Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund: Programs and Policy Issues (open access)

Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund: Programs and Policy Issues

This report begins by describing the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund's (Fund's) history, current appropriations, and each of its programs. The next section of the report analyzes four policy considerations of congressional interest, regarding the Fund and the effective use of federal resources to promote economic development. Lastly, this report examines the Fund's programs and management to see if they represent an effective and efficient government effort to promote economic development in low-income and distressed communities.
Date: October 3, 2012
Creator: Lowry, Sean
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Textile Manufacturing and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations (open access)

U.S. Textile Manufacturing and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations

This report examines the potential implications of a prospective Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) on the U.S. textile manufacturing industry. The TFP is a proposed regional free trade agreement (FTA) currently under negotiation among 11 Pacific Rim countries.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Platzer, Michaela D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
2012-2013 Presidential Election Period: National Security Considerations and Options (open access)

2012-2013 Presidential Election Period: National Security Considerations and Options

This report discusses historical national security-related presidential transition activities, provides a representative sampling of national security issues a new Administration may encounter, and offers considerations and options relevant to each of the five phases of the presidential election period. Each phase has distinct challenges and opportunities for the incoming Administration, the outgoing Administration, and Congress. This report is intended to provide a framework for national security considerations during the current election period and will be updated to reflect the election outcome.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Rollins, John
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sudan and South Sudan: Current Issues for Congress and U.S. Policy (open access)

Sudan and South Sudan: Current Issues for Congress and U.S. Policy

This report examines the shared interests and outstanding disputes between Sudan and South Sudan after separating into two countries. It gives an overview of political, economic, and humanitarian conditions in the two countries, with a focus on possible implications for U.S. policy and congressional engagement.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Ploch Blanchard, Lauren
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR): Funding Issues After a Decade of Implementation, FY2004-FY2013 (open access)

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR): Funding Issues After a Decade of Implementation, FY2004-FY2013

This report outlines U.S. spending on global HIV/AIDS programs since the inception of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), analyzes global HIV/AIDS funding by other donors, and highlights key issues pertaining to funding that will face the 113th Congress as it considers the future of PEPFAR
Date: October 10, 2012
Creator: Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Georgia's October 2012 Legislative Election: Outcome and Implications (open access)

Georgia's October 2012 Legislative Election: Outcome and Implications

This report discusses the most recent elections for the 150-member Parliament of Georgia on October 1, 2012, including background to the election, the campaign, and results with implications for Georgia and U.S. interests.
Date: October 15, 2012
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committee Funding: Process and Analysis of Disbursements (open access)

House Committee Funding: Process and Analysis of Disbursements

This report provides an overview of the committee funding process in the House; it analyzes funding levels since 1995, reviews House floor and committee action on committee funding in the 112th Congress, summarizes the rules and regulations that structure the use of committee funds, and analyzes actual committee funding spending patterns during five previous years.
Date: October 16, 2012
Creator: Glassman, Matthew Eric
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
America COMPETES Acts: FY2008-FY2013 Funding Tables (open access)

America COMPETES Acts: FY2008-FY2013 Funding Tables

This report tracks historical federal funding associated with the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMEPETES) Reauthorization Act of 2010, which are set to expire in 2013.
Date: October 16, 2012
Creator: Gonzalez, Heather B.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Civil Aviation Programs: An Overview (open access)

Federal Civil Aviation Programs: An Overview

This report focuses on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) civil aviation programs addressed in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-95), enacted on February 14, 2012, which authorizes AATF taxes and revenue collections and civil aviation program expenditures through FY2015. Programs for these agencies are funded primarily through a special trust fund, the airport and airways trust fund (AATF), and, in part, through general fund contributions.
Date: October 17, 2012
Creator: Elias, Bart
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress (open access)

Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress

This report presents policy and oversight issues for Congress arising from (1) maritime territorial disputes involving China in the South China Sea (SCS) and East China Sea (ECS) and (2) an additional dispute over whether China has a right under international law to regulate U.S. and other foreign military activities in its 200-nautical-mile maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Date: October 22, 2012
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
GI Bills Enacted Prior to 2008 and Related Veterans' Educational Assistance Programs: A Primer (open access)

GI Bills Enacted Prior to 2008 and Related Veterans' Educational Assistance Programs: A Primer

This report describes the GI Bills enacted prior to 2008. Although participation in the programs has ended or is declining, the programs' evolution and provisions inform current policy. Included is a description of the eligibility requirements, eligible programs of education, benefit availability, and benefits. The report also provides some summary statistics, comparisons between the programs, and brief discussions of related programs.
Date: October 22, 2012
Creator: Dortch, Cassandria
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs (open access)

Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs

This report discusses veterans' employment trends and programs. The first section presents data on veterans' employment outcomes, identifying recent trends, and discussing issues to consider when interpreting veterans' employment data. The following sections present brief discussions of existing programs that provide employment-related services to veterans. These services are divided into (1) general programs that are broadly available to veterans, (2) programs that target veterans with service-connected disabilities, and (3) competitive grant programs that provide additional employment-related services to veterans but may be limited in scope or availability.
Date: October 23, 2012
Creator: Collins, Benjamin; Bradley, David H.; Dortch, Cassandria; Kapp, Lawrence & Scott, Christine
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP): An Overview (open access)

Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP): An Overview

This report looks at how the Federal-Aid Highway Program (FAHP) works, including its funding and administration by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Date: October 26, 2012
Creator: Kirk, Robert S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Statutes of Limitation in Federal Criminal Cases: An Overview (open access)

Statutes of Limitation in Federal Criminal Cases: An Overview

This report discusses federal statutes of limitations on crimes with a list of circumstances that can suspend those limits. A list of federal statutes of limitation in criminal cases and a rough chart of comparable state provisions are provided in this report.
Date: October 1, 2012
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections (open access)

The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections

This report provides information about the electoral college, its origins, who makes up the college today, the 2012 presidental election, and calls for the reform of the electoral college.
Date: October 22, 2012
Creator: Neale, Thomas H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements (open access)

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements

This report discusses the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant that provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and the territories for a wide range of benefits and activities. This report provides an overview of TANF financing and rules for state programs.
Date: October 10, 2012
Creator: Falk, Gene
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities (open access)

Peacekeeping/Stabilization and Conflict Transitions: Background and Congressional Action on the Civilian Response/Reserve Corps and other Civilian Stabilization and Reconstruction Capabilities

This report provides background on the establishment of the former Office of of the Coordinator for Civilian Response/Reserve Corps (S/CRS), its functions, and its operations, as well as on the Civilian Response Corps (CRC). The report tracks S/CRS budget requests and congressional actions. It discusses four issues raised during the S/CRS years that may still be relevant for the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations: S/CRS's effectiveness, the appropriate size for the CRC, flexible funding for stabilization operations, and funding for a reserve component.
Date: October 2, 2012
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Medical Care: Questions and Answers (open access)

Military Medical Care: Questions and Answers

This report answers several frequently asked questions about military health care, including: how the system is structured, a TRICARE summary, TRICARE eligibility and plan options, cost of military health care to beneficiaries, relationship of TRICARE to MEDICARE, how the Affordable Care Act affects TRICARE, long-term trends of defense health care costs, and a summary of the fund which funds TRICARE - the Medicare Eligible Retiree Health Care fund.
Date: October 4, 2012
Creator: Jansen, Don J. & Blakeley, Katherine
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts (open access)

U.S. International Trade: Trends and Forecasts

This report provides an overview of the current status, trends, and forecasts for U.S. import and export flows as well as certain trade balances. The purpose of this report is to provide current data and brief explanations for the various types of trade flows, along with a brief discussion of trends that help inform the discussion of the various policy issues mentioned above.
Date: October 19, 2012
Creator: Williams, Brock R. & Donnelly, J. Michael
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power (open access)

Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power

This report is intended to provide background information needed to understand the debate over proposed strategies to redesign the global nuclear fuel cycle. It begins with a look at the motivating factors underlying the resurgent interest in nuclear power in some parts of the world, the nuclear power industry's current state of affairs, and the interdependence of the various stages of the nuclear fuel cycle.
Date: October 19, 2012
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth; Andrews, Anthony & Holt, Mark
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with the United States and with regional issues.
Date: October 5, 2012
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview (open access)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview

This report examines the funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Congressional skepticism and pressures to balance the federal budget have effected NIST and its programs to such an extent that NIST is "currently taking the necessary actions for an orderly shutdown." Presidential promises call for an increase in funding, and the report questions how this funding will affect programs within NIST.
Date: October 3, 2012
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program: An Overview (open access)

Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program: An Overview

This report provides a brief overview of The Hollings Manufacturing Partnership (MEP), which is a program of regional centers set up to assist small and medium-sized manufacturing companies use knowledge and technologies developed under the auspices of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Date: October 3, 2012
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
2006 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5): Designating Nonattainment Areas (open access)

2006 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5): Designating Nonattainment Areas

This report focuses primarily on the NAAQS implementation process for designating geographical nonattainment areas with respect to the tightening of the PM2.5 standards under the 2006 particulates NAAQS, including comparisons with the final designations under the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. Also included is a brief overview of states' subsequent obligations for developing and submitting implementation plans (SIPs) for attaining or maintaining compliance with the NAAQS.
Date: October 25, 2012
Creator: Esworthy, Robert
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library