War in Afghanistan: Campaign Progress, Political Strategy, and Issues for Congress (open access)

War in Afghanistan: Campaign Progress, Political Strategy, and Issues for Congress

This report describes the current strategic context, the state of the campaign, next steps in the campaign, and what it would take to make campaign gains sustainable; and it offers questions that may be of help to Congress in providing oversight of further U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.
Date: December 17, 2013
Creator: Dale, Catherine
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Energy Tax Policy: Issues in the 113th Congress (open access)

Energy Tax Policy: Issues in the 113th Congress

This report discusses the energy tax policy that may also be considered as part of comprehensive tax reform legislation in the 113th Congress. Also the report discusses a number of other energy tax incentives scheduled to expire at the end of 2013, including provisions to support building energy efficiency and renewable fuels.
Date: December 19, 2013
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Annual Fee on Health Insurers (open access)

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: Annual Fee on Health Insurers

This report discusses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148) and the Reconciliation Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-152) that impose a fee on certain for-profit health insurers, starting in 2014.
Date: December 12, 2013
Creator: Kirchhoff, Suzanne M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Women in the United States Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion (open access)

Women in the United States Congress: Historical Overview, Tables, and Discussion

This report includes a discussion of the impact of women in Congress as well as historical information, including the number and percentage of women in Congress over time, means of entry to Congress, comparisons to international and state legislatures, records for tenure, firsts for women in Congress, women in leadership, and African American and Asian Pacific American women in Congress.
Date: December 16, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E.; Shogan, Colleen J. & Brudnick, Ida A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Spectrum Policy: Provisions in the 2012 Spectrum Act (open access)

Spectrum Policy: Provisions in the 2012 Spectrum Act

This report discusses the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. The act established a process for television broadcasters to release spectrum licensed to them for auction as commercial licenses. The act also included provisions to apply future spectrum license auction revenues toward deficit reduction; to establish a planning and governance structure to deploy public safety broadband networks, using some auction proceeds for that purpose; and to assign additional spectrum resources for public safety communications.
Date: December 23, 2013
Creator: Moore, Linda K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act (open access)

Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act

This report summarizes legislative and other actions taken to repeal, defund, or delay the Affordable Care Act (ACA), since the law's enactment. The information is presented in four appendixes.
Date: December 5, 2013
Creator: Redhead, C. S. & Kinzer, Janet
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Majority Cloture for Nominations: Implications and the "Nuclear" Proceedings (open access)

Majority Cloture for Nominations: Implications and the "Nuclear" Proceedings

This report explains the procedural context within which the precedent was set and addresses the precedent's effects on floor consideration of nominations (as well as noting other potential effects on the nominations process). In addition, since the parliamentary circumstances under which the precedent was set fall within proceedings often called the "nuclear option," the report concludes by briefly noting the precedent's relevance for future proposals to alter or reinterpret Senate rules through the establishment of new precedent.
Date: December 6, 2013
Creator: Heitshusen, Valerie
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Reauthorization of SNAP and Other Nutrition Programs in the Next Farm Bill: Issues for the 113th Congress (open access)

Reauthorization of SNAP and Other Nutrition Programs in the Next Farm Bill: Issues for the 113th Congress

This report discusses the Nutrition Title (Title IV) of the pending farm bills and elaborates on the most controversial issues and differences between Senate and House proposals. Policies that are not necessarily controversial but are complex are also included in this report.
Date: December 10, 2013
Creator: Aussenberg, Randy Alison
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Interim Agreement on Iran's Nuclear Program (open access)

Interim Agreement on Iran's Nuclear Program

This report discusses the recent development regarding the negotiations with Iran about its nuclear program. The report provides background information on Iranian nuclear program and debates the November 24 Joint Plan of Action Elements.
Date: December 11, 2013
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth & Kerr, Paul K.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Campaign Contribution Limits: Selected Questions About McCutcheon and Policy Issues for Congress (open access)

Campaign Contribution Limits: Selected Questions About McCutcheon and Policy Issues for Congress

This report offers a preliminary analysis of major policy issues and potential implications that appear to be most relevant as the House and Senate prepare for the ruling and decide whether or how to respond.
Date: December 12, 2013
Creator: Garrett, R. S.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Congressional Action on FY2014 Appropriations Measures (open access)

Congressional Action on FY2014 Appropriations Measures

This report provides background and analysis with regard to the FY2014 appropriations process. The first section discusses the status of discretionary budget enforcement for FY2014, including the statutory spending limits and allocations under the congressional budget resolution. The second section provides information on the consideration of regular appropriations measures and an overview of their funding levels.
Date: December 18, 2013
Creator: Tollestrup, Jessica
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bitcoin: Questions, Answers, and Analysis of Legal Issues (open access)

Bitcoin: Questions, Answers, and Analysis of Legal Issues

This report has three major sections. The first section answers some basic questions about Bitcoin and the operation of the Bitcoin network and its interaction with the current dollar-based monetary system. The second section summarizes likely reasons for and against widespread Bitcoin adoption. The third section discusses legal and regulatory matters that have been raised by Bitcoin and other digital currencies.
Date: December 20, 2013
Creator: Elwell, Craig K.; Murphy, M. M. & Seitzinger, Michael V.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet (open access)

Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet

This report provides a brief history of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and figures on NIH appropriations for FY1994-FY2014.
Date: December 23, 2013
Creator: Johnson, Judith A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Medical Device Excise Tax: Economic Analysis (open access)

The Medical Device Excise Tax: Economic Analysis

This report reviews the issues surrounding the medical devices tax within the framework of basic principles surrounding the choice of commodities to tax under excise taxes. The next section describes the tax and its legislative origins. After that, the report analyzes the arguments for retaining and repealing the tax.
Date: December 23, 2013
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G. & Lowry, Sean
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Increasing the Efficiency of Existing Coal- Fired Power Plants (open access)

Increasing the Efficiency of Existing Coal- Fired Power Plants

This report focuses on efficiency improvements to power plants, and discusses retrofits, technologies, and other modifications to facility operations which offer the potential to improve power plant efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.
Date: December 20, 2013
Creator: Campbell, Richard J.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Crisis in South Sudan (open access)

The Crisis in South Sudan

This report provides an overview of the recent humanitarian situation in South Sudan. The United States is the largest provider of bilateral foreign assistance to South Sudan and a major financial contributor to international peacekeeping efforts there.
Date: December 27, 2013
Creator: Ploch Blanchard, Lauren
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Women in the United States Congress, 1917-2013: Biographical and Committee Assignment Information, and Listings by State and Congress (open access)

Women in the United States Congress, 1917-2013: Biographical and Committee Assignment Information, and Listings by State and Congress

This report includes biographical information, including the names, committee assignments, dates of service, listings by Congress and state, and (for Representatives) congressional districts of the 297 women who have served in Congress.
Date: December 16, 2013
Creator: Manning, Jennifer E. & Brudnick, Ida A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility (open access)

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility

This report discusses categorical eligibility and some of the issues raised by it. It first describes the three different types of categorical eligibility: traditional categorical eligibility conveyed through receipt of need-based cash assistance, and the newer "narrow" and "broad-based" categorical eligibilities conveyed via TANF "noncash" benefits. It also provides recent information on current state practices with regard to categorical eligibility. Finally, the report discusses proposals to restrict categorical eligibility.
Date: December 31, 2013
Creator: Falk, Gene & Aussenberg, Randy Alison
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery (open access)

Federal Assistance for Wildfire Response and Recovery

This report briefly discusses the options for federal support and assistance for areas affected by wildfire disasters, including the period during wildfires, in the aftermath, and subsequently for preventing a recurrence.
Date: December 9, 2013
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Traffic Safety Programs: In Brief (open access)

Federal Traffic Safety Programs: In Brief

This report provides an introduction to measures of traffic safety discusses the federal efforts to improve traffic safety programs.
Date: December 20, 2013
Creator: Peterman, David Randall
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cooperative R&D: Federal Efforts to Promote Industrial Competitiveness (open access)

Cooperative R&D: Federal Efforts to Promote Industrial Competitiveness

Report regarding the ways the United States Congress has explored to stimulate technological advancement in the private sector.
Date: December 3, 2012
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Technology Transfer: Use of Federally Funded Research and Development (open access)

Technology Transfer: Use of Federally Funded Research and Development

Report that looks at the workings, and pros and cons, of a system established by Congress to facilitate the transfer of technology research and development (R&D) funding to the private sector and state and local governments.
Date: December 3, 2012
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy (open access)

Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advancement: Debate Over Government Policy

Report that covers legislative activity in the past and present regarding private-sector technological development. It also looks at the future of Congressional action towards mandated specific technology development.
Date: December 3, 2012
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Offsets, Supplemental Appropriations, and the Disaster Relief Fund: FY1990-FY2013 (open access)

Offsets, Supplemental Appropriations, and the Disaster Relief Fund: FY1990-FY2013

Report that discusses the recent history of offsetting rescissions in paying for supplemental appropriations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund (DRF).
Date: December 4, 2012
Creator: Painter, William L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library