The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report serves as a primer on the EU. Despite the UK's vote to leave the EU, the UK remains a full member of the bloc until it completes withdrawal negotiations and officially exits the EU (expected to occur in March 2019). As such, this report largely addresses the EU and its institutions as they currently exist. It also briefly describes U.S.-EU political and economic relations that may be of interest in the 115th Congress.
Date: September 7, 2018
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2017 (open access)

Speakers of the House: Elections, 1913-2017

This report provides data on elections of the Speaker in each Congress since 1913, when the House first reached its present size of 435 Members. During that period (63rd through 115th Congresses), a Speaker was elected five times with the votes of less than a majority of the full membership.
Date: January 4, 2017
Creator: Beth, Richard S. & Heitshusen, Valerie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iraq: Issues in the 115th Congress (open access)

Iraq: Issues in the 115th Congress

This report discusses issues in Iraq, including remaining Islamic State fighters, the May 2018 election, economic challenges, humanitarian issues and stabilization.
Date: October 4, 2018
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Islamic State and U.S. Policy (open access)

The Islamic State and U.S. Policy

This report provides background on the Islamic State organization, discusses its goals, operations, and affiliates, reviews U.S. legislative and policy debates, and reviews relevant legislation from the 114th and 115th Congresses.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M. & Humud, Carla E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): A Legal Overview (open access)

The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA): A Legal Overview

This report examines the nature and scope of the current regulatory scheme, including the scope of FARA's application to agents of foreign principals; what the statute requires of those covered under the Act; exemptions available under the statute; and methods of enforcement. The report concludes by discussing various legislative proposals to amend FARA in the 115th Congress.
Date: December 4, 2017
Creator: Brown, Cynthia
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Corps Supplemental Appropriations: History, Trends, and Policy Issues (open access)

Army Corps Supplemental Appropriations: History, Trends, and Policy Issues

This report discusses the Army Corps of Engineers and its role in disaster recovery and flood management and how supplemental appropriations from Congress assist in funding these efforts. The 115th Congress is considering possible responses to various natural disasters in 2017. H.R. 4667--Further Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements, 2017 (as passed by the House)--proposes $12.09 billion for the agency's activities associated with response, repair, and recovery from natural disasters including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.
Date: January 3, 2018
Creator: Carter, Nicole T. & Stern, Charles V.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Five-Year Program for Federal Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing: Status and Issues in Brief (open access)

Five-Year Program for Federal Offshore Oil and Gas Leasing: Status and Issues in Brief

This report summarizes developments in the offshore oil leasing 2017-2022 program and considers selected congressional issues and actions related to the program. President Trump issued an executive order on April 28, 2017, directing the Secretary of the Interior to review and consider revising the 2017-2022 program. The 115th Congress could influence the five-year program by enacting legislation to alter the program, as well as by conducting oversight.
Date: May 19, 2017
Creator: Comay, Laura B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Resolutions of Inquiry: An Analysis of Their Use in the House, 1947-2017 (open access)

Resolutions of Inquiry: An Analysis of Their Use in the House, 1947-2017

This report discusses resolutions of inquiry in the House of Representatives which allow the House to demand the President or an executive department head to furnish the House with specific factual information in the Administration's possession. Under the rules and precedents of the House of Representatives, such resolutions, if properly drafted, are given a privileged parliamentary status. Between 1947 and October 20, 2017, 313 resolutions of inquiry were submitted in the House of Representatives. Two periods in particular, 1971-1975 and 2003-2006, saw the highest levels of activity on resolutions of inquiry during the 70 years studied.
Date: November 9, 2017
Creator: Davis, Christopher M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Agency Final Rules Submitted on or After June 13, 2016, May Be Subject to Disapproval by the 115th Congress (open access)

Agency Final Rules Submitted on or After June 13, 2016, May Be Subject to Disapproval by the 115th Congress

This report discusses the possibility of the new Congress and the new President to overturn agency final rules of the Obama Administration issued after early June 2016.
Date: December 15, 2016
Creator: Davis, Christopher M. & Beth, Richard S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Role in Voter Registration: The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and Subsequent Developments (open access)

Federal Role in Voter Registration: The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and Subsequent Developments

This report first provides a brief background on the federal role in voter registration and the passage of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), followed by a discussion of the key components of NVRA. The implementation of NVRA, subsequent modifications to its provisions, and ongoing considerations related to federal voter registration are also discussed. The final sections of this report provide descriptions of types of common legislative proposals addressing voter registration, with a full list of related bills introduced in the 115th Congress to date provided in the Appendix.
Date: November 28, 2017
Creator: Eckman, Sarah J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committee Party Ratios: 98th-115th Congresses (open access)

House Committee Party Ratios: 98th-115th Congresses

This report documents, in tabular form, House committee party ratios for 18 Congresses -- covering the period from the 98th Congress (1983-1985) through February 2017, the first part of the 115th Congress (2017-2019).
Date: November 8, 2018
Creator: Eckman, Sarah J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Senate Committee Party Ratios: 98th-115th Congresses (open access)

Senate Committee Party Ratios: 98th-115th Congresses

This report provides, in tabular form, Senate committee party ratios for 18 Congresses, covering the period of the 98th Congress (1983-1985) through April 2017, the first part of the 115th Congress (2017-2019).
Date: November 8, 2018
Creator: Eckman, Sarah J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committee Funding: Description of Process and Analysis of Disbursements (open access)

House Committee Funding: Description of Process and Analysis of Disbursements

This report discusses the funding process for House committees. It is organized in three sections: [1] an overview of the committee funding process in the House and analyzes funding levels since 1996; [2] a review of House floor and committee action on committee funding in the 115th Congress, and [3] a summary of the rules and regulations that structure the use of committee funds, with analysis of actual committee funding spending patterns during six previous years.
Date: November 8, 2018
Creator: Egar, William T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the 115th Congress (open access)

Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the 115th Congress

This report considers prominent topics in the 115th Congress's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization debate. Major issues discussed are financing, air traffic control privatization, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), the Essential Airline Service (EAS), foreign airlines, and certification reform.
Date: November 30, 2017
Creator: Elias, Bart & Tang, Rachel Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape (open access)

The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape

This report discusses the structure and role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and recent legislation in the 115th Congress regarding the FCC.
Date: August 1, 2018
Creator: Figliola, Patricia Moloney
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape (open access)

The Federal Communications Commission: Current Structure and Its Role in the Changing Telecommunications Landscape

This report discusses the structure and role of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and recent legislation in the 115th Congress regarding the FCC.
Date: December 15, 2017
Creator: Figliola, Patricia Moloney
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief (open access)

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief

This report discusses the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) and its funding and legislation related to it in the 115th Congress.
Date: January 31, 2018
Creator: Folger, Pete
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States (open access)

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States

This report provides a summary and analysis of the current state of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) in the United States and current legislation and funding related to the CCS process and the regulation of air pollution and greenhouse gases.
Date: July 24, 2017
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States (open access)

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States

This report discusses the process of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and its use in the United States. Legislation in the 115th Congress and the current state of the CCS process are discussed.
Date: November 14, 2017
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States (open access)

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) in the United States

This report includes a primer on the CCS (and carbon utilization) process and discusses the current state of CCS in the United States, as well as the DOE program for CCS R&D and CCS-related legislation in the 115th Congress.
Date: August 9, 2018
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief (open access)

The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief

This report discusses the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program which is made up of four agencies (FEMA, The National Science Foundation, USGS, and National Institute of Standards and Technology) who are responsible for monitoring, reporting, and studying earthquakes and increasing resiliency to earthquakes through means such as stronger infrastructure, early warning systems, and recovery plans.
Date: October 12, 2017
Creator: Folger, Peter
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Campus-Based Financial Aid Programs: Background and Issues (open access)

The Campus-Based Financial Aid Programs: Background and Issues

This report begins with a brief discussion of the history of each of the campus-based federal student aid programs (the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program, and the Federal Perkins Loan program) and the formula used to allocate funds among IHEs participating in them. This is followed by a discussion of institutional and student participation in the programs relative to participation in other federal aid programs. The report concludes with a discussion of issues related to the campus-based programs that might garner attention as the 115th Congress considers reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA).
Date: November 21, 2017
Creator: Fountain, Joselynn H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Vessel Incidental Discharge Legislation in the 115th Congress: Background and Issues (open access)

Vessel Incidental Discharge Legislation in the 115th Congress: Background and Issues

This report outlines regulations for vessels discharging ballast water into U.S waters, to prevent the spread of invasive species and pollution of bodies of water. It discusses various federal, state, and Coast Guard requirements along with exempted vessel types, and recent legislative action regarding the issue.
Date: January 8, 2018
Creator: Gatz, Laura
System: The UNT Digital Library
Permitting for Pesticide Discharges into Navigable Waters: Issues and Legislation in the 115th Congress (open access)

Permitting for Pesticide Discharges into Navigable Waters: Issues and Legislation in the 115th Congress

This report discusses the pesticide general permit (PGP), which is required for discharges of biological pesticides and chemical pesticides that leave a residue in navigable waters. Possible actions from the 115th Congress are also discussed.
Date: June 28, 2018
Creator: Gatz, Laura & Yen, Jerry H.
System: The UNT Digital Library