Resource Type

Immigration Provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) (open access)

Immigration Provisions of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

This report discusses the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA, P.L. 103-322) that congress passed in 1994. This legislation created new programs within the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services that aimed to both reduce domestic violence and improve response to and recovery from domestic violence incidents.
Date: May 15, 2012
Creator: Kandel, William A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Overview of Tax Provisions Expiring in 2012 (open access)

An Overview of Tax Provisions Expiring in 2012

A number of tax provisions either expired in 2011 or are scheduled to expire at the end of this 2012. As Congress decides whether to extend these provisions, it may consider the estimated revenue losses associated with their extension as well as other factors when evaluating tax policy. In the 112th Congress, Members have yet to consider legislation that would extend all of the provisions discussed in this report, although legislation to extend certain provisions has been considered.
Date: April 17, 2012
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
FY2013 Defense Budget Request: Overview and Context (open access)

FY2013 Defense Budget Request: Overview and Context

This report analyzes President Obama's FY2013 defense budget request and the long-term deficit reduction issues relevant to congressional discussion of that request. Congressional action on the FY2013 defense budget will be analyzed in a separate report.
Date: April 20, 2012
Creator: Daggett, Stephen & Towell, Pat
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reexamination of Agency Reporting Requirements: Annual Process Under the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) (open access)

Reexamination of Agency Reporting Requirements: Annual Process Under the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA)

On January 4, 2011, the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) became law. The acronym "GPRA" in the act's short title refers to the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA 1993), a law that GPRAMA substantially modified. Some of GPRAMA's provisions require agencies to produce plans and reports for a variety of audiences that focus on goal-setting and performance measurement. Other provisions, by contrast, establish an annual process to reexamine the usefulness of certain reporting requirements. The report concludes by looking potential issues for Congress in two categories.
Date: April 18, 2012
Creator: Brass, Clinton T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Army Drawdown and Restructuring: Background and Issues for Congress (open access)

Army Drawdown and Restructuring: Background and Issues for Congress

On January 26, 2012, senior DOD leadership unveiled a new defense strategy based on a review of potential future security challenges, current defense strategy, and budgetary constraints. This new strategy envisions a smaller, leaner Army that is agile, flexible, rapidly deployable, and technologically advanced. This strategy will rebalance the Army's global posture and presence, emphasizing where potential problems are likely to arise, such as the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East. Potential issues for Congress include the strategic risk posed by a smaller and restructured Army; the "health" of the Army given the impending downsizing; where the force will be based; the role of the National Guard and Reserves; and should the enrollment at the service academies (West Point) be reduced to pre-9/11 levels. This report will be updated as circumstances warrant.
Date: April 20, 2012
Creator: Feickert, Andrew & Henning, Charles A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The STOCK Act, Insider Trading, and Public Financial Reporting by Federal Officials (open access)

The STOCK Act, Insider Trading, and Public Financial Reporting by Federal Officials

An overview of the STOCK Act (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012), which was signed into law on April 4, 2012, affirms and makes explicit the fact that there is no exemption from the "insider trading" laws and regulations for Members of Congress, congressional employees, or any federal officials.
Date: April 19, 2012
Creator: Maskell, Jack
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Violence Against Women Act: Overview, Legislation, and Federal Funding (open access)

The Violence Against Women Act: Overview, Legislation, and Federal Funding

This report discusses the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA, P.L. 103-322) that congress passed in 1994. This legislation created new programs within the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services that aimed to both reduce domestic violence and improve response to and recovery from domestic violence incidents.
Date: May 10, 2012
Creator: Seghetti, Lisa M. & Bjelopera, Jerome P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Domestic Content Legislation: The Buy American Act and Complementary Little Buy American Provisions (open access)

Domestic Content Legislation: The Buy American Act and Complementary Little Buy American Provisions

Congress has broad authority to place conditions on the purchases made by the federal government or with federal dollars. One of many conditions that it has placed on direct government purchases is a requirement that they be produced in the United States. The most well-known of these requirements is the Buy American Act, which is the major domestic preference statute governing procurement by the federal government. This report summarizes (1) the Buy American Act, what it does and does not cover; (2) the Little Buy American Acts found in permanent law, emphasizing what they govern, major exceptions and why Congress felt them necessary in light of the requirements of the Buy American Act; and (3) the temporary Little Buy American provision found in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Date: April 25, 2012
Creator: Luckey, John R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Hydraulic Fracturing and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Selected Issues (open access)

Hydraulic Fracturing and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Selected Issues

This report provides an overview of two situations in which agencies are arguing that they do not need to conduct a comprehensive environmental review of hydraulic fracturing under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Date: April 25, 2012
Creator: Murrill, Brandon J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Subsidy Cost of Federal Credit: Cost to the Government or Fair Value Cost? (open access)

Subsidy Cost of Federal Credit: Cost to the Government or Fair Value Cost?

Since the mid-1980s, budget experts have debated whether the best method of measuring the subsidy cost of federal credit (direct loans and loan guarantees) is the cost to the government or the fair value cost. This report presents a chronology of this still unresolved debate, which dates from the mid-1980s.
Date: April 25, 2012
Creator: Bickley, James M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
VA Housing: Guaranteed Loans, Direct Loans, and Specially Adapted Housing Grants (open access)

VA Housing: Guaranteed Loans, Direct Loans, and Specially Adapted Housing Grants

This report discusses three types of housing assistance-the loan guaranty program, direct loan programs, and Specially Adapted Housing program-their origins, how they operate, and how they are funded. The report also has a section that discusses the default and foreclosure of VA-guaranteed loans.
Date: April 24, 2012
Creator: Perl, Libby
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Budget Control Act of 2011: The Effects on Spending and the Budget Deficit When the Automatic Spending Cuts Are Implemented (open access)

The Budget Control Act of 2011: The Effects on Spending and the Budget Deficit When the Automatic Spending Cuts Are Implemented

This report discusses the two main groups of spending reductions in the Budget Control Act of 2011: (1) discretionary spending caps and (2) an automatic $1.2 trillion spending reduction process that comes into effect on January 02, 2012. It also looks at projected effects of the Act.
Date: April 23, 2012
Creator: Levit, Mindy R. & Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources (open access)

Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities challenge governments, businesses, and individuals worldwide. Congress has been actively involved in cybersecurity issues, holding hearings every year since 2001. There is no shortage of data on this topic: government agencies, academic institutions, think tanks, security consultants, and trade associations have issued hundreds of reports, studies, analyses, and statistics. This report provides links to selected authoritative resources related to cybersecurity issues and will be updated as needed.
Date: May 2, 2012
Creator: Tehan, Rita
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Industry Trends, Global Competition, Federal Support (open access)

U.S. Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing: Industry Trends, Global Competition, Federal Support

The most widely used solar technology involves photovoltaic (PV) solar modules, which draw on semiconducting materials to convert sunlight into electricity. By year-end 2011, the total number of grid-connected PV systems nationwide reached almost 215,000. Domestic demand is met both by imports and by about 100 U.S. manufacturing facilities. The competitiveness of solar PV as a source of electric generation in the United States will likely be adversely affected both by the expiration of tax provisions and by the rapid development of shale gas, which has the potential to lower the cost of gas-fired power generation and reduce the cost-competitiveness of solar power, particularly as an energy source for utilities. In light of these developments, the ability to build a significant U.S. production base for PV equipment is in question.
Date: April 27, 2012
Creator: Platzer, Michaela D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
United States v. Jones: GPS Monitoring, Property, and Privacy (open access)

United States v. Jones: GPS Monitoring, Property, and Privacy

In United States v. Jones, 132 S. Ct. 945 (2012), a Global Positioning System (GPS) device was attached to the undercarriage of Jones's car by the police to track his movements for four weeks. This report will examine three decisions regarding searching, attachment, and monitoring in an effort to find their place in the body of existing Fourth Amendment law pertaining to privacy, property, and technology.
Date: April 30, 2012
Creator: Thompson, Richard M., II
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage (open access)

U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage

This report focuses on the current situation with spent nuclear fuel storage in the United States. It does not address all of the issues associated with permanent disposal of SNF, but rather focuses on the SNF storage situation, primarily at current and former reactor facilities for the potentially foreseeable future.
Date: May 3, 2012
Creator: Werner, James D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interest Rates on Subsidized Stafford Loans to Undergraduate Students (open access)

Interest Rates on Subsidized Stafford Loans to Undergraduate Students

Beginning July 1, 2012, Subsidized Stafford Loans will be available exclusively to undergraduate students. The federal government "subsidizes" these loans by relieving the borrower of the requirement to pay the interest that accrues while the borrower is in school and during other authorized periods. In the 112th Congress, proposals have been made to reduce the interest rate applicable to Subsidized Stafford Loans that will be made to undergraduate students during AY2012-2013 from 6.8% to 3.4%. Proposals include the Interest Rate Reduction Act and the Stop the Student Loan Interest Rate Hike Act of 2012. It is estimated that a reduction in the interest rate would benefit approximately 7.4 million students who are likely to borrow Subsidized Stafford Loans during the upcoming award year.
Date: May 4, 2012
Creator: Smole, David P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
In Brief: Clarifying the Concept of "Partnership" in National Security (open access)

In Brief: Clarifying the Concept of "Partnership" in National Security

Over the last few years, the term "partnership" has spread like wildfire through official U.S. national security guidance documents and rhetoric. At the Department of Defense (DOD), which spearheaded the proliferation of the term, "partnership" has been used to refer to a broad array of civilian as well as military activities in support of national security.1 At other U.S. government agencies, and at the White House, the use of the term "partnership" has been echoed and applied even more broadly-not only in the national security arena, but also to all facets of U.S. relationships with foreign partners. "Partnership" is not new in either theory or practice. A lack of sufficient strategic direction regarding the use of the term could raise a series of potential concerns for Congress.
Date: May 4, 2012
Creator: Dale, Catherine
System: The UNT Digital Library
Veterans' Medical Care: FY2013 Appropriations (open access)

Veterans' Medical Care: FY2013 Appropriations

This report focuses on the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The VHA is primarily a direct service provider of primary care, specialized care, and related medical and social support services to veterans through the nation's largest integrated health care system.
Date: May 8, 2012
Creator: Panangala, Sidath Viranga
System: The UNT Digital Library
Clean Energy Standard: Summary and Analysis of S. 2146 (open access)

Clean Energy Standard: Summary and Analysis of S. 2146

U.S. policymakers have considered and deliberated on several policy designs that could potentially reduce energy-related carbon emissions. In his 2011 State of the Union address, President Obama proposed the concept of a Clean Energy Standard (CES) that would result in 80% of U.S. electricity generation from clean energy sources by 2035. In March of 2012, the Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 (S. 2146) was introduced in the Senate.
Date: May 9, 2012
Creator: Brown, Phillip
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rural Broadband: The Roles of the Rural Utilities Service and the Universal Service Fund (open access)

Rural Broadband: The Roles of the Rural Utilities Service and the Universal Service Fund

This report discusses Rural Utilities Service (RUS) Broadband and Telecommunications Programs. Since the initial deployment of broadband in the late 1990s, Congress has viewed broadband infrastructure deployment as a means towards improving regional economic development, and in the long term, to create jobs.
Date: May 9, 2012
Creator: Gilroy, Angele A. & Kruger, Lennard G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview (open access)

Federal Labor Relations Statutes: An Overview

This report provides a brief history and overview of the aims of these statutes: the Railway Labor Act (RLA) enacted in 1926, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (FSLMRS). It also discusses key statutory provisions for each statute.
Date: May 11, 2012
Creator: Hegji, Alexandra
System: The UNT Digital Library
FEMA's Community Disaster Loan Program: History, Analysis, and Issues for Congress (open access)

FEMA's Community Disaster Loan Program: History, Analysis, and Issues for Congress

This report compares and analyzes three different categories of loans issued in different time periods in the program's history: "traditional" loans issued between 1974 and 2005, in 2007, and between 2009 and 2011 (TCDLs); "special" (SCDLs) loans issued in 2005-2006 following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and loans issued under unique provisions in 2008 (2008 CDLs).
Date: May 10, 2012
Creator: Brown, Jared T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
NATO's Chicago Summit (open access)

NATO's Chicago Summit

NATO's 2012 summit of alliance heads of state and government is scheduled to take place in Chicago on May 20-21. U.S. and NATO officials have outlined what they expect to be the Summit's three main agenda items: Defining the next phase of formal transition in Afghanistan and shaping a longer term NATO commitment to the country after the planned end of combat operations by the end of 2014; Securing commitments to maintain and develop the military capabilities necessary to meet NATO's defense and security goals, including through a new "Smart Defense" initiative; and Enhancing NATO's partnerships with non-NATO member states.
Date: May 14, 2012
Creator: Belkin, Paul
System: The UNT Digital Library