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Canada-U.S. Relations
This report begins with an overview of Canada's political scene, economic conditions, security and foreign policy, and environmental initiatives, focusing particularly on issues that may be relevant to U.S. policymakers. This country survey is followed by several summaries of current bilateral issues in the political, international security, trade, and environmental arenas. The questions following each summary are designed as potential inquiries to Canadian officials to promote thought and discussion among policymakers.
Date:
January 2, 2014
Creator:
Ek, Carl & Fergusson, Ian F.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Key Issues
This report describes the Keystone XL pipeline proposal and the process required for federal approval. It summarizes key arguments for and against the pipeline put forth by the pipeline's developers, federal agencies, environmental groups, and other stakeholders. The report discusses potential consistency challenges faced by the State Department in reviewing the pipeline application given its recent prior approvals of similar pipeline projects. Finally, the report reviews the constitutional basis for the State Department's authority to issue a Presidential Permit, and opponents' possible challenges to this authority.
Date:
December 2, 2013
Creator:
Parfomak, Paul W.; Pirog, Robert; Luther, Linda & Vann, Adam
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Burma's Political Prisoners and U.S. Sanctions
This report discusses the release of Burma's political prisoners and the role that plays in U.S. policy and Burma's political future.
Date:
December 2, 2013
Creator:
Martin, Michael F.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief
This report provides an introduction to the Federal Public Transportation Program (FPTP). Includes a brief background of public transportation as well as FPTP's funding, expenses, and structure.
Date:
December 2, 2013
Creator:
Mallett, William J.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Higher Education Act (HEA): A Primer
This report discusses the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA; P.L. 89-329) that authorizes numerous federal aid programs that provide support to both individuals pursuing a postsecondary education and institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Date:
January 2, 2014
Creator:
Hegji, Alexandra
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Report that provides background information and potential issues for Congress on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
Date:
July 2, 2013
Creator:
O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
How Measures Are Brought to the House Floor: A Brief Introduction
Report that presents a brief description of the five parliamentary methods used to bring proposed legislation to the House floor for consideration. These methods allow for consideration as a privileged matter, under the limited privilege of a special calendar or day, under suspension of the rules, under the terms of a special rule, or by unanimous consent.
Date:
November 2, 2012
Creator:
Davis, Christopher M.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Peace Corps: Current Issues
Report regarding the President's annual funding request for the Peace Corps, efforts to reauthorize the Peace Corps, and related issues. Current issues include the extent to which there is available funding for Peace Corps expansion, whether the Peace Corps has the institutional capacity to expand, and whether volunteers are able to function in a safe and secure environment.
Date:
October 2, 2012
Creator:
Tarnoff, Curt
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Photo ID Requirements for Voting: Background and Legal Issues
Report concerning the controversy surrounding some states' requirements that voters provide photographic identification before casting a ballot.
Date:
November 2, 2012
Creator:
Coleman, Kevin J.; Fischer, Eric A. & Whitaker, L. Paige
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Automatic Continuing Resolutions: Background and Overview of Recent Proposals
This report begins by providing background on the historic frequency of federal funding gaps. Next, four major features of automatic continuing resolution(ACR) proposals since the 1980s -- time frame, funding level, activities, and duration -- are explained. This is followed by a summary of the major arguments for and against the enactment of an ACR. Finally, the last three sections of the report review congressional action that has taken place on ACR proposals, describe ACR proposals that have been introduced but not enacted during the 112th and 113th Congresses, and provide brief analysis of H.R. 3210.
Date:
October 2, 2013
Creator:
Tollestrup, Jessica
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)
This report gives a brief overview of P.L. 110-49, the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007. Although both the President and Congress are directly involved in formulating the scope and direction of U.S. foreign investment policy, this law broadens Congress' oversight role; it also explicitly includes the areas of homeland security and critical infrastructure as separately-identifiable components of national security that the President must consider when evaluating the national security implications of a foreign investment transaction.
Date:
January 2, 2014
Creator:
Jackson, James K.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Tax Administration: Usage and Selected Analyses of the First-Time Homebuyer Credit
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "As an important part of the economic stimulus efforts, Congress enacted the First- Time Homebuyer Credit (FTHBC) to assist the struggling real estate market and encourage taxpayers to purchase their first homes. Congress enacted different versions of the FTHBC--as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (Housing Act); the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act); and the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 (Assistance Act). The dollar amounts that can be claimed and rules associated with the credit, including potential repayment, vary depending on the version. Joint Committee on Taxation estimates suggest that the three FTHBC provisions combined may result in total revenue losses to the federal government of about $22 billion through 2019. In response to the request for updated information on the use of the FTHBC, our objectives were to identify (1) the number of FTHBC claims and dollar amounts claimed for each credit version by state and (2) state rankings, using selected statistics, such as the total dollar amount of FTHBC claimed in each state."
Date:
September 2, 2010
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Littoral Combat Ship: Actions Needed to Improve Operating Cost Estimates and Mitigate Risks in Implementing New Concepts
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Navy plans to spend about $28 billion to buy 55 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and at least 64 interchangeable mission packages to perform one of three missions--mine countermeasures, antisubmarine warfare, and surface warfare--in waters close to shore. The Navy has been developing two different LCS seaframes and plans to select one for production in 2010. Due to the small 78-person crew size--40 core crew, 23 for aviation detachment, and typically 15 for mission packages--the Navy is developing new concepts for personnel, training, and maintenance. GAO was asked to assess the extent to which the Department of Defense (DOD) has (1) estimated LCS long-term operating and support costs and (2) developed plans to operate and support LCS. To do so, GAO compared Navy cost estimates to DOD guidance and GAO best practices; and analyzed Navy plans to implement its concepts for personnel, training, and maintenance and the extent these plans included assessments of program risk."
Date:
February 2, 2010
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Defense Health Care: TRICARE Multiyear Surveys Indicate Problems with Access to Care for Nonenrolled Beneficiaries
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In its analysis of the 2008-2011 beneficiary survey data, GAO found that nearly one in three nonenrolled beneficiaries experienced problems finding a civilian provider who would accept TRICARE and that nonenrolled beneficiaries' access to civilian primary care and specialty care providers differed by type of location. Specifically, a higher percentage of nonenrolled beneficiaries in Prime Service Areas (PSA), which are areas with civilian provider networks, experienced problems finding a civilian primary care or specialty care provider compared to those in non-Prime Service Areas (non-PSA), which do not have civilian provider networks. GAO found that the top reasons reported by nonenrolled beneficiaries for why they experienced access problems--regardless of type of provider--were that the providers were either not accepting TRICARE payments or new TRICARE patients. Additionally, GAO's comparison of the Department of Defense's (DOD) beneficiary survey data to related data from a Department of Health and Human Services survey showed that nonenrolled beneficiaries' satisfaction ratings for primary and specialty care providers were consistently lower than those of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries."
Date:
April 2, 2013
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Defense Logistics: Improvements Needed to Enhance Oversight of Estimated Long-term Costs for Operating and Supporting Major Weapon Systems
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "DODs reports to Congress on estimated weapon system O&S costs are often inconsistent and sometimes unreliable, limiting visibility needed for effective oversight of these costs. The SAR statute requires that life-cycle cost reporting for major weapon systems be uniform, to the extent practicable, across the department, but GAO found a number of inconsistent practices in how program offices were reporting life-cycle O&S cost estimates in the SAR. Program offices were inconsistent in (1) the explanatory information they included with the cost estimates; (2) the source of the cost estimate they cited as the basis for the reported costs; (3) the unit of measure they used to portray average costs; (4) the frequency with which they updated reported costs; and (5) the reporting of costs for an antecedent system being replaced by the new weapon system. For example, 35 (42 percent) of the 84 programs that reported O&S costs in the 2010 SAR did not cite a source of these data, contrary to DODs guidance, and 57 (68 percent) of the programs did not report O&S costs for an antecedent system. Also, O&S cost submissions in the …
Date:
February 2, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program: Vulnerability to Fraud and Abuse Remains
Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In summary, VAs SDVOSB program remains vulnerable to fraud and abuse. VA has made inconsistent statements about its progress in verifying firms listed in VetBiz using the new, more-thorough process the agency implemented in response to the 2010 Act. In one communication, VA stated that as of February 2011, all new verifications would use the 2010 Act process going forward. According to the most-recent information provided by VA, there are 6,079 SDVOSBs and veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB) listed in VetBiz. Of these, 3,724 were verified under the more-through process implemented under the 2010 Act, and 2,355over 38 percentwere verified under the less-rigorous 2006 Act process. The presence of firms that have only been subjected to the less-stringent process that VA previously used represents a continuing vulnerability. In 2011, VAs Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report finding that VAs document review process under the 2006 Act in many cases was insufficient to establish control and ownership [and] in effect allowed businesses to self-certify as a veteran-owned or service-disabled veteran-owned small business with little supporting documentation."
Date:
August 2, 2012
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Missile Defense: Mixed Progress in Achieving Acquisition Goals and Improving Accountability
Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense's (DOD) Missile Defense Agency (MDA) made progress in its goals to improve acquisition management, and accountability and transparency. The agency gained important knowledge for its Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) by successfully conducting several important tests, including the first missile defense system-level operational flight test. Additionally, key programs successfully conducted developmental flight tests that demonstrated key capabilities and modifications made to resolve prior issues. MDA also made some improvements to transparency and accountability. For example, MDA improved the management of its acquisition-related efforts to deploy a missile defense system in Europe and MDA continued to improve the clarity of its resource and schedule baselines, which are reported to Congress for oversight."
Date:
April 2, 2014
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Public Transportation: Requirements for Smaller Capital Projects Generally Seen as Less Burdensome
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Capital Investment Grant program funds, among other things, projects for fixed-guideway systems--often called New Starts projects. In 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act-A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) established a category of lower-cost projects--Small Starts--which expands project eligibility and offers streamlined requirements. FTA subsequently created the Very Small Starts category with a further streamlined process for very low-cost projects. Exempt projects, those receiving under $25 million and typically designated by Congress, also have a simplified process. As part of GAO's annual mandate to review New Starts, this report describes (1) the history of Small Starts and Very Small Starts and the type of projects FTA recommended for funding; (2) the project development requirements for Small Starts and Very Small Starts and what stakeholders identify as the advantages and disadvantages of the requirements; and (3) the project development requirements for exempt projects, the projects selected to receive funding, and what stakeholders identify as the advantages and disadvantages of this category. Among other things, GAO analyzed laws, regulations, and agency guidance, and interviewed FTA headquarters staff and stakeholders from 7 FTA …
Date:
August 2, 2011
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
This fact sheet tracks the current heads of government in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It provides the dates of the last and next elections for the head of government and the national independence date for each country.
Date:
April 2, 2010
Creator:
Gomez-Granger, Julissa & Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Latin America and the Caribbean: Fact Sheet on Leaders and Elections
This fact sheet tracks the current heads of government in Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It provides the dates of the last and next elections for the head of government and the national independence date for each country.
Date:
June 2, 2010
Creator:
Gomez-Granger, Julissa & Sullivan, Mark P.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction
This report briefly outlines the background of ethics enforcement in the House of Representatives, including the creation of both the Select Committee on Ethics and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. The report also focuses on various jurisdictional and procedural changes that the committee has experienced since 1967 and discusses the committee's current jurisdiction and procedures.
Date:
August 2, 2010
Creator:
Straus, Jacob R.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Deepwater Horizon: Coast Guard and Interior Could Improve Their Offshore Energy Inspection Programs
Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The April 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, a mobile offshore drilling unit (MODU), showed that the consequences of an incident on an offshore energy facility can be significant. A key way to ensure that offshore energy facilities are meeting applicable security, safety, and production standards is through conducting periodic inspections of the facilities. The Coast Guard and the Department of the Interior (Interior) share oversight responsibility for offshore energy facilities. The Coast Guard is to conduct security inspections of such facilities, whereas based on an agreement between the two agencies, Interior is to conduct safety compliance inspections on some offshore facilities on behalf of the Coast Guard as well as its own inspections to verify production. This testimony addresses: (1) the extent to which the Coast Guard has conducted security inspections of offshore energy facilities, and what additional actions are needed; (2) the extent to which Interior has conducted inspections of offshore energy facilities, including those on behalf of the Coast Guard, and challenges it faces in conducting such inspections; and (3) the Coast Guard's oversight authority of MODUs. This testimony is based on GAO products issued …
Date:
November 2, 2011
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
Office of National Drug Control Policy: Agencies View the Budget Process as Useful for Identifying Priorities, but Challenges Exist
Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Illicit drug use endangers public health and safety and depletes financial resources. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), each day in this country, an estimated 8,000 Americans illegally consume a drug for the first time and the risks posed by their drug use--like that of the estimated 20 million individuals that already use illicit drugs--will radiate to their families and the communities in which they live. Efforts to combat drug abuse and its consequences also represent a considerable financial investment. ONDCP, which is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the implementation of the national drug policy, reported that, for fiscal year 2010, about $22 billion was allocated for drug control programs and other related drug control activities across 49 federal agencies, departments, components, or programs. ONDCP was established by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 to enhance national drug control planning and assist Congress in overseeing that effort. In this role, ONDCP provides advice and governmentwide oversight of drug programs and coordinates the development of the National Drug Control Strategy (Strategy). By statute, the Director of ONDCP is to annually (1) develop a National Drug …
Date:
May 2, 2011
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Text
System:
The UNT Digital Library
DOD Financial Management: Ineffective Risk Management Could Impair Progress toward Audit-Ready Financial Statements
A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Defense (DOD) has taken some actions to manage its department-level risks associated with preparing auditable financial statements through its Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) Plan. However, its actions were not fully in accordance with widely recognized guiding principles for effective risk management, which include (1) identifying risks that could prevent it from achieving its goals, (2) assessing the magnitude of those risks, (3) developing risk mitigation plans, (4) implementing mitigating actions to address the risks, and (5) monitoring the effectiveness of those mitigating actions. DOD did not have documented policies and procedures for following these guiding principles to effectively manage risks to the implementation of the FIAR Plan."
Date:
August 2, 2013
Creator:
United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type:
Report
System:
The UNT Digital Library