Federal Farm Promotion ("Check-off") Programs (open access)

Federal Farm Promotion ("Check-off") Programs

This report discusses legislation establishing national generic promotion ("check-off') programs for 20 specified farm commodities. Thirteen of the 20 authorized programs are now in effect.
Date: May 3, 1996
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agricultural Trade Issues in the 107th Congress (open access)

Agricultural Trade Issues in the 107th Congress

The 107th Congress is considering trade issues with implications for the U.S. agricultural sector. Trade in agricultural commodities and food products affects farm income and rural employment, and it also generates economic activity beyond the farm gate. With agricultural export sales the equivalent of one-quarter of farm income, some policymakers view U.S. efforts to develop market opportunities overseas as vital to the sector’s financial health. Decisions taken by the Bush Administration, and actions taken by Congress, thus will affect the outlook for agricultural trade.
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Hanrahan, Charles E.; Becker, Geoffrey S. & Jurenas, Remy
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The 2002 Farm Bill: Overview and Status (open access)

The 2002 Farm Bill: Overview and Status

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform, or FAIR, Act of 1996 (commonly known as the "farm bill"), which was due to expire in 2002, is expected to be extended for another six years when President Bush signs the bill into law. This report discusses the provisions of the new "farm bill," including the federal spending involved.
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S. & Womach, Jasper
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iraq: Compliance, Sanctions, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Iraq: Compliance, Sanctions, and U.S. Policy

None
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chechnya Conflict: Recent Developments (open access)

Chechnya Conflict: Recent Developments

This report examines military airstrikes and ground operations that Russia launched against its Chechnya region in late September 1999. It provides background information on earlier Chechen guerrilla attacks on the neighboring Dagestan region of Russia and on the unsolved terrorist bombing of several apartment buildings in Russia. Current problems of governance in Chechnya are discussed, as well as Chechnya’s response to the Russian offensive. The concerns of the United States and other Western governments about the conflict are examined. A map is included. This report supersedes CRS Report RS20358, Chechnya Conflict.
Date: May 3, 2000
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
MTBE in Gasoline: Clean Air and Drinking Water Issues (open access)

MTBE in Gasoline: Clean Air and Drinking Water Issues

None
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: McCarthy, James E. & Tiemann, Mary
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Outer Continental Shelf: Oil and Gas Leasing and Revenue (open access)

Outer Continental Shelf: Oil and Gas Leasing and Revenue

The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) was the source of $18 billion of oil and natural gas during 1998. This amounted to 25% of the nation's natural gas production and nearly 20% of the nation's crude oil. Nearly all of this output comes from the Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, where supporting infrastructure is already in place and there is little environmental opposition. Except for one sale in Alaska, no leases have been auctioned since 1991 in any other OCS region. The deep waters off Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas are the current focus of producer interest in the OCS.
Date: May 3, 2000
Creator: Kumins, Lawrence C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Colombia: Summary and Tables on U.S. Assistance, FY1989-FY2003 (open access)

Colombia: Summary and Tables on U.S. Assistance, FY1989-FY2003

In early 2002, the Bush Administration requested $573.2 million for Colombia ($538.2 million in FY03 State Department foreign operations funds and $35.0 million in FY2002 emergency supplemental funds). This request builds on the programs developed during the Clinton Administration, whose centerpiece counternarcotics (CN) program was “Plan Colombia,” through which Congress provided funding of $860 million in FY2000 emergency supplemental funds and $257 million in related FY2001 funds. These programs were continued by the Bush Administration’s FY2002 Andean Regional Initiative (ARI).
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mining on Federal Lands (open access)

Mining on Federal Lands

The General Mining Law of 1872 is one of the major statutes that direct the federal government's land management policy. The law grants free access to individuals and corporations to prospect for minerals in public domain lands, and allows them, upon making a discovery, to stake (or "locate") a claim on that deposit. A claim gives the holder the right to develop the minerals and may be "patented" to convey full title to the claimant. A continuing issue is whether this law should be reformed, and if so, how to balance mineral development with competing land uses.
Date: May 3, 2001
Creator: Humphries, Marc & Hardy-Vincent, Carol
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Philippines: Briefing Paper (open access)

Philippines: Briefing Paper

Political Situation. The Philippines gained independence in 1946 following the end of the Japanese occupation in World War II. President Ramon Magsaysay defeated the communist-inspired Huk Rebellion (1946-1953) and began efforts at land reform. Following Magsaysay's death in 1957, President Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961) adopted a policy of economic nationalism and President Diosdado Macapagal (1961-1965) pursued economic reforms.
Date: May 3, 1995
Creator: Niksch, Larry A. & Cerniello, Craig
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Nuclear Waste Repository Siting: Expedited Procedures for Congressional Approval (open access)

Nuclear Waste Repository Siting: Expedited Procedures for Congressional Approval

None
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Beth, Richard S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Data Mining: An Overview (open access)

Data Mining: An Overview

Data mining is emerging as one of the key features of many homeland security initiatives. Often used as a means for detecting fraud, assessing risk, and product retailing, data mining involves the use of data analysis tools to discover previously unknown, valid patterns and relationships in large data sets. This report discusses the data mining uses (i.e. Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA) Program) and issues (i.e. data quality, interoperability, privacy), as well as the limitations of data mining.
Date: May 3, 2004
Creator: Seifert, Jeffrey W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
China's Trade with the United States and the World (open access)

China's Trade with the United States and the World

This report provides a quantitative framework for policy considerations dealing with U.S. trade with China. It provides basic data and analysis of China’s international trade with the United States and other countries. Since Chinese data differ considerably from those of its trading partners (because of how entrepot trade through Hong Kong is counted), data from both PRC sources and those of its trading partners are presented. Charts showing import trends by sector for the United States highlight China’s growing market shares in many industries and also show import shares for Japan, Canada, Mexico, the European Union, and the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN ).
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Lum, Thomas & Nanto, Dick K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation Issues in the 107th Congress (open access)

Transportation Issues in the 107th Congress

None
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Harrison, Glennon J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Clean Water Action Plan: Background and Early Implementation (open access)

The Clean Water Action Plan: Background and Early Implementation

October 1997, Vice President Gore directed federal agencies to develop a Clean Water Initiative to improve and strengthen water pollution control efforts. The multi-agency plan was released on Feb. 19, 1998, and identifies more than 100 key actions. Most are existing activities, now labeled as part of the Initiative. The President's FY1999 budget requested $2.2 billion for five departments and agencies ($568 million more than in FY1998) to fund implementation. By October 1998, Congress passed bills to fund the plan, but appropriations provided $1.8 billion, or less than 15%, of the requested increases. In the meantime, however, federal agencies are beginning or accelerating activities to carry out the actions under the Plan.
Date: May 3, 1999
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Campaign Financing (open access)

Campaign Financing

This is one report in the series of reports that discuss the campaign finance practices and related issues. Concerns over financing federal elections have become a seemingly perennial aspect of our political system, centered on the enduring issues of high campaign costs and reliance on interest groups for needed campaign funds. The report talks about the today’s paramount issues such as perceived loopholes in current law and the longstanding issues: overall costs, funding sources, and competition.
Date: May 3, 2001
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Honduras: Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations (open access)

Honduras: Political and Economic Situation and U.S. Relations

Update of previous report on Honduras' political and economic issues, as well as criticism and consequences that may arise from the United States intervening.
Date: May 3, 2005
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: Summary and Comparison with Previous Law (open access)

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: Summary and Comparison with Previous Law

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 was enacted on March 27, 2002 as P.L. 107-155. It passed the House on February 14, 2002, as H.R. 2356 (Shays- Meehan), by a 240-189 vote. Its companion measure, on which it was largely based, had initially been passed by the Senate in 2001 as S. 27 (McCain-Feingold). On March 20, 2002, however, the Senate approved the House-passed H.R. 2356 by a 60- 40 vote, thus avoiding a conference to reconcile differences between S. 27 and H.R. 2356. The two primary features of P.L. 107-155 are restrictions on party soft money and issue advocacy.
Date: May 3, 2002
Creator: Cantor, Joseph E. & Whitaker, L. Paige
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Negotiations in the 109th Congress (open access)

Trade Negotiations in the 109th Congress

None
Date: May 3, 2005
Creator: Fergusson, Ian F. & Sek, Lenore
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Multilateral Development Banks: Current Authorization Requests (open access)

Multilateral Development Banks: Current Authorization Requests

None
Date: May 3, 2005
Creator: Sanford, Jonathan E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
International Financial Institutions:  Funding U.S. Participation (open access)

International Financial Institutions: Funding U.S. Participation

None
Date: May 3, 2005
Creator: Sanford, Jonathan E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
PAYGO Rules for Budget Enforcement in the House and Senate (open access)

PAYGO Rules for Budget Enforcement in the House and Senate

One of the most contentious issues in budget procedure in recent years has involved proposed changes in the Senate’s “pay-as-you-go” (PAYGO) rule and efforts to establish a similar rule in the House. This controversy led to an impasse between the House and Senate over the FY2005 budget resolution and surfaced again during consideration of the FY2006 budget resolution. The issue focuses principally on whether tax-cut legislation, even though it may worsen the deficit, should be exempted from a deficit-neutral PAYGO requirement.
Date: May 3, 2005
Creator: Keith, Robert & Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committee Funding Requests and Authorizations, 104th-109th Congresses (open access)

House Committee Funding Requests and Authorizations, 104th-109th Congresses

Under House Rule X, clause 6, each standing and select committee of the House (except the Appropriations Committee) is required to submit an operating budget request for its necessary expenses over the two years of a Congress. Each committee chair normally introduces a House resolution to provide his or her committee with the requisite funds for the two years of the Congress.
Date: May 3, 2005
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ethylene Dibromide: History, Health Effects, and Policy Questions (open access)

Ethylene Dibromide: History, Health Effects, and Policy Questions

Much attention has recently been focused on the chemical ethylene dibromide (EDB). This chemical has been widely used in leaded gasoline, and has also been used to treat grains, citrus and other crops. It has been found in foods and in groundwater. This paper examines the possible health effects of exposure to EDB, as well as its regulation. The possible health effects and regulation of various chemical and physical alternatives to EDB are also examined. This paper concludes with some policy considerations pertinent to EDB.
Date: May 3, 1984
Creator: Simpson, Michael M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library