Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service (open access)

Unemployment Compensation (Insurance) and Military Service

This report discusses unemployment compensation for Ex-Service members (UCX), which provides income support while former active duty military personnel or reservists released from active duty search for work. The report addresses funding for this service, who is entitled to UCX benefits, and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) and the Extended Benefits (EB) payments, which a servicemember receives when regular unemployment benefits are exhausted.
Date: February 6, 2014
Creator: Whittaker, Julie M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement to Come from Domestic Sources (open access)

The Berry Amendment: Requiring Defense Procurement to Come from Domestic Sources

This report examines the original intent and purpose of the Berry Amendment, legislative proposals to amend the application of domestic source restrictions, and potential options for Congress.
Date: February 24, 2014
Creator: Grasso, Valerie Bailey
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Individual Mandate Under ACA (open access)

Individual Mandate Under ACA

This report describes the individual mandate as established under the Affordable Care Act (ACA, P.L. 111-148, as amended). The report also discusses the ACA reporting requirements designed, in part, to assist individuals in providing evidence of having met the mandate.
Date: March 6, 2014
Creator: Mach, Annie L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Research, Development, and Demonstration at the U.S. Department of Energy (open access)

Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Research, Development, and Demonstration at the U.S. Department of Energy

This report aims to provide a snapshot of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) program, including its current funding levels and the budget request for FY2014, together with some discussion of the program's achievements and prospects for success in meeting its stated goals.
Date: February 10, 2014
Creator: Folger, Peter
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance (open access)

Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance

This report discusses the current political state of Afghanistan, and the Afghan government. It also discusses Afghanistan's relationship with the United States, particularly U.S. efforts to urge President Hamid Karzai to address corruption within the Afghan government.
Date: February 27, 2014
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Social Security Number: Legal Developments Affecting Its Collection, Disclosure, and Confidentiality (open access)

The Social Security Number: Legal Developments Affecting Its Collection, Disclosure, and Confidentiality

This report provides a comprehensive list of federal developments affecting use of the social security number, from 1935 to the present. This list includes federal statutes regulating the collection and disclosure of SSNs, as well as specific authorizations for the use of SSNs, confidentiality provisions, and criminal provisions relating to SSN misuse.
Date: February 4, 2014
Creator: Swendiman, Kathleen S. & Lanza, Emily M.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
U.S. Manufacturing in International Perspective (open access)

U.S. Manufacturing in International Perspective

This report contains a series of charts and tables that depict the position of manufacturing in the United States relative to other countries according to various metrics.
Date: February 20, 2014
Creator: Levinson, Marc
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs (open access)

Employment for Veterans: Trends and Programs

This report discusses veterans' employment trends and programs. The first section presents data on veterans' employment outcomes, identifying recent trends, and discussing issues to consider when interpreting veterans' employment data. The following sections present brief discussions of existing programs that provide employment-related services to veterans. These services are divided into (1) general programs that are broadly available to veterans, (2) programs that target veterans with service-connected disabilities, and (3) competitive grant programs that provide additional employment-related services to veterans but may be limited in scope or availability.
Date: February 20, 2014
Creator: Collins, Benjamin; Dilger, Robert Jay; Dortch, Cassandria; Kapp, Lawrence; Lowry, Sean & Perl, Libby
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
European Union Enlargement (open access)

European Union Enlargement

This report provides a brief overview of the European Union's (EU's) accession process and Turkey's path to EU membership. The U.S. Congress has had a long-standing interest in Turkey as a NATO ally and partner in regional foreign policy and energy security issues.
Date: February 19, 2014
Creator: Archick, Kristin & Morelli, Vincent L.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Overview of Current Program (open access)

Terrorism Risk Insurance: Issue Analysis and Overview of Current Program

This report looks at the background and current Congressional status of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002.
Date: March 4, 2014
Creator: Webel, Baird
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress (open access)

The United Nations Human Rights Council: Issues for Congress

This report provides historical background of the United Nations Human Rights Council, including the role of the previous Commission. It discusses the Council's current mandate and structure, as well as U.S. policy and congressional actions. Finally, it highlights possible policy issues for the 112th Congress, including the overall effectiveness of the Council in addressing human rights, implications for U.S. membership, and U.S. financial contributions to the Council.
Date: February 4, 2014
Creator: Blanchfield, Luisa
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding (open access)

Drought in the United States: Causes and Current Understanding

This report discusses how drought is defined (e.g., why drought in one region of the country is different from drought in another region) and why drought occurs in the United States. It briefly describes periods of drought in the country's past that equaled or exceeded drought conditions experienced during the 20th century. This is followed by a discussion of the nature and extent of recent droughts that affected Texas and the U.S. midcontinent, and the current drought in California. Lastly, the report discusses future prospects for a climate in the western United States that might be drier than the average 20th-century climate and the possible influence of human-induced climate change.
Date: February 26, 2014
Creator: Folger, Peter & Cody, Betsy A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Negotiations (open access)

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Negotiations

This report provides: (1) context for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations; (2) analysis of possible trade and investment issues in the negotiations; and (3) discussion of issues for Congress. The U.S.-EU negotiations on TTIP are not public, however, the information and analysis in this report on issues in the negotiations are based on publicly-available information.
Date: February 4, 2014
Creator: Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias & Jones, Vivian C.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Military Funeral Honors and Military Cemeteries: Frequently Asked Questions (open access)

Military Funeral Honors and Military Cemeteries: Frequently Asked Questions

This report provides answers to frequently asked questions about military funeral honors and military cemeteries, including information on the eligibility criteria, required components of the honor detail, and the funeral ceremony. It also cites legislation that mandates that the Department of Defense (DOD) make military funeral honors available to every eligible veteran upon request.
Date: January 13, 2014
Creator: Torreon, Barbara Salazar
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda): U.S. and International Response to Philippines Disaster (open access)

Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda): U.S. and International Response to Philippines Disaster

This report examines the impact of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which struck the central Philippines on November 8, 2013, and the U.S. and international response.
Date: February 10, 2014
Creator: Lum, Thomas & Margesson, Rhoda
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities (open access)

Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Federal Civil Service Annuities

This report discusses the Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) are based on the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). All CSRS retirees and survivors receive COLAs. Under FERS, however, non-disabled retirees under age 62 do not receive COLAs. This report discusses cost-of-living adjustments for government retirees, as well as related legislation.
Date: November 1, 2013
Creator: Isaacs, Katelin P.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview (open access)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology: An Appropriations Overview

This report examines the funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Date: November 20, 2013
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy (open access)

Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy

This report discusses the current state of Bahrain, which has undergone substantial political reforms since the late 1990s, but which still suffers from tension between the Shiite majority and the Sunni-led government. This report focuses particularly on Bahrain's relationship with Iran and with the United States.
Date: November 6, 2013
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Medal of Honor: History and Issues (open access)

Medal of Honor: History and Issues

This report describes the history of the Medal of Honor and the laws and regulations pertaining to the award. The report discusses the privileges/benefits available to the recipients are discussed. Finally, this report analyzes efforts to have the Medal of Honor awarded to certain individuals outside of the normal procedures.
Date: December 19, 2013
Creator: Burrelli, David F. & Torreon, Barbara Salazar
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables (open access)

Salaries of Members of Congress: Recent Actions and Historical Tables

The report contains information on congressional pay procedure and recent adjustments. It includes historical information on pay rates since 1789; the adjustments projected by the Ethics Reform Act as compared to actual adjustments in Member pay; details on past legislation enacted with language prohibiting the annual pay adjustment; and Member pay in constant and current dollars since 1992.
Date: September 24, 2013
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Takings Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court: A Chronology (open access)

Takings Decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court: A Chronology

This report is a reverse chronological listing of U.S. Supreme Court decisions addressing claims that a government entity has "taken" private property, as that term is used in the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Date: December 9, 2013
Creator: Meltz, Robert
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2013 (open access)

Salaries of Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2013

The report contains information on the pay procedure of members of Congress and recent adjustments. It provides information on previous actions and votes by year, from 1990-2010.
Date: November 4, 2013
Creator: Brudnick, Ida A.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (open access)

Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests

This report examines Kyrgyzstan's uneven political and economic reform efforts. It discusses U.S. policy and assistance for democratization and other programs. Basic facts and biographical information are provided.
Date: August 30, 2013
Creator: Nichol, Jim
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library
House Committee on Ethics: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction (open access)

House Committee on Ethics: A Brief History of Its Evolution and Jurisdiction

This report examines the history and evolution of the House Committee on Ethics, including the committee's jurisdiction and investigative procedure. It does not deal with changes to federal or state criminal law or with criminal prosecutions of Members of Congress or with the specifics of disciplinary cases in the House.
Date: November 27, 2013
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
Object Type: Report
System: The UNT Digital Library