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As many countries enjoy growing financial economies, American banking and securities firms feel excluded from them. Asian countries are perceived as being especially discriminatory against U.S. financiers. Conversely, foreign financiers face few barriers against entry into the United States. Their share of U.S. finance has reached very significant amounts--especially that of Japan in U.S. commercial banking. Both pressures have induced consideration of legislation that could require reciprocity for foreign direct investment in financial companies in America, intended to open up corresponding nations' financial markets. The proposed legislation also reflects final collapse of multilateral negotiations in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade seeking to open up financial services in many nations to U.S. providers. It would apply sanctions against such countries similar to those opening up government securities markets abroad, but might result in some retaliation.

Relations between Russia and Japan are seriously strained. At the heart of the impasse is a territorial dispute over a group of islands seized by the Soviet Union in 1945 and claimed by both countries. The Japanese Government maintains that there can be no normalization of relations between the two countries until Russia agrees to return the islands. Japan may refuse to participate in large-scale economic assistance to Russia until it is satisfied on the territorial question.

The importance of federal timber has been debated at length over many years. The federal government owns about 20% of U.S. timberlands, concentrated in the west, and about 30% of U.S. timber inventory (and 44% of the softwood inventory). Declines in federal harvests in recent years, and legislation to end federal harvests, have led to concerns about the impacts on forest health and on the economy. The national impacts appear to be relatively modest, but local and regional effects could be substantial.

Governments are the largest single group of buyers of nondefense goods and services and represent a market valued at hundreds of billions of dollars for suppliers.[1] In 1994, the U.S. Federal Government spent approximately $155 billion on nondefense goods and services.

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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.

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.

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the governing body of a county hospital district established under Health and Safety Code chapter 281 may lease a hospital facility without obtaining the approval of the county commissioners court and related questions.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a statutorily mandated sign furnished by a towing company to a parking facility constitutes "anything of value" in contravention of article 6701g-2, V.T.C.S., and a related question (RQ-696)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a city's expenditures of community development block grant funds are subject to state competitive bidding laws (RQ-644)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether certain subordinated debt of a pawnshop must be included in the calculation of net assets for purposes of determining eligiblity for a pawnshop license under the Texas Pawnshop Act, V.T.C.S. tit. 79, ch. 51 (RQ-724)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Harris County Sheriff's authority to call up reserve deputy sheriffs to provide security personnel to separate governmental or private entities, and related questions (RQ-750)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether section 361.0235 of the Health and Safety Code, banning the importation into Texas of hazardous waste generated in a foreign country, is constitutional.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether section 392.043 of the Local Government Code prohibits employees of housing authority from participating in affordable housing program administered by related nonprofit housing corporation.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a sheriff of a county governed by article 2372p-3 of the Revised Civil Statutes is required by Code of Criminal Procedure article 17.11, section 2 to refuse the bond of a bondsman licensed is in default on a bond in another county (RQ-1134)

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission has authority under chapter 366 of the Texas Health and Safety Code to require certification of "site evaluators" (RQ-1090)

Letter opinion issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification;Whether a court may assess fees and court costs in a proceeding under V.T.C.S article 6701d, section 143A,subsection(a)(1) (RQ-475).

Quarterly publication of the Texas Comptroller's Office regarding sales and use tax in the state of Texas, including an analysis by county, analysis by industry, and related notes.

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Defense's (DOD) monitoring of health care claims processing activities, focusing on: (1) GAO's preliminary findings on claims processing timeliness and accuracy; and (2) the effectiveness of a commercially available software program to edit TRICARE claims."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the management of health care assets within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the Department of Defense's (DOD) $1.3 billion pharmacy programs and efforts under way to redesign DOD's pharmacy benefit."

Testimony issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the President's recent proposal for addressing Medicare and use of the projected budget surpluses over the next 15 years, focusing on: (1) the overall fiscal consequences of the proposal; (2) what it does and does not do for the Medicare Program; and (3) the importance of and difficulty in making fundamental changes to the program."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the characteristics of the residents and properties that have benefited from the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, focusing on assessing the impact of variations in characteristics such as the type or location of the property or the type of tenants served."

A letter report issued by the General Accounting Office with an abstract that begins "Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on whether adequate medical services were available to service members deployed to the field, focusing on the: (1) availability of data collected on female soldiers' health care needs in Bosnia; and (2) views of health care officials and female soldiers on female-specific services and health-related issues in Bosnia."