This report provides background information and issues for Congress on three potential new weapons that could improve the ability of Navy surface ships to defend themselves against enemy missiles--solid state lasers (SSLs), the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG), and the hypervelocity projectile (HVP).

This report discusses the Navy's plan to develop and design a class of 12 next-generation ballistic missile submarines, or SSBN(X)s, as replacements for the 14 Ohio class SSBNs currently in operation. The report explores certain related issues for Congress, including the affordability of the project and its potential impact on other Navy shipbuilding programs, alternatives to the program, and which shipyard or shipyards will build the proposed ships.

Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has requested that Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) characterize a sample of Tank 13 in preparation for Sludge Batch 9 (SB9). A 200 mL sample of Tank 13 was received by SRNL on July 22, 2013 (Tank Farm sample ID HTF-13-13-128). Characterization of the sample to meet the requirements of the request is complete. Results include: visual observations; slurry and supernatant density; weight percent total and insoluble solids; supernatant characterization; total alpha, total beta, and several radionuclide analyses; and elemental analyses of the dried solids. The sample was very fluid. After settling overnight, there was a small layer of solids on the bottom of the sample container (a 250 mL HDPE bottle) with the remainder being clear supernatant. To better show the sludge solids relative to the overall sample, 25 mL of slurry was placed in a graduated cylinder and allowed to settle over a weekend (approximately 90 hours). The sludge layer was at the approximately 4 mL. The small visually observed quantity of insoluble solids was confirmed with a low weight percent insoluble solids of 0.94%.

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Through particle-in-cell simulations, we show that plasma waves carrying trapped electrons can be amplified manyfold via compressing plasma perpendicularly to the wave vector. These simulations are the first ab initio demonstration of the conservation of nonlinear action for such waves, which contains a term independent of the field amplitude. In agreement with the theory, the maximum of amplification gain is determined by the total initial energy of the trapped-particle average motion but otherwise is insensitive to the particle distribution. Further compression destroys the wave; electrons are then untrapped at suprathermal energies and form a residual beam. As compression continues, the bump-on-tail instability is triggered each time one of the discrete modes comes in resonance with this beam. Hence, periodic bursts of the electrostatic energy are produced until a wide quasilinear plateau is formed.

This report briefly describes the regulatory programs at issue in the two World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute before analyzing how the WTO's Appellate Body applied Article 2.1 of the TBT Agreement in U.S. -COOL and U.S. -Tuna II. The report takes an in-depth look at the test established by the Appellate Body for determining whether a measure is impermissibly discriminatory. Finally, the report provides a brief description of how the United States amended these programs in response to the WTO decisions, and explains why subsequent WTO rulings found that the amended programs still failed to comply with international trade obligations.

This report revolves around the contentious issue of admitting privileges as can be seen in Whole Woman's Health v. Cole. The report also includes information on how admitting privileges have been used to impose an undue burden on a woman's ability to seek abortions.

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We present a new variational principle for the gyrokinetic system, similar to the Maxwell-Vlasov action presented in Ref. 1. The variational principle is in the Eulerian frame and based on constrained variations of the phase space fluid velocity and particle distribution function. Using a Legendre transform, we explicitly derive the field theoretic Hamiltonian structure of the system. This is carried out with the Dirac theory of constraints, which is used to construct meaningful brackets from those obtained directly from Euler-Poincare theory. Possible applications of these formulations include continuum geometric integration techniques, large-eddy simulation models and Casimir type stability methods. __________________________________________________

This report consists of altering house ethics committee sanction recommendations on the floor: Past Precedent and Options for Action.

This report discusses Congressional gold medals which are awarded by Congress for distinguished contributions to the United States. It describes the history, selection process, award designs and production process, and issues for Congress.

Annual financial report of the Texas Eighth Court of Appeals documenting income, expenditures, and other relevant financial information for fiscal year 2017.

Annual financial report of the Ninth Court of Appeals documenting income, expenditures, and other relevant financial information for fiscal year 2017.

Report including a digest of each vetoed measure, the governor's stated reason for the veto, and a response to the veto by the author or sponsor of the bill.

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.

Annual financial report of the Texas Pension Review Board documenting income, expenditures, and other relevant financial information for fiscal year 2013.

This report discusses a resolution which would provide temporary funding to continue federal government operations through the beginning of the fiscal year, until annual appropriations acts could be enacted.

This report discusses the EPA's proposed Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing coal-fired power plants. As part of the ACE Rule, EPA proposed a new test for determining whether New Source Review (NSR) would apply to a modification of an existing power plant.

This report focuses on the constitutional principles and judicial decisions that may constrain certain types of privatization that involve private and government-created entities.

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since fiscal year 2008, U.S. agencies allocated over $1.2 billion in funding for Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) activities and non-CARSI funding that supports CARSI goals. As of June 1, 2013, the Department of State (State) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) obligated at least $463 million of the close to $495 million in allocated funding for CARSI activities, and disbursed at least $189 million to provide partner countries with equipment, technical assistance, and training to improve interdiction and disrupt criminal networks. Moreover, as of March 31, 2013, U.S. agencies estimated that they had allocated approximately $708 million in non-CARSI funding that supports CARSI goals, but data on disbursements were not readily available. U.S. agencies, including State, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Justice, use this funding to provide equipment, technical assistance, and training, as well as infrastructure and investigation assistance to partner countries. For example, DOD allocated $25 million in funding to help Guatemala establish an interagency border unit to combat drug trafficking."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) carries out a variety of programs and activities abroad within its areas of expertise that could have the effect of thwarting terrorists and their plots while also combating other categories of transnational crime, and DHS expended approximately $451 million on programs and activities abroad in fiscal year 2012. For example, through the Visa Security Program, DHS has deployed personnel abroad to help prevent the issuance of visas to people who might pose a threat. As of May 2013, DHS has stationed about 1,800 employees in almost 80 countries to conduct these and other activities. In addition, DHS has delivered training and technical assistance in areas such as border and aviation security to officials from about 180 countries to enhance partner nations' security capacities."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Nearly half of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program (CHP) funding from fiscal years 2008 through 2012 was awarded to grantees in six states, and award amounts varied considerably in certain years. During this period, state, county, and city law enforcement agencies nationwide received CHP grant awards to hire or rehire officers to advance community policing, with 48 percent of the funds awarded to grantees in California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas. For grantees awarded the same number of officers, differences were driven mainly by variation across grantees' respective entry-level officer salaries and benefits. Variation in grantee award amounts were more prominent during 2009, 2010, and 2011, when salary and benefit levels were not statutorily capped, and grantees with higher officer salary and benefit levels generally received more CHP funding relative to other CHP grantees for the same number of officers."

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Between fiscal years 2010 and 2012, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) border and maritime research and development (R&D) components reported producing 97 R&D deliverables at an estimated cost of $177 million. The type of border and maritime R&D deliverables produced by DHS's Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, the Coast Guard, and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) varied, and R&D customers we met with reported mixed views on the impact of the R&D deliverables they received. These deliverables were wide-ranging in their cost and scale, and included knowledge products and reports, technology prototypes, and software (as shown in the figure below). The Coast Guard and DNDO reported having processes in place to collect and evaluate feedback from its customers regarding the results of R&D deliverables. However, S&T has not established timeframes and milestones for collecting and evaluating feedback from its customers on the extent to which the deliverables it provides to DHS components--such as US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)--are meeting its customer's needs. Doing so could help S&T better determine the usefulness and impact of its R&D projects and deliverables and make better-informed decisions …

A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Federal outlays for grants to state and local governments totaled more than $606 billion in fiscal year 2011. Over the last three decades, these grants have consistently been a significant component of federal spending, but the focus of this spending has changed over time. For example, during this period the proportion of federal outlays to state and local governments dedicated to Medicaid grants more than tripled, rising from 2.4 percent of total federal government outlays in 1980 to 7.6 percent in 2011. The increase in federal outlays for Medicaid and other health-related grant programs was offset by an approximately equivalent decrease in grants to state and local governments targeted for other areas such as transportation, education, and regional development."