Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance (open access)

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, as well as the Afghan government. This report also discusses Afghanistan's relationship with the United States, particularly U.S. efforts to urge President Hamid Karzai, to address corruption within the Afghan government. The report also includes discussion of election fraud and corruption in Afghanistan.
Date: November 12, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks (open access)

Iraq: Politics, Elections, and Benchmarks

Iraq's political system, the result of a U.S.-supported election process, is increasingly characterized by peaceful competition rather than violence, but sectarianism and ethnic and factional infighting continue to simmer. This report discusses the current state of Iraq, concentrating primarily on the actions of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, efforts underway to combat sectarian violence, and the projected U.S. troop withdrawal by August 2010.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: An Overview (open access)

Regular Vetoes and Pocket Vetoes: An Overview

This report gives an overview of the veto powers given to the President according to Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution. It contains sections on the Constitutional basis and importance of vetoes, overriding a veto, and the vetoes that have been exercised and overridden. It includes statistics and tables of Presidential vetoes 1789-2010.
Date: November 18, 2010
Creator: Kosar, Kevin R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of House Bills (open access)

Sponsorship and Cosponsorship of House Bills

This report briefly discusses the processes of sponsoring, cosponsoring, and gaining cosponsors for bills in the House of Representatives.
Date: November 24, 2010
Creator: Palmer, Betsy
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
European Union Enlargement: A Status Report on Turkey's Accession Negotiations (open access)

European Union Enlargement: A Status Report on Turkey's Accession Negotiations

This report provides a brief overview of the European Union's (EU) accession process; Turkey's path to EU membership; the impact of the Cyprus problem; and a review of the United States' interest in Turkey's future in the European Union.
Date: November 2, 2010
Creator: Morelli, Vincent
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
European Union Enlargement: A Status Report on Turkey's Accession Negotiations (open access)

European Union Enlargement: A Status Report on Turkey's Accession Negotiations

This report provides a brief overview of the European Union's (EU) accession process; Turkey's path to EU membership; the impact of the Cyprus problem; and a review of the United States' interest in Turkey's future in the European Union.
Date: November 26, 2010
Creator: Morelli, Vincent
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress (open access)

Flooding in Pakistan: Overview and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the recent widespread flooding in Pakistan, which has affected about 20 million Pakistanis. U.S. interest in the flooding stems from the significant humanitarian and economic implications for Pakistan, and the security implications for U.S. interests in the region.
Date: November 18, 2010
Creator: Kronstadt, K. Alan; Sheikh, Pervaze A. & Vaughn, Bruce
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans' Benefits: Current Life Insurance Programs (open access)

Veterans' Benefits: Current Life Insurance Programs

This report provides information on the current Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) life insurance programs available for servicemembers and veterans, management and administration issues, and associated policy issues and legislation.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Scott, Christine
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The U.S. Oil Refining Industry: Background in Changing Markets and Fuel Policies (open access)

The U.S. Oil Refining Industry: Background in Changing Markets and Fuel Policies

This report begins by looking at the current production capacity of the oil refineries operating in the United States, and the sources and changes in crude oil supply. It then examines the changing characteristics of petroleum and petroleum product markets and identifies the effects of these changes on the refining industry. The report concludes with discussion of the policy and regulatory factors that are likely to affect the structure and performance of the industry during the next decade.
Date: November 22, 2010
Creator: Andrews, Anthony; Pirog, Robert & Sherlock, Molly F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA): Overview of Workers' Compensation for Certain Private- Sector Maritime Workers (open access)

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA): Overview of Workers' Compensation for Certain Private- Sector Maritime Workers

This report discusses the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (LHWCA), a federal workers' compensation program that covers certain private-sector maritime workers. More than $980 million in LHWCA benefits are paid each year. The LHWCA is administered by the Department of Labor (DOL) and all benefit costs are paid by employers and their insurance carriers.
Date: November 29, 2010
Creator: Szymendera, Scott
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy's Water Demand: Trends, Vulnerabilities, and Management (open access)

Energy's Water Demand: Trends, Vulnerabilities, and Management

The nation's energy choices embody many tradeoffs. Water use is one of those tradeoffs. The energy choices before Congress represent vastly different demands on domestic freshwater. The energy sector's water consumption is projected to rise 50% from 2005 to 2030. This rising water demand derives from both an increase in the amount of energy demanded and shifts to more water-intense energy sources and technologies. This report discusses this issue as well as related issues that may arise for the 112th Congress.
Date: November 24, 2010
Creator: Carter, Nicole T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program: Background and Issues for Congress

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), also called the Lighting II, is a new strike fighter being procured in different versions by the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy. The F-35 program is the Department of Defense's (DOD's) largest weapon procurement program in terms of total estimated acquisition cost. This report details the Obama Administration's proposed FY2010 defense budget requests for F-35 program funding and outlines the issues that Congress must consider when deciding whether to approve, reject, or modify the administration's funding requests.
Date: November 10, 2010
Creator: Gertler, Jeremiah
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the current political state of Iran, focusing particularly on the influence of the Taliban and other militant groups and on the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. This report also discusses the U.S.-Iran relationship and U.S. efforts under the Obama Administration to provide military, reconstructive, and stabilization aid.
Date: November 19, 2010
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Offset Amendments to Appropriations Bills: Procedural Considerations (open access)

House Offset Amendments to Appropriations Bills: Procedural Considerations

This report is an introduction to selected House rules and practices governing the consideration of offset amendments to appropriations measures considered in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union (or Committee of the Whole).
Date: November 19, 2010
Creator: Streeter, Sandy
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Bayh-Dole Act: Selected Issues in Patent Policy and the Commercialization of Technology (open access)

The Bayh-Dole Act: Selected Issues in Patent Policy and the Commercialization of Technology

Congressional interest in facilitating U.S. technological innovation led to the passage of P.L. 96-517, Amendments to the Patent and Trademark Act, commonly referred to as the "Bayh-Dole Act" after its two main sponsors former Senators Robert Dole and Birch Bayh. Under this 1980 law, as amended, title to inventions made with government support is provided to the contractor if that contractor is a small business, a university, or other non-profit institution. This report discusses the rationale behind the passage of P.L. 96-517, its provisions, and implementation of the law.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Millennium Challenge Corporation (open access)

Millennium Challenge Corporation

This report discusses the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which provides economic assistance through a competitive selection process to developing nations that are pursuing political and economic reforms in three areas: ruling justly, investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. This report also discusses several concerns related to MCC implementation, including the level of funding to support MCC programs.
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report provides a brief overview of the European Union (EU), an economic and political partnership between 27 sovereign member states. The report describes the formation of the EU, the three main institutions of the EU, and the EU's relationship with the United States.
Date: November 5, 2010
Creator: Archick, Kristin & Mix, Derek E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Infrastructure: Actions Needed to Improve the Navy's Processes for Managing Public Shipyards' Restoration and Modernization Needs (open access)

Defense Infrastructure: Actions Needed to Improve the Navy's Processes for Managing Public Shipyards' Restoration and Modernization Needs

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Navy's four public shipyards--Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard--are critical in maintaining fleet readiness and supporting ongoing operations worldwide. The Navy requests funds for the shipyards' restoration and modernization as infrastructure condition may affect their mission and workforce. GAO was asked to review (1) the extent to which the shipyards have plans for their restoration and modernization needs; (2) the extent to which the Navy has a process to capture and calculate these needs; (3) the Navy's process to prioritize and fund projects to meet these needs; and (4) the extent to which the shipyards resolve infrastructure-related safety, health, and quality-of-life issues. GAO assessed the Navy's shipyard plans against elements of a federal strategic planning framework; evaluated its process for determining its restoration and modernization needs and addressing safety, health, and quality-of-life issues; visited the shipyards; and interviewed Navy command and shipyard officials."
Date: November 16, 2010
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan: U.S. Rule of Law and Justice Sector Assistance (open access)

Afghanistan: U.S. Rule of Law and Justice Sector Assistance

The purpose of this report is to provide background and analysis for Congress on U.S. rule of law (ROL) and justice sector assistance programs to Afghanistan. The report also describes the scope of the ROL problem in Afghanistan, including the role of corruption, and surveys the range of Afghan justice sector institutions. In addition, the report describes U.S., Afghan, and multilateral policy approaches to the Afghan justice sector since the U.S. military invasion of Afghanistan in 2001; U.S. policy coordination and funding; and current U.S. justice sector assistance programs in Afghanistan.
Date: November 9, 2010
Creator: Wyler, Liana Sun
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reorganization of the Minerals Management Service in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (open access)

Reorganization of the Minerals Management Service in the Aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

This report provides background and context on the origins of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) in the Department of the Interior (DOI). The April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill refocused attention on MMS, which had previously endured management challenges. The report also discusses Secretary Kenneth L. Salazar's handling of conflicts within MMS, potential congressional options regarding MMS reorganization, historical examples of similar reorganization efforts, and information on related legislative initiatives.
Date: November 10, 2010
Creator: Hogue, Henry B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Surface Transportation Funding and Finance (open access)

Surface Transportation Funding and Finance

This report discusses changes in funding to the national surface transportation infrastructure, especially in light of the recession that began in 2007, which led to decreases in driving and fuel use. This report focuses on possible revenue sources for surface transportation infrastructure. It begins with a brief discussion of the problems associated with the trust fund financing system and then explores possible immediate and longer-term solutions to the financing problem.
Date: November 10, 2010
Creator: Fischer, John W.; Kirk, Robert S. & Mallett, William J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
"Robo-Signing" and Other Alleged Documentation Problems in Judicial and Nonjudicial Foreclosure Processes (open access)

"Robo-Signing" and Other Alleged Documentation Problems in Judicial and Nonjudicial Foreclosure Processes

Recent depositions involving major servicers, including GMAC Mortgage, J.P. Morgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, have raised concerns about "robo-signing" -- the practice of having a small number of individuals sign a large number of affidavits and other legal documents submitted to courts and other public authorities by mortgage companies to execute foreclosure. This report explores concerns related to these issues by explaining the mortgage market process, procedural problems that have surfaced during foreclosure proceedings, and other relevant information.
Date: November 15, 2010
Creator: Carpenter, David H.
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 those participating in or watching these proceedings.
Date: November 8, 2010
Creator: Schneider, Judy
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Parliament (open access)

The European Parliament

The European Parliament (EP) is one of the three key institutions of the European Union (EU), and the only EU institution whose members are directly elected. This report discusses the construction and history of the EP, its role in functions of the EU as well as internationally, various international supports and criticisms of the EP, and the EP's ties with the U.S. Congress.
Date: November 5, 2010
Creator: Archick, Kristin & Mix, Derek E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library