Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 40, Pages 8823-9002, October 1, 2010 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 40, Pages 8823-9002, October 1, 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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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: October 1, 2010
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 41, Pages 9003-9166, October 8, 2010 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 41, Pages 9003-9166, October 8, 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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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: October 8, 2010
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 42, Pages 9167-9436, October 15, 2010 (open access)

Texas Register, Volume 35, Number 42, Pages 9167-9436, October 15, 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 Information published in the Texas Register includes proposed, adopted, withdrawn and emergency rule actions, notices of state agency review of agency rules, governor's appointments, attorney general opinions, and miscellaneous documents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: October 15, 2010
Creator: Texas. Secretary of State.
Object Type: Journal/Magazine/Newsletter
System: The Portal to Texas History
Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2011 (open access)

Federal Research and Development Funding: FY2011

This report summarizes the FY2011 budget request for research & development (R&D) funding, including comparisons to R&D funding requests in the FY2010 budget. Congress will play a central role in defining the nation's R&D priorities, especially with respect to two overarching issues: the extent to which the Federal R&D investment can grow in the context of increased pressure on discretionary spending and how available funding will be prioritized and allocated. This report breaks down in detail the various aspects of the President's FY2011 R&D funding request.
Date: October 4, 2010
Creator: Sargent, John F., Jr.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Location-Based Preferences in Federal and Federally Funded Contracting: An Overview of the Law (open access)

Location-Based Preferences in Federal and Federally Funded Contracting: An Overview of the Law

This report discusses constitutional and other legal issues related to the creation and implementation of location-based preferences in federal contracting, as well as summarizes key authorities requiring or allowing federal agencies to "favor" contractors located in specific places. The report does not address federal preferences for domestic products or provisions of federal law that could, depending upon their implementation, effectively prefer local contractors, such as project labor agreements.
Date: October 1, 2010
Creator: Luckey, John R. & Manuel, Kate M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Defense Acquisition: Use of Lead System Integrators (LSIs) -- Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress (open access)

Defense Acquisition: Use of Lead System Integrators (LSIs) -- Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress

Some in Congress have expressed concern about the government's use of private-sector lead system integrators (LSIs) for executing large, complex, defense-related acquisition programs. LSIs are large, prime contractors hired to manage such programs. Supporters of the LSI concept argue that it is needed to execute such complex acquisition efforts, and can promote better technical oversight and innovation. This report discusses both the praise for and criticisms of the LSI concept, as well as related legislation.
Date: October 8, 2010
Creator: Grasso, Valerie Bailey
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Temporary Extension of Unemployment Benefits: Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) (open access)

Temporary Extension of Unemployment Benefits: Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08)

In July 2008, a new temporary unemployment benefit, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) program, began. The most recent legislation, P.L. 111-205, extended the authorization of the EUC08 program, but did not change the structure of the program or augment benefits. This temporary unemployment insurance program provides up to 20 additional weeks of unemployment benefits to certain workers who have exhausted their rights to regular unemployment compensation (UC) benefits. This report discusses the various tiers of the EUC08 program, as well as related legislation. This report will be updated to reflect current congressional action or programmatic changes.
Date: October 1, 2010
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.; Whittaker, Julie M. & Shelton, Alison M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans' Benefits: Pension Benefit Programs (open access)

Veterans' Benefits: Pension Benefit Programs

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administers several pension benefit programs for veterans as well as their surviving spouses and dependent children. The most current pension programs available (for those meeting the eligibility criteria on or after January 1, 1979) are the Improved Disability Pension for certain low-income veterans and the Improved Death Pension for certain low-income surviving spouses or children of veterans. There is also a special pension for Medal of Honor recipients. This report describes these programs, including the eligibility criteria and current benefit levels. This report will be updated as needed to reflect legislative activity and changes to benefits or eligibility requirements.
Date: October 18, 2010
Creator: Scott, Christine & Davis, Carol D.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues (open access)

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues

This report discusses the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), under which members of the uniformed services and U.S. citizens who live abroad are eligible to register and vote absentee in federal elections. The report discusses recent improvements to UOCAVA, necessary as teh result of controversy surrounding ballots received in Florida from absentee voters in the 2000 presidential election. The report also discusses related legislation, such as the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2010, which provided for a major overhaul of UOCAVA.
Date: October 6, 2010
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues (open access)

The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act: Overview and Issues

This report discusses the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), under which members of the uniformed services and U.S. citizens who live abroad are eligible to register and vote absentee in federal elections. The report discusses recent improvements to UOCAVA, necessary as teh result of controversy surrounding ballots received in Florida from absentee voters in the 2000 presidential election. The report also discusses related legislation, such as the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2010, which provided for a major overhaul of UOCAVA.
Date: October 27, 2010
Creator: Coleman, Kevin J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress (open access)

Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

The Navy's FY2011-FY2015 shipbuilding plan calls for procuring an 11th and final San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ship in FY2012. FY2011 issues for Congress include whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's proposed funding profile for procuring the 11th LPD-17, and whether to provide the Navy with any direction concerning the design of the LSD(X) or procurement of LPD-17s beyond the 11th ship. Congress's decisions on these issues will affect, among other things, Navy and Marine Corps funding requirements and capabilities, and the shipbuilding industrial base.
Date: October 4, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress (open access)

Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

The Navy's FY2011-FY2015 shipbuilding plan calls for procuring an 11th and final San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ship in FY2012. This report discusses the procurement cost estimates of this ship, as well as related issues for Congress.
Date: October 15, 2010
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress (open access)

Telework for Executive Agency Employees: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Legislation Pending in the 111th Congress

This report discusses legislation (S. 707 and H.R. 1722) designed to foster the development of telework in executive agencies of the federal government.
Date: October 5, 2010
Creator: Schwemle, Barbara L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Legislative Action (open access)

Food Safety on the Farm: Federal Programs and Legislative Action

In recent years, major outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, product recalls, and reports about unsafe food imports have caused some to question the adequacy of the U.S. food safety system. Stakeholders appear to agree that an optimal system should encompass a comprehensive, preventive approach to food safety, focusing on those foods and points in the food system that pose the greatest public health risks, starting at the point of production - that is, on farms and ranches. This report discusses differing opinions on this topic, as well as related legislation.
Date: October 5, 2010
Creator: Johnson, Renée
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Improper Payments Information Act of 2002: Background, Implementation, and Assessment (open access)

Improper Payments Information Act of 2002: Background, Implementation, and Assessment

This report discusses the Improper Payments Information Act (IPIA), which was signed into law in 2002 with the intention of increasing financial accountability in the federal government, thereby reducing wasteful spending.
Date: October 4, 2010
Creator: Hatch, Garrett & McMurtry, Virginia A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committee Chairs: Considerations, Decisions, and Actions as One Congress Ends and a New Congress Begins (open access)

House Committee Chairs: Considerations, Decisions, and Actions as One Congress Ends and a New Congress Begins

This report addresses some of the critical matters a House committee chair confronts from the time of the early organization meetings in November to approximately the spring district work-period in March or April. The report is divided into the following sections: Transition, Administrative Matters, Committee Organization, Committee Procedure and the Role of the Chair, Procedural Tools for Committee Chairs, Floor Consideration and the Role of the Chair, and Legislative Issues and Agenda.
Date: October 5, 2010
Creator: Schneider, Judy & Koempel, Michael L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Contract Types: An Overview of the Legal Requirements and Issues (open access)

Contract Types: An Overview of the Legal Requirements and Issues

This report provides an overview of the various contract types (e.g., fixed-price, cost-reimbursement) used in federal procurement and the legal requirements and issues pertaining to each. Current congressional and public interest in contract types is, in part, an outgrowth of the reported increase in the use of cost-reimbursement contracts during the George W. Bush Administration1 and the Obama Administration's proposal to reduce by at least 10% the funds obligated in FY2010 by "high risk-contracting authorities," such as cost-reimbursement, time-and-materials, and labor-hour contracts.
Date: October 1, 2010
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Homeland Security Department: FY2011 Appropriations (open access)

Homeland Security Department: FY2011 Appropriations

This report describes the FY2011 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Administration requested a net appropriation of $45.0 billion in budget authority for FY2011. This amounts to a $1.1 billion, or a 2.4% increase from the $43.9 billion enacted for FY2010. Total budget authority requested by the Administration for DHS for FY2011 amounts to $52.6 billion as compared to $51.7 billion enacted for FY2010.
Date: October 13, 2010
Creator: Haddal, Chad C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations (open access)

Financial Services and General Government (FSGG): FY2011 Appropriations

This report discusses the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) FY2011 appropriations bill, which includes funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the judiciary, the District of Columbia, and 26 independent agencies, including the Small Business Administration and the United States Postal Service.
Date: October 14, 2010
Creator: Hatch, Garrett
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Schools: The Legal Issues (open access)

The Use of Seclusion and Restraint in Public Schools: The Legal Issues

Seclusion and restraint have been used in various situations to deal with violent or noncompliant behavior. Because of congressional interest in the use of seclusion and restraint in schools, including passage of H.R. 4247 and the introduction of S. 2860, 111th Congress, first session, this report focuses on the legal issues concerning the use of these techniques in schools, including their application both to children covered by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and to those not covered by IDEA.
Date: October 14, 2010
Creator: Jones, Nancy Lee & Feder, Jody
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Biomass: Comparison of Definitions in Legislation Through the 111th Congress (open access)

Biomass: Comparison of Definitions in Legislation Through the 111th Congress

This report discusses the use of biomass as an energy feedstock, which is emerging as a potentially viable alternative to address U.S. energy security concerns, foreign oil dependence, rural economic development, and diminishing sources of conventional energy. Biomass (organic matter that can be converted into energy) may include food crops, crops for energy (e.g., switchgrass or prairie perennials), crop residues, wood waste and byproducts, and animal manure. This report discusses legislation regarding biomass, the evolving definition of biomass, and the positions of supporters and detractors of biomass as an alternative energy source.
Date: October 28, 2010
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi & Gorte, Ross W.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Legal Issues Relating to the Disposal of Dispensed Controlled Substances (open access)

Legal Issues Relating to the Disposal of Dispensed Controlled Substances

Prescription drug abuse is the second-most common form of illicit drug abuse among teenagers in the United States, trailing only marijuana use. Prescription drug abuse has become a particular concern amongst federal policymakers. This report discusses this issue, including related pieces of legislation such as the Controlled Substances Act, the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, and the proper way to dispose of controlled substances.
Date: October 19, 2010
Creator: Yeh, Brian T.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
History of the Joint Committee on Reduction of Non-Essential Federal Expenditures (1941- 1974), with Observations on Oversight Today (open access)

History of the Joint Committee on Reduction of Non-Essential Federal Expenditures (1941- 1974), with Observations on Oversight Today

This report traces the history of the joint committee and describes the subject matter of some of its principal work products. The report concludes with some considerations involved with the creation of a committee - the purpose of which is to assist Congress in reducing federal spending - and with a brief examination of committee oversight authority extant in House and Senate committees and of alternative mechanisms for cutting spending.
Date: October 26, 2010
Creator: Koempel, Michael L.; Murray, Justin & Tabit, Brian P.J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA): Congressional Interest and Executive Enforcement (open access)

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA): Congressional Interest and Executive Enforcement

This report briefly discusses the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act of 1977 (FCPA), which was intended to prevent corporate bribery of foreign officials. Criticisms of the act's operation and scope began almost immediately after its passage and have continued. This report discusses these criticisms.
Date: October 21, 2010
Creator: Seitzinger, Michael V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library