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The 2002 Farm Bill: Overview and Status

Description: This report discusses the provisions of the 1996 farm bill, which was due to expire in 2002 but was extended for an additional 6 years on May 13, 2002 by President Bush (P.L. 107-171). The new law is called the "Farm Security and Rural Investment Act (FSRIA) of 2002. The new law generally supersedes the previous omnibus farm bill, the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-127). The new farm law has attracted widespread criticism both in the U.S. and abroad. Thi… more
Date: September 3, 2002
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S. & Womach, Jasper
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Amtrak and Energy Conservation in Intercity Passenger Transportation

Description: A rationale for federal financial support to Amtrak has been that rail service conserves energy, compared to other forms of intercity passenger transportation. The numbers presented in this report suggest that the rationale might not be valid with regard to some alternative modes of transportation, and the report discusses some public policy implications that could follow from that conclusion.
Date: September 3, 1996
Creator: Thompson, Stephen J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Analysis of the Tax Exclusion for Canceled Mortgage Debt Income

Description: Mortgage debt cancellation can occur when lenders restructure loans, reducing principal balances, or sell properties, either in advance, or as a result, of foreclosure proceedings. Exceptions have been available for taxpayers who are insolvent or in bankruptcy, among others- these taxpayers may exclude canceled mortgage debt income under existing law.
Date: September 3, 2015
Creator: Keightley, Mark P. & Lunder, Erika
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Appropriations for FY2003: Interior and Related Agencies

Description: Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, consolidated, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress considers each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittees.
Date: September 3, 2002
Creator: Hardy-Vincent, Carol & Boren, Susan
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Appropriations for FY2003: VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies

Description: Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This Report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies.
Date: September 3, 2002
Creator: Snook, Dennis W. & Bourdon, E. Richard
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Appropriations for FY2004: U.S. Department of Agriculture and Related Agencies

Description: Appropriations are one part of a complex federal budget process that includes budget resolutions, appropriations (regular, supplemental, and continuing) bills, rescissions, and budget reconciliation bills. This Report is a guide to one of the 13 regular appropriations bills that Congress passes each year. It is designed to supplement the information provided by the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Agriculture.
Date: September 3, 2003
Creator: Chite, Ralph M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Armenia Update

Description: This report is an update regarding Armenia's experience of domestic political turmoil since independence.
Date: September 3, 2004
Creator: Migdalovitz, Carol
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Program: Issues for Congress

Description: This report presents the issues considered by the 108th Congress related to the civil works program of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The Corps plans, constructs, and operates water resources facilities primarily for flood control, navigation, and environmental purposes.
Date: September 3, 2004
Creator: Carter, Nicole T. & Sheikh, Pervaze A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Auditing and Its Regulators: Reforms After Enron

Description: Auditors are regulated by both governmental agencies and professional organizations, though many now question whether this oversight is adequate. Enron’s auditor, Arthur Andersen, has been investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), several congressional committees, and other agencies, and it is facing numerous law suits. A federal jury convicted the firm on obstruction of justice charges on June 15, 2002. Other corporations and their auditors are also under scrutiny. Num… more
Date: September 3, 2002
Creator: Lyke, Bob
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Banning the Use of Racial Preferences in Higher Education: A Legal Analysis of Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action

Description: This report discusses the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Laws based on suspect classifications such as race or gender, however, typically receive heightened scrutiny and require a stronger, if not compelling, state interest to justify the classification.
Date: September 3, 2013
Creator: Feder, Jody
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Budget for Fiscal Year 2004

Description: Congress cleared the conference report (H.Rept. 108-71, H.Con.Res. 95) on the FY2004 budget resolution on April 11, containing reconciliation instructions for a tax cut. On May 23, Congress adopted the conference report (H.Rept. 108-126) on H.R. 2, the bill containing an 11-year; $350 billion tax cut that followed the reconciliation instructions. It became law (P.L.108-27) on May 28.
Date: September 3, 2003
Creator: Winters, Philip D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Campaign Finance: Constitutional and Legal Issues of Soft Money

Description: Prior to enactment of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), P.L. 107-155, the term “soft money” generally referred to unregulated funds, perceived as resulting from loopholes in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), 2 U.S.C. §§ 431 et seq. Generally, the intent of BCRA, (effective Nov. 6, 2002), which amends FECA, is to restrict the raising and spending of soft money. This Issue Brief discusses constitutional and legal issues surrounding two major types of soft money that BCRA … more
Date: September 3, 2004
Creator: Whitaker, L. Paige
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Canada-U.S. Relations

Description: This report provides a short overview of Canada's political scene, its economic conditions, and its recent security and foreign policy, focusing particularly on issues that may be relevant to U.S. policymakers. This brief country survey is followed by several summaries of current bilateral issues in the political, trade, and environmental arenas. The report is updated annually.
Date: September 3, 2010
Creator: Ek, Carl & Fergusson, Ian F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Chemical Facility Security: Reauthorization, Policy Issues, and Options for Congress

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the existing statutory authority of the Department of Homeland Security to regulate chemical facilities and the regulation implementing this authority. It describes several policy issues raised in previous debates regarding chemical facility security and identifies policy options that might resolve components of these issues. Finally, legislation introduced in the 111th Congress is discussed.
Date: September 3, 2009
Creator: Shea, Dana A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China-U.S. Trade Issues

Description: U.S.-China economic ties have expanded substantially over the past several years. China is now the third largest U.S. trading partner, its second largest source of imports, and its fourth largest export market. However, U.S.-China commercial ties have been strained by a number of issues, including a surging U.S. trade deficit with China, China's refusal to float its currency, and failure to fully comply with its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments, especially its failure to provide prote… more
Date: September 3, 2003
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Clean Water Action Plan: Background and Early Implementation

Description: In October 1997, Vice President Gore directed federal agencies to develop a Clean Water Initiative to improve and strengthen water pollution control efforts. The multiagency plan was released on Feb. 19, 1998, and identifies nearly 100 key actions. Most are existing activities, now labeled as part of the Initiative. The President's FY1999 budget requests $2.2 billion for five departments and agencies to fund implementation of the Plan. While Congress is considering appropriations bills to fund … more
Date: September 3, 1998
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Liaison Offices of Selected Federal Agencies

Description: This list of about 150 congressional liaison offices is intended to help congressional offices in placing telephone calls and addressing correspondence to government agencies. In each case, the information was supplied by the agency itself and is current as of the date of publication. Entries are arranged alphabetically in four sections: legislative branch; judicial branch; executive branch; and agencies, boards, and commissions.
Date: September 3, 2010
Creator: Crane-Hirsch, Audrey Celeste
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Review Act: Disapproval of Rules in a Subsequent Session of Congress

Description: This report addresses some of the implications of the CRA with regard to agency rulemaking in the final months of a presidential administration. It first notes the practice of increased rulemaking activity during this period, and describes how this practice has been addressed by two White House memoranda issued during the current Bush Administration. The report then briefly identifies key elements of the complex set of time periods established by the CRA — elements that define points during the… more
Date: September 3, 2008
Creator: Copeland, Curtis W. & Beth, Richard S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Corporate Expatriation, Inversions, and Mergers: Tax Issues

Description: This report begins with a brief discussion of relevant portions of the U.S. corporate income tax system before examining how inversions were commonly structured. The report then looks at how Congress and Department of the Treasury have reduced the benefits of inversions. The report concludes with an examination of methods that remain to invert and policy options available to prevent or limit these inversions.
Date: September 3, 2014
Creator: Marples, Donald J. & Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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