018
Creator: Killion, Victoria L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
HPSCI Memorandum Sparks Debate Over FISA Application Requirements (open access)

HPSCI Memorandum Sparks Debate Over FISA Application Requirements

This report discusses the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and its authority to allow the government to undertake electronic surveillance programs of people suspected of engaging in foreign intelligence activity along with recent debate regarding the issue.
Date: February 14, 2018
Creator: Liu, Edward C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Civil-Suit Provision in House-Passed Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill (H.R. 38): Scope and Application (open access)

Civil-Suit Provision in House-Passed Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill (H.R. 38): Scope and Application

This report discusses legal implications of the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 which was passed by the House in December 2017.
Date: February 21, 2018
Creator: Peck, Sarah Herman
System: The UNT Digital Library
Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part 1) (open access)

Public Sector Union Dues: Grappling with Fixed Stars and Stare Decisis (Part 1)

This report is part 1 of two of a report discussing the upcoming Supreme Court case of "Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31.
Date: February 26, 2018
Creator: Killion, Victoria L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Employees' Retirement System: Summary of Recent Trends (open access)

Federal Employees' Retirement System: Summary of Recent Trends

This report describes recent trends in the characteristics of annuitants and current employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) as well as the financial status of the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF).
Date: February 2, 2018
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business Administration and Job Creation (open access)

Small Business Administration and Job Creation

This report discusses the Small Business Administration's programs and their impact on job creation. It examines the economic research on net job creation to identify the types of businesses that appear to create the most jobs, examines the possible implications this research might have for Congress and the SBA, and examines the arguments for providing federal assistance to small businesses.
Date: February 2, 2018
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
System: The UNT Digital Library
Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief (open access)

Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief

This report discusses Israel's relations with the U.S. and its neighbors, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the domestic political scene amid allegations of corruption against the Prime Minister.
Date: February 12, 2018
Creator: Zanotti, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform (open access)

The Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform

This report discusses the structure, powers, and funding of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform and provides an overview of the parliamentary procedures the chambers may use to consider its recommendations.
Date: February 21, 2018
Creator: Lynch, Megan S. & Saturno, James V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Family-Based Immigration Policy (open access)

U.S. Family-Based Immigration Policy

This report discusses family based immigration law and policy and arguments for expanding or restricting family-based immigration numbers.
Date: February 9, 2018
Creator: Kandel, William A.
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
Guide to Committee Activity Reports: Purpose, Rules, and Contents (open access)

Guide to Committee Activity Reports: Purpose, Rules, and Contents

This report provides a discussion of the types of information that may be included in the activity reports, variations across reports and time, and the filing process. A table provides a comparison of the committee activity reports and other congressional publications, including the types of information found in each as well as their timeframe for coverage and publication.
Date: February 15, 2018
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commemorative Commissions: Overview, Structure, and Funding (open access)

Commemorative Commissions: Overview, Structure, and Funding

This report discusses commemorative commissions created by Congress to oversee a special event for a commemoration of an event or person. Using a dataset of all commemorative commissions created by statute since the 96th Congress (1979-1980), this report examines the content of typical legislative language used to create commemorative commissions and how commemorative commissions are funded. This report does not address noncommemorative congressional commissions, nor does it address commemorative entities created by the President or statutory commissions tasked with designing and building monuments and memorials in Washington, DC.
Date: February 15, 2018
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
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
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues (open access)

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act: History, Impact, and Issues

This report examines debates over what constitutes an unfunded federal mandate and UMRA's implementation. It focuses on UMRA's requirement that CBO issue written cost estimate statements for federal mandates in legislation, its procedures for raising points of order in the House and Senate concerning unfunded federal mandates in legislation, and its requirement that federal agencies prepare written cost estimate statements for federal mandates in rules.
Date: February 2, 2018
Creator: Dilger, Robert Jay
System: The UNT Digital Library
Supreme Court to Hear Digital Privacy Case: Can the Government Obtain Emails Stored Abroad? (open access)

Supreme Court to Hear Digital Privacy Case: Can the Government Obtain Emails Stored Abroad?

This report discusses the upcoming Supreme Court case of "United States vs. Microsoft" which concerns whether the government can compel Microsoft to provide them emails stored abroad. This report provides background on the case, including an overview of the Stored Communications Act (SCA), discusses the specific issues presented by the Microsoft case, and explores the case's implications for Congress.
Date: February 23, 2018
Creator: Smith, Austin D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
NAFTA Renegotiation and Modernization (open access)

NAFTA Renegotiation and Modernization

This report discusses the NAFTA renegotiation process and major topics of interest in the agreement as well as Congress's role in the negotiation and approval process.
Date: February 27, 2018
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles & Fergusson, Ian F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Army Weapons-Related Directed Energy (DE) Programs: Background and Potential Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S. Army Weapons-Related Directed Energy (DE) Programs: Background and Potential Issues for Congress

This report discusses U.S. military research and development programs related to directed energy (DE) weapons which utilize electromagnetic energy rather than kinetic energy. This report examines the two most prevalent types of DE weapons: High Energy Lasers (HELs) and High Powered Microwaves (HPMs).
Date: February 7, 2018
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel (open access)

U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel

This report provides an overview of U.S. foreign assistance to Israel. It includes a review of past aid programs, data on annual assistance, and analysis of current issues.
Date: February 26, 2018
Creator: Sharp, Jeremy M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Education-Related Regulatory Flexibilities, Waivers, and Federal Assistance in Response to Disasters and National Emergencies (open access)

Education-Related Regulatory Flexibilities, Waivers, and Federal Assistance in Response to Disasters and National Emergencies

This report is intended to inform Congress of existing statutory and regulatory provisions that may aid in responding to future disasters and national emergencies that may affect the provision of or access to education and highlight the actions of previous Congresses to provide additional recovery assistance. This report reflects the most recently available guidance, as of the date of publication, related to education-related disaster response and flexibilities. It will be updated should new or additional statutes be enacted or guidance be issued.
Date: February 28, 2018
Creator: Granovskiy, Boris & Hegji, Alexandra
System: The UNT Digital Library
Enforcement of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act: Select Legal Issues (open access)

Enforcement of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act: Select Legal Issues

This report discusses the enforcement of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and various penalties available for violations.
Date: February 9, 2018
Creator: Armstrong, Kathryn B. & Staman, Jennifer A.
System: The UNT Digital Library