Medicare: Financing the Part A Hospital Insurance Program (open access)

Medicare: Financing the Part A Hospital Insurance Program

This report discusses Medicare, which consists of two distinct parts — Part A (Hospital Insurance (HI)) and Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI)). Part A is financed primarily through payroll taxes levied on current workers and their employers. Income from these taxes is credited to the HI trust fund. Part B is financed through a combination of monthly premiums paid by current enrollees and general revenues. Income from these sources is credited to the SMI trust fund.
Date: May 5, 1998
Creator: O'Sullivan, Jennifer
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
What Is a Farm Bill? (open access)

What Is a Farm Bill?

A farmbill is a collection of new laws and amendmentsto longstanding lawsthat sets the overall direction of federal food and farm policy for a specified number of years. Farm bills typically contain not only commodity price and income support provisions, but also provisions on agricultural trade, rural development, domestic food assistance, foreign food aid, conservation, crop insurance, farm credit, forestry, and agricultural research. The many issues covered by farm bills make it possible to form a broad coalition ofsupport among common, and sometimes conflicting interestsfor policies and programs that individually might not be enacted.
Date: May 5, 2001
Creator: Jones, Jean Yavis; Hanrahan, Charles E. & Womach, Jasper
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Global Climate Change: A Concise History of Negotiations and Chronology of Major Activities Preceding the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention (open access)

Global Climate Change: A Concise History of Negotiations and Chronology of Major Activities Preceding the 1992 U.N. Framework Convention

This report discusses the ongoing international policy debate regarding Global Climate Change and U.S. involvement in the issue of global climate change.The report provides an historical context of the current debate, which is important in understanding the fundamental issues about global climate change.
Date: May 5, 1998
Creator: Morrissey, Wayne A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Consideration of the Budget Resolution (open access)

Consideration of the Budget Resolution

Consideration of a concurrent budget resolution is governed by special procedures in the House and Senate. Although the procedures of each chamber differ, they serve generally to expedite consideration of the budget resolution.
Date: May 5, 2001
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Airport Improvement Program (open access)

Airport Improvement Program

This issue brief discusses the Airport Improvement Program and its complement, the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). After a brief history of federal support for airport construction and improvement, the report describes AIP funding, its source of revenues, funding distribution, the types of projects the program funds, AIP and PFC policy issues, and the allowable use of AIP funds for airport security purposes.
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Kirk, Robert S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Competitiveness: Economic Issue or Illusion? (open access)

Competitiveness: Economic Issue or Illusion?

While "competitiveness" has a clear meaning when applied to a baseball team, or a firm or industry, it is of limited usefulness when applied to a country's overall economic performance. Moreover, focussing on competitiveness can lead to questionable economic policies.
Date: May 5, 1994
Creator: Elwell, Craig K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Proposed Tobacco Settlement: Effects on Prices, Smoking Behavior, and Income Distribution (open access)

The Proposed Tobacco Settlement: Effects on Prices, Smoking Behavior, and Income Distribution

None
Date: May 5, 1998
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Lumber Imports from Canada: Issues and Events (open access)

Lumber Imports from Canada: Issues and Events

This report discuses lumber imports from Canada and provides a concise historical account of the dispute, summarizes the subsidy and injury evidence, and discusses the current issues and events.
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Gorte, Ross W. & Grimmett, Jeanne J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Special Rules and Waivers of House Rules (open access)

Special Rules and Waivers of House Rules

To the extent that a special rule is silent with respect to the terms for considering a measure, the standing rules of the House apply. The standing rules impose various limitations on consideration; however, it is not always in the interest of the House to observe these limitations. Therefore, special rules may sometimes include exemptions from one or more provisions of the standing rules, which appear in the form of waivers of those provisions.
Date: May 5, 1998
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Research: A Primer on the Department of Defense's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT and E) Program (open access)

Defense Research: A Primer on the Department of Defense's Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT and E) Program

This report describes the basic elements and issues of the Department of Defense's (DOD) Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program. It defines basic activities supported by the program, presents budget trends, discusses the management of program, and describes the infrastructure in which the program is implemented. This report is for staff new to the area of defense research and for senior staff interested in historical trends.
Date: May 5, 1998
Creator: Moteff, John D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Palestinians and Middle East Peace: Issues for the United States (open access)

Palestinians and Middle East Peace: Issues for the United States

None
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Mark, Clyde R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Supplemental Appropriations FY2003: Iraq Conflict, Afghanistan, Global War on Terrorism, and Homeland Security (open access)

Supplemental Appropriations FY2003: Iraq Conflict, Afghanistan, Global War on Terrorism, and Homeland Security

None
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Belasco, Amy & Nowels, Larry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
NATO Enlargement (open access)

NATO Enlargement

None
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Gallis, Paul E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disaster Mitigation Assistance Bills in the 106th Congress: Comparison of Provisions (open access)

Disaster Mitigation Assistance Bills in the 106th Congress: Comparison of Provisions

The Administration initiative to shift federal emergency management policy away from a "response and recovery" emphasis has generated little congressional controversy, although some have raised concerns about the cost effectiveness of implementing a mitigation strategy. Greater attention, it is generally argued, should be given to mitigation (loss reduction) efforts before disasters occur in order to reduce future losses. Legislation (H.R. 707, S. 1691) pending before the 106th Congress would amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (the Stafford Act) which authorizes federal assistance when the President declares that a catastrophe has overwhelmed state and local resources.
Date: May 5, 2000
Creator: Bea, Keith
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Homeland Security: State and Local Preparedness Issues (open access)

Department of Homeland Security: State and Local Preparedness Issues

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) makes the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for providing assistance to state and local governments to ensure adequate preparedness for all disasters, including terrorist attacks. Several federal entities with functions relating to state and local preparedness, ranging from entire independent agencies to units of agencies and departments, will be transferred to the new department.
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Canada, Ben
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Japan's Foreign Aid (open access)

Japan's Foreign Aid

Japan has quickly risen to prominence as a donor of official development assistance (ODA), providing volumes of aid on par with the United States since the late 1980s. Originally a tool to bolster Japan's postwar economic recovery, Japanese aid has gradually assumed importance as a foreign policy tool. Faced with increased pressure from the international community to play a greater role in meeting global challenges and lacking the military and diplomatic resources of other nations, Japan has increasingly turned to its foreign aid as a source of world influence.
Date: May 5, 1993
Creator: Hankes, Nancy J
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Israeli-United States Relations (open access)

Israeli-United States Relations

None
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Mark, Clyde R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Egypt-United States Relations (open access)

Egypt-United States Relations

Among the current issues in U.S.-Egyptian relations are the shared concerns over the terrorist attacks against Egyptian police, religious, government, and tourist facilities, and what those attacks maysignal for Egypt’s domestic stability. The two nations may disagree over Egypt’s interpretation of applying human rights practices to Islamic terrorists. The two countries disagree over the speed and depth, but not the need for some of Egypt’s economic reforms. Egypt and the United States agree on the importance of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, the need to continue current Arab-Israel peace talks, and the need for regional stability. The two nations agree on Egypt’s determination to introduce democratic reforms to Egypt.
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Mark, Clyde R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Appropriations for FY2003: Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs (open access)

Appropriations for FY2003: Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs

Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittees.
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Nowels, Larry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Latin America and the Caribbean: Issues for the 108th Congress (open access)

Latin America and the Caribbean: Issues for the 108th Congress

None
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.; Hornbeck, J. F.; Serafino, Nina M.; Storrs, K. Larry & Taft-Morales, Maureen
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
NATO's Decision-Making Procedure (open access)

NATO's Decision-Making Procedure

None
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Gallis, Paul E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security and the Federal Budget: What Does Social Security's Being "Off Budget" Mean? (open access)

Social Security and the Federal Budget: What Does Social Security's Being "Off Budget" Mean?

As a result of a series of laws enacted in 1983, 1985 and 1990, Social Security is considered to be "off budget" for federal budget purposes. While the meaning of this might seem obvious -- that Social Security is not to be considered as part of the federal budget -- many people are perplexed by the use of aggregate budget figures that count all federal receipts and expenditures, including Social Security's.
Date: May 5, 1998
Creator: Koitz, David Stuart
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Space Stations (open access)

Space Stations

None
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Smith, Marcia S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Broadband Internet Access: Background and Issues (open access)

Broadband Internet Access: Background and Issues

This is one part in the series of reports that provide a background and analysis, and most recent developments regarding broadband or high-speed Internet access. The report starts out by answering questions; what is broadband and why is it important? This report also discusses broadband technologies, the status of broadband deployment and the related policy issues, as well as the legislation in congress.
Date: May 5, 2003
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A. & Kruger, Lennard G.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library