The European Union: Questions and Answers (open access)

The European Union: Questions and Answers

This report serves as a primer on the EU. Despite the UK's vote to leave the EU, the UK remains a full member of the bloc until it completes withdrawal negotiations and officially exits the EU (expected to occur in March 2019). As such, this report largely addresses the EU and its institutions as they currently exist. It also briefly describes U.S.-EU political and economic relations that may be of interest in the 115th Congress.
Date: September 7, 2018
Creator: Archick, Kristin
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Islamic State and U.S. Policy (open access)

The Islamic State and U.S. Policy

This report provides background on the Islamic State organization, discusses its goals, operations, and affiliates, reviews U.S. legislative and policy debates, and reviews relevant legislation from the 114th and 115th Congresses.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Blanchard, Christopher M. & Humud, Carla E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Field Hearings: Fact Sheet on Purposes, Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines (open access)

Field Hearings: Fact Sheet on Purposes, Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines

This report outlines the basic facts on what a Congressional field hearing is and the rules authorizing and regulating them along with current examples of field hearings from the 115th Congress.
Date: September 18, 2017
Creator: Heitshusen, Valerie & Petersen, R. Eric
System: The UNT Digital Library
Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 115th Congress (open access)

Federal Reserve: Legislation in the 115th Congress

The Federal Reserve (Fed) is the subject of legislation being considered in the 115th Congress. This report analyzes Fed bills that have seen committee or floor action and the policy debate surrounding them. The bills contain wide-ranging changes that can be grouped into five broad categories: Fed governance, oversight and disclosure, monetary policy rules (the Taylor Rule), the Fed's emergency lending powers, and the Fed's balance sheet.
Date: September 25, 2018
Creator: Labonte, Marc
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Financial CHOICE Act in the 115th Congress: Selected Policy Issues (open access)

The Financial CHOICE Act in the 115th Congress: Selected Policy Issues

This report highlights major proposals included in the Financial CHOICE Act (FCA) but is not a comprehensive summary. In general, the bill proposes changes that can be divided into two categories: (1) changes to financial policies and regulations and (2) changes to the regulatory structure and rulemaking process. Major policy-related changes proposed by the FCA include the following: Leverage Ratio, Regulatory Relief, To Big To Fail, Funding, Rulemaking, Judicial Review, Enforcement, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Federal Reserve.
Date: September 8, 2017
Creator: Labonte, Marc; Carpenter, David H.; Davis, Christopher M.; Perkins, David W.; Shorter, Gary & Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cuba: U.S. Policy in the 115th Congress (open access)

Cuba: U.S. Policy in the 115th Congress

This report examines U.S. policy toward Cuba in the 115th Congress in three sections: Cuba's political and economic environment; U.S. policy toward Cuba; and selected issues in U.S.-Cuban relations, including restrictions on travel and trade, funding for democracy and human rights projects in Cuba and for U.S. government-sponsored radio and television broadcasting, migration, anti-drug cooperation, U.S. property claims, and U.S. fugitives from justice in Cuba.
Date: September 1, 2018
Creator: Sullivan, Mark P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Regulatory Exclusivity Reform in the 115th Congress (open access)

Regulatory Exclusivity Reform in the 115th Congress

This report introduces the various regulatory exclusivities that protect certain medicines from marketplace competition for a set period of time and then describes pertinent legislation in the 115th Congress addressing them.
Date: September 15, 2017
Creator: Thomas, John R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Insurance Regulation: Legislation in the 115th Congress (open access)

Insurance Regulation: Legislation in the 115th Congress

This report discusses insurance related legislation in the 115th Congress including H.R. 10, Title XI, which would merge and revamp the FIO and the independent insurance expert position on FSOC; S. 1463/H.R. 3110 which would alter the term of the FSOC independent insurance expert; H.R. 3363 which would add insurance claims adjusters to the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers licensing structure created by Congress in P.L. 114-1; and S. 1360 which would respond to the development of international standards by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).
Date: September 20, 2017
Creator: Webel, Baird
System: The UNT Digital Library