Steel: Key Issues for Congress (open access)

Steel: Key Issues for Congress

None
Date: May 30, 2002
Creator: Cooney, Stephen
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Child Pornography: Constitutional Principles and Federal Statutes (open access)

Child Pornography: Constitutional Principles and Federal Statutes

The Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996, P.L. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009- 26, added a definition of “child pornography” that include visual depictions of what appears to be a minor engaging in explicit sexual conduct, even if no actual minor was used in producing the depiction. On April 16, 2002, in Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, the Supreme Court held this provision unconstitutional to the extent that it prohibited pictures that were not produced with actual minors. (This case is discussed under “Section 2256,” below.) In response to Ashcroft, bills were introduced in the House and Senate that would continue to ban some child pornography that was produced without an actual minor; on June 25, 2002, the House passed one such bill: H.R. 4623, 107th Congress.
Date: May 2, 2003
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Missing and Exploited Children: Overview and Policy Concerns (open access)

Missing and Exploited Children: Overview and Policy Concerns

This report presents an overview of two national incidence studies prepared by Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to determine annually the number of reported missing and recovered children in the nation. It also discusses the AMBER Alert System created to help recover reported missing children, legislation introduced in the 108th Congresses to address the missing children issue, and questions that remain regarding concerns about missing children. S. 151, the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today (PROTECT) Act, which was signed into law (P.L. 108-21) by the President on April 30, 2003, contains provisions related to missing and exploited children.
Date: May 13, 2003
Creator: Cooper, Edith Fairman
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Child Welfare Issues in the 108th Congress (open access)

Child Welfare Issues in the 108th Congress

The purpose of this report is to present a number of generally less broad legislative proposals related to child welfare financing have been introduced in the 108th Congress. Additional child welfare-related proposals designed to improve services, promote timely placement of children across state lines, and for other purposes, are described in this report.
Date: May 6, 2003
Creator: Stoltzfus, Emilie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment (open access)

Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press....” This language restricts government both more and less than it would if it were applied literally. It restricts government more in that it applies not only to Congress, but to all branches of the federal government, and to all branches of state and local government. It restricts government less in that it provides no protection to some types of speech and only limited protection to others. This report provides an overview of the major exceptions to the First Amendment — of the ways that the Supreme Court has interpreted the guarantee of freedom of speech and press to provide no protection or only limited protection for some types of speech.
Date: May 16, 2002
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment (open access)

Freedom of Speech and Press: Exceptions to the First Amendment

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. . . .” This language restricts government both more and less than it would if it were applied literally. It restricts government more in that it applies not only to Congress, but to all branches of the federal government, and to all branches of state and local government. It restricts government less in that it provides no protection to some types of speech and only limited protection to others. This report provides an overview of the major exceptions to the First Amendment — of the ways that the Supreme Court has interpreted the guarantee of freedom of speech and press to provide no protection or only limited protection for some types of speech.
Date: May 6, 2003
Creator: Cohen, Henry
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information (open access)

Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information

None
Date: May 10, 2002
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information (open access)

Privacy Protection for Customer Financial Information

None
Date: May 2, 2003
Creator: Murphy, M. Maureen
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
China and "Falun Gong" (open access)

China and "Falun Gong"

“Falun Gong,” also known as “Falun Dafa,”1 combines an exercise regimen with meditation and moral tenets. The “Falun Gong” movement has led to the largest and most protracted public demonstrations in China since the democracy movement of 1989. On April 25, 1999, an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 adherents assembled in front of Zhongnanhai, the Chinese Communist Party leadership compound, and participated in a silent protest against state repression of their activities. On July 21, 1999, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government, fearful of the spread of social unrest, outlawed the movement and began to arrest Falun Gong protesters.
Date: May 1, 2002
Creator: Lum, Thomas
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Privacy Protection: Mandating New Arrangements to Implement and Assess Federal Privacy Policy and Practice (open access)

Privacy Protection: Mandating New Arrangements to Implement and Assess Federal Privacy Policy and Practice

None
Date: May 27, 2004
Creator: Relyea, Harold C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment (open access)

Flag Protection: A Brief History and Summary of Recent Supreme Court Decisions and Proposed Constitutional Amendment

This report is divided into two parts. The first gives a brief history of the flag protection issue, from the enactment of the Flag Protection Act in 1968 through current consideration of a constitutional amendment. The second part briefly summarizes the two decisions of the United States Supreme Court, Texas v. Johnson and United States v. Eichman, that struck down the state and federal flag protection statutes as applied in the context punishing expressive conduct.
Date: May 6, 2003
Creator: Luckey, John R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Commemorative Observances: A Chronological List (open access)

Commemorative Observances: A Chronological List

Historically, national commemorative observances were recommended by Congress through the legislative process. This practice was discontinued by the House of Representatives in January 1995, although the Senate continues to issue sense of the Senate resolutions recommending the establishment of commemoratives. It has now become standard practice for special observances to be designated by a proclamation issued by the President. This report is a chronological list of these proclamations for 1997 and 1998, indicating the proclamation number and its Federal Register citation
Date: May 21, 2002
Creator: Richardson, Glenda
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agriculture and Fast Track or Trade Promotion Authority (open access)

Agriculture and Fast Track or Trade Promotion Authority

New “fast track” (or, trade promotion) authority (TPA) is at issue in the 107th Congress. Such authority could enable the Administration to submit negotiated foreign trade agreements to Congress for consideration under expedited procedures. Efforts to renew this authority, which expired in 1994, have not succeeded since then. Many agricultural and food industry interests are among the export-oriented enterprises that support TPA, arguing that foreign trading partners will not seriously negotiate with an Administration that lacks it. However, some farm groups argue that fast track ultimately will lead to new agreements that could have adverse effects on U.S. producers, at least in some commodity sectors.
Date: May 10, 2002
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S. & Hanrahan, Charles E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Invoking Cloture in the Senate (open access)

Invoking Cloture in the Senate

This report discuses cloture, which is is the only procedure by which the Senate can vote to set an end to a debate without also rejecting the bill, amendment, conference report, motion, or other matter it has been debating. A Senator can make a nondebatable motion to table an amendment, and if a majority of the Senate votes for that motion, the effect is to reject the amendment. Thus, the motion to table cannot be used to conclude a debate when Senators still wish to speak and to enable the Senate to vote for the proposal it is considering. Only the cloture provisions of Rule XXII achieve this purpose.
Date: May 9, 2003
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Amendments in the Senate: Types and Forms (open access)

Amendments in the Senate: Types and Forms

The amending process is central to the consideration of legislation by the Senate. This report briefly describes the various types of amendments that take place in the Senate.
Date: May 19, 2003
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the House (open access)

Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the House

This report briefly discusses procedure regarding conference reports in the House.
Date: May 19, 2003
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the Senate (open access)

Floor Consideration of Conference Reports in the Senate

This report briefly discusses procedure regarding conference reports in the Senate.
Date: May 19, 2003
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Amendments Between the Houses (open access)

Amendments Between the Houses

This report briefly summarizes the process of amendments between the House of Representatives and the Senate, which occurs if the House and Senate approve differing versions of a measure. An exchange of amendments between the houses resolves these differences.
Date: May 19, 2003
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fast-Track Authority for Trade Agreements (Trade Promotion Authority): Background and Developments in the 107th Congress (open access)

Fast-Track Authority for Trade Agreements (Trade Promotion Authority): Background and Developments in the 107th Congress

This report discusses one of the major trade issues in the 107th Congress: whether or not Congress approves authority for the President to negotiate trade agreements with expedited, or "fast track" procedures. Under this authority, Congress agrees to consider legislation to implement the nontariff trade agreements under a procedure with mandatory deadlines, no amendment, and limited debate. The President is required to consult with congressional committees during negotiation of nontariff trade agreements and notify Congress before entering into any such agreement. The President was granted fast-track authority almost continuously from 1974 to 1994, but the authority lapsed and has not been renewed.
Date: May 14, 2001
Creator: Sek, Lenore
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Promotion Authority (Fast-Track Authority for Trade Agreements): Background and Developments in the 107th Congress (open access)

Trade Promotion Authority (Fast-Track Authority for Trade Agreements): Background and Developments in the 107th Congress

None
Date: May 10, 2002
Creator: Sek, Lenore
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hearings in the House of Representatives: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure (open access)

Hearings in the House of Representatives: A Guide for Preparation and Procedure

The report describes provisions of House rules that pertain to hearings, and citations to these rules are included for reference.
Date: May 1, 2000
Creator: Sachs, Richard C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor (open access)

The First Day of a New Congress: A Guide to Proceedings on the House Floor

This report focuses on the floor activities of the House during its first formal session in a new Congress, and serves as a guide for participating in or watching these proceedings.
Date: May 23, 2003
Creator: Amer, Mildred L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Budget Actions in 2003 (open access)

Congressional Budget Actions in 2003

During the first session of the 108th Congress, the House and Senate will consider many different budgetary measures. Most measures pertain to fiscal year (FY) 2004 (which began on October 1, 2003) and beyond. Some also pertain to the budget for FY2003. As the session progresses, this report will describe House and Senate action on major budgetary legislation within the framework of the congressional budget process and other procedural requirements.
Date: May 6, 2003
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Budget Actions in 2003 (open access)

Congressional Budget Actions in 2003

During the first session of the 108th Congress, the House and Senate will consider many different budgetary measures. Most measures pertain to fiscal year (FY) 2004 (which began on October 1, 2003) and beyond. Some also pertain to the budget for FY2003. As the session progresses, this report will describe House and Senate action on major budgetary legislation within the framework of the congressional budget process and other procedural requirements.
Date: May 21, 2003
Creator: Heniff, Bill, Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library