El Salvador: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

El Salvador: Background and U.S. Relations

This report examines current conditions in El Salvador as well as issues in U.S.-Salvadoran relations.
Date: June 23, 2014
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
System: The UNT Digital Library
El Salvador: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

El Salvador: Background and U.S. Relations

This report examines current conditions in El Salvador as well as issues in U.S.-Salvadoran relations.
Date: June 26, 2014
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
System: The UNT Digital Library
SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues (open access)

SBA Veterans Assistance Programs: An Analysis of Contemporary Issues

This report opens with an examination of the current economic circumstances of veteran-owned businesses drawn from the Bureau of the Census 2007 Survey of Business Owners, which was administered in 2008 and 2009, and released on May 17, 2011. It also provides a brief overview of veteran employment experiences, describes the employment assistance programs offered by several federal agencies to assist veterans in their transition from the military to the civilian labor force, and examines related Small Business Administration (SBA) initiatives such as business development programs, efforts to assist veterans' access to capital, and veteran contracting programs.
Date: June 5, 2014
Creator: Dilger, Robert J. & Lowry, Sean
System: The UNT Digital Library
Selected Legislative Proposals to Reform the Housing Finance System (open access)

Selected Legislative Proposals to Reform the Housing Finance System

The 113th Congress has seen several developments in the effort to reform the housing finance system. In the House, the Protecting American Taxpayers and Homeowners Act of 2013 (PATH Act; H.R. 2767) was ordered to be reported out of the House Financial Services Committee on July 24, 2013. This report will briefly explain the different approaches to housing finance reform offered by these legislative proposals, focusing on efforts to replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reform FHA. The report does not describe every provision of the proposals but discusses major concepts and themes.
Date: June 11, 2014
Creator: Hoskins, Sean M.; Weiss, N. E. & Jones, Katie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Social Security: Minimum Benefits (open access)

Social Security: Minimum Benefits

This report explains how the Special Minimum Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) functions under current law and presents arguments for and against expanding it. It then discusses criteria for evaluating proposals for change and describes some specific options for increasing benefits paid to people with low earnings or low income
Date: June 23, 2014
Creator: Meyerson, Noah P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress (open access)

The State of Campaign Finance Policy: Recent Developments and Issues for Congress

This report includes updated material that emphasizes the issues most prominently before the 113th Congress. It also discusses foundational information about major elements of campaign finance policy.
Date: June 23, 2014
Creator: Garrett, R. S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990 (open access)

Taiwan: Major U.S. Arms Sales Since 1990

This report discusses U.S. security assistance to Taiwan, or Republic of China (ROC), including policy issues for Congress and legislation.
Date: June 13, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Overview of Current Program (open access)

Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Overview of Current Program

This report looks at the background and current Congressional status of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002.
Date: June 4, 2014
Creator: Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library
Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Overview of Current Program (open access)

Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Overview of Current Program

This report looks at the background and current Congressional status of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002.
Date: June 4, 2014
Creator: Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library
Terrorism Risk Insurance Legislation: Issue Summary and Side-by-Side Analysis (open access)

Terrorism Risk Insurance Legislation: Issue Summary and Side-by-Side Analysis

This reports briefly outlines the issues involved with terrorism insurance, summarizes the extension legislation, and includes a side-by-side of the current TRIA law and the bills that have been ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (S. 2244) and the House Committee on Financial Services (H.R. 4871).
Date: June 24, 2014
Creator: Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library
Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations

This report looks at the relationship between the U.S. and Thailand, in particular, recent rivalries between populist political forces, nepotism in government, and Thai relationships with neighboring countries.
Date: June 19, 2014
Creator: Chanlett-Avery, Emma & Dolven, Ben
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2015 Appropriations (open access)

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD): FY2015 Appropriations

None
Date: June 16, 2014
Creator: Perl, Libby & Peterman, David Randall
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (open access)

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)

None
Date: June 16, 2014
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Air Force Bomber Sustainment and Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S. Air Force Bomber Sustainment and Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress

None
Date: June 4, 2014
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S.-China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress

This report discusses policy issues regarding military-to-military contacts with the People's Republic of China (PRC) and provides a record of major contacts and crises since 1993. The first part of this report discusses policy issues regarding such contacts. The second part provides a record of such contacts since 1993, when the United States resumed exchanges after suspending them in response to the Tiananmen Crackdown in 1989.
Date: June 12, 2014
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During the Obama Presidency: Midyear Analysis and Comparison with Recent Presidents (open access)

U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominations During the Obama Presidency: Midyear Analysis and Comparison with Recent Presidents

This report addresses these issues by providing a statistical analysis of nominations to U.S. circuit and district court judgeships from January 20 of President Obama's first year in office to June 30 of his sixth year, and by comparing statistics during this period of the Obama presidency to statistics from comparable periods of time during the presidencies of his two most recent predecessors.
Date: June 30, 2014
Creator: McMillion, Barry J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics (open access)

U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

This report discusses the energy policy that has been a recurring issue for Congress since the first major crisis in the 1970s. As an aid in policy making, this report presents a current and historical view of the supply and consumption of various forms of energy.
Date: June 27, 2014
Creator: Ratner, Michael
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and FY2015 Appropriations (open access)

U.S. Foreign Assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean: Recent Trends and FY2015 Appropriations

This report provides an overview of U.S. assistance to Latin America and the Caribbean. It examines historical and recent trends in aid to the region as well as the Obama Administration's FY2015 request for State Department and U.S Agency for International Development (USAID)-administered assistance. It also tracks congressional action on foreign aid appropriations for Latin America and the Caribbean in FY2015, and raises questions Congress may consider as it appropriates funding for the region.
Date: June 3, 2014
Creator: Meyer, Peter J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions (open access)

The U.S. Secret Service: History and Missions

This report discusses potential policy questions concerning the U.S. Secret Service through an examination of the Service's history and its statutory authorities, mission, and present activities within Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Date: June 18, 2014
Creator: Reese, Shawn
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-South Korea Relations (open access)

U.S.-South Korea Relations

This report contains two main parts: a section describing recent events and a longer background section on key elements of the U.S.-South Korea relationship. The end of the report provides a list of CRS products on South Korea and North Korea.
Date: June 24, 2014
Creator: Manyin, Mark E.; Nikitin, Mary Beth; Chanlett-Avery, Emma; Cooper, William H. & Rinehart, Ian E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-Vietnam Relations in 2014: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy (open access)

U.S.-Vietnam Relations in 2014: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy

This report provides background information regarding the U.S. - Vietnam relations and current issues and implications. The report discuses how various issues (US interests, Vietnamese interests, economic ties, and human rights) can affect this burgeoning relationship.
Date: June 24, 2014
Creator: Manyin, Mark E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy (open access)

Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy

This report offers background information on Ukraine's current political and economic situation, and foreign policy towards NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the European Union, and Russia. It also discusses U.S. policy, U.S. aid to Ukraine, the congressional response, and related legislation.
Date: June 8, 2014
Creator: Woehrel, Steven
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview (open access)

Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview

This report discusses the immigration problem regarding the number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) arriving in the United States borders. The report discusses the scope of the problem, current policy challenges, and the processing and treatment of the UAC apprehended.
Date: June 13, 2014
Creator: Seghetti, Lisa; Siskin, Alison & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
System: The UNT Digital Library
Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview (open access)

Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview

This report discusses the immigration problem regarding the number of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) arriving in the United States borders. The report discusses the scope of the problem, current policy challenges, and the processing and treatment of the UAC apprehended.
Date: June 23, 2014
Creator: Seghetti, Lisa; Siskin, Alison & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
System: The UNT Digital Library