Flooding Events: CRS Experts (open access)

Flooding Events: CRS Experts

This table provides access to names and contact information for Congressional Research Service (CRS) experts on policy concerns relating to flooding events in the United States. Policy areas identified include impacts, response and recovery, mitigation, and federal financing.
Date: June 27, 2012
Creator: Abel, Amy
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Gray Wolf and the Endangered Species Act (ESA): A Brief Legal History (open access)

The Gray Wolf and the Endangered Species Act (ESA): A Brief Legal History

This report provides a brief history of the laws, regulations, and lawsuits related to the wolf's protected status. Fuller analyses of the concepts discussed in this report can be found in the companion report.
Date: January 19, 2012
Creator: Alexander, Kristina
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Lacey Act: Protecting the Environment by Restricting Trade (open access)

The Lacey Act: Protecting the Environment by Restricting Trade

This report looks at the history and applications of the Lacey Act. As it stands now the Act, via a 2008 amendment, allows the U.S. to enforce the laws of other countries as well. One currently proposed legislation would limit application of the law to specific wood products, while another would eliminate any reference to violations of foreign laws and end criminal prosecutions for violating the act.
Date: April 12, 2012
Creator: Alexander, Kristina
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Defense Purchase of Renewable Energy Credits Under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (open access)

Department of Defense Purchase of Renewable Energy Credits Under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012

Report that looks at the background of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA), the Department of Defense's (DOD) electrical use, and DOD electricity use versus state electricity use.
Date: November 27, 2012
Creator: Andrews, Anthony
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Authorization, Operation, and Drawdown Policy (open access)

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Authorization, Operation, and Drawdown Policy

This report looks at the history, purpose, and current status of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Date: April 25, 2012
Creator: Andrews, Anthony & Pirog, Robert
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Authorization, Operation, and Drawdown Policy (open access)

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Authorization, Operation, and Drawdown Policy

This report looks at the history, purpose, and current status of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Date: June 18, 2012
Creator: Andrews, Anthony & Pirog, Robert
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Authorization, Operation, and Drawdown Policy (open access)

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Authorization, Operation, and Drawdown Policy

This report looks at the history, purpose, and current status of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Date: April 2, 2012
Creator: Andrews, Anthony & Pirog, Robert
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Navy Biofuel Initiative Under the Defense Production Act (open access)

The Navy Biofuel Initiative Under the Defense Production Act

This report looks at the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into by the secretaries of Energy, Agriculture, and the Navy in order to “assist the development and support of a sustainable commercial biofuels industry.” The report specifically discusses how and why this understanding should be funded and why it is important for the U.S.
Date: June 13, 2012
Creator: Andrews, Anthony; Bracmort, Kelsi; Brown, Jared T. & Else, Daniel H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Navy Biofuel Initiative Under the Defense Production Act (open access)

The Navy Biofuel Initiative Under the Defense Production Act

This report looks at the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to “assist the development and support of a sustainable commercial biofuels industry" which was entered into by the Secretaries of Energy, Agriculture, and the Navy. It raises issues and concerns for Congress to consider when deciding how to fund MOU.
Date: June 22, 2012
Creator: Andrews, Anthony; Bracmort, Kelsi; Brown, Jared T. & Else, Daniel H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report serves as a primer on the EU and provides a brief description of U.S.-EU relations. It also discusses about how EU works, how EU is governed and Eurozone crisis.
Date: February 29, 2012
Creator: Archick, Kristin
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: April 5, 2012
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism (open access)

U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism

This report examines the evolution of counterterrorism cooperation between the United States and the European Union (EU), particularly since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It includes a discussion of U.S.-EU cooperation progress and ongoing challenges, as well as perspectives and issues for Congress.
Date: May 21, 2012
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Morocco: Current Issues (open access)

Morocco: Current Issues

This report discusses the current political and foreign policy status of Morocco, especially with regard to its relationship with the United States and its struggles combating terrorism.
Date: June 20, 2012
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Crisis In Mali (open access)

Crisis In Mali

This report discusses the West African country of Mali that faces multiple overlapping crises. The country’s political leadership has been uncertain and disputed since a military coup on March 22, 2012, overthrew a democratically elected government in the capital, Bamako.
Date: August 16, 2012
Creator: Arieff, Alexis & Johnson, Kelly
System: The UNT Digital Library
Auction-Rate Securities (open access)

Auction-Rate Securities

This report discusses auction-rate securities (ARSs), which most are long-term bonds, although some ARS are structured as preferred shares and so have no maturities.
Date: July 17, 2012
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview (open access)

Discretionary Budget Authority by Subfunction: An Overview

President Obama's FY2013 budget submission was released on February 13, 2012. This report provides a graphical overview of historical trends in discretionary budget authority (BA) from FY1976 through FY2011, enacted levels for FY2012 spending, and the levels consistent with the President's proposals for FY2013 through FY2017. Spending caps and budget enforcement mechanisms established in the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 will probably strongly affect the FY2013 budget cycle. This report may provide a starting point for discussions about spending trends and federal priorities, but it does not attempt to explain spending patterns in each policy area.
Date: February 14, 2012
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases (open access)

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

This report discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase, an historical overview of debt limits, and how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
Date: January 6, 2012
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases (open access)

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases

This report discusses how the total debt of the federal government can increase, an historical overview of debt limits, and how the current economic slowdown has led to higher deficits and thereby a series of debt limit increases, as well as legislation related to these increases.
Date: January 20, 2012
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Mandatory Spending Since 1962 (open access)

Mandatory Spending Since 1962

Federal spending is divided into three broad categories: discretionary spending, mandatory spending, and net interest. Federal spending has outrun federal revenues for the last 10 fiscal years. In the long term, projections suggest that if current policies remain unchanged, the United States faces a major fiscal imbalance, largely due to rising health care costs and impending Baby Boomer retirements. Because discretionary spending is a smaller proportion of total federal outlays compared to mandatory spending, some budget experts contend that any significant reductions in federal spending must include cuts in entitlement spending. Other budget and social policy experts contend that cuts in entitlement spending could compromise their goals: the economic security of the elderly and the poor.
Date: March 23, 2012
Creator: Austin, D. Andrew & Levit, Mindy R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Suicide Prevention Efforts of the Veterans Health Administration (open access)

Suicide Prevention Efforts of the Veterans Health Administration

Responsibility for prevention of veteran suicide lies primarily with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VHA Strategic Plan for Suicide Prevention is based on a public health framework, which has three major components: (1) surveillance, (2) risk and protective factors, and (3) prevention interventions. This report identifies challenges the VHA faces in each component of suicide prevention and discusses potential issues for Congress.
Date: February 3, 2012
Creator: Bagalman, Erin
System: The UNT Digital Library
Circular A-76 and the Moratorium on DOD Competitions: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Circular A-76 and the Moratorium on DOD Competitions: Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses the current moratorium on the conduct of Department of Defense (DOD) public-private competitions under Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76 and issues for Congress.
Date: January 17, 2012
Creator: Bailey Grasso, Valerie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal: Background Information (open access)

Defense Surplus Equipment Disposal: Background Information

This report discusses the Department of Defense (DOD) policy via the Defense Utilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for disposing of government equipment and supplies considered surplus or deemed unnecessary to the agency's currently designated mission. The report focuses on DRMS background, as well as the most recent DRMS policy modifications.
Date: July 18, 2012
Creator: Bailey Grasso, Valerie
System: The UNT Digital Library
Issues in International Trade Law: Restricting Exports of Electronic Waste (open access)

Issues in International Trade Law: Restricting Exports of Electronic Waste

Electronic waste (e-waste) is a term that loosely refers to obsolete, broken, or irreparable electronic devices. Because e-waste is generated in high volumes in the United States and contains hazardous materials, it is a growing area of domestic concern. Currently, e-waste is essentially unregulated at the federal level and can be disposed of with common household garbage in municipal solid waste landfills or incinerators. Recently, momentum has developed for domestic legislation restricting U.S. e-waste exports. These restrictions could take many forms, including a partial or total ban on e-waste exports, an e-waste export licensing system, or a quota on e-waste exports. This report looks at how such legislation could affect and work with prior US disposal laws.
Date: February 24, 2012
Creator: Barbour, Emily C.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Trade Law: An Introduction to Selected International Agreements and U.S. Laws (open access)

Trade Law: An Introduction to Selected International Agreements and U.S. Laws

This report is an introductory overview of the legal framework governing trade-related measures. The agreements and laws selected for discussion are those most commonly implicated by U.S. trade interests, but there are U.S. trade laws and obligations beyond those reviewed in this report.
Date: April 3, 2012
Creator: Barbour, Emily C.
System: The UNT Digital Library