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
Political Transition in Tunisia (open access)

Political Transition in Tunisia

This report discusses Tunisia's "Jasmine Revolution," the common term for President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's flight from the country following weeks of mounting anti-government protests. This report discusses how the Jasmine Revolution appears to have added momentum to anti-government sentiment in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and other countries. This report discusses Tunisia's pro-democracy movement; concerns over potential instability in a previously secure, pro-Western area; and U.S.-Tunisian relations.
Date: June 18, 2012
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Senegal: Background and U.S. Relations (open access)

Senegal: Background and U.S. Relations

Some concerns regarding Senegal include the running of the current Senegalese President for a third term and U.S. financial assistance. The United States has viewed Senegal as an anchor of regional stability and a potential partner in combating transnational security threats, such as terrorism, narcotics trafficking, and maritime piracy. Senegal is a significant contributor of troops to international peacekeeping missions, and thousands of Senegalese peacekeepers have received U.S. training through the State Department's Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. Congress plays a role in guiding U.S. policy toward Senegal through its authorization, appropriation, and oversight of foreign assistance and executive branch policies.
Date: February 20, 2012
Creator: Arieff, Alexis
System: The UNT Digital Library
Western Sahara (open access)

Western Sahara

This report discusses how Morocco and the independence-seeking Popular Front for the Liberation of Saqiat al Hamra and Rio de Oro (Polisario) have been vying for control of the Western Sahara, a former Spanish territory, since the 1970s. The report discusses recent settlement attempts, as well as how the Western Sahara issue has affected Algerian-Moroccan bilaterial relations, Moroccan relations with the African Union, and regional cooperation on economic and security issues. The report also discusses the United States' involvement in and stance on the issue.
Date: April 5, 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
The Lord's Resistance Army: The U.S. Response (open access)

The Lord's Resistance Army: The U.S. Response

A history of the Lord's Resistance Army, which is led by Joseph Kony, and the U.S.A. policies regarding it.
Date: April 11, 2012
Creator: Arieff, Alexis & Ploch, Lauren
System: The UNT Digital Library
Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization: P.L. 111-296 (open access)

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization: P.L. 111-296

The most recent WIC and child nutrition reauthorization, "Health, Hunger-Fee Kids Act of 2010," was signed into law at the end of the 11th Congress on December 13, 2010. Subsequently, the 112th Congress plays an oversight role as the U.S. Department of Agriculture promulgates rules, releases guidance, and otherwise implements the legislation. This report features a summary of the legislative history as well as a section-by-section summary of what is contained within the law.
Date: February 6, 2012
Creator: Aussenberg, Randy Alison
System: The UNT Digital Library
2012 Farm Bill: Changing the Treatment of LIHEAP Receipt in the Calculation of SNAP Benefits (open access)

2012 Farm Bill: Changing the Treatment of LIHEAP Receipt in the Calculation of SNAP Benefits

This report describes the contents of the 2012 Farm Bill, cost reducing measures in the Farm Bill, and the implications of both of these. Specifically, the report focuses on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) which is a cost saving measure that addresses how certain deductions from income will be calculated.
Date: July 10, 2012
Creator: Aussenberg, Randy Alison & Perl, Libby
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 gives an overview of the federal debt limit, its history, and recent increases
Date: December 27, 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 gives an overview of the federal debt limit, its history, and recent increases
Date: May 22, 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 gives an overview of the federal debt limit, its history, and recent increases
Date: January 26, 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 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
Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Provisions in ACA: Summary and Timeline (open access)

Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Provisions in ACA: Summary and Timeline

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Date: January 18, 2012
Creator: Baumrucker, Evelyne P.; Binder, Cliff; Herz, Elicia J. & Heisler, Elayne J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act: A Summary of Superfund Cleanup Authorities and Related Provisions of the Act (open access)

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act: A Summary of Superfund Cleanup Authorities and Related Provisions of the Act

This report discusses the background and current status of CERCLA (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980), which was a response to a growing desire for the federal government to ensure the cleanup of the nation's most contaminated sites to protect the public from potential harm. Concerns for Congress include funding for this act; most funding comes from potentially responsible parties (PRPs), but some also comes from the CERCLA established Hazardous Substance Superfund Trust Fund.
Date: June 14, 2012
Creator: Bearden, David M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy and Water Development: Fiscal Year 2013 Appropriations (open access)

Energy and Water Development: Fiscal Year 2013 Appropriations

Report that discusses the FY2012 budget for energy and water development as approved by Congress, including how the funding will be used.
Date: October 23, 2012
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
System: The UNT Digital Library