Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 52, Pages 9393-9820, December 25, 2015 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 52, Pages 9393-9820, December 25, 2015

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.
Date: December 25, 2015
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Transportation Security: Issues for the 114th Congress (open access)

Transportation Security: Issues for the 114th Congress

This report examines aviation, transit and passenger rail security, as well as port and maritime security. The difficulty and cost of protecting the transportation sector from attack raises a core question for policymakers: how much effort and resources to put toward protecting potential targets versus pursuing and fighting terrorists.
Date: December 25, 2015
Creator: Elias, Bart; Peterman, David R. & Frittelli, John
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, and refers readers to more in-depth CRS reports on specific Arctic-related issues.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cleanup at Inactive and Abandoned Mines: Issues in "Good Samaritan" Legislation in the 114th Congress (open access)

Cleanup at Inactive and Abandoned Mines: Issues in "Good Samaritan" Legislation in the 114th Congress

This report discusses several issues that have drawn attention: eligibility for a Good Samaritan permit, minerals covered by a permit, standards applicable to a Good Samaritan cleanup, scope of liability protection, funding, treatment of revenues from cleanup, enforcement, the appropriate implementation role for states and Indian tribes, terminating a permit, and sunsetting the permit program.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cuba: Issues for the 114th Congress (open access)

Cuba: Issues for the 114th Congress

This report is divided into three major sections analyzing Cuba's political and economic environment, U.S. policy, and selected issues in U.S.-Cuban relations. A final section of the report provides a listing of bills and resolutions introduced in the 114th Congress.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): Authorizations of Appropriations Proposed by the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 (S. 2012) (open access)

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): Authorizations of Appropriations Proposed by the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015 (S. 2012)

This report describes provisions in S. 2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015, and analyzes the authorizations of appropriations for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs and activities in S. 2012, which was reported from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on September 9, 2015.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Real Property Data: Limitations and Implications for Oversight (open access)

Federal Real Property Data: Limitations and Implications for Oversight

This report focuses on the challenges to effective oversight posed by the lack of accurate and reliable real property data. This report consists of three sections: potential weaknesses in the data available to Congress on unutilized and underutilized buildings, the nature of the government's reliance on costly leases, and options for policymakers to consider should they seek to address these data issues.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Hatch, Garrett
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserve: Emergency Lending (open access)

Federal Reserve: Emergency Lending

This report provides a review of the history of Section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 344), including its use in 2008. It discusses the Fed's authority under Section 13(3) before and after the Dodd-Frank Act. It then discusses policy issues and legislation to amend Section 13(3).
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Labonte, Marc
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran's Foreign Policy (open access)

Iran's Foreign Policy

This report provides an overview of Iran's foreign policy, which has been a subject of numerous congressional hearings and of sanctions and other legislation for many years. The report analyzes Iranian foreign policy as a whole and by region.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Islamic State--Frequently Asked Questions: Threats, Global Implications, and U.S. Policy Responses (open access)

The Islamic State--Frequently Asked Questions: Threats, Global Implications, and U.S. Policy Responses

With the attacks in Beirut, over Egypt, and in Paris, the Islamic State has demonstrated a transnational capability that suggests its strategic objectives and tactics have evolved. The response to these attacks by the United States and other nations continues to evolve as the threat posed by IS changes. This report poses frequently asked questions with answers excerpted from other CRS products.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Rollins, John W. & Peters, Heidi M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
President Obama's $1 Billion Foreign Aid Request for Central America (open access)

President Obama's $1 Billion Foreign Aid Request for Central America

This report discusses the Obama Administration's recent request for over $1 billion in foreign assistance in FY2016 to support a whole-of-government "U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America."
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Meyer, Peter J. & Ribando Seelke, Clare
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Small Business: Access to Capital and Job Creation (open access)

Small Business: Access to Capital and Job Creation

This report discusses the role of small business in job creation and retention, then provides an assessment of the supply and demand for small business loans and recently enacted laws designed to enhance small business access to capital. It also examines recent actions concerning the SBA's budget and concludes with a brief overview of legislative options available to address small business access to capital issues during the 114th Congress.
Date: November 25, 2015
Creator: Dilger, Robert J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Abortion, Hospital Admitting Privileges, and Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole (open access)

Abortion, Hospital Admitting Privileges, and Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole

This report revolves around the contentious issue of admitting privileges as can be seen in Whole Woman's Health v. Cole. The report also includes information on how admitting privileges have been used to impose an undue burden on a woman's ability to seek abortions.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Shimabukuro, Jon O.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Altering House Ethics Committee Sanction Recommendations on the Floor: Past Precedent and Options for Action (open access)

Altering House Ethics Committee Sanction Recommendations on the Floor: Past Precedent and Options for Action

This report consists of altering house ethics committee sanction recommendations on the floor: Past Precedent and Options for Action.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the sustainment and modernization of the Coast Guard's polar icebreaker fleet, which performs a variety of missions supporting U.S. interests in polar regions.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Support for Reproductive Health Services: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Federal Support for Reproductive Health Services: Frequently Asked Questions

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Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Heisler, Elayne J.; Baumrucker, Evelyne P.; Jansen, Don J.; Lister, Sarah A. & Panangala, Sidath Viranga
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The FY2016 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 719) (open access)

The FY2016 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 719)

This report discusses a resolution which would provide temporary funding to continue federal government operations through the beginning of the fiscal year, until annual appropriations acts could be enacted.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Iran's Foreign Policy (open access)

Iran's Foreign Policy

This report provides an overview of Iran's foreign policy, which has been a subject of numerous congressional hearings and of sanctions and other legislation for many years. The report contains some specific information on Iran's relations with these countries, but refers to other CRS reports for more detail, particularly on the views of individual countries towards Iran. The report also makes reference to Iran's efforts to utilize its ties to various countries to try to mitigate the effects of U.S. sanctions.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy. Congress's decisions on the Aegis BMD program could significantly affect U.S. BMD capabilities and funding requirements, and the BMD-related industrial base.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Irregular Warfare and Counterterrorism Operations: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Navy's irregular warfare (IW) and counterterrorism (CT) operations. Congress's decisions regarding Navy IW and CT operations can affect Navy operations and funding requirements, and the implementation of the nation's overall IW and CT strategies.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Hypervelocity Projectile: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Hypervelocity Projectile: Background and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information and issues for Congress on three potential new weapons that could improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against enemy missiles--solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the hypervelocity projectile (HVP).
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Supreme Court: A Legal Analysis of Young v. United Parcel Service (open access)

The Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Supreme Court: A Legal Analysis of Young v. United Parcel Service

In 2015, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Young v. United Parcel Service. In the case, a United Parcel Service (UPS) worker named Peggy Young challenged her employer’s refusal to grant her a light-duty work assignment while she was pregnant, claiming that UPS’s actions violated the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA). This report begins with a discussion of the facts in the Young case, followed by an overview of the PDA. The report then provides an analysis of the Young case, its implications, and a potential legislative response.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Feder, Jody
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Puerto Rico's Current Fiscal Challenges (open access)

Puerto Rico's Current Fiscal Challenges

This report discusses multiple challenges the government of Puerto Rico faces in the fall of 2015. Concerns regarding the sustainability of Puerto Rico's public finances have intensified over the past year, despite several measures taken by the island's government to reduce spending, increase revenues, and restructure its obligations. The Puerto Rican government outlined a medium-term strategy to address those challenges in a fiscal plan put forth in mid-September 2015.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Austin, D. A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 39, Pages 6385-6792, September 25, 2015 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 40, Number 39, Pages 6385-6792, September 25, 2015

A weekly publication, the Texas Register serves as the journal of state agency rulemaking for Texas. Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents such as requests for proposals. After adoption, these rulemaking actions are codified into the Texas Administrative Code.
Date: September 25, 2015
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History