Resource Type

Intelligence Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Evaluation Process (IPPBE) (open access)

Intelligence Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Evaluation Process (IPPBE)

This report describes the phases of the Intelligence Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Evaluation Process (IPPBE). The Intelligence Community (IC) uses IPPBE to identify requirements and allocate resources that produce IC capabilities (e.g., human intelligence, signals intelligence, and geospatial intelligence) throughout development and execution of the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and budget. The NIP addresses priorities described in national security-related strategy documents such as the National Intelligence Strategy (NIS) and Consolidated Intelligence Guidance (CIG).
Date: May 30, 2018
Creator: DeVine, Michael E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran Nuclear Agreement (open access)

Iran Nuclear Agreement

This report discusses the Iran nuclear agreement that was made on July 14, 2015 and the lifting of sanctions related to their nuclear weapons programs which occurred on January 16, 2016. It also outlines Iran's obligations under the agreement and Congressional discussion of adjustments to the agreement or withdrawal.
Date: May 25, 2018
Creator: Kerr, Paul K. & Katzman, Kenneth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: Fiscal Year 2018 (open access)

Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: Fiscal Year 2018

This report provides an overview and analysis of FY2018 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The primary focus is on Congressional direction and funding provided through the appropriations process, but also notes funding made available to DHS outside this process (e.g., user fees and trust funds). It includes an appendix with definitions of key budget terms, and lists other Congressional Research Service reports that provide context and additional details regarding specific component appropriations and issues.
Date: May 22, 2018
Creator: Painter, William L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Department of State Personnel: Background and Selected Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S. Department of State Personnel: Background and Selected Issues for Congress

This report discusses the background and current status of the U.S. Department of State and Foreign Service, as well as issues for Congress to consider in regard to the personnel of these departments.
Date: May 18, 2018
Creator: Gill, Cory R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Violence Against Journalists in Mexico: In Brief (open access)

Violence Against Journalists in Mexico: In Brief

This report discusses Mexico's problem of violence committed against journalists. Topics include press freedom in Mexico compared to other Latin American countries, crimes against journalists, Mexican government efforts to address these crimes, and U.S. policy on the issue.
Date: May 17, 2018
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
System: The UNT Digital Library
Expedited Citizenship through Military Service (open access)

Expedited Citizenship through Military Service

This report discusses current law and policy regarding naturalization based on military service, controversy over deportation of veterans, and current legislative proposals.
Date: May 11, 2018
Creator: Kandel, William A. & Kapp, Lawrence
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran: U.S. Economic Sanctions and the Authority to Lift Restrictions (open access)

Iran: U.S. Economic Sanctions and the Authority to Lift Restrictions

This report identifies the legislative bases for sanctions imposed on Iran, and the nature of the authority to waive or lift those restrictions. It includes two tables that present legislation and executive orders that are specific to Iran and its objectionable activities in the areas of terrorism, human rights, and weapons proliferation.
Date: May 10, 2018
Creator: Rennack, Dianne E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal (open access)

Civilian Nuclear Waste Disposal

This report discusses disposal of nuclear waste, primarily highly radioactive spent fuel from nuclear power plants. Presidential and Congressional actions regarding nuclear waste disposal sites and the Yucca Mountain Project, other alternatives previously proposed by the Obama Administration, and temporary solutions are discussed.
Date: May 9, 2018
Creator: Holt, Mark
System: The UNT Digital Library
Oil and Gas Activities Within the National Wildlife Refuge System (open access)

Oil and Gas Activities Within the National Wildlife Refuge System

This report contains sections on recent developments related to oil and gas wells in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) and related issues for Congress. The report presents information on the number and location of oil and gas wells, compatibility of oil and gas activities with NWRS purposes, and regulatory mechanisms for the administration of oil and gas activities.
Date: May 9, 2018
Creator: Crafton, R. Eliot; Comay, Laura B. & Humphries, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Decision to Cease Implementing the Iran Nuclear Agreement (open access)

U.S. Decision to Cease Implementing the Iran Nuclear Agreement

This report analyzes the Trump Administration's decision to pullout from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and its potential implications. The other powers that negotiated the accord with Iran--Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany--have consistently asserted that the JCPOA is succeeding in its core objectives and that its implementation should not be jeopardized.
Date: May 9, 2018
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth; Kerr, Paul K. & Heitshusen, Valerie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements (open access)

Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements

This report provides an overview of many of the key arms control and nonproliferation agreements and endeavors of the past 40 years, divided into three sections. The first describes arms control efforts between the United States and the states of the former Soviet Union. The second section describes multilateral nuclear nonproliferation efforts. The final section reviews treaties and agreements that address chemical, biological, and conventional weapons.
Date: May 8, 2018
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.; Kerr, Paul K. & Nikitin, Mary Beth D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Covert Action and Clandestine Activities of the Intelligence Community: Selected Notification Requirements in Brief (open access)

Covert Action and Clandestine Activities of the Intelligence Community: Selected Notification Requirements in Brief

This report discusses the requirements for notifying Congress of covert action and clandestine activities of the intelligence community and activities of the military. These requirements originated from instances in the 1970s when media disclosure of past intelligence abuses underscored reasons for Congress taking a more active role in oversight. Over time, these requirements were written into statute or became custom.
Date: May 7, 2018
Creator: DeVine, Michael E. & Peters, Heidi M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Withdrawal from International Agreements: Legal Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement (open access)

Withdrawal from International Agreements: Legal Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Iran Nuclear Agreement

This report outlines the legal framework for withdrawal from international agreements under domestic and international law, and it examines legal issues related to the potential termination of two agreements that may be of significance to the 115th Congress: the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) related to Iran's nuclear program.
Date: May 4, 2018
Creator: Mulligan, Stephen P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program (open access)

High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program

This report provides an overview of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, including how areas are designated as part of a HIDTA, and program coordination and funding. It also examines issues that policymakers may consider as they debate the future of the program: whether the county is still an appropriate unit of inclusion, whether the criteria remain adequate, whether the program is effective, whether its tangential effects can be measured, whether the current bounds on funds are still appropriate, and which federal entity may be best suited to administer the program.
Date: May 3, 2018
Creator: Finklea, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Farm Bill Programs Without a Budget Baseline Beyond FY2018 (open access)

Farm Bill Programs Without a Budget Baseline Beyond FY2018

This report discusses programs under the Farm Bill that do not have guaranteed future funding known as "baseline" funding beyond FY2018.
Date: May 2, 2018
Creator: Monke, Jim
System: The UNT Digital Library
From Slip Law to United States Code: A Guide to Federal Statutes for Congressional Staff (open access)

From Slip Law to United States Code: A Guide to Federal Statutes for Congressional Staff

This report provides an overview of federal statutes in their various forms, as well as basic guidance for congressional staff interested in researching statutes.
Date: May 2, 2018
Creator: Tarnay, Eva M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Law Enforcement Access to Overseas Data Under the CLOUD Act (open access)

Law Enforcement Access to Overseas Data Under the CLOUD Act

This report discusses the CLOUD Act recently passed by Congress which gives the U.S. government's the ability to force companies to disclose information stored on overseas servers that is covered under a warrant and updates the reciprocal agreements with other countries accessing data as a part of criminal investigations that is held in the United States. Legal commentary on the law is provided.
Date: May 2, 2018
Creator: Mulligan, Stephen P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Travel Ban Case and Nationwide Injunctions (open access)

The Travel Ban Case and Nationwide Injunctions

This report addresses when, if ever, a regional federal trial judge adjudicating a case involving the federal government can award nationwide injunctive relief--a court order that commands a party to take or refrain from taking some action throughout the country. In the context of a suit against the federal government, an injunction with this type of "universal" effect acts to effectively void the law or policy in question. This report briefly explores the nationwide injunction at issue in the travel ban case (Trump v. Hawaii) and surveys a handful of the scholarly and judicial arguments surrounding the nationwide injunction in general
Date: May 2, 2018
Creator: Freeman, Wilson C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During President Trump's First Year in Office: Comparative Analysis with Recent Presidents (open access)

U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During President Trump's First Year in Office: Comparative Analysis with Recent Presidents

This report provides statistics related to the nomination and confirmation of U.S. circuit and district court nominees during the first year of the Trump presidency, as well as during the first year of each of his three immediate predecessors: Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.
Date: May 2, 2018
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
CRS Products and Experts on North Korea (open access)

CRS Products and Experts on North Korea

This report provides a listing of CRS reports covering various aspects of North Korean policy and U.S. policy toward North Korea.
Date: May 1, 2018
Creator: Manyin, Mark E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Data on Multiemployer Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Plans (open access)

Data on Multiemployer Defined Benefit (DB) Pension Plans

This report provides data on multiemployer defined benefit (DB) plans categorized in several ways. First, the report categorizes the data based on plans' zone status in 2015. Next, it provides a year-by-year breakdown of the number of plans that are expected to become insolvent and the number of participants in those plans. Finally, the report provides information on the 25 largest multiemployer DB plans in 2015 (each plan has at least 75,000 participants).
Date: May 1, 2018
Creator: Topoleski, John J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) (open access)

The Director of National Intelligence (DNI)

This report describes the creation, responsibilities, and authorities of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
Date: May 1, 2018
Creator: DeVine, Michael E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fatherhood Initiatives: Connecting Fathers to Their Children (open access)

Fatherhood Initiatives: Connecting Fathers to Their Children

This report provides an overview of the federal government's financial support of fatherhood initiatives, including through the Responsible Fatherhood (RF) grant program. It begins by providing a legislative history of this financial support and a summary of allowable activities under the RF grant program. This is followed by an explanation of some of the research and evaluations that have occurred via demonstration programs. The report concludes by briefly examining the role of governmental child support enforcement (CSE) agencies in fatherhood programs, initiatives to promote and support father-child interaction outside the parents' relationship, and recent developments with regard to work-oriented programs for noncustodial parents.
Date: May 1, 2018
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Disaster Assistance After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Gustav, and Ike (open access)

Federal Disaster Assistance After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Wilma, Gustav, and Ike

This report provides information on federal financial assistance provided to the Gulf States after major disasters were declared in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in response to the widespread destruction that resulted from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005 and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.
Date: May 1, 2018
Creator: Lindsay, Bruce R. & Nagel, Jared C.
System: The UNT Digital Library