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Administrative Subpoenas in Criminal Investigations: A Brief Legal Analysis

Description: Administrative subpoena authority is the power vested in various administrative agencies to compel testimony or the production of documents or both in aid of the agencies’ performance of their duties. As a constitutional matter, the Fourth Amendment only demands that administrative subpoenas be "reasonable." Although more extensive proposals were offered in the 108th Congress, the law enforcement related administrative subpoena proposals in the 109th Congress appear in S. 600, relating to the S… more
Date: March 17, 2006
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Administrative Subpoenas in Criminal Investigations: A Sketch

Description: Administrative subpoena authority is the power vested in various administrative agencies to compel testimony or the production of documents or both in aid of the agencies’ performance of their duties. Proposals in the 109th Congress for greater use of administrative subpoenas in a law enforcement context appear in S. 600, relating to the Secretary of State’s responsibilities to protect U.S. foreign missions and foreign dignitaries visiting this country; in H.R. 3726, relating to federal obsceni… more
Date: March 17, 2006
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy

Description: The United States and its allies are helping Afghanistan emerging from more than 22 years of warfare, although substantial risk to Afghan stability remains. Before the U.S. military campaign against the orthodox Islamist Taliban movement began on October 7, 2001, Afghanistan had been mired in conflict since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The defeat of the Taliban has enabled the United States and its coalition partners to send forces throughout Afghanistan to search for Taliban and… more
Date: March 17, 2006
Creator: Katzman, Kenneth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Analysis of Federal-State Financing of the Child Support Enforcement Program

Description: The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171) made changes to the Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program that will result in less federal financial support to state CSE programs. The CSE program serves families that are recipients of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and non-recipient families. IT provides seven major services: parent location, paternity establishment, establishment of child support payments, distribution of support payments, and establishment and e… more
Date: May 17, 2006
Creator: Solomon-Fears, Carmen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Banking and Securities Regulation and Agency Enforcement Authorities

Description: The federal bank regulatory agencies — the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Office of Thrift Supervision — have extensive authority to enforce various legal and regulatory standards with respect to the banking institutions that they supervise. Similarly, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has a wide range of tools to enforce the securities laws. This report provides a bri… more
Date: January 17, 2006
Creator: Jackson, William D.; Jickling, Mark; Shorter, Gary; Murphy, M. Maureen & Seitzinger, Michael V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Bioterrorism Countermeasure Development: Issues in Patents and Homeland Security

Description: Congressional interest in the development of bioterrorism countermeasures remains strong, even after passage of legislation establishing Project BioShield. In the 109th Congress, several bills have been introduced, including S. 3, the Protecting America in the War on Terror Act, S. 975, the Project Bioshield II Act, and S. 1873, the Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act, that would generate additional incentives for the creation of new technologies to counteract potential bio… more
Date: January 17, 2006
Creator: Schacht, Wendy H. & Thomas, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Broadband Internet Access and the Digital Divide: Federal Assistance Programs

Description: Some policymakers, believing that disparities in broadband access across American society could have adverse economic and social consequences on those left behind, assert that the federal government should play a more active role to avoid a “digital divide” in broadband access. One approach is for the federal government to provide financial assistance to support broadband deployment in underserved areas. Others, however, believe that federal assistance for broadband deployment is not appropriat… more
Date: January 17, 2006
Creator: Kruger, Lennard G. & Gilroy, Angele A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Brownfields Tax Incentive Extension

Description: The brownfields tax incentive expired on December 31, 2005. Enacted in 1997, the provision allowed a taxpayer to fully deduct the costs of environmental cleanup in the year the costs were incurred, rather than spreading the costs over a period of years. The provision was adopted to stimulate the cleanup and developers of less seriously contaminated sites by providing a benefit to taxpaying developers of brownfield properties. This report contains information on the background of brownfields, su… more
Date: October 17, 2006
Creator: Reisch, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Caspian Oil and Gas: Production and Prospects

Description: There is a likelihood of large reserves of crude oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea region, and a consequent large increase in oil and natural gas production from that area. Because diversity of energy sources is a consideration in Congressional deliberations on energy policy, this prospect could play a role in such discussions. However, there are notable obstacles to increases in Caspian Sea region production of oil and gas that may slow development.
Date: January 17, 2006
Creator: Gelb, Bernard A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Caspian Oil and Gas: Production and Prospects

Description: There is a likelihood of large reserves of crude oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea region, and a consequent large increase in oil and natural gas production from that area. Because diversity of energy sources is a consideration in Congressional deliberations on energy policy, this prospect could play a role in such discussions. However, there are notable obstacles to increases in Caspian Sea region production of oil and gas that may slow development.
Date: January 17, 2006
Creator: Gelb, Bernard A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues

Description: Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances the national interest in reducing the role of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles that could deliver them. China has taken some steps to mollify U.S. concerns about its role in weapons proliferation. Skeptics question whether China's cooperation in weapons nonproliferation has warranted President Bush's pursuit of stronger bilateral ties. This report discus… more
Date: July 17, 2006
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China and Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Missiles: Policy Issues

Description: Congress has long been concerned about whether U.S. policy advances the national interest in reducing the role of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and missiles that could deliver them. China has taken some steps to mollify U.S. concerns about its role in weapons proliferation. Skeptics question whether China's cooperation in weapons nonproliferation has warranted President Bush's pursuit of stronger bilateral ties. This report discus… more
Date: July 17, 2006
Creator: Kan, Shirley A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China's Currency: A Summary of the Economic Issues

Description: This report explores various aspects of the Chinese economy, including specific policies that some Members of Congress consider a form of currency manipulation, the U.S.-China economic relationship, and the state of the Chinese economy with respect to the current global economic crisis.
Date: March 17, 2006
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M. & Labonte, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China's Economic Conditions

Description: China’s economy continues to be a concern to U.S. policymakers. On the one hand, China’s economic growth presents huge opportunities for U.S. exporters. On the other hand, the surge in Chinese exports to the United States has put competitive pressures on many U.S. industries. Many U.S. policymakers have argued that greater efforts should be made to pressure China to fully implement its WTO commitments and to change various economic policies deemed harmful to U.S. economic interests, such as its… more
Date: March 17, 2006
Creator: Morrison, Wayne M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Description: Prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been seeking congressional approval for a $1.1 billion multi-year program to both construct five projects that would help to restore specified sites in the coastal wetland ecosystem in Louisiana, and to continue planning several other related projects. The state of Louisiana and several federal agencies have participated in the development of this program. This report introduces this program and restoration options that … more
Date: March 17, 2006
Creator: Zinn, Jeffrey A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)

Description: The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is an interagency committee that serves the President in overseeing the national security implications of foreign investment in the economy. Since it was established by an Executive Order of President Ford in 1975, the committee has operated in relative obscurity.1 According to a Treasury Department memorandum, the Committee originally was established in order to placate Congress, which had grown concerned over the rapid increase … more
Date: May 17, 2006
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Compensatory Time vs. Cash Wages: Amending the Fair Labor Standards Act?

Description: Since the mid-1980s, certain employer-oriented groups and individuals have urged amendment of the Fair Labor Standards Act to alter current overtime pay requirements. This report contains information on the structure of the issue, compensatory time proposals of the 108th Congress, issues in the debate, and more relating to the issue.
Date: July 17, 2006
Creator: Whittaker, William G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Congressional Gifts and Travel: Legislative Proposals for the 109th Congress

Description: The House and Senate examined their rules on the acceptance of gifts and travel expenses. Press accounts of alleged excesses in privately funded congressional travel and gifts, particularly from lobbyists, have provided an impetus for proposed changes in the 109th Congress. This report provides an analysis of the proposals for change introduced or discussed in the 109th Congress and will be updated as events warrant.
Date: January 17, 2006
Creator: Amer, Mildred L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Current Economic Conditions and Selected Forecasts

Description: U.S. real GDP growth has been positive for 17 consecutive quarters, and the economy is considered to be in an "expansion" phase. As of the fourth quarter of 2005, real or inflation-adjusted growth was nearly 12% above its previous high near the end of the 1991-2001 expansion. This report contains information on current economic conditions, the posture of fiscal and monetary policy, economic forecasts, and related information.
Date: March 17, 2006
Creator: Makinen, Gail E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Data Security: Protecting the Privacy of Phone Records

Description: This report discusses recent legislative and regulatory efforts to protect the privacy of customer telephone records, and efforts to prevent the unauthorized use, disclosure, or sale of such records by data brokers. In addition, it provides a brief overview of the confidentiality protections for customer information established by the Communications Act of 1934.
Date: May 17, 2006
Creator: Stevens, Gina Marie & Rainson, Tara Alexandra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Defense Transformation: Background and Oversight Issues for Congress

Description: This report addresses defense transformation from a DOD-wide perspective. The Bush Administration identified transformation as a major goal for the Department of Defense (DOD) soon after taking office and has since worked to refine and implement its plans for defense transformation. Defense transformation can be defined as large-scale, discontinuous, and possibly disruptive changes in military weapons, concepts of operations (i.e., approaches to warfighting) and organization. The issue for the … more
Date: February 17, 2006
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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