Establishment of Task Force on the U.S. Postal Service (open access)

Establishment of Task Force on the U.S. Postal Service

This report discusses the task force on the U.S. Postal Service established by President Trump's Executive Order on April 12, 2018, (EO 13829) and the topics the task force is directed to address. It concludes with potential issues for congressional consideration.
Date: April 30, 2018
Creator: Stuessy, Meghan M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
OPEC and Non-OPEC Crude Oil Production Agreement: Compliance Status (open access)

OPEC and Non-OPEC Crude Oil Production Agreement: Compliance Status

This report discusses OPEC countries and 11 non-OPEC countries agreement starting in late 2016 to reduce oil production and the purposes and impact of the agreement.
Date: April 26, 2018
Creator: Brown, Phillip
System: The UNT Digital Library
White House Directs EPA to Review Air Quality Standards and Permitting Process (open access)

White House Directs EPA to Review Air Quality Standards and Permitting Process

This report discusses a recent Presidential memorandum that directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review and streamline the implementation of the Clean Air Act .
Date: April 26, 2018
Creator: Shouse, Kate C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Futures Command (open access)

Army Futures Command

This report discusses the Army Futures Command, a proposed central command focused on Army modernization efforts.
Date: April 24, 2018
Creator: Feickert, Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Closing the Flood Insurance Gap (open access)

Closing the Flood Insurance Gap

This report discusses the flood insurance coverage gaps in the United States, provides statistics on the level of coverage and amount of flooding in coastal areas recently hit by hurricanes, and provides possible solutions to the flood insurance gap.
Date: April 24, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Australia, China, and the Indo-Pacific (open access)

Australia, China, and the Indo-Pacific

This report discusses Australia's relations with China and the changing power dynamics in the Pacific region.
Date: April 23, 2018
Creator: Vaughn, Bruce
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cuba After the Castros (open access)

Cuba After the Castros

This report discusses the resignation of Raul Castro as president of Cuba and the appointment of a new president who is not a part of the Castro family and possible implications of the change in leadership.
Date: April 17, 2018
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), Reinsurance, and Catastrophe Bonds (open access)

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), Reinsurance, and Catastrophe Bonds

This report discusses the use of reinsurance to transfer some of the risk of an insurance policy from the primary insurer to a secondary insurer and the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) decision to use reinsurance through the issuance of catastrophe bonds (which pay out when a particular type of disaster set out in the bond agreement occurs) by the secondary private insurers.
Date: April 17, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P. & Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Orderly Liquidation Authority: Reform Proposals (open access)

The Orderly Liquidation Authority: Reform Proposals

This report discusses the Orderly Liquidation Authority (OLA) which was created by Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203) to allow the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to resolve certain failing financial institutions whose collapse could threaten the stability of the financial system. Although OLA has never been used, it has become the subject of a number of reform proposals. This report briefly describes the OLA and two prominent examples of such proposals.
Date: April 17, 2018
Creator: Perkins, David W. & Gnanarajah, Raj
System: The UNT Digital Library
National Flood Insurance Program Borrowing Authority (open access)

National Flood Insurance Program Borrowing Authority

This report evaluates the National Flood Insurance Program's (NFIP) borrowing authority to receive loans from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, particularly in the context of major floods, and discusses the current financial situation of the NFIP.
Date: April 16, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Private Flood Insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) (open access)

Private Flood Insurance and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)

This report discusses the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the requirements that private insurers must meet to satisfy the federal flood insurance requirements. It also discusses legislation in the 115th Congress related to flood insurance.
Date: April 16, 2018
Creator: Webel, Baird & Horn, Diane P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
What Happens if the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses? (open access)

What Happens if the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Lapses?

This report provides a short overview of what would happen if the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) were not to be reauthorized by July 31, 2018, and allowed to lapse.
Date: April 16, 2018
Creator: Horn, Diane P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Balanced Budget Amendments (open access)

Balanced Budget Amendments

This report discusses proposed balanced budget amendments to the Constitution and their content.
Date: April 10, 2018
Creator: Lynch, Megan S. & Saturno, James V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
OMB and Treasury Disagree over Process for Issuing New Tax Rules (open access)

OMB and Treasury Disagree over Process for Issuing New Tax Rules

This report discusses the disagreement between the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Treasury Department on how to issue new tax regulations. It discusses the historical roots and nature of the disagreement and potential implications.
Date: April 10, 2018
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Business Investment Spending Slowdown (open access)

Business Investment Spending Slowdown

This report discusses the slowdown in business investment spending over the last decade and various reasons why the slowdown may have occurred.
Date: April 9, 2018
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress (open access)

Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress

This report discusses recent unrest in Cameroon between the French-speaking majority and the English-speaking minority who were historically divided between French and British rule. The Anglophone activists have reported numerous human rights abuses and many of them have been arrested on terrorism charges. Options for Congress to consider concerning foreign aid and diplomatic measures to help bring about an agreement between the two sides are also discussed.
Date: April 6, 2018
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
System: The UNT Digital Library
China's Retaliatory Tariffs on Selected U.S. Agricultural Products (open access)

China's Retaliatory Tariffs on Selected U.S. Agricultural Products

This report discusses China's retaliatory tariffs on many U.S. agricultural products in response to the U.S. tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminium imports.
Date: April 4, 2018
Creator: Hopkinson, Jenny
System: The UNT Digital Library
Data, Social Media, and Users: Can We All Get Along? (open access)

Data, Social Media, and Users: Can We All Get Along?

This report examines policy issues surrounding the Cambridge Analytica data breach/misuse of Facebook and provides options for Congress to consider. While this event has started discussions on election security and social media company requirements to report advertising, this report addresses data security concerns without discussing the impacts or consequences of data use.
Date: April 4, 2018
Creator: Jaikaran, Chris
System: The UNT Digital Library
FDIC's Deposit Insurance Assessments and Reserve Ratio (open access)

FDIC's Deposit Insurance Assessments and Reserve Ratio

This report discusses the FDIC's deposit insurance assessments and reserve ratio used to guarantee the repayment of deposits at a bank up to the insured level.
Date: April 4, 2018
Creator: Gnanarajah, Raj
System: The UNT Digital Library
Employee Ownership of Registration-Exempt Company Securities: Proposals to Reform Required Corporate Disclosures (Section 507 of S. 2155, S. 488, H.R. 1343, and Section 406 of H.R. 10) (open access)

Employee Ownership of Registration-Exempt Company Securities: Proposals to Reform Required Corporate Disclosures (Section 507 of S. 2155, S. 488, H.R. 1343, and Section 406 of H.R. 10)

This report discusses SEC registration requirements and the exemption from registration for small and mid-size companies. Recent legislation regarding the rules in the House and Senate is also included.
Date: April 3, 2018
Creator: Shorter, Gary
System: The UNT Digital Library
Regulating the U.S. Campaign Environment: Politics and Policy (open access)

Regulating the U.S. Campaign Environment: Politics and Policy

This report discusses current regulations governing election campaigns and potential new threats to campaigns that may require new regulations or policies.
Date: April 2, 2018
Creator: Garrett, R. Sam
System: The UNT Digital Library
China's February 2017 Suspension of North Korean Coal Imports (open access)

China's February 2017 Suspension of North Korean Coal Imports

This report discusses China's suspension of coal trade with North Korea for the remainder of 2017 which keeps China in compliance with an UN agreement to limit coal buying from North Korea that was implemented in November 2016 in response to continued nuclear tests by North Korea. Coal's value as an export to North Korea, China's trade with North Korea, quantities of coal and its value that was imported into China in 2016 and 2017, and possible reasons and implications for China's decision are discussed.
Date: April 25, 2017
Creator: Lawrence, Susan V.; Manyin, Mark E. & Hammond, Keigh E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations: Comparative Statistics of Two-Term Presidencies Since 1945 (open access)

U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations: Comparative Statistics of Two-Term Presidencies Since 1945

This report provides comparative statistics related to the nomination and confirmation of U.S. circuit and district court judges during the eighth year of two-term presidencies since 1945 (i.e., the Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama presidencies). It also provides cumulative comparative statistics for the entire terms of these same six presidencies. Previous CRS research has analyzed final Senate action on judicial nominations during the eighth year of the Reagan, Clinton, and George W. Bush presidencies.
Date: April 24, 2017
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Airline Passenger Denied Boarding: Rules and Regulations (open access)

Airline Passenger Denied Boarding: Rules and Regulations

This report discusses regulations regarding an airline's responsibilities when a passenger with a confirmed ticket is denied boarding on a flight due to lack of seats (known as overselling). The various updates to the original regulation from 1967 are discussed with the latest modifications occurring in 2015.
Date: April 21, 2017
Creator: Tang, Rachel Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library