After Brexit: A Diminished or Enhanced EU? (open access)

After Brexit: A Diminished or Enhanced EU?

This report briefly discusses the United Kingdom's (UK's) "Brexit" vote and what it means for the future of the European Union.
Date: June 29, 2016
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Athletic Footwear for the Military: The Berry Amendment Controversy (open access)

Athletic Footwear for the Military: The Berry Amendment Controversy

This report briefly examines issues regarding the Berry Amendment, which is a 1941 federal law (10 U.S.C. §2533a) requiring the Department of Defense (DOD) to purchase only wholly American-made clothing, textiles, and other essential items for the military.
Date: June 10, 2016
Creator: Platzer, Michaela D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Declining Dynamism in the U.S. Labor Market (open access)

Declining Dynamism in the U.S. Labor Market

This report discusses certain measures of the U.S. labor market "dynamism" or "fluidity"--including job reallocation, worker churn, and geographic labor mobility-- which some observers note have been declining for the past 20 years or more.
Date: June 15, 2016
Creator: Perkins, David W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Department of the Interior's Final Rule on Offshore Well Control (open access)

The Department of the Interior's Final Rule on Offshore Well Control

This report discusses regulations regarding blowout preventer systems and well control for oil and gas operations on the U.S. outer continental shelf (81 Fed. Reg. 25887). The regulations aim to reduce the risk of an offshore oil or gas blowout that could jeopardize human safety and harm the environment.
Date: June 16, 2016
Creator: Comay, Laura B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Display of the Confederate Flag at Federal Cemeteries in the United States (open access)

Display of the Confederate Flag at Federal Cemeteries in the United States

This report discusses policies regarding the display of the Confederate Flag at national cemeteries. If a state observes a Confederate Memorial Day, National Park Service (NPS) cemeteries in the state may permit a sponsoring group to decorate the graves of Confederate veterans with small Confederate flags. Additionally, such flags may also be displayed on the nationally observed Memorial Day, to accompany the U.S. flag on the graves of Confederate veterans.
Date: June 23, 2016
Creator: Comay, Laura B. & Szymendera, Scott D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Economic Growth Slower Than Previous 10 Expansions (open access)

Economic Growth Slower Than Previous 10 Expansions

This report briefly discusses the recent pace of economic growth in the United States. A recent poll found that nearly 60% of U.S. adults believe that the economy is performing poorly. Although this expansion is already the fourth longest since the 1850's (34 quarters to date), the slow pace of economic growth means the overall gains have been relatively small.
Date: June 30, 2016
Creator: Stupak, Jeffrey M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financing U.S. Agricultural Exports to Cuba (open access)

Financing U.S. Agricultural Exports to Cuba

This report discusses a new policy approach toward Cuba that, in part, seeks to reduce the role of long-standing U.S. sanctions on commercial relations with Cuba while also promoting greater engagement and normal relations with the island nation.
Date: June 24, 2016
Creator: McMinimy, Mark A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
India-U.S. Relations and the Visit of Prime Minister Modi (open access)

India-U.S. Relations and the Visit of Prime Minister Modi

This report briefly discusses Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "working visit" to Washington D.C. that will include addressing Congress, the first such address by an Indian leader since 2005.
Date: June 6, 2016
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan & Akhtar, Shayerah I.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Midnight Rules: Congressional Oversight and Options (open access)

Midnight Rules: Congressional Oversight and Options

This report discusses "midnight rulemaking," referring to the phenomenon during the final months of recent presidential administrations when federal agencies have typically issued a larger number of rules relative to comparable time periods earlier in the administration. It likely occurs because the outgoing presidential administration wants to achieve certain policy goals before the end of its term.
Date: June 27, 2016
Creator: Carey, Maeve P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Lending Act: Timeline, New Rules, and Issues (open access)

Military Lending Act: Timeline, New Rules, and Issues

This report briefly discusses new rules under the Military Lending Act (MLA) that change the definition of consumer credit for covered servicemembers and dependents; it will apply to transactions or accounts that are established on or after October 3, 2016. These rules may have an impact on the regulatory burdens for businesses that provide credit products to the military and may also affect military readiness.
Date: June 1, 2016
Creator: Kamarck, Kristy N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
North American Leaders' Summit (open access)

North American Leaders' Summit

This report discusses the North American Leaders' Summits (NALS), a trilateral summit that meets in effort to increase cooperation on broader economic and security issues between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Date: June 16, 2016
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Open Skies Treaty: Issues in the Current Debate (open access)

The Open Skies Treaty: Issues in the Current Debate

This report discusses the current debate surrounding the Treaty on Open Skies, which the United States, Canada, and 22 European nations signed on March 24, 1992. The treaty entered into force on January 1, 2002, and now has 34 member states. Each participant must permit unarmed observation aircraft to fly over its entire territory to observe military forces and activities.
Date: June 10, 2016
Creator: Woolf, Amy F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Orlando Nightclub Mass Shooting: Gun Checks and Terrorist Watchlists (open access)

Orlando Nightclub Mass Shooting: Gun Checks and Terrorist Watchlists

This report discusses the policy climate surrounding gun control in the wake of the attack in an Orlando, Florida nightclub. On June 12, 2016, an armed assailant killed 49 people and wounded over 50 others in the club.
Date: June 16, 2016
Creator: Krouse, William J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles (open access)

Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles

This report briefly discusses the second phase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles jointly proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on July 13, 2015.
Date: June 22, 2016
Creator: Lattanzio, Richard K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Possible Economic Impact of Brexit (open access)

Possible Economic Impact of Brexit

This report briefly discusses the possible economic impact of a June 23, 2016 referendum in which a majority of British voters supported the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU), stunning global financial markets that expected the vote to fail.
Date: June 28, 2016
Creator: Jackson, James K. & Akhtar, Shayerah I.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Senate Action on U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During the Eighth Year of a Presidency (open access)

Senate Action on U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During the Eighth Year of a Presidency

This report discusses the process by which lower federal court judges are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate during the final year of a presidency. The eighth year of a presidency is significant, in part, because it is the final opportunity for a President to appoint individuals as U.S. circuit and district court judges.
Date: June 30, 2016
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sifting Domestic Terrorism from Hate Crime and Homegrown Violent Extremism (open access)

Sifting Domestic Terrorism from Hate Crime and Homegrown Violent Extremism

This report examines the differences between domestic terrorism, hate crime, and homegrown violent extremism. Federal law enforcement agencies use these three distinct concepts to categorize key types of criminals whose illegal activities are at least partly ideologically motivated.
Date: June 13, 2016
Creator: Bjelopera, Jerome P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Stafford Act Assistance and Acts of Terrorism (open access)

Stafford Act Assistance and Acts of Terrorism

This report provides a brief overview of Stafford Act declarations under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and the types of assistance they could authorize in response to terrorist incidents. This report also provides examples of Stafford Act declarations that have been issued for previous terrorist attacks.
Date: June 21, 2016
Creator: Lindsay, Bruce R. & McCarthy, Francis X.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Kingdom and the European Union: Stay or Go? (open access)

The United Kingdom and the European Union: Stay or Go?

This report briefly discusses the British referendum regarding whether or not to remain in the European Union. The outcome of the referendum remains difficult to predict. Polling results have varied from week to week and continue to suggest a close race with a significant number of undecided voters. Some polls in mid-June have shown a late shift in favor of the Leave campaign.
Date: June 20, 2016
Creator: Mix, Derek E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United Kingdom Votes to Leave the European Union (open access)

United Kingdom Votes to Leave the European Union

This report briefly examines the ramifications of a British exit from the EU (often referred to as "Brexit"). Nearly 52% of British voters in the June 23 referendum on European Union (EU) membership answered that the United Kingdom (UK) should leave the EU.
Date: June 24, 2016
Creator: Mix, Derek E.
System: The UNT Digital Library