Selected Agency Budget Justifications for FY2015 (open access)

Selected Agency Budget Justifications for FY2015

This report provides a convenient listing of online FY2015 agency budget justification submissions for all 15 executive branch departments and 9 selected independent agencies.
Date: April 18, 2014
Creator: Murray, Justin
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Register, Volume 39, Number 16, Pages 3007-3290, April 18, 2014 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 39, Number 16, Pages 3007-3290, April 18, 2014

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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: April 18, 2014
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Bolivia: In Brief (open access)

Bolivia: In Brief

This report provides background information on Bolivia, an analysis of its current political and economic situation, and an assessment of some key issues in Bolivian-U.S. relations.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Aid to State and Local Governments: Select Issues Raised by a Federal Government Shutdown (open access)

Federal Aid to State and Local Governments: Select Issues Raised by a Federal Government Shutdown

This report explores two grant-administration issues specifically affected by the federal shutdown. It gives an overview of federal aid to state and local governments, characteristics of federal grants and methods for disbursing the funds, grant administration issues affected by a lapse in federal funding, and potential legislative options to reduce the impact of future government shutdowns.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Keegan, Natalie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2015 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability (open access)

FY2015 Budget Documents: Internet and GPO Availability

This report provides brief descriptions of the budget volumes and related documents, together with Internet addresses, Government Printing Office (GPO) stock numbers, and prices for obtaining print copies of these publications. It also explains how to find the locations of government depository libraries, which can provide both printed copies for reference use and Internet access to the online versions.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Nagel, Jared C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Help America Vote Act and Election Administration: Overview and Issues (open access)

The Help America Vote Act and Election Administration: Overview and Issues

This report discusses the Help America Vote Act (HAVA; P.L. 107-252) enacted in 2002. It provides background information about HAVA and its provisions, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), funding for the agency and for state programs to improve elections, and a number of enduring election administration issues.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J. & Fischer, Eric A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Information Security: SEC Needs to Improve Controls over Financial Systems and Data (open access)

Information Security: SEC Needs to Improve Controls over Financial Systems and Data

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Although the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had implemented and made progress in strengthening information security controls, weaknesses limited their effectiveness in protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of a key financial system. For this system's network, servers, applications, and databases, weaknesses in several controls were found, as the following examples illustrate:"
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Funeral Honors and Military Cemeteries: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Military Funeral Honors and Military Cemeteries: Frequently Asked Questions

This report provides answers to frequently-asked questions about military funeral honors and military cemeteries, including information on the eligibility criteria, required components of the honor detail, and the funeral ceremony. It also cites legislation mandating that the Department of Defense (DOD) make military funeral honors available to every eligible veteran upon request.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Torreon, Barbara Salazar
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Obstruction of Justice: An Abridged Overview of Related Federal Criminal Laws (open access)

Obstruction of Justice: An Abridged Overview of Related Federal Criminal Laws

This report briefly discusses obstruction of justice, which is defined as the frustration of governmental purposes by violence, corruption, destruction of evidence, or deceit. This is an abridged version of CRS Report RL34304, Obstruction of Justice: An Overview of Some of the Federal Statutes That Prohibit Interference with Judicial, Executive, or Legislative Activities, by Charles Doyle, without the footnotes, quotations, or citations to authority found in the longer report.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Obstruction of Justice: An Overview of Some of the Federal Statutes That Prohibit Interference with Judicial, Executive, or Legislative Activities (open access)

Obstruction of Justice: An Overview of Some of the Federal Statutes That Prohibit Interference with Judicial, Executive, or Legislative Activities

This report discusses obstruction of justice, which is is a federal crime. It describes specific kinds of obstruction, organized by type, and references various relevant laws that have provisions against obstruction.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Same-Sex Marriage: A Legal Background After United States v. Windsor (open access)

Same-Sex Marriage: A Legal Background After United States v. Windsor

This report discusses the recognition of same-sex marriage that generates debate on both the federal and state levels.
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Smith, Alison M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Attorney General Opinion: GA-1051 (open access)

Texas Attorney General Opinion: GA-1051

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether a school district may authorize an employee or trustee to carry a concealed handgun at any meeting of a governmental entity or on the premises of school property where a sporting event or interscholastic event is taking place (RQ-1158-GA).
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: Texas. Attorney-General's Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Wilderness: Legislation and Issues in the 113th Congress (open access)

Wilderness: Legislation and Issues in the 113th Congress

None
Date: April 17, 2014
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Advance Appropriations, Forward Funding, and Advance Funding: Concepts, Practice, and Budget Process Considerations (open access)

Advance Appropriations, Forward Funding, and Advance Funding: Concepts, Practice, and Budget Process Considerations

This report discusses the federal programs that are funded through the annual appropriations process in regular appropriations acts, which may typically obligate those funds during a period that starts at the beginning of that fiscal year.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Modular Force Structure: Annual Report Generally Met Requirements, but Challenges in Estimating Costs and Assessing Capability Remain (open access)

Army Modular Force Structure: Annual Report Generally Met Requirements, but Challenges in Estimating Costs and Assessing Capability Remain

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Army's annual report on its modular force either fully or partially addressed all of the requirements mandated by law. GAO's analysis showed that of the 14 legislative requirements, the report fully addressed 9 and partially addressed 5. The requirements that were fully addressed included an assessment of the modular force capabilities and the status of doctrine for the modular force, among others. Some of the requirements that were partially addressed included information related to risks and mitigation strategies associated with shortfalls; scheduling for repairing, recapitalizing, and replacing equipment; and itemizing information by active-duty and reserve components. The 2013 report provided more thorough information to congressional decision makers on the Army's progress in its modular force transformation than previous reports."
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chemical Facility Security: Issues and Options for the 113th Congress (open access)

Chemical Facility Security: Issues and Options for the 113th Congress

This report provides a brief overview of the existing statutory authority and implementing regulation related to chemical facility security. It also describes several relevant policy issues raised in previous debates and identifies policy options for congressional consideration.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Credit Union Department Newsletter, Number 04-14, April 2014 (open access)

Credit Union Department Newsletter, Number 04-14, April 2014

Newsletter of the Texas Credit Union Department containing departmental news and announcements, deadlines, and other information of importance to credit unions.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Texas. Credit Union Department.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Defense Contracting: DOD's Use of Class Justifications for Sole-Source Contracts (open access)

Defense Contracting: DOD's Use of Class Justifications for Sole-Source Contracts

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) class justifications included in GAO's sample were used primarily for the acquisition of weapon systems or related subsystems and components. About 77 percent covered specific weapon system development, production, sustainment, or modernization efforts; about 14 percent covered logistics support of multiple weapon systems or training systems; and the remaining 9 percent covered other requirements. Because weapon systems are typically used for many years, DOD officials told GAO class justifications provided an administrative efficiency by allowing one justification for multiple contracts that would essentially require the same justification. Most of the class justifications in GAO's sample had a total value of over $85.5 million and required approval at the highest level--the senior procurement executive of the DOD component. About 90 percent of the class justifications in GAO's sample cited only one responsible source to meet the requirements, generally because the contractor's ownership of proprietary technical data or expertise prevented the ability to compete the contract. The class justifications GAO reviewed generally cited the publication of notices of proposed contract actions on the Federal Business Opportunities website or market research to identify other qualified sources, …
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Executive Orders: Issuance, Modification, and Revocation (open access)

Executive Orders: Issuance, Modification, and Revocation

This report reviews the "definition" of an executive order and how it is distinguishable from other written instruments, and then provides an overview of the President's constitutional authority to issue such directives. Next, the report discusses the legal framework relied on by the courts to analyze the validity of presidential actions, and also discusses the roles of the President and Congress in modifying and revoking executive orders.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Chu, Vivian S. & Garvey, Todd
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Aid: USAID Has Increased Funding to Partner-Country Organizations but Could Better Track Progress (open access)

Foreign Aid: USAID Has Increased Funding to Partner-Country Organizations but Could Better Track Progress

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) reporting on its principal Local Solutions indicator—the percentage of mission program funds obligated to local organizations in partner countries—lacks clarity, complicating the assessment of the agency's progress toward its fiscal year 2015 target of 30 percent. The March 2013 USAID Forward progress report states that these obligations increased from about 10 percent of mission program funds in fiscal year 2010 to about 14 percent in fiscal year 2012—a $465 million increase. However, the agency also has reported progress on the principal Local Solutions indicator in three other ways, depending on whether two key types of funding—cash transfers and certain qualifying trust funds—are included (see figure). These reporting differences make it difficult to compare the indicator from year to year and to quantify the progress needed to achieve the 30 percent target by fiscal year 2015. Moreover, USAID's approach to tracking the Local Solutions indicator has evolved since the launch of the initiative. For example, USAID included funds in Afghanistan and Pakistan, missions the agency previously had planned to exclude. If these missions are excluded, the percentage of mission program …
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran-North Korea-Syria Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Cooperation (open access)

Iran-North Korea-Syria Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Cooperation

This report describes the key elements of a nuclear weapons program; explains the available information regarding cooperation among Iran, North Korea, and Syria on ballistic missiles and nuclear technology; and discusses some specific issues for Congress.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Kerr, Paul K.; Nikitin, Mary Beth D. & Hildreth, Steven A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
NATO: Response to the Crisis in Ukraine and Security Concerns in Central and Eastern Europe (open access)

NATO: Response to the Crisis in Ukraine and Security Concerns in Central and Eastern Europe

This report addresses the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and U.S. military responses to the crisis in Ukraine. It does not discuss political, economic, or energy policy responses.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Belkin, Paul; Mix, Derek E. & Woehrel, Steven
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Overview of Health Care Changes in the FY2015 House Budget (open access)

Overview of Health Care Changes in the FY2015 House Budget

This report summarizes the proposed changes to Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance as described in H.Con.Res. 96 and accompanying documents, including the committee report and Chairman Ryan's Path to Prosperity report.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Davis, Patricia A.; Mitchell, Alison & Fernandez, Bernadette
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Media in the House of Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Social Media in the House of Representatives: Frequently Asked Questions

This report answers several questions about the regulation of social media accounts in the House of Representatives.
Date: April 16, 2014
Creator: Straus, Jacob R. & Glassman, Matthew E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library