The Peace Corps: Current Issues (open access)

The Peace Corps: Current Issues

This report provides a brief overview of the Peace Corps and discusses how the 112th Congress is considering the President's annual funding request for the Peace Corps and efforts to reauthorize the Peace Corps. Current issues for Congress 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: April 27, 2011
Creator: Tarnoff, Curt
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Piracy off the Horn of Africa (open access)

Piracy off the Horn of Africa

This report discusses recent (2010) pirate attacks on vessels, including United States vessels, in the waters off the Horn of Africa. The Horn of Africa is sometimes called the Somali Peninsula and includes the nations of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia. This report explores reasons behind the increased number of pirate attacks in recent years, as well as what efforts are being taken to combat said attacks, including those by the 111th Congress and President Obama and his Administration.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Ploch, Lauren; Blanchard, Christopher M.; O'Rourke, Ronald; Mason, R. Chuck & King, Rawle O.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Securing Nuclear Materials: The 2010 Summit and Issues for Congress (open access)

Securing Nuclear Materials: The 2010 Summit and Issues for Congress

This report discusses domestic and global nuclear security measures. It talks about the challenges to achieve the four year goal, the multilateral efforts to improve nuclear security, and the role of nongovernmental organization and the nuclear industry. The report concludes that Congress will continue to decide on funding for the U.S. domestic and international programs focused on nuclear material security and nuclear terrorism prevention. Congress is also likely to assess implementation of the Administration's goal to secure nuclear materials by the end of 2013.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operations (open access)

Reaching the Debt Limit: Background and Potential Effects on Government Operations

This report examines the possibility of the federal government reaching its statutory debt limit and not raising it, with a particular focus on government operations. First, the report explains the nature of the federal government's debt, the processes associated with federal borrowing, and historical events that may influence prospective actions. It also includes an analysis of what could happen if the federal government may no longer issue debt, has exhausted alternative sources of cash, and, therefore, depends on incoming receipts or other sources of funds to provide any cash needed to liquidate federal obligations. Finally this report lays out considerations for increasing the debt limit under current policy and what impact fiscal policy could have on the debt limit going forward.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Levit, Mindy R.; Brass, Clinton T.; Nicola, Thomas J. & Shelton, Alison M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Terrorism Investigations (open access)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Terrorism Investigations

This report provides background information on key elements of the FBI terrorism investigative process based on publicly available information. This report sets forth possible considerations for Congress as it executes its oversight role. These issues include the extent to which intelligence has been integrated into FBI operations to support its counterterrorism mission and the progress the Bureau has made on its intelligence reform initiatives. In addition, these issues will also be relevant during confirmation hearings for a new director.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Bjelopera, Jerome P. & Randol, Mark A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Register, Volume 76, Number 81, April 27, 2011, Pages 23449-23684 (open access)

Federal Register, Volume 76, Number 81, April 27, 2011, Pages 23449-23684

Daily publication of the U.S. Office of the Federal Register contains rules and regulations, proposed legislation and rule changes, and other notices, including "Presidential proclamations and Executive Orders, Federal agency documents having general applicability and legal effect, documents required to be published by act of Congress, and other Federal agency documents of public interest" (p. ii). Table of Contents starts on page iii.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: United States. Office of the Federal Register.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Terrorism Investigations (open access)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Terrorism Investigations

This report provides background information on key elements of the FBI terrorism investigative process based on publicly available information. This report sets forth possible considerations for Congress as it executes its oversight role. These issues include the extent to which intelligence has been integrated into FBI operations to support its counterterrorism mission and the progress the Bureau has made on its intelligence reform initiatives.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Bjelopera, Jerome P. & Randol, Mark A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Multiple U.S. Agencies Provided Billions of Dollars to Train and Equip Foreign Police Forces (open access)

Multiple U.S. Agencies Provided Billions of Dollars to Train and Equip Foreign Police Forces

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Over the past few years, the United States has increased its emphasis on training and equipping foreign police as a means of supporting a wide range of U.S. foreign-policy goals, including countering terrorists overseas and stopping the flow of narcotics to the United States. Funding for these activities has increased significantly since we last reported on these issues in 1992. In response to congressional request, this report provides estimates of the funding the U.S. government provided for activities to train and equip foreign police, hereafter referred to as "police assistance," during fiscal year 2009. We defined "police" as all law-enforcement units or personnel with arrest, investigative, or interdiction authorities."
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bureau of the Public Debt: Areas for Improvement in Information Systems Controls (open access)

Bureau of the Public Debt: Areas for Improvement in Information Systems Controls

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In connection with fulfilling our requirement to audit the financial statements of the U.S. government, we audited and reported on the Schedules of Federal Debt Managed by the Bureau of the Public Debt (BPD) for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009. As part of these audits, we performed a review of information systems controls over key BPD financial systems. As we reported in connection with our audit of the Schedules of Federal Debt for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, we concluded that BPD maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting relevant to the Schedule of Federal Debt as of September 30, 2010, that provided reasonable assurance that misstatements, losses, or noncompliance material in relation to the Schedule of Federal Debt would be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis. However, we identified information systems deficiencies affecting internal control over financial reporting, which, while we do not consider them to be collectively either a material weakness or significant deficiency, nevertheless warrant BPD management's attention and action. This report presents the control deficiencies we identified during our …
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: United States. Government Accountability Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The UNT Digital Library
Journal of the House of Representatives of Texas: 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, April 27, 2011 (open access)

Journal of the House of Representatives of Texas: 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, April 27, 2011

Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Texas for the 63rd day of the regular session of the 82nd Legislature documenting legislation, reports, discussions, votes, and points-of-order.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
Journal of the House of Representatives of Texas: 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, Wednesday, April 27, 2011 (open access)

Journal of the House of Representatives of Texas: 82nd Legislature, Regular Session, Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Texas for the sixty-third day of the Regular session of the 82nd Legislature documenting legislation, reports, discussions, votes, and points-of-order.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
Child Welfare: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits for Children in Foster Care (open access)

Child Welfare: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits for Children in Foster Care

This report begins with a discussion of the foster care system and the Social Security benefits available to eligible children, including those in foster care. It then describes the role of representative payees and their responsibilities. The report provides data on the use of Social Security benefits to reimburse states for child welfare, and includes a discussion of the Keffeler decision. Finally, the report concludes with proposals supported by some advocates to change the current practice of using SSI and other Social Security benefits to fund foster care.
Date: April 27, 2011
Creator: Fernandes-Alcantara, Adrienne L.; Szymendera, Scott & Stoltzfus, Emilie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library