Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 36, Pages 7961-8198, September 3, 2010 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 36, Pages 7961-8198, September 3, 2010

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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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 3, 2010
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Countering Terrorism in East Africa: The U.S. Response (open access)

Countering Terrorism in East Africa: The U.S. Response

This report provides an overview of current U.S. counterterrorism assistance programs and influence operations in East Africa and explores some of the strategies underpinning them. It also provides a brief description of the evolving terrorist threat in the region and explores the various roles of the Departments of State, Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, Justice, and the U.S. Agency for International Development in implementing counterterrorism programs in the region. The report does not address covert or clandestine operations to collect intelligence or capture or eliminate terrorist targets in the region.
Date: November 3, 2010
Creator: Ploch, Lauren
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies (open access)

Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: September 3, 2010
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Administrative Issues Related to a Change in Majority in the House of Representatives (open access)

Administrative Issues Related to a Change in Majority in the House of Representatives

This report briefly describes how a change in majority leadership in the House of Representatives -- such as the incoming new majority that will assume control of House operations at the beginning of the 112th Congress in January 2011 -- could affect House rules, committees, and administrative and legislative operations.
Date: November 3, 2010
Creator: Petersen, R. Eric; Manning, Jennifer E. & Brudnick, Ida A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Azerbaijan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (open access)

Azerbaijan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests

This report discusses political, economic, and security challenges facing Azerbaijan, including the unsettled conflict in the breakaway Nagorno Karabakh region. A table provides basic facts and biographical information. Related products include CRS Report RL33453, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests, by Jim Nichol.
Date: June 3, 2010
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Canada-U.S. Relations (open access)

Canada-U.S. Relations

This report provides a short overview of Canada's political scene, its economic conditions, and its recent security and foreign policy, focusing particularly on issues that may be relevant to U.S. policymakers. This brief country survey is followed by several summaries of current bilateral issues in the political, trade, and environmental arenas. The report is updated annually.
Date: September 3, 2010
Creator: Ek, Carl & Fergusson, Ian F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 49, Pages 10561-10784, December 03, 2010 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 49, Pages 10561-10784, December 03, 2010

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 3, 2010
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress

This report discusses Special Operations Forces (SOFs), which are elite military units with special training and equipment that can infiltrate hostile territory through land, sea, or air to conduct a variety of operations, many of them classified.
Date: December 3, 2010
Creator: Feickert, Andrew & Livingston, Thomas K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
El Salvador: Political, Economic, and Social Conditions and U.S. Relations (open access)

El Salvador: Political, Economic, and Social Conditions and U.S. Relations

This report discusses the state of the El Salvadoran government and recently elected President Mauricio Funes. This report also discusses the relationship between El Salvador and the United States, notably U.S. efforts to restore democracy and initiate economic reform in El Salvador. This report also briefly addresses the effects of the current financial crisis on El Salvador's economy, poverty levels, and crime rates.
Date: January 3, 2011
Creator: Seelke, Clare Ribando
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Adopting A Long-Term Budget Focus: Challenges and Proposals (open access)

Adopting A Long-Term Budget Focus: Challenges and Proposals

This report focuses on the current federal budget process, including criticisms of that process. This report will provide information on (1) the current horizons used in the budget process, including already existing long-term components; (2) the rationale for increased focus on longterm budgeting; (3) general challenges to long-term budgeting; and (4) an analysis of general proposals that have been made to increase the focus of long-term budgeting in the budget process.
Date: December 3, 2010
Creator: Lynch, Megan Suzanne; Labonte, Marc & Levit, Mindy R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Generalized System of Preferences: Agricultural Imports (open access)

Generalized System of Preferences: Agricultural Imports

The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) provides duty-free tariff treatment for certain products from designated developing countries. Some in Congress have continued to call for changes to the program that could limit GSP benefits to certain countries, among other changes. Opinion within the U.S. agriculture industry is mixed, reflecting both support for and opposition to the current program. In the past few years, Congress has extended GSP through a series of short-term extensions. However, the 111th Congress did not extend the GSP in 2010, and it was set to expire December 31, 2010. The expiration of the GSP will likely become a legislative issues in the 112th Congress.
Date: January 3, 2011
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Security Assistance Reform: "Section 1206" Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Security Assistance Reform: "Section 1206" Background and Issues for Congress

Section 1206 is the first major DOD authority to be used expressly for the purpose of training and equipping the national military forces of foreign countries. This report provides background on the pre-Section 1206 status of security assistance authorities and the factors contributing to the enactment of Section 1206. It then sets out the purposes of the legislation and scope of its activities, restrictions on its use, the DOD-State Department planning process, and funding. It concludes with a discussion of issues for Congress. An appendix provides a descriptive legislative history of the bill and evolving congressional committee attitudes towards the appropriate division of labor between the Department of Defense and the State Department regarding Section 1206 authority.
Date: March 3, 2011
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Department of Defense "Section 1207" Security and Stabilization Assistance: Background and Congressional Concerns, FY2006-FY2010 (open access)

Department of Defense "Section 1207" Security and Stabilization Assistance: Background and Congressional Concerns, FY2006-FY2010

Now expired, Section 1207 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2006 (P.L. 109-163) provided authority for the Department of Defense (DOD) to transfer to the State Department up to $100 million per fiscal year in defense articles, services, training or other support for reconstruction, stabilization, and security activities in foreign countries. This report provides background and data on Section 1207 authority and funding that may be useful for possible debate in the 112th Congress regarding the appropriate roles and funding mechanisms for DOD, the State Department, and other U.S. agencies in conflict prevention, management, and resolution, and in stabilization and reconstruction operations.
Date: March 3, 2011
Creator: Serafino, Nina M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview (open access)

The Congressional Budget Process: A Brief Overview

The term "budget process," when applied to the federal government, actually refers to a number of processes that have evolved separately and that occur with varying degrees of coordination. This overview, and the accompanying flow chart, are intended to describe in brief each of the parts of the budget process that involve Congress, clarify the role played by each, and explain how they operate together. They include the President's budget submission, the budget resolution, reconciliation, sequestration, authorizations, and appropriations.
Date: March 3, 2011
Creator: Saturno, James V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 22, Pages 3363-3554, June 3, 2011 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 36, Number 22, Pages 3363-3554, June 3, 2011

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: June 3, 2011
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Côte d'Ivoire Post-Gbagbo: Crisis Recovery (open access)

Côte d'Ivoire Post-Gbagbo: Crisis Recovery

Côte d'Ivoire is emerging from a severe political-military crisis that followed a disputed November 28, 2010, presidential runoff election between former president Laurent Gbagbo and his, former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara. Both claimed electoral victory and formed opposing governments. Their rivalry spurred a full-scale civil military conflict in early March 2011, after months of growing political violence. Armed conflict largely ended days after Gbagbo's arrest by pro-Ouattara forces, aided by United Nations (U.N.) and French peacekeepers, but limited residual fighting was continuing to occur as of April 20.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Cook, Nicolas
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues (open access)

Proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement: Background and Issues

The United States is Colombia's leading trade partner. Colombia accounts for a very small percentage of U.S. trade (0.9% in 2010), ranking 20th among U.S. export markets and 25th as a source of U.S. imports. Economic studies on the impact of a U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement (FTA) have found that, upon full implementation of an agreement, the impact on the United States would be positive but very small due to the small size of the Colombian economy when compared to that of the United States (about 1.9%).
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Villarreal, M. Angeles
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Energy Standard: Potential Qualifying Energy Sources (open access)

Clean Energy Standard: Potential Qualifying Energy Sources

This report begins with a brief examination of clean energy, renewable energy, and alternative energy. It then presents possible selection criteria Congress could use to determine which sources could be eligible for a CES depending on the goal(s) of the CES. The report provides an overview of the energy sources most commonly discussed as potential CES qualifying sources: biomass, fossil fuels (natural gas combined-cycle and coal-fired power plants with carbon capture and sequestration), geothermal resources, nuclear, solar, water, and wind. The report describes where each source can be found in the United States, the estimated quantity available for electricity generation, technologies used to create electricity from the source, advantages and disadvantages of using the source for electricity generation, and policy implications should the source be included in a CES.5 The report also contains a section on energy efficiency and its potential inclusion in a CES.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi; Folger, Peter; Holt, Mark; Ratner, Michael & Sissine, Fred
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (open access)

The Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria

This report examines formal interagency collaborative arrangements and activities, which are intended to enhance joint efforts and cooperation among independent federal agencies with shared responsibilities and overlapping jurisdictions. This report highlights some of the current challenges posed by HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, as well as several crosscutting policy issues that the 112th Congress may consider as it determines U.S. global health funding for these three diseases, including: Health Systems Strengthening, Country Ownership, Research and Development, Monitoring and Evaluation; and Bilateral vs. Multilateral Support.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Kendall, Alexandra E.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Construction Sector in the U.S. Economy (open access)

The Construction Sector in the U.S. Economy

The construction sector is a major component of the U.S. economy. During the past decade, construction was a prime beneficiary of low interest rates and the housing-led economic boom, but was also one of the largest casualties of the subsequent financial crisis. Construction spending comprised about 7%-8% of U.S. annual economic output from 1995 to mid-2000, reaching nearly 9% of gross domestic product at the peak of the housing run-up in 2006, before declining to about 5% in 2010. Likewise, construction employment ranged from a low of about 4.6 million during the early 1990s to a high of 7.7 million during the 2006 housing boom, and was about 5.5 million in early 2011.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Kirchhoff, Suzanne M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Millennium Challenge Corporation (open access)

Millennium Challenge Corporation

This report discusses the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which provides economic assistance through a competitive selection process to developing nations that are pursuing political and economic reforms in three areas: ruling justly, investing in people, and fostering economic freedom. This report also discusses several concerns related to MCC implementation, including the level of funding to support MCC programs.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Proposed U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement (open access)

The Proposed U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement

This report discusses the free trade agreement (FTA) the United States and Panama signed on June 28, 2007. While Panama's government ratified the FTA in July 2007, the 110th, 111th, and 112th Congresses have not yet implement ratification legislation.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Hornbeck, J. F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: U.S. Contributions and Issues for Congress (open access)

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: U.S. Contributions and Issues for Congress

This report provides background information on the Global Fund, discusses changes the Global Fund has made to improve the efficiency of its programs and address allegations of corruption, outlines U.S. funding for the Fund, and analyzes issues Congress might consider as it debates the appropriate level of support to provide the Fund.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: Salaam-Blyther, Tiaji
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Expedited Rescission Bills in the 111th and 112th Congresses: Comparisons and Issues (open access)

Expedited Rescission Bills in the 111th and 112th Congresses: Comparisons and Issues

Expedited rescission bills focus on procedural changes in Congress and typically contain a detailed schedule to ensure immediate introduction of a measure to approve the President's rescission request, prompt reporting by committee or automatic discharge, special limits on floor amendments and debate, and so on. Under expedited rescission, congressional approval is still necessary to rescind the funding, but the fast-track procedures may help to encourage an up-or down vote on the President's proposal.
Date: May 3, 2011
Creator: McMurtry, Virginia A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library